TimothyH

I love to ride at night.

With proper gear and prep one can be more visible than in the daylight. That aside, I love riding in sultry August nights, late or in the small hours of the morning.

Cooler air will often settle into the low spots on calm nights. Descending into a creek valley can be bracing when you're all hot from riding and hit the cold spot at the bottom!

85°, lights blazing, not a car on the road... Full moon group rides or a solo blast, maybe through the parts of town where you wouldn't ride during the day... I love it.

No real point to this thread. It's been in the low 60's into the evening here in the Atlanta burbs. Itching to get out at night and I just felt like saying that.

rpenmanparker 

Can you see the road imperfections well enough at night to be safe at 20+ mph. I certainly can't. Even with lights.

hollywoodeskimo

I like the way you think.

banerjek

Depends on where you ride. Several months of the year I commute in total darkness and used to live in a rural area with no light from streetlights, houses, etc. I think it's safe enough, but car headlights make it hard to see things. You hit a lot more in the dark, particularly in storms -- I once ran into a bed spring at speed. Took a few minutes to get untangled.

But on clear nights, it's a blast -- I always had the sensation that everything was all mine. Rural roads in the dark, particularly with a bit of moonlight assist is awesome.

hollywoodeskimo

I was riding one night and the light's batteries started going. Next thing I saw was a deer right in front of me. I just missed him. I'm willing to take the risk riding at night on roads with which I am very familiar. But then I don't ride as fast at night either.

jon c. 

When we were kids, we rode many miles on country roads without lights. Now I wonder how we did it. Also makes me wonder if young eyes don't perhaps see a whole lot better at night.

datlas 

Agree night riding can be very peaceful. I personally will only ride at night on FAMILIAR roads, to minimize surprises.

noodle soup

Yeah, I love riding at night(with stupidly bright lights), but my night rides are always 2-3mph slower average speed. Night rides are now only commutes and easy recovery rides.

TimothyH

It helps to have both a bar and helmet mount lights. Sometimes have to brake on really fast descents - prudence and common sense.

I'm about to go for a Light & Motion Urban 800 Fast Charge for the bars + a Vis 360 Plus helmet mount. This is the best of both worlds and Jenson USA just price matched the lights to the lowest price I could find in the interwebz.

My old Night Rider halogen with the battery pack in the jersey pocket is about ready for the Science Olympiad donated parts bin at the local high school.


-Tim-

PS: https://www.bikelightdatabase.com/

Machka 

Rowan and I have been riding at night, by choice, during the week lately. We wait until about 8:30 pm or so, until it is getting dark, and then go for a ride.

Heathpack 

I ride substantial hours per week in the dark, up to 50% of my ride time, sometimes 6 hours per week.

For me, it's just before dawn. Awesome. Traffic is light but there are still people around. I've got it down- bright head light, less-bright helmet light, rear blinkie.

I'm pretty comfortable riding fast in the dark, but I'm on familiar roads.

banerjek

I always carry a spare light with enough power to be used on its own. I've done some pretty stupid things at night, the dumbest hitting 48mph on a descent. There is no way I would have seen a rock or roadkill in time. On another stupid occasion, I almost collided with an pair of elk at 40+mph in the dark -- missed them by a couple feet tops. Definitely a code brown emergency. I don't do things like that anymore.

There was much less light pollution then -- makes it much easier for your eyes to adjust to conditions. I like to ski in the dark and don't use a headlamp except when I'm in the woods.

hollywoodeskimo

Yes. Carrying the a spare light and/or batteries is the right thing to do. But sometimes it's worth the risk to become immersed in the poetry of the night. I used to do the same with hiking in uneven terrain. No lights. Just the moon if it was shining. There is magic in the night. Now that I'm getting on in years it becomes more dangerous to be out there under the same circumstances as I would go out in when I was younger. One's senses and bones are weaker. But still, every once in a while, you have to consider letting the magic in.

rousseau

I love it. I just got in from a nice 25 km ride in the countryside. I feel very safe on less well-travelled country roads, as you're not hard to spot when you're lit up. I avoid busy two-lane highways because the lights on your bike tend to get lost in all the headlights and taillights. It's good to go on roads that you're familiar with so that you know where the potholes are. That way the only thing you need to worry about is critters, but a powerful enough headlight will light up enough of the road ahead to let you see what's coming. I feel very comfortable doing 30+ km/h on the country roads at night around here.

I'd never do a group ride at night, though. That just doesn't seem safe at all to me.

Mike F

Me. 0400 before work, 3-5 days a week. Love it.

SalsaShark

Night riding in the summer is the best.....700x35 tires soak up the road imperfections!

Gladius

We do a gravel ride on Thursday nights in the fall, winter, and early spring. If there isn't too much snow/ice, we go on the gravel paths. When there is snow or ice we ride on the dirt country roads. 25-30 miles at tempo+ pace. Last week there were 14 of us. It's fun when the country bumpkins come across us in their cars and give us a look like 'wtf are you people doing out here in the dark in the snow?' It's not so fun coming across a bunch of fracking trucks delivering water to well heads.

k_kibbler

My regular group rides are on weekday nights. Mind, this is on familiar well-lit city roads. Deer and wildlife are lesser concerns compared to cars and the occasional newly minted pothole. I prefer riding during the day but I live almost on the equator: The sun can be downright fierce!

TenSpeedV2

Second shift worker so when I commute, riding home is always in the dark. I prefer well lit city streets opposed to pitch black country roads. Riding at night becomes very familiar after you do it for a while, just like anything. Been on long solo rides, group rides, rides with just a buddy...always a good time. A warm summer night, light breeze at your back, no bugs, and just the sound of a slightly dry chain....almost heaven.

San Pedro

I ride home at night from work. I do it as fast as I would in the day, though I'm not hitting 48mph

I avoid a overpass because it's narrow and I had a couple close calls with a big car carrying semi. Having a steady light and blinking headlight helps me be seen and for cars to better judge my speed.

2manybikes

With the right lights you can. Also brighter lights are easier on the eyes after a few hours in the dark. I can't maintain 20+ mph for very long. If I turn my light up to high for a fast downhill the light is about the same as my car on low beam. Even in that condition I still need to concentrate on the road surface carefully. There are bike lights with more power than a car.
One of the problems is that a car or a motorcycle can go straight over things with no problems that would destroy a bicycle wheel or cause a crash. We need to be more careful on a bicycle even in the same light, or even in the day.

kostyap

Not fun of group rides but I do love night riding.

kbarch

Predawn, yes, I enjoy that, except when there's blinding light from oncoming traffic. Riding after sunset isn't so appealing, because there's usually a lot more traffic, and the drivers don't seem as calm and cautious as in the early morning.

Rowan

Some depends on where the light is mounted on the bike. Lower -- say on the fork crown, a fork leg, or even on the dropout -- will cast a longer shadow of road imperfections, which does make them easier to see. If mounted high up on the handlebars or on the helmet, the shadow is less obvious, and so are the road imperfections.

I have done a lot of night riding over the years. Often, the roads and paths are very quiet, and on country roads, I find myself in a cocoon or tunnel of light and my imagination can run wild as to what that noise might have been on my right; how far the flashing light on a radio tower might be (around 20 miles based on an experience in the Last Chance 1200!); whether the storm highlighted by that lightning flash will pass (we beat a beauty home on a randonnee on our tandem several years ago); just how long the sun can take to appear on the horizon; and how the stars dominate the sky (unless the moon is in full shine) when there is little-to-no light pollution. I could go on and on, but I think you might get the idea.

Even in urban area, riding at night can be relaxing and interesting. The traffic is much less because, after all, most sane people are inside eating, on the net, or in bed (doing whatever). Some of the buildings that are drab and grey during the day some to life at night even with just different coloured street lighting. And a climbing ride will present a vista and spreads out patterns in front of you (much like flying over a city at night), as the different colours are like jewels.

OldTryGuy

Saturday I was out at 0222 for the first 47 miles of my 133 mile ride using my NiteRider 650. Plenty of light and time on low setting. I use my helmet mounted 5,000 lumin Amazon.com: Super Bright 5000 Lm 3 Beads 4 Modes Led Headlight Comfortable Wearing Led Headlamp, Hands-Free Head Light with 2 Rechargeable 18650 Batteries Waterproof Head Lamp: Sports & Outdoors as my "really want to light up the place" backup. Insanely bright when on high and not that heavy.