Advice on night cycling please

[RhythMick]

Thanks @Pikey (and everyone else). Considering I only posted last night, I've been given a fair number of good replies already. Looks like my "Fat Lad at the Back" shirt might be my most reflective, so you'll probably recognise me if you pass me. I've put in for an early (11:00pm) start and Mrs Donger & I have booked into a hotel that doesn't kick you out until midday so I have a chance of getting some kip afterwards. Haven't heard back about my exact start time yet. What start time have you applied for?

Can I have one of those "Fat lad at the back" shirts please?.

I love cycling at night.

 

[Donger]

Can I have one of those "Fat lad at the back" shirts please?.

I love cycling at night.

Heyy. get your own! They are expensive, you know. What's so good about riding at night then? I'm looking forward to the ride because I've never ridden in London, and I've never done a straight line A-B ride (always start and finish at the same place), so I thought it'd be different. The fact that it is a mass participation event also appealed. The whole "night ride" thing interests me, but I had never really thought of doing it. A mate of mine once got bored one evening and just suddenly rode off to Weston-super-Mare and back overnight .... but I just assumed he was a complete wacko.

 

[ufkacbln]

Don't allow your eyes to be drawn to the lights of oncoming vehicles

You are a Moth AICMFP

 

[DefBref]

Can I have one of those "Fat lad at the back" shirts please?.

I love cycling at night.

Available here: http://fatladattheback.com/

 

[Katherine]

Hi, get a reflective Sam Brown belt. You will be seen but they're not too hot to wear. The further away a car can see you, the more time they have to react.

 

[stu9000]

No, please don't take this advice! Every time you look round your light will shine into the eyes of the people around you. Flashing lights are also not recommended, as they are a real pain to be around.

Don't worry too much, if you have good lights you will have more fun riding at night than you ever thought possible.

I disagree. I have a head torch for winter and night riding, angled down so I have a better chance of seeing pot holes and to not dazzle on comers. I have it set to flash or steady beam depending on how urban the riding is. When you are cornering it will
Illuminate your track better than a frame mounted light, the critical point is that it is high up and you are more likely to be seen over other cars and less likely to be pulled out on in traffic. Riding alone in winter I would not be without it. I don't feel the need for it at this time of year.

Edit - just reread the original post. Perhaps in a group it could be a distracting pain for others. Its a fair point. But might not there be sections where you are riding alone?

 

[Siegfried]

get yourself some reflective leg bands which will go up and down so attract attention better than reflectives any where else on you and get a builders style tabard with some proper bits of refective tape on it, much better than the token strips on bike gear - they only costs a a few quid and you won't get too hot as no arms - they look crap but if you're going out and coming home in the dark it doesn't matter

 

[nickyboy]

Night riding sounds crap.

It's hard enough to avoid potholes and debris in daylight. I'll leave it for you guys in the land of smooth asphalt

 

[_aD]

Don't feel shy at yelling out pothole/glass/stopping/bollard/bunagloid. You really, really will be doing others a favour. A lot of them folks have fancy bikes that don't look like they'd survive two potholes in one ride (God help them if they ever visit Guildford :-)

 

[akb]

Not sure if this has been mentioned above but maybe some yellow tinted glasses. They were a god send for me in diffusing headlights on the road.

Assume this is a Road event?

 

[Globalti]

DO NOT wear reflective clothing. Fer Gawd's sake, if you're going to snoop around peering into people's houses and stealing underwear from washing lines, the last thing you need is reflective clothing.

Sheesh.... bloomin' amateurs.