1nterceptor

I've been riding at night for a few years now, sometimes while it's
raining. Use good lights, wear/use reflective clothing/accessories.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W7jfcWEkSrI

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0d0X7NxhSdQ

cellery

I'm already bumping my daily rides to after dark and before sunrise; it will be like this until mid-September. It is 102 F today and not even May! I'll echo the previous comments about having one flashing and one steady headlight. I put a Niterider 650 on my helmet on steady mode, ready to shine in a driver's view if they appear to be gunning it out of a side-street. This is one of the biggest dangers for cyclists at night in my opinion.

Mike F

4 to 5 times a week before work (0400). I have a good front and back light and in the dark I wear a very bright and fredly yellow jacket (remove sleeves when it warms up). Very few cars on the road at that time also

Dead Roman

this has been working so far.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Yz01...XTYNmQ&index=1

M_Wales

Grew up in Michigan so this is to hot for me. Moved here from Arkansas and it was damn hot...

OldsCOOL

MUP is best for night rides. Ours has critters like deer, coyotes, porkies, raccoon, skunks....too much distraction for me.

coppercook62

I ride in the country at around 10 to midnight. Im very lite up with niterider headlamp and helmet light. I very rarely see cars.

rekmeyata

I'm not going to guarantee you that you'll never have an accident at night but you can reduce your chances.

Everyone has their own way of lighting up their bikes, not one person is wrong, it's just the way they do it. In my case I have a Phillips Saferide light on the bar which has a great glowing rim for side illumination; and a Cygolite Mitycross 480 on the helmet. The helmet light I will use on flash in the city, but out on dark paths a roads I put it on steady, something new I'm trying, they use to both be on steady.

On the rear I have Soma Road Flares in the bar ends on flash; Cygolite ExpiliOn 350 I put red automotive reflector lens repair tape on, and that one is on steady; then a Cateye LD600 on the helmet on flash mode. I do believe, though I have no proof, that having a steady light is important so drivers can judge distance to you better, but I also believe flashing is great to have so you can attract the motorist's attention.

I'm not big on reflectors. I do wear a cheap Home Depot neon lime reflector vest; and I use reflective leg bands, though I did see a set of glowing leg bands at Target today I thought hmmm; and there is a reflective strip on the seat bag and a reflective tab on the shoes and finally a reflective tape going around the circumference of the helmet.

So far in 40 years I haven't had an accident at night, I have had people scream weird things at me as they go by!!

abhirama

I'm planning to try riding at nights soon. Have a good front light and a very basic rear light. Will buy a better rear light if I end up riding often at night.

kleng

to be safe, try and get the brightest red led rear light

rekmeyata

I strongly believe that if you're going to be riding at night you need 3 tail lights to form a triangle of lights from the rear. Probably The best way is to put one on each stay and one either on the seat area or one on the helmet. I kind of added lights as I went and don't have a perfect triangle but it's close; the two bar end lights with the seat tube light form a nearly straight horizontal line, the helmet light then brings it to a triangular shape sort of. Motorist recognize triangle shape to mean warning, their use to seeing it on work trucks etc.

And to make one of my points about flashing and steady clearer. The reason I do that because a study done in Germany showed that steady tail light is better then flashing so all of Europe uses only steady tail lights and flashing is illegal; but USA studies showed flashing is better so lights here all flash, but the US doesn't care if the light is steady either. So after reading those studies and understanding the advantages and disadvantages of each I went with both, the main and brightest light is steady, the rest flash. Again, I have no proof if my way works better then either all flashing or all steady, it's just a personal thing that I do after the conclusion of the reading I did.

PainTrain

I augment lights with some SOLAS tape. Ride almost exclusively at night.

MinnMan

Almost exactly my night setup. The MagicShine illuminates the whole rode. I rode this winter on country roads which were otherwise pitch black, and there was no trouble seeing everything, including all the details of the ice and snow on the roadway. And if I let the light aim too high, oncoming cars would flash their brights at me.

Night riding may actually be safer than day time riding if you are really well lit. During the day, the drivers have to see you, at night you have a larger footprint - the lights you are projecting fore and aft.

But never depend on the pathetic 1-2 watt lights at the LBS - the illusion that those make you visible and safe is downright dangerous.

gilaasepeda

There is no guarantee that ride night is 100% save. Is happen to me once get run by motorcycle! im using cat eye rapid 5 on my tail and front using el540 all using either aa or aaa battery, like other people advice ride in group is much saver. There is a group here ride twice a week at 8 to 10 pm we chose route that has less traffic, mostly on mtb or hybrid. Ride at night is fun, weather more chiller and less pollution.

rekmeyata

This is very true, there are no guarantees that riding at night is 100% safe if properly lit up and reflector'd out, just as there are no guarantees in the daytime either.

The best way to stay safe is not to ride in fear something is going happen; then you become tense, you ride erratic, you do stupid stuff thinking you're being safe but in reality you're not, etc. If you can't ride without fear then you should take up another sport.