Night riding

[Ice2911]

i have had my first foray into night riding on the pitch black, tiny, muddy Norfolk roads this week. Normally our club rides are relaxed and chatty. This week in the pitch black it was almost silent and I came home shattered, not from the ride as much as the concentration that was required not to wipe out everyone. I changed the angle of my front light for my second ride which helped a little. It was a very different experience and I'm undecided whether I like it or not. I do need to keep riding though. Any hints and tips? Does it get it easier with practice?
,

 

[Ming the Merciless]

Do not ride close together at night. Allow enough space to see and avoid pot holes. You cannot rely on those in front signalling in time.

Get a good set of lights if you have not already. More than the just be seen variety

If you can get the route on your GPS in advance, do so. You will be able to see the road curves coming up and adjust your speed apprpriately.

 

[Fab Foodie]

I have to agree with @YukonBoy that riding wheel to wheel at speed in the dark is not a smart move. Even the confident riding in groups with familiar experienced riders come unstuck in the dark.
Apart from your own lighting issue your vision is disturbed by the light behind you and the retina welding red light in front of you (worst if in flashing mode).

Riding at the back allows you to decide your comfort distance and removed the light issues from behind.

Having said all that, riding in the dark is fab....as long as you get the opportunity to enjoy it!

 

[Ajax Bay]

Warning - statement of the blindingly obvious approaching.

For me, the thing I really miss when riding in the dark is the view. Best time during overnight rides are the twilight, evening and morning, with sunset/sunrise being extra bonuses. Add a good headtorch (with just a horizontal band) to your equipment. I can wear mine between helmet and (clear lensed) glasses and switch on as needed. And if I have a mechanical a headtorch makes remediation much easier.

 

[Fab Foodie]

Warning - statement of the blindingly obvious approaching.

For me, the thing I really miss when riding in the dark is the view. Best time during overnight rides are the twilight, evening and morning, with sunset/sunrise being extra bonuses. Add a good headtorch (with just a horizontal band) to your equipment. I can wear mine between helmet and (clear lensed) glasses and switch on as needed. And if I have a mechanical a headtorch makes remediation much easier.

Not just the sights but the sound (or lack of) and smell as well.
Even Ramsgate looked good in the dark last night!

 

[Drago]

Head torches make for a crap bike light. Aside from the grief to which TMN alludes, the human brain needs a decent separation between the light source and the eye to be most effective and to provide then best depth/distance perception.

 

[Fab Foodie]

Head torches on group night rides are a real PITA. Every time the wearer turns towards you, you are dazzled by their bliddy light right in your face.

Agreed, as are flashing rear lights, but these things should be managed at the start of the ride IMO.

 

[Globalti]

Agreed on that; some rear lights are waaay brighter than a standard car brake light and absolutely blinding in proper darkness. For a group ride a small "be seen" single LED is sufficient.

I love night riding; did it for over 10 years on the mountain bike and the last 6 years as a road cyclist. It allows you to extend the riding season right into December and start again in March or April. We generally stop when it's getting cold enough for the gritters to be out, which avoids the ice risk and saves our bikes from road salt.

The light needs to be mounted on the handlebar so that it casts shadows. Also be aware that the bright blue/white light is very dazzling to oncoming drivers. Get into the habit of re-charging the light after every ride then putting it in a safe place ready for next time.

You see lots of wildlife especially at dusk; last Tuesday we found ourselves sharing the lane for a few yards with a barn owl and I've been scared out of my wits by deer bursting out of the bushes and clattering off down the road ahead of me.

 

[Johnno260]

I ride in the dark all winter long, only things that stop me are ice or fog I don't mess around with either or those, heavy rain as well especially when the leaves start dropping.

a decent light is a must, I'm struggling with that myself at the moment, also I carry a spare light or batteries, having to walk home due to a flat battery truly sucks. I also carry an additional inner tubes with me (so 2x) in the winter months, but after I swapped from Gators to my Rubinos I had no puncture issues (this could be more luck than anything)

Also I tend to explore less in the winter months, I stick to routes I'm very familiar with, it's just something I'm more comfortable with, you build up a mental map of the potholes/road surface so know which spots to avoid and position myself in advance.

I don't try and break any of my PB's on Strava either, I just get out, and keep fit and leave the fast stuff for dryer days.

Also after every wet ride, my first priority once home is to my bike, it's wiped clean and dried with a microfiber cloth, chain is wiped with a rag and lubed, I'm a firm believer in looking after my kit.

 

[Tilley]

You will also have to deal with the obvious temporary blindness caused by an oncoming car on any unlit road.

 

[Drago]

Riding home from work at 2am used to be one of my favourite journeys. More often than not there would be one particular owl waiting for me, perched on the same fence post each night.

You'd see the doggers at it too, all half naked and sweaty in the forest car park. I politely turned down the occasional invite to join in on the basis that the parking is terrible at the STD clinic.

 

[Ajax Bay]

Head torches on group night rides are a real PITA.

I can see that - my riding in the dark is not normally in company. My headtorch is complementary to a bar mounted front light and is normally off. If on it is on the 1/3rd setting (as opposed to 'full') so even if it's 'on' in company, the occasional look behind PITA generation pales compared to the headlights (even dipped) of oncoming vehicles. If I'm in company I switch my rear light from flashing to steady.

 

[growingvegetables]

... not from the ride as much as the concentration that was required not to wipe out everyone

... sounds like you were riding "in close formation"? Giving a lot more space to each other would let you all relax a bit? Just a thought.

Does it get it easier with practice?

Yes ... and definitely has its own distinct pleasures .

- riding along with a ghostly barn owl tracking you, 20 feet off your shoulder?
- bats flitting around?
- animals of the night, the ones that pop their heads out of the grass verge ... stop, stare, and wonder what on earth's approaching?
- night-time flower smells?
- a clear, cloudless, moonless sky?
- moonlight?
- riding in a tiny cocoon of light, quite alone, in a different world entirely?
- etc, etc.


Oooh - and riding up long hills is SOOOO much easier at night. [True. Not tongue in cheek. ]

[edited to add ... I forgot the simple enjoyment of riding without front lights on a clear moonlit night.

AND NOOOOOO! Don't go there! It's just for riding a quiet bridleway or similar. Or in the wee small hours, when you can see the VERY rare motor vehicle approaching from a very long way off. And it has its own, slow magic.]

[editing again, to add

- the calls of the first skirling curlews to waken, just before sunrise;
- deer - startled ... but puzzled, dead still, and watching you from the path-side, in the hour after dawn :-)

 

[mjr]

That said, using the inbuilt light on your GPS burns the batteries quickly, so if riding solo at night a head torch is useful for preserving precious juice for navigation.

Set it to only light up when approaching a turn. (If yours can't do that, upgrade to OsmAnd~ )

 

[GilesM]

I love night riding, especially in a group, it is just something to get used to, as others have mentioned, drop back a wee bit if it helps, I'm too lazy to do that, I like the shelter being up close gives you, and with the majority using good modern front lights, the road under all of the wheels should be a mass of light, stick at it, you will find it a lot easier after a few rides.