Riding in the dark
Discussion
Hi,
As a relative newcomer to the wonderful world of road bikes, I have been commuting the 8 miles to and from work for the past couple of months, plus a long ride with a mate on a sunday. Fitness is good, speed is good and I'm getting more and more hooked - so much so, I've just entered my first sportive for next summer...However, as we're now into the second work day since the clocks changed, I'm feeling nervous about the first ride home in the pitch black. I've got decent lights (BBB strike 500 and cateye rears), but is there any advice from the more seasoned riders out there?? my commute is either on a winding country lane - full of potholes and v dark, or a main A road without lighting...
cheers!
As a relative newcomer to the wonderful world of road bikes, I have been commuting the 8 miles to and from work for the past couple of months, plus a long ride with a mate on a sunday. Fitness is good, speed is good and I'm getting more and more hooked - so much so, I've just entered my first sportive for next summer...However, as we're now into the second work day since the clocks changed, I'm feeling nervous about the first ride home in the pitch black. I've got decent lights (BBB strike 500 and cateye rears), but is there any advice from the more seasoned riders out there?? my commute is either on a winding country lane - full of potholes and v dark, or a main A road without lighting...
cheers!
Pay attention to what's around you,make sure you know what's around you.
If you know you are on a stretch with potholes take it easy. All common sense really. It's a confidence game as much as anything. You'll get used to it.
I ahve my first night time jaunt through Birmingham City Centre for months this evening. Not looking forward to it, but will be used to it again in no time.
If you know you are on a stretch with potholes take it easy. All common sense really. It's a confidence game as much as anything. You'll get used to it.
I ahve my first night time jaunt through Birmingham City Centre for months this evening. Not looking forward to it, but will be used to it again in no time.
Commuted last winter Readingto Bracknell, which was all street lit and very busy, quite enjoyed it and it had a buzz, with loads of street lighting
Like you OP I now have pitch black all the way home, a few miles of unlit A and B roads , the rest small lanes over Marlborough downs in Wilts
Didnt really enjoy it last night, ridden it loads in dark before, but last night made me realise its gonna be like this for 3 months!! Needed to adjust the tension on my cleat, but couldnt be arsed in the dark, hopefully I'll get used to it more!
Pot holes are a pita, even if you know where they are its easy to miss them, I now slow down and just push hard up the hills and small climbs
As inar said 2 lights each end are a must, I once had one fail and it scares you!
On the plus it toughens you up, gives a sense of satisfaction and keeps the fitness high
Like you OP I now have pitch black all the way home, a few miles of unlit A and B roads , the rest small lanes over Marlborough downs in Wilts
Didnt really enjoy it last night, ridden it loads in dark before, but last night made me realise its gonna be like this for 3 months!! Needed to adjust the tension on my cleat, but couldnt be arsed in the dark, hopefully I'll get used to it more!
Pot holes are a pita, even if you know where they are its easy to miss them, I now slow down and just push hard up the hills and small climbs
As inar said 2 lights each end are a must, I once had one fail and it scares you!
On the plus it toughens you up, gives a sense of satisfaction and keeps the fitness high
Just got back from a hour and a half on mixed roads, deserted country ones and fairly busy main ones.
A second front light on your head or helmet is a good thing, being able to look somewhere apart from where the handle bars are pointed can be a life saver. They also come in handy when you meet the cretin coming the other way that will NOT dip his headlights... If you can't do that, take a small head torch with you for repairs; fixing a puncture with your handlebar light in your teeth is no fun.
I find my lights are good enough to see pot holes and road cack, sometimes branches or projections from the hedge are too high above the beam so give yourself a little more room if you can.
As someone else said, a lot more cars give you a lot more room, and are prepared to sit behind you for longer to get a clear run past. You still get the odd fecker who will pass close, but less of them.
I find I don't worry about Strava as much; my Garmin has a light but I can't be bothered to look at it until the ride is over. Take downhills with more care than you would in the daylight; I had a couple of cars come round corners tonight and you get blinded for a brief second, and you sometimes lose your sense of position on the road so you don't know where the verge is to the left or how much space to the right there is.
A second front light on your head or helmet is a good thing, being able to look somewhere apart from where the handle bars are pointed can be a life saver. They also come in handy when you meet the cretin coming the other way that will NOT dip his headlights... If you can't do that, take a small head torch with you for repairs; fixing a puncture with your handlebar light in your teeth is no fun.
I find my lights are good enough to see pot holes and road cack, sometimes branches or projections from the hedge are too high above the beam so give yourself a little more room if you can.
As someone else said, a lot more cars give you a lot more room, and are prepared to sit behind you for longer to get a clear run past. You still get the odd fecker who will pass close, but less of them.
I find I don't worry about Strava as much; my Garmin has a light but I can't be bothered to look at it until the ride is over. Take downhills with more care than you would in the daylight; I had a couple of cars come round corners tonight and you get blinded for a brief second, and you sometimes lose your sense of position on the road so you don't know where the verge is to the left or how much space to the right there is.
Hint to end all hints: make sure the batteries are fresh or charged and/or carry spares.
The last time I rode a bike in the dark was pretty well the last time I rode one at all. About 7 p.m. on the North circular (pre M25 so busy as hell) and, yes, my lights died. Nothing I've done on 4 wheels has scared me as much as that journey.
The last time I rode a bike in the dark was pretty well the last time I rode one at all. About 7 p.m. on the North circular (pre M25 so busy as hell) and, yes, my lights died. Nothing I've done on 4 wheels has scared me as much as that journey.
Worth getting a high viz jacket or vest with scotchlite reflective bits on, make sure you have the right reflectors on the bike too. The little tube reflectors that go round the spokes work really well too and are nice and cheap- look on ebay for "3m lazer spoke reflectors". I use a nice powerful LED front light (a 8.4v 1600ish lumen jobbie) but turned down to the lowest setting and pointed downwards for road use, means that when it gets really dark you have some brightness in reserve so you can actually see where you're going. I have some little Moon Gem red and white LED lights that clip on to my helmet with a rubber band, the movement of your head helps grab attention.
Have to agree on the backup lights. And batteries.
On a long mostly off road night session my main battery pack ran out and I'd forgotten the backup. As my front and rear lights ran off the same battery pack, although I had backup torches up front, I had nothing on the rear. Which made for a very worried feeling riding ten miles back on the road.
Secondary and tertiary rear lights and now going on all my bikes (planet x has some really quite good rear lights on sale ATM for less than a fiver).
Normally I find riding on road at night very similar to the day, not much slower overall but I do descend a little slower instead of flat out.
Several sodding big lights make a HUGE difference.
On a long mostly off road night session my main battery pack ran out and I'd forgotten the backup. As my front and rear lights ran off the same battery pack, although I had backup torches up front, I had nothing on the rear. Which made for a very worried feeling riding ten miles back on the road.
Secondary and tertiary rear lights and now going on all my bikes (planet x has some really quite good rear lights on sale ATM for less than a fiver).
Normally I find riding on road at night very similar to the day, not much slower overall but I do descend a little slower instead of flat out.
Several sodding big lights make a HUGE difference.
Light technology has moved on an amazing amount in 20 years. When I was 15 riding on country lanes and partly lit roads in somerset i had to make do with these
Just getting back in to cycling and bought some of these (not at that price!)
The difference is utterly astonishing - I feel significantly safer as a result but the additional precautions like spare lights/batteries and high viz clothing are great ideas. We all should minimise the risk of not making it home in one piece.
Just getting back in to cycling and bought some of these (not at that price!)
The difference is utterly astonishing - I feel significantly safer as a result but the additional precautions like spare lights/batteries and high viz clothing are great ideas. We all should minimise the risk of not making it home in one piece.
anonymous said:
[redacted]
t, dude.First time I 'met' one face to face it wasn't cycling. It was IN my basha on Salisbury Plain, digging under my sleeping mat. That woke me up pretty quick I can tell you.
Second time was a night-time ride in rural Essex. I must have given it a bit of a start, as all I could hear was it's claws scrabbling for grip on wet tarmac as it tried to get off the road and back into the woods. I had no idea what it was at first, but it sounded a LOT bigger and scarier than a mere Badger, at least until I caught sight of it in my (puny) lights, whereupon I relaxed and calmed down quite a bit. You're right about them 'raising heartrates' though.
I worry more about Deer myself. I was parallel with a group of five in a field, I'd startled them, and they were running beside me but keeping their distance. Then a car approached from a side turn, on a direct collision course with the Deer, which then, as a group, turned away from the car and toward me
Two went behind me, three crossed the road in front of me, with their mad bouncing, leaping run, over the hedgerow. I braced for impact, and grabbed at the brakes, half expecting to take a direct hit from the left. In the end I wasn't smacked full force by a fully grown Roe Deer, but I got as close to it as I ever want to be. Oh, and the little Muntjac Deer - they are properly stupid, and will often 'freeze' on the road in front of you, causing you to take avoiding action.
Gassing Station | Pedal Powered | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff