[Closed] Road Cycling at Night

I do but I don't go very far from Home and just tend to do loops around the area.

I split between the Road bike and MTB at night but, with the MTB, I just go round the local cycle paths.

The road bike I only ride on Roads i know as I'm always worried about hitting potholes etc.

In fact, the last time I rode the Road bike at night I just went up and down our main road about 8 times, got 20 miles in just over an hour 😉

Yes. I get away as close to 5pm as possible. Take care through the traffic then I'm soon in the lanes.
It feels pretty safe, I can see them and they can see me.
Spooky sometimes. And I can smell peoples dinners cooking as I pass through the villages.
No problems so far.

I did a bit last winter, but hated it so I stick to mtb or cyclocross (some road). Rural roads that are pleasant during the day, become like riding through a tunnel at night. Nighttime views are much nicer on my local mtb loops.

Every week for years. Just done 60km this evening round the Peak.

Very, very bright lights front and rear, and a group of mates. I wouldn't do it on my own I have to say.

Yeah this is all that worries me at Night as the Main Road A666 has a few deep grids which are fine if you hit them on a mtb but I can see my wrists being broken on the road bike.
Once out of Darwen or Bolton on the A666 it has options to get on quieter roads.

I ride on the road solo at night all the time. Do 75 km quite regularly as well as early morning dark rides. With good lights it is not a problem and if it is dry it is quite nice. When it is wet cold and dark it is just work but sometimes you have to work.

Would never get out in the week if I didn't ride at night.

It can be a bit mental at rush hour, but calms down fairly quickly.
I make sure I have at least two rear lights, fluo bands on my ankles etc.

every week here all year round. Just back from a club ride.
ride solo at night quite a lot, usually 2-4hours but have been known to stay out for the odd night century as well.
single XLM on the bars, 2 front silicone leds and 3 rears (one under the saddle, one at the base of seatpost and the other round the rear hub).
it's safer than riding in the daylight IMO.

Anyone do it?

Yes,I call it commuting 😉 I never give it a second thought now.
Another week or two and I might even make it home before dark.
Light the bike and yourself up and use some High Viz.
I like those wee lights out of Tesco or Aldi as an extra ,and dangle them off the back of the saddle.I have this theory that moving stuff may get seen better from behind,so I always wear ankle reflectors as well.

Problem is winding lanes?

Dude, with your luck I wouldn't bother 😆

Would my C&B seen 1200 Lumen light not be too bright on the road or should I just crack on. Also have a Less powerful Cateye on that's on strobe mode.

Yes, loads. The later the better in fact, because the roads are the quietest they'll be. I've gone out for 3hr rides at 10pm before now - it's great!

I have two rear lights, a powerful front, spare flashy front and bright clothing, reflective crap everywhere.

Would my C&B seen 1200 Lumen light not be too bright on the road

Yes, but it presumably has a low setting? You'll need to point it down a bit too.

Would my C&B seen 1200 Lumen light not be too bright on the road or should I just crack on. Also have a Less powerful Cateye on that's on strobe mode.

Yes regularly, tonight was a night full of rabbits, they were everywhere. I'm pleased I'm not the only one who has smelt peoples tea in little villages, friday night is the worst, there is a mobile chip van, it smells so good when it's really cold, and you have done about twenty miles.

I have done quite a lot of it this year, some commuting and some with the lads from the roadie club. It's ok when it's busy but not ideal. I did an audax a few weeks ago and the last three hours involved riding through the Cotswolds in the dead of nigh on some seriously quiet roads. It was fantastic and much better than the busy local roads.

Night riding is brilliant for either local short rides or more remote epics which are easy to put together here in Suffolk, the roads are less busy, lights mean cars are easier to spot and there's a real buzz from being in the middle of nowhere 30 miles from home at 10 o'clock at night. The only down side is not being able to sleep when you get home.
Try a Dunwich Dynamo as baptism of fire!

As mentioned above, I feel more visible at night than on a dull day. A high vis jacket, a couple of rear lights and a Diablo on the bars are what I use. Also have fluoro spoke sleeves to make myself more visible riding across junctions. It's great riding at night as it is nice and quiet if you avoid main roads. Just got in after a quick 20 miles in the dark peak

I have done about 37 miles tonight and I would say have a spare battery or like me run 2 lights as the last thing you need if for a light to go down or the battery to fail. Stick to roads you know with good surfaces and I enjoy night time riding a lot and have even had owls flying in front of me down lanes twice this year.

Yep, I tend not to ride the summer bike in the dark as I struggle to see some of the bad bits of road until it is too late. The cross bike has 28mm tyres and tough wheels so the odd bit of dodgy road doesn't phase me. Around this time of year I try and do 40-50miles on my way home from work once a week to complement the turbo. About to start the chain gang back up again to get some fast group riding. First race is 8th March.

I have a C&B Seen 1200 lumen light the same as yours and i have used it on the road but on the lowest setting and pointing down 10ft from my front wheel, even at this it offers enough light when out on the road but as others have said it is a flood beam and you have to be careful with it in traffic to avoid dazzling drivers.

Thankfully meeting other road users where i stay on a night ride is a rare occurrence as where i stay is pretty much one of the least populated areas of scotland (galloway) - thus night riding on the road is great fun as you can use the entire road without fear of anything coming towards you, on the rare occasion when there is another road user/car you can see their lights either from behind you or in front from a mile off.

Done over 30 night miles since sunday night and i could count the number of cars i've met on one hand, in fact i encountered more deer than cars, quite a few owls and 1 fat badger who galloped down the road beside me before diving through a hedge.

My roadie bike/tripster has a dynamo hub so it uses a dedicated road front light ([url= http://singletrackmag.com/forum/topic/tripster-atr-finally-built-up-lush/page/42 ]see thread here for light[/url]) and the beam for road riding is better than the C&B seen, not as bright (obviously) but better focused for road riding. I've procrastinated for years about getting a dynamo hub but the simplicity of just jumping on a bike and having light all the time is amazing - so glad i bought it and i would not be without one now. The extra weight of the hub is a total non issue, it's 200g heavier than a normal hub but how much does a battery pack weigh that is strapped to your bike?, and the drag is totally non existent - i was never a [i]roadie[/i] cyclist so i couldn't give two hoots about my speed or beating previous times with the worry of perhaps losing 5 watts of leg power to the dynamo.

it's safer than riding in the daylight IMO.

this. other traffic gives way far more at night than day.

Night riding is brilliant for either local short rides or more remote epics which are easy to put together here in Suffolk, the roads are less busy, lights mean cars are easier to spot and there's a real buzz from being in the middle of nowhere 30 miles from home at 10 o'clock at night. The only down side is not being able to sleep when you get home.
Try a Dunwich Dynamo as baptism of fire!

I am a mile on main road and then rural high level quiet roads, farms, wind farm etc. Scares the shite out of me on a nite ride. Routes that are idyllic in daylight become gremlin infested, wolf dominated, ghost inhabited holes of soulless existence.....

No, I wish I could, but its too darned scary... 😀

Yes and have done for years, two very bright lights on the front and rear, not many street lights on the lonely back roads of the yorkshire dales, did 40 miles tonight and loved every minute of it and not spooky at all

it's 200g heavier than a normal hub but how much does a battery pack weigh that is strapped to your bike?,

Do at least one night ride per week. I have about a 5 mile loop that I do several times. Used to go much further but spooked myself (always ride solo) several times whilst on remote lanes (in the fog!). God the mind can be an awful thing sometimes.

Did not help when I was miles from anywhere and was going up a steep climb when I saw someone with a torch at the side of the road, freaked me right out!

Yep. been out on the road bike tonight. A clockwise loop from home taking in Belthorn, Edgworth, Turton, Bromley X, Egerton, Belmont & Tockholes. 23.5miles.

Saw a group of mtb'ers who had just come off Darwen Moor down Lions Den, gave them a cheery hello as I zipped past. Bet that surprised them, a cheery roadie! Mind you I'm a mtb'er who just happens to have a road bike, not t'other way round. 🙂

EDIT: Lights: 2 Smart 1/2 watt led's on the rear, Exposure Enduro & C & B Seen 1200lumen on the bars. I just switch the C & B seen on when I'm on the unlit roads. Also wear a Proviz riding jacket.

double post

And I can smell peoples dinners cooking as I pass through the villages.
No problems so far.

After a delayed train ride home when I lived in the Highlands - I should have arrive in Inverness at 2pm but instead arrived at 2am - I had to ride 25 miles home - cross country, no traffic, no moon, no lights on the bike. I just had to plug along in the dark buzzing the rumble strip at the edge of the road to have an idea of where I was. Its was really strange how much more you notice smell - I could smell still-warm engines in parked cars that must have been parked 50 yards from the road

Just back from a club ride followed by a 12 mile ride home. Most of my evening commutes and training is done in the dark. Exposure Joystick and Strada for lighting. Fixed wheel road bike, 69 minutes, 21.6 mph, spin, spin, spin!

I used to do weekly 50km night road rides in the winter but tend to just extend my commutes home now I've changed jobs. I have the same lighting setup as TiRed though I don't use the Joystick on road as I don't like the weight on my head when riding road, I find it hurts my neck after a while. Just a decent bar mounted light is sufficient though as even in windy country lanes, you still have much better line of sight than you do in the woods. A decent rear light (I have a Moon Comet, which I'd highly recommend) will give you piece of mind, especially if it is bright enough on the low setting to light up your entire rear wheel. I find solo night road riding pretty dull though you can get great views over the city (in Bristol at least) when you top out some of the climbs. Riding with a mate makes battering in the winter winds in the dark a bit more bearable as you've got someone to talk to and to use as a wind-break when you're knackered.

My joystick's on the bars pointed down as a pothole spotter. Three lights on the back, two Cateye Rapid micros and a small Fenderbot. I always feel MORE visible at night!

This is what i'm wanting to hear. There are nights mainly on my late shifts which finish at 2130. I get home have something to eat and im wide awake and usually sit there watching rubbish on telly or playing the Xbox when I could be doing some quick road loops.

Forgot about my rear light, as egb81 mentions above i also use a [url= http://www.merlincycles.com/moon-comet-rear-led-light-59746.html?utm_campaign=googlebase-GB&utm_source=googlebase&utm_medium=shopping&utm_term=Rear+Lights&ucpo=15989&gclid=COzv5Luf6sMCFRHHtAodH3YAig ]moon comet[/url] but i have it pointing slightly down so it illuminates the rear wheel and road area around the bike as the flashing mode is very bright and quite off putting/dazzling when viewed from behind (i've viewed my light from the comfort of a car seat as my bro rode the bike), when it is pointed down in such a way it actually gives more illumination as there is a surface for the light to bounce off and it is far easier on the eyes of any driver coming up behind you.

I also have a dynamo powered rear light that is mounted on my seat post and is on all the time when i am cycling just like the front light, whether that be daytime or night time it's illuminated.

Really bright flashing or strobing rear (and front) lights are painful to view and very distracting from the point of a driver and are counter productive to road safety when cycling - they are totally unnecessary.

I really like night road riding. Especially that where I live (Torbay) there is almost no cars on the roads after 9PM - I'm talking about back lanes and the roads leading to cross-ferries. Plus if there is a car coming from any direction I can see it for miles. Sometimes I even listen to the music on the earphones (which I'd never do during the day)... 🙄

To the OP: the A666 is a dangerous road, day or night, thanks to the high speeds and poor sightlines. My neighbour is a PC in Blackburn and he has told me to stay away from that road as he's attended three deaths of cyclists in one year. You get a lot of young, inexperienced drivers racing between the two towns, which probably explains its very poor record.

Mind you, your alternative is the Tockholes road, which is just as dangerous, hence the half million quid they spent on all those humps and chicanes.

Can't you drive over to the Ribble Valley? We night-ride out from Whalley and after commuting time the lanes are nice and quiet.

I've been doing overnight rides for years: http://fnrttc.blogspot.co.uk/

Best advice if you're doing it regularly is to buy a proper road light from one of the German manufacturers. The beam is shaped so it doesn't dazzle and you don't need to angle it down.

As a driver, I notice flashing lights more quickly than solid ones, and I'm more conscious of cyclists

If I have one light then it's on flash for visibility, but I usually have two front and two back with silicone lights for the front and back as backup

Globalti - yeah the A666 isn't the best, I ride my motorbike daily along it and some of the driving is shocking. But Green Arms Road near Entwistle is quiet then Roman Road.

I'd have to get train up to Whalley for a ride as I don't have access to a car anymore.

ransos. tell us more about these German lights please?

mtbel, discussed a bit in [url= http://singletrackmag.com/forum/topic/road-bike-lights-moon-on-a-stick ]this thread[/url].

Thanks MrBlobby

hmm... No idea what 90 lux means in real world terms.. ransos? any help here would be appreciated. is that enough light for riding unlit road descents at upto around 45mph? A single XLM on full is what I use now. medium is not really enough.

A [i]Lux[/i] unit of measurement takes the area illuminated into account, or in other words it can be used as term to describe the perceived brightness of a beam of light.

Im afraid it is a more accurate measurement of actual light output than the more commonly used [i]Lumens[/i] but the average joe prefers to massage their ego with the ever increasing advertised lumen output of led lights, measured Lumen output pays absolutely no heed to beam pattern/beam angle and is inherently misleading to how a light will perform in use.

You can get quite technical and start describing photon travel but that's getting rather geeky.

[url= http://www.peterwhitecycles.com/headlights.asp ]Link to measured headlight beams[/url]

Riding unlit road descents at 45mph will likely lead at some point (no matter how bright the light used) to a proof of darwinism.

Toby loop is a good one. Up A666, turn off at Greens Arms and through Chapeltown. Up to Edgeworth and carry on past the Toby. Take the left down to Pickup Bank and then up to Hoddlesden. Back into Darwen then down Marsh House Lane. Mostly quiet roads and safe enough at night. Plenty of scope for extending it depending on how keen you are. Are you going to the Roverrs game? ;0)

Mtbel, I've got a dynamo on the front of my new roadie with a 90 Lux light. It's good but it's not mega. The shape of the beam is awesome, just like a car headlight it's shaped to light up what you want to see instead of splawing a massive blob of **** off light everywhere which blinds other road users. It's not mega bright though. It's light enough for me to have done all my recent night riding on (since about Nov) but I do slow down on descents, above 25mph gets sketchy when you're cornering as the beam can sometimes miss where you want to see if you get me (I rarely ride the same roads though)? I love mine, no thinking just fill up the bottles and head out.

Mr Sparkle that's a good loop. Any others you suggest?

riding unlit road descents at upto around 45mph

Amused. Now where did I put that badge of awesome...

Lolz, just had a geek at my longer night rides, 30mph seems a standard max with 37mph thrown in on an extremely windy one, it was that mad that night!

Thanks soma, I knew what lux meant, just didn't know what 90 might be equivalent to. can't really tell from pics tbh but thanks for the link. don't worry about me, I find 45 absolutely fine at night. there's rarely a night ride where I won't hit 40 at some point.

Cheers. MF.
Sounds like it might be about the same sort of brightness as mine on med.
I know all the roads round here like the back of my hand but being so rural they're still prone to new random potholes, ruts, unforseen mud, debris and roadkill. (a dead pheasant nearly took 8 of us out lastnight when I was on the front :oops:).
My light isn't really a hassle as I charge it as soon as I finish my ride so it's always ready to go. Know exactly what you mean about bar lights when cornering, my light isn't all that floody either so I often do a wee shoulder dip to check my line mid corner 😉
Ransos' German light did sound interesting but I'm Prob best sticking with what I have, there's hardly any traffic on a lot of the roads I ride and I'm pretty good at lowering the brightness or sheilding the lamp when something's approaching. A proper roadbike beam patern with a bit more power on full than yours is probably what I'd like. wonder if anyone will ever come up with a proper dippable beam one day.. now that would be cool.

Ps. TdEL Audax this weekend if yer up for it.. the fastest bunch are bloody fast.

A proper roadbike beam patern with a bit more power on full than yours is probably what I'd like. wonder if anyone will ever come up with a proper dippable beam one day.. now that would be cool.

Considering an [url= http://www.ultimatesportsengineering.com/exposure-lights/cycle-lights-2015/strada-mk5 ]Exposure Strada[/url] for exactly that.

I do 30km 2-3x a week, otherwise I'd never get time.

exposure race maxx on strobe on the bars powering a redeye, then a joystick mk7 on the helmet (not as good as the hope vision1 it replaced but a lot lighter) with a smart R1 on the seatstay.

everything aimed downish, loads of reflective stuff everywhere (inc black scotchlight sheet all over the frame), really enjoy it except the roundabout at the top of town (most of the route are unlit country roads), as people are not expecting a bike at night.

exposure race maxx on strobe on the bars

Do you have any idea how annoying/distracting a strobe on the bars is to pretty much every other road user?

😆 MrBlobby.. I find it hard to believe anyone thinks 45mph is a difficult feat.

MF - in a group mine's generally only around 35 max, on my own I'm not wasting my er...advantage 😉 plenty hills locally to get up to 40 without too much effort

MrBlobby.. I find it hard to believe anyone thinks 45mph is a difficult feat.

I didn't say it was 🙂

Just looked at your link MrBlobby - Wow!! £270!!

Yer too tight for a Garmin though so your max speed is probably wrong 😛

Do you have any idea how annoying/distracting a strobe on the bars is to pretty much every other road user?

This. I hate seeing people using strobe, it's stupid & dangerous for other other road users.

ha ha.. still holding out for Aldi's one 😉

Used to do loads of night road riding, not so much these days.

It's actually safer to ride rural roads at night; you can see vehicles coming from much further off, they can see you and there's much less traffic anyway. I had a great 25 mile commute along country lanes a few years ago, loved that 90mins through the deserted countryside.

Bar lights and a headtorch both with low/medium/high options and a couple of rear lights. You can get away with much less power on the back on deserted roads, it's only in town that you need super-bright strobes.

Just looked at your link MrBlobby - Wow!! £270!!

And you won't be riding my road bike at 45 mph in the dark, or daylight for that matter, I can guarantee it. 36 mph, maybe but not 45 😈

Flatland boys TiRed, last time I did 45 it was September and I was going down Superbagneres.

I use L&M Seca's on race. A gentle touch rotates it from low for general night use and high for country lanes.

1. monkeyfudger - Member

Do you have any idea how annoying/distracting a strobe on the bars is to pretty much every other road user?
This. I hate seeing people using strobe, it's stupid & dangerous for other other road users.

I have plenty of idea – it means people see me and react to that as it’s obviously a bike light, the beam isn’t pointing at people’s faces and I’m not in town with tons of traffic going the other way. Since I started using that I’ve had no-one doing stupid overtaking attempts from the other way – it’s not nice to be sat on a bike with a car coming towards you at 60 or so as they attempt to pass out some slightly slower maniac.

You're wrong. and massively selfish.
Pedal reflectors were designed to signify from the front and rear to motor vehicles that you are a cyclist.
By all means use flashing Led's but not focused super bright strobes

As a shift worker riding in the dark is just something I have to get used to, that said I was on Nights (19:00 to 07:00) last night and it was the first time this year I was able to leave home without the lights turned on.
I took an offroad detour across the Quantocks to celebrate. 😀
A couple more weeks and I won't need lights at all.

[i]Saccades - I’m not in town with tons of traffic going the other way[/i]
You're thinking is the wrong way round - in town the roads are lit so the dazzle from a strobe or flashing light will not dazzle the contrast to the abient light is not so large. They also help by making you stand out against all the other detractions a driver has.

High power strobes are not safe on unlit roads were they dazzle and confuse drivers (and other cyclists). Many of the strobes are confusing even when pointing slightly down. Many of the strobe pattern are based on the assault torches that are meant to confuse targets during an raid.
A low power front flashing light not pointing in the drivers face when accompanied by a constant one is OK.

Are we talking about the same thing here?

Exposure Race Maxx with the typical low beam and high flash?

As I pointed out, since I've started using it that no-one has nearly killed me over-taking in the opposite direction. I don't point the thing slightly down, it is pointing at my wheel.

I've had multiple comments from work mates - non-complaining, all complimenting me on how readily visible I am from miles away.

45mph on my winter bike is 220 RPM 😈 I'm spinning out on club rides at 35, and it's hard to sustain more than 26 for long periods (130 RPM).

I can't stand overly bright rear strobes either. My Cateye Rapid Micros are bright enough, rechargeable, have a soft pulsing mode (nicer than flashing) and are acceptable for group riding at night. Some of the other lights are awful to ride behind.

I went out on my own last night, left about 11.45pm, got home at 1.30am. 🙂

Mostly deserted roads, the very few cars I did see all slowed down, dipped their lights, gave me wide overtakes. Nice and quiet apart from a sudden very-close-by [i]BBAAAAAAAAAAA![/i] from a sheep which made me jump. Looked up and the headtorch caught dozens of glowing yellow eyes so I rode a bit faster....

Got a shout of "GO ON WIGGO!!" from a couple of lads walking home from the pub as I came back through the village.

🙂