Group rides at night - yay or nay?

[sbird]

I love riding in the dark - either solo or as part of a group.

On quiet roads, I've been known to switch my lights off and just proceed by the light of the moon... but only on roads/lanes that are unlikely to have vehicles on them at that time.

And we did precisely this (riding by moonlight only) on the descent into Marlborough during a night ride from Reading to Bath.

Bliss.

 

[Fab Foodie]

I love riding in the dark - either solo or as part of a group.

On quiet roads, I've been known to switch my lights off and just proceed by the light of the moon... but only on roads/lanes that are unlikely to have vehicles on them at that time.

And what about cycling at night?

 

[Hyslop]

Yes, I wondered if you were a member.
I think the club ethos is excellent, and they are mostly a nice bunch, but the pessimist in me is thinking "accident waiting to happen" unfortunately.
You should come for the Christmas drinks and say hi. :-)

Sorry for the delay! Ive got to say, I like the ethos too.Like the website,sounds much more my sort of thing than another local option.Some days ago,I kept seeing bike after bike heading up Wigton Rd,around 9ish,wondered who they were,and then saw the Reivers jersey and made the connection.There do seem to be a lot of you,and of all shapes and sizes,ages and abilities,good thing I say.The Black Cat at Durdar seems a favourite spot too I notice-start or finish?I may join you one of these days,Id certainly like to,though I'm restricted for time in one way or another,and the rides are mostly at inconvenient times for me and,Im also one of those eccentric souls who doesn't do Facebook,so that rather puts me off a bit.All that said,it would nice to meet you and put a face to the name,and you never know!Thanks for the reply,enjoy the rides

 

[Brains]

5000lm rated is quite dull compared to some of the death rays available now from your favourite seller of chinese goods. There is actually a height law for front lights on cycles that states "One is required, showing a white light, positioned centrally or offside, up to 1500mm from the ground, aligned towards and visible from the front."

Unfortunately that is also high enough to cover all but the tallest of riders wearing these chinese death beams on their helmets

Chinese Death Ray or not, for night road cycling where you want a light to see (as opposed to a flashing commuter light which is designed to be seen) the best position for a front light is as close to the from hub as you can get it.

After a couple of overnight rides and some comments on my cheap Chinese Death Ray from those with a little more experience in such matters, I have now got my light (a Hope Vision) on one of those handlebar extension brackets which I have mounted on the front fork just above the hub hight.

The Hope Vision may not be as bright as the Death Ray, but it shows a lot more road, does not vibrate and two sets of batteries will last all night even on the brightest setting. It is also incapable of burning the retinas of the drivers of oncoming vehicles if mounted properly

 

[Flying Dodo]

Do you think it's a good idea to organise a night ride - 25miles - in the dark?
Personally I think it's an accident waiting to happen.
I'm possibly not the best judge as I think 20plus relatively inexperienced riders heading out together is a thing to be avoided even in the daylight.

As others have stated, on a night ride, with deserted roads, you can spread out. The riders won't all be bunched up together. Going at your own pace you can savour the sights - yes, you can still see things at night, like bats and badgers and deer, and stars. Oh yes, sometimes when there's one of the regular stops to re-group, on a clear night, you can look up at the wide open sky and gaze at the beauty of the universe. And if you're lucky, one of your fellow riders might be a space scientist who can point out a few interesting celestial sights. Riding along, you'll find your sense of smell is enhanced as without car fumes around, the countryside comes alive as you roll past fragrant fields and past dark, looming trees. You'll experience the frisson of the altering air temperature on your skin as you alternately move into colder and warmer air patches, often in the space of a few metres. You'll notice the occasional bit of spider's web caught on your handlebars, glistening in the glare of your front lights. You can enjoy a chat with fellow riders about art, politics, literature, the number of potholes, imaginary castles, or be alone with your thoughts. You'll notice the gradual lightening of the sky as dawn approaches, the subtle changes in contrast and gradually realise you can see more and more in colour. You can arrive at your destination both tired and exhilarated, secure in the knowledge you've done something totally different, and participated in a special world only known by a few.

Or you could stay at home and miss out on all of that.

The Friday Night Ride to the Coast has run over 200 night rides, sometimes with more than 100 participants at a time, many of whom may not be experienced riding at night. And after a finale of a special London by Night or the Longest Night Ride on 17th December, we'll be running a full programme of rides around the country in 2017. You're welcome to come along.

 

[Flying Dodo]

For everyone's peace of mind, we want participants to have insurance cover. Under Cycling UK rules, non members are allowed to attend a small number of rides first, on a sort of "try before you buy" basis, but then you're expected to sign up. Now, it gets a bit complicated trying to cover it all in a comprehensive but succinct way, that we can be sure everyone might read and more importantly understand. So in that respect it's simply easier to say you've got to join Cycling UK.

 

[User482]

For everyone's peace of mind, we want participants to have insurance cover. Under Cycling UK rules, non members are allowed to attend a small number of rides first, on a sort of "try before you buy" basis, but then you're expected to sign up. Now, it gets a bit complicated trying to cover it all in a comprehensive but succinct way, that we can be sure everyone might read and more importantly understand. So in that respect it's simply easier to say you've got to join Cycling UK.

I note that there's nothing unique about the Fridays' requirements: they're exactly the same as my road club in Bristol. And £24 for a year's third-party insurance seems pretty cheap to me.

 

[Sandra6]

As others have stated, on a night ride, with deserted roads, you can spread out. The riders won't all be bunched up together. Going at your own pace you can savour the sights - yes, you can still see things at night, like bats and badgers and deer, and stars. Oh yes, sometimes when there's one of the regular stops to re-group, on a clear night, you can look up at the wide open sky and gaze at the beauty of the universe. And if you're lucky, one of your fellow riders might be a space scientist who can point out a few interesting celestial sights. Riding along, you'll find your sense of smell is enhanced as without car fumes around, the countryside comes alive as you roll past fragrant fields and past dark, looming trees. You'll experience the frisson of the altering air temperature on your skin as you alternately move into colder and warmer air patches, often in the space of a few metres. You'll notice the occasional bit of spider's web caught on your handlebars, glistening in the glare of your front lights. You can enjoy a chat with fellow riders about art, politics, literature, the number of potholes, imaginary castles, or be alone with your thoughts. You'll notice the gradual lightening of the sky as dawn approaches, the subtle changes in contrast and gradually realise you can see more and more in colour. You can arrive at your destination both tired and exhilarated, secure in the knowledge you've done something totally different, and participated in a special world only known by a few.

Or you could stay at home and miss out on all of that.

The Friday Night Ride to the Coast has run over 200 night rides, sometimes with more than 100 participants at a time, many of whom may not be experienced riding at night. And after a finale of a special London by Night or the Longest Night Ride on 17th December, we'll be running a full programme of rides around the country in 2017. You're welcome to come along.

I think there's a big difference to a 2 hour loop round Carlisle at half 7 and a ride the night event.
I'd actually quite like to do the manchester to blackpool night ride, but ride to the sun and such things are not my speed :-)

 

[Sandra6]

Sorry for the delay! Ive got to say, I like the ethos too.Like the website,sounds much more my sort of thing than another local option.Some days ago,I kept seeing bike after bike heading up Wigton Rd,around 9ish,wondered who they were,and then saw the Reivers jersey and made the connection.There do seem to be a lot of you,and of all shapes and sizes,ages and abilities,good thing I say.The Black Cat at Durdar seems a favourite spot too I notice-start or finish?I may join you one of these days,Id certainly like to,though I'm restricted for time in one way or another,and the rides are mostly at inconvenient times for me and,Im also one of those eccentric souls who doesn't do Facebook,so that rather puts me off a bit.All that said,it would nice to meet you and put a face to the name,and you never know!Thanks for the reply,enjoy the rides

You mean you haven't secretly hung out in Halfords just to catch a glimpse already?!
The Reiver's xmas do is on the 10th dec in Quarter Lounge, a few people have booked for food, but quite a lot are just dropping in for drinks after 7pm. You should definitely come and say hi, I'll even stand you a pint :-)

 

[Hyslop]

You mean you haven't secretly hung out in Halfords just to catch a glimpse already?!
The Reiver's xmas do is on the 10th dec in Quarter Lounge, a few people have booked for food, but quite a lot are just dropping in for drinks after 7pm. You should definitely come and say hi, I'll even stand you a pint :-)

Well no,havent lurked around,honest,promise!But....if in the next few days or weeks you sell bottles to a little soul who can only just reach the counter,ask him if he can reach the cages.If he says yes,hes lying...and that's me.Thanks for the info about the Xmas social,You could also nip up Fisher St to the Napper,a few of us get in there,and,as a thank you,I ll get you oneHope to see you!

 

[Scoosh]

I ride the Edinburgh Festival of Cycling Night Ride each year, on the Friday night nearest to the longest day.
100km, starting at 2230, cafe soup'n'rolls, tea/coffee and CAKE half way, finishing with a home-prepared breakfast at - well, breakfast time (but not before 0600). Many of the people on the ride have never ridden at night before, many have never ridden 100km before. Tech van accompanies us. We leave from Edinburgh and usually head out to East Lothian for some quiet (very quiet) country roads. One of the joys is choosing a nice quiet lane with some twists and turns and gentle slopes and inviting those who have never ridden at night before to ride out on their own, sending them off at about 20-30 second intervals, before grouping up at the next junction. They all love it and really 'get' what riding at night can be like - just them on their bike, in total darkness, save their own lights, with an occasional view of a red light ahead ...

It starts to get light soon after the cafe stop, so we have about 3-4 hrs of dark, then get to see the sunrise (from a carefully selected viewpoint ) before turning off the lights and continuing on to breakfast.

We have about 60 riders, in 3 Groups, each with 3 Ride leaders, who have radios for group comms and Tech calls or other incidents - mob phone signals are not dependable in the countryside ... Pre-ride briefing includes things like not having big flashy rear lights, keeping a safe distance, being comfortable at your own speed and No One Gets Left Behind. The group naturally spreads out, so we group up every few miles and advise less experienced riders to hydrate and fuel when we stop.

It's been a great success, mainly because it is NOT a fast ride - it states quite clearly that it is a 12-15kph moving average and there's no point going much faster, as the breakfast isn't available till 0600 anyway !

The same people keep coming back the next year, so we must be getting something right ...

Come up and try it !