Night Riding ?
Discussion
Dont mean wearing a leather jacket and talking to my bike..
But have been getting out after work over lockdown rather than waiting for weekends and dont want to stop for winter, dont fancy going out at rush hour but thinking later on, say 9/10 o clock.
Used to ride home from work through the Cheshire countryside at night and loved it, if anything felt safer in the dark as was well lit and I felt more obvious than in daylight, so thinking of going out and doing 20/30 miles once or twice a week.
Anyone else go out late like that ?
Any tips and what lights do you use. Just got one of these ordered ,
https://www.bikeradar.com/news/brightside-light-ai...
As that is what concerns me to a degree but on largely empty country lanes I cant really see much of an issue, if dressed right and its not icy.
But have been getting out after work over lockdown rather than waiting for weekends and dont want to stop for winter, dont fancy going out at rush hour but thinking later on, say 9/10 o clock.
Used to ride home from work through the Cheshire countryside at night and loved it, if anything felt safer in the dark as was well lit and I felt more obvious than in daylight, so thinking of going out and doing 20/30 miles once or twice a week.
Anyone else go out late like that ?
Any tips and what lights do you use. Just got one of these ordered ,
https://www.bikeradar.com/news/brightside-light-ai...
As that is what concerns me to a degree but on largely empty country lanes I cant really see much of an issue, if dressed right and its not icy.
Quite like going out once rush hour is over in the winter, so after about 8pm here the roads are very quiet. Prefer cold dry evenings but will do rain or wind if I have to lol. Generally dressed up like a Christmas tree and hope for the best that I get seen 
Cateye 800 front light, fully charged with a spare on board. Moon Nebula rear light, with a spare on board. Reflective everything......... You can never be too safe or too visible !!!!! Boil in the bag Proviz gilet gives the full on Christmas tree effect, but it works.............. So far so good anyway
Cateye 800 front light, fully charged with a spare on board. Moon Nebula rear light, with a spare on board. Reflective everything......... You can never be too safe or too visible !!!!! Boil in the bag Proviz gilet gives the full on Christmas tree effect, but it works.............. So far so good anyway
I'm reasonably new to road biking but have an exposure strada rs up front. Doesnt last 3 hours at 1200 lumen max though. Very bright although drop the lumens and it increases battery life a lot but doesn't seem much less brighter. Very bright on dark country roads with loads of visibility up front.
Also have moon nebula and comet flashing lights up front and out back which are bright be seen lights I dont ride without ever, and a cheap amazon led thing on my helmet facing the back.
https://road.cc/content/buyers-guide/updated-front...
Good comparison tool there if its any use to you
Also have moon nebula and comet flashing lights up front and out back which are bright be seen lights I dont ride without ever, and a cheap amazon led thing on my helmet facing the back.
https://road.cc/content/buyers-guide/updated-front...
Good comparison tool there if its any use to you
I got some of this for the warmer nights to put on my calves.
https://www.safetyskinproducts.com/
It works quite well.
I tend to stick to the better surfaced roads if on the road bike, and make myself as seen as possible.
https://www.safetyskinproducts.com/
It works quite well.
I tend to stick to the better surfaced roads if on the road bike, and make myself as seen as possible.
Cool, I agree, would rather be seen as odd than not seen !
I tend to have a couple of lights either end, the sidelight is anew one on me so worth a try.
Was going to get a new hi viz but have found my old Altura NightVision commuting jacket, its a bit big and looks like a motorway maintenance thing now with chain oil and general grime but its still pretty bright and has reflective bits.
My thinking with lights is one to see with, Chinese owl burner should do at the front, pointed down and on low where you can to avoid blinding drivers and getting them giving you the full beam treatment, then a flashing one as that says bike, possibly one on your helmet as well.
then try and make an outline of a person with the lights at the back, one is ok but if it conks out/or falls off you arent any the wiser plus if it can be obscured by a wall or whatever so worth putting two or three on, plus, I try to keep them to the right hand side if I can as it puts you a bit further over to passing cars. Just checking my logic here to an extent.
I think a lot of the public feel that cycling is only for sunny warm days when its not raining, I had some of my nicest ever rides under cover of darkness, I sometimes enjoy getting drenched, temperature is mainly down to what you are wearing.
Also, sometimes, a summers day is not the best, loads of traffic, too hot, lots of flies and too many other cyclists
Though, wont cycle if its icy, that is mental and a fast track to a broken collarbone or worse.
I tend to have a couple of lights either end, the sidelight is anew one on me so worth a try.
Was going to get a new hi viz but have found my old Altura NightVision commuting jacket, its a bit big and looks like a motorway maintenance thing now with chain oil and general grime but its still pretty bright and has reflective bits.
My thinking with lights is one to see with, Chinese owl burner should do at the front, pointed down and on low where you can to avoid blinding drivers and getting them giving you the full beam treatment, then a flashing one as that says bike, possibly one on your helmet as well.
then try and make an outline of a person with the lights at the back, one is ok but if it conks out/or falls off you arent any the wiser plus if it can be obscured by a wall or whatever so worth putting two or three on, plus, I try to keep them to the right hand side if I can as it puts you a bit further over to passing cars. Just checking my logic here to an extent.
I think a lot of the public feel that cycling is only for sunny warm days when its not raining, I had some of my nicest ever rides under cover of darkness, I sometimes enjoy getting drenched, temperature is mainly down to what you are wearing.
Also, sometimes, a summers day is not the best, loads of traffic, too hot, lots of flies and too many other cyclists
Though, wont cycle if its icy, that is mental and a fast track to a broken collarbone or worse.
Ridden plenty on the road at night, a dry autumn or winter night it can be lovely, sometimes the moonlight is good enough that you can see fine without a light anyway! A Cree lamp up front (£15) with the battery in a cutoff bottle in the down tube cage, and a fairly standard LED back light was fine for me, If you can get out into the lanes quickly they’re mostly quiet after 7pm I find, and you can tell a mile off if a car is coming because of its lights.
Equally nice to MTB at night, but put the Cree lamp on my head as it’s usually better for lighting up where you actually want to go.
Less keen on riding in the wet and dark, glare etc not as nice in my experience.
Equally nice to MTB at night, but put the Cree lamp on my head as it’s usually better for lighting up where you actually want to go.
Less keen on riding in the wet and dark, glare etc not as nice in my experience.
Edited by johnpsanderson on Tuesday 8th September 17:25
Yes ive done loads over last 10 years
It started out as my office is 10 miles (well 15 now) from my house down quiet unlit back roads/old railway lines, I used to do them all year until the clocks changed & it got dark , then one year I carried on when brigther lights came more available and I really enjoy it.
I also live on the edge of a big town , so often did laps of that 10pm + when the roads were quiet
- Get decent lights, ive used the cheap crees with an extra capacity battery
- carry at least one spare light on each end of bike, rear lights fall off and you dont notice ! Front lights fail on fast downhills!
- When it gets cold batteries die so , so much quicker,
- Be prepared to change a puncture in the pitch black under torch light
-Ideally stick to routes you know, I always liked to stick to lanes I knew, so I knew where the pot holes are
- You see mice, badgers, owls etc!
- Once you get used to it , its really enjoyable
It also toughens you up a bit and makes you more self sufficient, as you dont want to be stuck in the middle of nowhere in the dark
It started out as my office is 10 miles (well 15 now) from my house down quiet unlit back roads/old railway lines, I used to do them all year until the clocks changed & it got dark , then one year I carried on when brigther lights came more available and I really enjoy it.
I also live on the edge of a big town , so often did laps of that 10pm + when the roads were quiet
- Get decent lights, ive used the cheap crees with an extra capacity battery
- carry at least one spare light on each end of bike, rear lights fall off and you dont notice ! Front lights fail on fast downhills!
- When it gets cold batteries die so , so much quicker,
- Be prepared to change a puncture in the pitch black under torch light
-Ideally stick to routes you know, I always liked to stick to lanes I knew, so I knew where the pot holes are
- You see mice, badgers, owls etc!
- Once you get used to it , its really enjoyable
It also toughens you up a bit and makes you more self sufficient, as you dont want to be stuck in the middle of nowhere in the dark
Edited by TwistingMyMelon on Tuesday 8th September 17:04
Getragdogleg said:
Round my way the badgers are quite a hazard.
Sounds like a band name, "The Hazardous Badgers"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pzagBTcYsYQ
I’ve been MTB night riding for a coupe of years now.
It’s great fun, can’t speak for what it’s like on the road but it’s a game-changer off road, if nothing else 1600lms makes rocks look like boulders and roots like World Cup drops.
There's a point in winter though it just gets grim. Last year we found ourselves down to about 1m visibility in a rain storm, freezing cold and even though I knew the trail well and had GPS etc my arse started to twitch a bit.
If anyone wants some reliable, VFM night lights, Halfords Bike Hut brand are great.
It’s great fun, can’t speak for what it’s like on the road but it’s a game-changer off road, if nothing else 1600lms makes rocks look like boulders and roots like World Cup drops.
There's a point in winter though it just gets grim. Last year we found ourselves down to about 1m visibility in a rain storm, freezing cold and even though I knew the trail well and had GPS etc my arse started to twitch a bit.
If anyone wants some reliable, VFM night lights, Halfords Bike Hut brand are great.
I have collection of the Chinese super bright ones, one sort of branded one called a Magicshine and a Hope Vision 2 whcih was on its last legs.
The problem is the battery packs, not the lights, for four 18650 cells they dont last long, think they are just crap cells or pre enjoyed ones.
Tempted to get one of those packs you can put your own in and wang some decent Samsung or Sony cells in.
The problem is the battery packs, not the lights, for four 18650 cells they dont last long, think they are just crap cells or pre enjoyed ones.
Tempted to get one of those packs you can put your own in and wang some decent Samsung or Sony cells in.
I tend to buy the Cree lights that Lidl tend to do at about this time of year. They’re copies of Lezyne Macro drives, and they’ve lasted me well over the last few winters. Then get out and do some evening / night rides. The roads tend to be quieter. I’m usually doing my cycle commute at 05:00, so except for a couple of weeks of the year, my commutes tend to be in the dark anyway.
I've got the latest cateye 800lm for my commutes to work on unlit country lanes/sort tracks.
It was perfect for that use, but if I was doing longer rides or actual off-road I'd want something with a brighter light and bigger battery.
I quite fancy trying one of the torchy lights for this.
It was perfect for that use, but if I was doing longer rides or actual off-road I'd want something with a brighter light and bigger battery.
I quite fancy trying one of the torchy lights for this.
I too am enjoying night riding, or at least coming home in the dark, which will turn into total night rides in the coming weeks!
Everybody here raves about exposure and they are supposed to be very good, but they are pricey!
I have a dual headlight set up for road rides. A moon meteor storm pro as my “main beam” (£70 from wiggle and will do 2000 lumens for 2 hours, or various lower outputs for longer durations, I shall to use the mid settings!) and another smaller moon light on a lower power flash / as a back up. I then have a moon Nebula and moon comet-x on the seatpost and on the back of my jersey.
I really rate the moon lights, hard to find better VFM
Everybody here raves about exposure and they are supposed to be very good, but they are pricey!
I have a dual headlight set up for road rides. A moon meteor storm pro as my “main beam” (£70 from wiggle and will do 2000 lumens for 2 hours, or various lower outputs for longer durations, I shall to use the mid settings!) and another smaller moon light on a lower power flash / as a back up. I then have a moon Nebula and moon comet-x on the seatpost and on the back of my jersey.
I really rate the moon lights, hard to find better VFM
I don't do a lot of night riding, but did do the London to Manchester Rapha ride last year, setting off at midnight and thus requiring 6 hours of very good lighting.
I went for an Exposure Diablo extremely bright, but also very good on battery usage. I used an external cell as well and got well over 7 hours of light, half of which was attributable to the extra cell.
Bright enough to light the darkest rural country lane, whilst also not being too big and cumbersome - the mount is also an easy elastic held one - or it can be fitted to your helmet.
I also have a MAXX-D, stupid bright, real day light stuff, but battery lasts c60mins of full power, the unit is big and needs a permanently fixed bracket.
I went for an Exposure Diablo extremely bright, but also very good on battery usage. I used an external cell as well and got well over 7 hours of light, half of which was attributable to the extra cell.
Bright enough to light the darkest rural country lane, whilst also not being too big and cumbersome - the mount is also an easy elastic held one - or it can be fitted to your helmet.
I also have a MAXX-D, stupid bright, real day light stuff, but battery lasts c60mins of full power, the unit is big and needs a permanently fixed bracket.
Mazinbrum said:
jimmy156 said:
I Everybody here raves about exposure and they are supposed to be very good, but they are pricey!
Feels good to support the UK instead of the Chinese Communist party though.Gassing Station | Pedal Powered | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff