[Closed] Road riding in the dark

Never really noticed any difference riding in the dark except I go a bit slower and pretty much every ride I do between November and February is in the dark.

Much like off road in the dark, pick routes you know well.

off road I just pick whatever, was just a surprise. Will probably double up with a helmet light next time as I didn't quite see one of these quick enough
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I also like my new discs 🙂

I like road riding at night and with all of the lights and reflectives I employ, hopefully I'm easier to see than in the daylight.

My morning station run to drop the missus off for her work train is now dark. Noticed the benefit of good lights on one of the early morning dark riders.

The bloke with the decent directional lights was really easy to spot even without high vis. you could see the rear light and the focused front light gave a depth of field that made it easy to spot as a bike from some distance.

The other rider on a mountain bike with what must be a cheap floodlight was less easy to see as it was a weedy rear light with no definition to the front light.

Seen half joking comments that a huge floodlight would dazzle and make drivers slow down, trust me it doesn't dazzle and the light appears stationary for quite some time, before it's recognisable as a cyclist.

I'd certainly get decent directional lights for roads without street lighting. Makes a huge difference to being seen or not.

We started extending the Wednesday evening hooligan ride into Autumn a couple of years ago when we bought some decent lights and what a difference it makes; often the evenings are warm and pleasant and that short but fast midweek ride is just perfect for topping up the cardio-vascular fitness. Just like off-road riding, it's fun and I think safer because drivers are usually quite surprised to see you, plus you can usually spot headlights coming round corners on narrow lanes.

Never really noticed any difference riding in the dark except I go a bit slower and pretty much every ride I do between [s]November[/s]October and [s]February[/s]April is in the dark.

😆

and yes slower er yeah, sure I was, honest...

Road riding in the dark

Is awesome with a decent light - and miserable with a bad one.

I was being optimistic Nobeerinthefridge 🙂

Is awesome with a decent light - and miserable with a bad one.

It's just the same, except its dark. I don't get what's awesome about it - maybe I'm just used to it.

It's just the same, except its dark. I don't get what's awesome about it - maybe I'm just used to it.

When its dark you have a nice 'friendly' pool of light.
When its light you realise its the same cloudy overcast misery you've had for the last 3 months solid.
This may however not apply to people who live where the sky is blue rather than shades of grey.

When its dark you have a nice 'friendly' pool of light.
When its light you realise its the same cloudy overcast misery you've had for the last 3 months solid.

I love riding in the dark, roads are quieter you can see cars around corners courtesy of their headlamps.

Off road is epic too, mad axe men around every corner!

fifeandy - Member

When its dark you have a nice 'friendly' pool of light.
When its light you realise its the same cloudy overcast misery you've had for the last 3 months solid.
This may however not apply to people who live where the sky is blue rather than shades of grey.

Nah, I don't feel this at all.
I think more along the lines of I only have a grey circle of tarmac to look at for the next 1-3 hrs....no sky, trees, fields, birds etc....I get bored on the road bike when it's dark.

Get loads more space and way more careful over takes in the dark..

It depends on the roads. Not too many unlit twisty bits on my commute, so I'm only slowed down by the (more) crappy weather and flappier, warmer clothes.

More twisty roads are trickier. This thread reminds me I need to look at my wiring on my rear light as it was a bit temperamental the other day, but has been working OK since...

I like road riding at night and with all of the lights and reflectives I employ, hopefully I'm easier to see than in the daylight.

I do some road riding in the dark evenings in winter, but it's not as enjoyable as daylight riding. I kind of enjoy getting used to my own pool of light and the quiet of the roads. It's more of a necessity just to get some riding done in the winter sometimes. I enjoy looking at the scenery, and prefer to be riding early morning so it gets lighter.

Off road at night is always good fun though.

I like riding in the dark. Bright lights mean you're more visible on winding country lanes

And it's quiet. And you see things - other senses are heightened?

Obviously go slower, as you can't see the potholes. But it's lovely.

Once you know the route and where all the dodgy bits of surface/draincovers are,you don't really need that big a light.I love when it's proper dark and the roads are quiet,it's like being in space man 😉

Love night riding. It makes familiar routes a new experience, and sometimes you have the road to yourself. Riding right through the night into dawn opens up a whole new world.

Commute all year round, in all weathers as i'm not quite right in the head.

But only tip i would have really is to have a two lights on front and two on back, on the bar have a good quality light on constantly, so you can actually be seen and so you can see imperfections in the road and a flashing light also, and the same on the rear.

There was a good article about the fact that a constant light is needed for drivers to be able to judge their distance to you, but on the flip side, a flashing light picks you out as being a cyclist.

Also, whilst many MTB lights have a shed load of lumens, becuase that light is designed to throw light down the trail, they are often not that good at being seen side on.

Riding right through the night into dawn opens up a whole new world.

I do a fair bit of overnight riding with this mob.

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2008/may/08/ethicalliving.cycling

Pretty much every ride from a few weeks ago to late April is dark. It's ok now but throw in freezing temps and rain and it gets pretty dismal 🙁

Got caught out a couple of times last night with 90deg bends on small country roads suddenly appearing due to the lights being a little too focussed on the near-distance rather than the middle-distance. Enjoyably quiet, but in all honesty prefer an evening ride in the summer dusk. Don't mind nocturnal riding, but it is nicer to be able to see more than just straight ahead.

Riding at night is my favourite. Nothing beats it. Cars stop for me instead of driving straight at me without slowing down. If I turn sown the light drivers just dont seem to see me or if they do they behave like its daylight again.

I dont use a helmet light and I do some quick road rides. I dont get caught out so I am not sure what I am doing different. I use one light on the bars (cateye volt300 and a one light rear. I dont like flashing lights on the front as they annoy me (I dread to think what a bright flashing light would do to a driver).

I also commute all year round.

I love it. Quite a different experience and feel very safe because the roads are quieter and you are much more visible.

I recently rode NCN78, setting off from Campbelltown around 22:30 and only saw half a dozen cars between then and dawn 🙂

http://www.blog.scotroutes.com/2016/09/ncn78-caledonia-way-in-day.html

Riding at night is my favourite. Nothing beats it.

I much prefer lovely sunny days.

I also commute on the bike all year round and find 3-4 months of constantly riding in the dark a bit of a drag.

What puts me off riding at night is that people are looking for headlights in the dark. If they don't see headlights they are not expecting to come across a bike going potentially 60 mph slower

There was a good article about the fact that a constant light is needed for drivers to be able to judge their distance to you, but on the flip side, a flashing light picks you out as being a cyclist.

In night mode my Bontrager Flare does both. I use the night mode as well if riding with others in the day as it's so bright in daytime mode it would get a bit irritating if you were following it.

Any recommendations for a good road night riding light, i.e one that will light the road up rather than be there just to be seen by. I've been commuting off road all year round for years using a Supernova E3 but the dynamo is in the wrong wheel and the lights not ideal for on road anyway. The c&b seen city slicker looks pretty good, I like the fact that it's all in one and batteries can be changed but is there anything else others would recommend?

I do it a lot. I think you actually need better lights on road, or at least more focused ones - because tarmac is black and potholes can be hard to see.

I'd second the double lights thing - so that you can have one flash and one steady, but also for redundancy in case one fails.

Best riding if you are a night owl type of person is really late, because the roads are deserted and it's very peaceful. If it's winter though keep your eyes on the wet bits on the road.. if they start to sparkle, it's freezing, so watch for ice 🙂

Any recommendations for a good road night riding light

Whichever Lezyne one you can afford or meets your criteria. Those all in one units are ideal.

Love road riding both at night and through the night, back in the day I even cycled one junctions length of the M2 because it was so quiet

I hate solo night riding but quite enjoy a small group ride, especially if we're going nice and easy. Winter's a good time for base training anyway.

I go for the helmet light + bar light for spotting potholes better, but am mindful that the helmet light is right at dazzling height for drivers. I'll usually switch off the helmet light in busier areas or avert it when a car comes on a quiet stretch.

Love a solo night ride on a crisp evening. Empty roads, cool air, a bit of wildlife, it's awesome.

2 lights on the bars, a Solarstorm and a flashing Moon Comet, then a Lezyne something on my helmet. The back is covered by another 3 or 4, some flashing, some steady. Add in some spoke reflectors (if I'm on the right bike) and some reflective bits on my clothes and I reckon I'm more visible at night than in the day.

Solarstorm is a pretty bad bar light I'd say. Quite floody and likely to blind car drivers

@avdave2 - have a look at the B&M Ixon Core. USB rechargeable with a specific road riding beam (it's a German light)

I find that paired with a Cateye Volt 300 on pulse pointed down to be a great combo when I need to see the road (for commuting I rarely run both together as it's light enough from street lighting and I run a helmet light too)

2 lights on the bars, a Solarstorm and a flashing Moon Comet, then a Lezyne something on my helmet. The back is covered by another 3 or 4, some flashing, some steady. Add in some spoke reflectors (if I'm on the right bike) and some reflective bits on my clothes and I reckon I'm more visible at night than in the day.

Not sure if serious. Sounds like you might actually be visible from orbit 8)

An Exposure Strada on the bars with a Joystick in the jersey as backup. Out back a Red Eye solid light and a flashing Garmin Varia radar light (wasn't at all convinced about the radar thing but having used it quite a bit now I'm a big fan.)

Solarstorm is a pretty bad bar light I'd say. Quite floody and likely to blind car drivers

Plus it's cheap, and I'm tight.

Not sure if serious! Sounds like you might actually be visible from orbit

lunge, if commuting into a city then fair enough 🙂

Pretty much all my night riding is evening training miles around country lanes or up an down a wide A road.

Recommendations for a bar light I'd say something that has a proper beam pattern (German regs). I run a B&M dynamo light, benp1's suggestion sounds like a good alternative if you don't want to fit a dynamo.

The only issue as I said before is really tight twisty bits and uppy downy bits - but I've never been caught out by a corner, only been slightly slowed by reduced visibility from one corner to the next, or around the corner, on these sorts of roads.

My commute has an unlit fast section, good lights make all the difference. Lights to be seen with and lights to see, not the same thing! I just use 2 old XML torches as "headlights", the sort that used to be all the rage for mtbing, they're too tight beamed to be good offroad really but that makes them ideal on the road- avoids glare risk which would definitely be an issue with my widebeam mtb lights that I use now.

I reckon I'm more visible in the dark than in summer.

xposure Strada on the bars with a Joystick in the jersey as backup

Rode 100 km last night with Strada and Fly 6 (basically a flood Joystick). Plenty of light. Steamed glasses was more of an issue for visibility. I'd say about 800 lumens of well aimed light is plenty for the road. The latest Strada provides that. Might upgrade.

Recommendations for a bar light I'd say something that has a proper beam pattern (German regs). I run a B&M dynamo light, benp1's suggestion sounds like a good alternative if you don't want to fit a dynamo.

I'd quite like to try one of these. I've got the Strada, which I like, but it's not really got a cut off in the same way as the B&M so you still need to point it down a bit.

I'm tempted to try the Garmin Varia front one which has a proper beam pattern and the focus changes with speed.

The best thing I used for light distribution was one of [url= http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/CREE-XML-T6-LED-MTB-Front-Mountain-Bike-Headlight-Head-Torch-Recharegable-Light-/262634189348?hash=item3d2637b224:g:aFAAAOSwnFZXW3vZ ]these cheapo lights[/url] (but with a proper battery, I don't want to burn) and one of [url= http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Wide-angle-lens-for-Cree-XML-T6-Bike-Headlight-bicycle-light-includes-O-Ring/271548179151?_trksid=p2054502.c100227.m3827&_trkparms=aid%3D111001%26algo%3DREC.SEED%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D20160908103841%26meid%3D6f32c8f2d4314b449b9912896fde3951%26pid%3D100227%26rk%3D2%26rkt%3D4%26sd%3D262634189348 ]these wide angle lenses.[/url]

The beam pattern becomes a letterbox oblong which looks bizarre, but on road once you adjust it right it's actually fantastic. Wide spread across the road but zero dazzling, because the light doesn't go much above the top of the letterbox.

Good for seeing cars round corners on twisty little lanes but a bit boring. Too boring to do on my own.

This week I got an all-in-one light from [url= http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Xeccon-Striver-900-Lumen-USB-Road-MTB-front-Light-with-wide-and-spot-beams-/291860499269?hash=item43f43dcb45:g:LhUAAOSwOdpX0a8c ]Torchy The Battery Boy[/url], which really is excellent for road riding.
Dual lights, one beam, one flood, which are controlled separately. Side illuminated too for side visibility. USB rechargeable. £35 reduced from £40 from £45.

Given the cost of the Strada, I'm really surprised that Exposure didn't put in some sort of beam cut off

Given the cost of the Strada, I'm really surprised that Exposure didn't put in some sort of beam cut off

It's more a letterbox shape (much as Molgrips describes above.) Which does mean that it still works as intended if you mount it upside down under the bars, which I do.

Really not looking forward to riding to work in the dark & back.

Depressing time coming up.

I used to love a few laps of Richmond Park in the dark when i was in London.

Closed to cars, so you've got the roads to yourself.
B&M dyno lights are great too.

Surprising number of badgers!

I use a B&M Ixon Premium battery light. Lasts 5 hours on full beam and takes rechargeable AAs, so it's ideal for overnight rides.

ransos - Member

I use a B&M Ixon Premium battery light. Lasts 5 hours on full beam and takes rechargeable AAs, so it's ideal for overnight rides.

I keep looking into getting one of these, as I hate the idea of dazzling oncoming traffic...
For the light output they seem quite expensive, given what the 'cheap' lights cost. But, I suppose if all of that light is going on the road, it will be more effective.
Hard to quantify, but how bright is it? I've seen reviews that have said find for 'fast road riding' and others that say it's fine for in town commuting, but not for open road riding as the beam isn't bright enough & you can't see far enough ahead to go above 15mph or so. As ever with internet reviews, there seems to be a real mix of thoughts....

Thanks for the recommendations, at £35 I think I'll go with the suggestion of jamiep and get the Torchy one.

I keep looking into getting one of these, as I hate the idea of dazzling oncoming traffic...
For the light output they seem quite expensive, given what the 'cheap' lights cost. But, I suppose if all of that light is going on the road, it will be more effective.
Hard to quantify, but how bright is it? I've seen reviews that have said find for 'fast road riding' and others that say it's fine for in town commuting, but not for open road riding as the beam isn't bright enough & you can't see far enough ahead to go above 15mph or so. As ever with internet reviews, there seems to be a real mix of thoughts....

I find it fine up to about 20mph, which is plenty enough for most night riding. It's definitely better on the road than my 1000 lumen mtb light, which wastes most of its output. The only problem with it is on shared paths: because it puts all of the beam on the road, it can be hard to see pedestrians if the path is completely dark.

I find it fine up to about 20mph, which is plenty enough for most night riding. It's definitely better on the road than my 1000 lumen mtb light, which wastes most of its output.

it can be hard to see pedestrians if the path is completely dark.

Oh god! You've reminded me - phone zombies on the canal tow path, dressed in black and engrossed in the screen of their device they are almost impossible to see until the last minute.

Having forgotten to charge my strada and having the last half hour of last nights country lane ride with it in low power mode I'm reminded of how good road lights are these days!