Cycling at night

[Peter10]

I like cycling at night, but then again I'm a night person rather than morning. During the week it isn't so bad, but remember especially on Friday's and weekends, you will have a lot more drunk drivers on the streets (very common in my area as it is a built up area). Also, remember there are higher chances of tired motorists.

I will cycle to and from work all winter in the dark except Halloween and Fireworks Night. Not worth the risk for me.

 

[Hacienda71]

Don't mind night riding but do not like riding at twilight/dusk, either on the bike or in the car.

 

[Cyclist33]

Tuesday was the first time I've done my commute in total darkness, as I got caught up at work.

I paradoxically felt safer; it seemed that people were driving more carefully and paying more attention than in the daytime.

What does everyone else think?

Love it! You get a real sense of solitude, plus when the wind drops it's really spooky coz you can hear your own air resistance.

Stu

 

[Sheffield_Tiger]

Riding at night is fine.

Forgive me if I slip into rabid moton mode and froth at the mouth a bit (I would go out and buy a copy of the Daily Mail to wave around in anger too but the newsagent is shut)

Riding on dark unlit roads in the peak district, jusy above Fox House is NOT clever when you haven't got any lights.

Neither is sitting in the middle of a well spaced out group of riders, between the ones who have some sense and are illuminated brightly, a good idea. You may think that you are being semi-sensible by sitting in the middle of the group, but when the group is a good 50-75 yards apart, a driver's eyes see a void where you are, between the bright lights and hi-vis rucksack covers of those up ahead and way behind you, effectively masking you and making it LOOK like there is a perfectly safe gap to overtake and pull in between the TWO groups of cyclists we can see, should we need to. We can't see the third group.

God forbid anyone on here was in a group like this at 9:20 tonight between Fox House and Houndkirk Road, but if you were, the unlit members of your group are a f***ing liability. It's scary to see a black ninja shadow loom in front of your left headlamp, even when going at a speed that one ought to when carefully overtaking a group of cyclists, in order that there is no real danger of an actual collision (I think Audi man behind got a bit upset with my caution but driving an Audi stops me giving a hoot what you think....)

Don't know what it was about today, but

1. Heading out to Derwent Valley there was a couple, one unlit, the illuminated rider beng on the outside as a shield. Sensible in an emergency, but I have a feeling they were setting out on a ride
2. Hands up myself....when I parked up and sett off for my run around Ladybower I realised that I'd forgotten my reflective flashing ankle/arm bands, though I am on a path or a track most of the time, still I prefer to be lit up should any loon decide to lay Colin McRae for real life on the tracks
3. The numpties described above. All the gear by the looks of it (on average) but too many with either ineffective poundland lighting or no lighting at all. Why spend good money on a bouncy off road machine then balk at a few quid for some reasonable lighting????

 

[al78]

For me, it depends.

Sometimes it can be really pleasant, if it is clear, calm, starry sky and there is little traffic. It can also be nice at dusk and the fog is starting to form on the adjacent fields so you get that effect of a blanket of white over the countryside either side of the road with the trees poking out from it, a bit like a spooky halloween scene.

Sometimes it feels lonely. My commute is entirely rural with tree lined roads so in the middle of winter under cloudy skies it is pretty much as dark as you can get on a road, thus sometimes there is that feeling of being alone and vulnerable.

It can be nasty when it is raining or has been raining heavily and there are sheets of water across the width of the road which hides all the potholes so I have to resort to memory. Also, the rain washes loads of crap onto the roads which increases the risk of a puncture, plus wet roads reflect less light than dry roads so it can be tricky to see the edge at times. Another hazard of night driving is drivers who can't be bothered to dip their lights, or even if they do, you can still lose your night vision if you meet the oncoming car at a road summit so their lights are angled upwards more than normal. I've got used to looking down and to the left when I can see a car approaching at night to minimise this happening.

 

[potsy]

Absolutly love night riding ! Did a good run tonight after work to my Mums which is 18 miles from my work doorstep to her house to get my haircut believe it or not !

Basin cut? No wonder you rode home in the dark

 

[slowmotion]

I love riding at night, but only on empty roads. Pub closing time gives me the willies, as does spliffing-up time, but that seems a flexible feast these days.

 

[Browser]

I like the peace, since much of my commute is rural with only a short stretch of a busy A road. It'd be nice to see more cyclists and I'm hoping that once the new A16 relief road between Peterborough and Spalding is finally open and I receive management persission to use the old A1073 that a few more souls in Crowland might declare themselves hardy enough to start cycle-commuting regularly.

 

[skudupnorth]

Basin cut? No wonder you rode home in the dark

[attachment=984:BwU-4621604._f125_250.jpg]

Bats liked it though on the trans Pennine !!! Used to have haircuts like that when i was at the Willows Primary school,thankfully my Mum does not get near my head with the choppers nowadays !

 

[skudupnorth]

Was that via Hardy's farm and / or Chorlton water park?

I joined it near Atlantic street in Broadheath if you know that gate,you follow Dairyhouse lane and it starts there.Cracking ride,no-one about except for Potsy's bats !

 

[Jaguar]

cars seem to give you much more room than in daylight.

Totally true in my experience: in daylight they just "don't see you". All my crashes have been in broad daylight (I cycle every day, so that's a lot of dark riding)

 

[dellzeqq]

from my experience, much worse in the dark than in the day.

mine too. Being rear-ended by a car doing 55mph, flying 30 metres along the road and being left for dead can put you off riding at night. Which it did for about seven years.

Now there's a funny thing...........