Shortening of daylight hours and cycling.

[Johnno260]

I guess my problem is,as I am not training for competition, I like to go out on the bike and view the countryside,that and I feel night riding,I just do not feel safe at night.
Maybe I should invest in lights and give it a go.

Try an early morning ride, mine this morning at 6am was loverly, it was light enough to appreciate the countryside.

If it’s icy or foggy don’t go out if you aren’t comfortable I don’t.

Some decent lights will make you feel safer, use routes you know and keep your speed down, this is more due to the road surface, I have a Proviz jacket so I light up like a Christmas tree as well.

The other pro is if you leave early enough the traffic is almost zero.

The lights I use are both Garmin I’m afraid, the RTL510 (REAR) and UT800 (FRONT) I wouldn’t trade either especially the front as it varies it’s pulse and constant beam dependant on your speed and the light level, I think both those functions are dependent on the head unit.

 

[roley poley]

good lights,retro-reflective jacket (not only a day glow florescent that's at its best in daylight ,not night) and ankle bands of the same material will be my best friends on my early morning commute and will be yours too

 

[potsy]

I have only very recently returned to cycle commuting, finish work at 7pm so will very soon be coming home in darkness.
Good lights and plenty of reflectives will be my plan.

Don't want to give up just yet, it's taken 3 years to get back!

 

[Ming the Merciless]

Lights and carry on as normal. I run dynamos on my main bikes anyway. Always have lighting on the bike. If you are riding country lanes on commute then they are a lot safer at night when you are lit up and the background doesn’t distract IMO. If not happy with roads you are on. Look for alternatives for the winter. An extra mile or two on a commute is neither here nor there if it gives a better cycling route.

 

[tyred]

I switch on my dynamo lights

 

[RoubaixCube]

I used to work till 8 or 11pm but by 4pm it was already pitch dark outside. Night time rides are normally a lot more exciting and enjoyable to me

As suggested many times in this thread. Get a good set of lights, a jacket with some reflective patches/piping and just ride like you normally would. Ride slower if you have to as sights, sounds and smells do tend to change towards the autumn/winter time and places that were familiar to you during the day might not be as familiar during the night.

So long as you know where youre going and youre set up correctly. Theres nowt really to be nervous of. An alternative would be to maybe start doing a few evening rides every other day from 8-10pm around the same route you ride to work or just some random route just to get your confidence up and acclimatised to being out in the dark.

 

[Alex321]

I just carry on more or less as normal, with (as everybody else has said) good lights.

If you are riding unlit minor roads, I'd say you want at least 800 lumens, preferably more for your front light. Even then, you will be slower on some downhills than in daylight (though faster on some where you know the surface is good), but you should be able to ride at your normal speed on the flats and uphill.

I finish work at about 4:30pm, and last winter I went out for a 35-70 minute ride almost every evening - but all on roads I knew. I didn't start exploring new routes much until I could do it in daylight.

 

[kayakerles]

My riding comfort zone is from 4° to 32°. Three days in a row in July I rode for over an hour with the temp a little above 32°, and wound up with a headache at night for two hours even with drinking plenty of water along the way. So no more riding above 32° for me.

Now at the end of August we have still had many days that are almost at 32°. Makes for hot riding. I have been riding instead at 5:30 in the morning, in complete darkness until 6 AM and then getting lighter by 6:30, but the temperature at that hour is only 22°. So much more comfortable, and so quiet. Not to mention I see 6 to 9 deer every morning in an hour's time.

Another vote for@Drago's choice… Good lights front & rear and reflective clothing. But when it is below 4° or above 32°, I am done. I don’t want to take a make-believe bike ride inside our apartment at all. I ride for fun, and that’s not fun to me.

No matter what upper clothing I ride with here, whether a T-shirt underneath, a long sleeve shirt or a hoodie, I throw my oversized reflective construction worker vest on in hopes of being seen.

 

[lazybloke]

Cycling in traffic is initially initimidating but that fades in only a short time as you get used to it.
Some roads are just nasty for cycling, however. Or rather, some roads seem to be a poor design that those poor impatient drivers just can't cope. with. Bless.

If you don't like a route, look for alternatives that are less busy. Consider cycle paths, quietways, or whatever you have locally.

Cycling in the dark is fine. Fun, even.

 

[flake99please]

One of the reasons I’m grateful for my very early morning commutes. I’m back at home by midday, and have a few hours of daylight left, even on the shortest winter days.

 

[HobbesOnTour]

Another suggestion for getting out in the morning.
Yes, it may be dark but there's a lot less activity.
It's a great way to start the day.

It also may be worth investigating alternative routes to what you do now. What's good and pleasant on a July evening may not be on an October morning.

Good luck

 

[MichaelW2]

The danger us not darkness: lights and reflective gear work well. The danger time is low sun and dusk when drivers can be blinded by low sun and lights cant compete with our nearest star.
If your commute runs East West, consider this danger.

 

[LeetleGreyCells]

I have one of these reflective helmets, slightest bit of light and it shines like a Christmas tree on steroids!

 

[carpiste]

I remember commuting in the very early 80`s on a Peugeot roadie with terrible lights that you just wouldn`t use today! The only protection was a workmans yellow vest top over a load of heavyweight clothing during deep winter! In snow or ice conditions it was back on the bus which took an age to get to and from work and still left me with a short walk/slide home!
Cycling for me, now I`m retired, is partly exercise but mostly pleasure. I love to get about and see what`s going on around me. Nature is a wonderful thing even in the middle of winter.... but it has to be daylight hours. None of that night riding business for me thanks

 

[Cathryn]

I guess my problem is,as I am not training for competition, I like to go out on the bike and view the countryside,that and I feel night riding,I just do not feel safe at night.
Maybe I should invest in lights and give it a go.

I'm the same - I ride for joy, not performance (luckily, given my genes) and riding in the dark does nothing for me. I generally run (in the dark) in winter and ride at weekends.