When was the last time you rode your bicycle?
Originally Posted by
Machka
When was the last time you rode your bicycle?
Where did you go? How far? Recreational or utility or event or ...? With people or solo?...
Originally Posted by
Machka
Rowan and I did an after-dark ride last night. We waited until about 8:30 pm, when it was starting to get dark, to head out for a short ride up the cycleway and back.
Part of the point of the ride was to burn off some birthday dinner calories ... and partly as a practice ride to test lights and get comfy riding in the dark again.
I was not going to reply to this thread, because the last time I rode my bike was three days ago on my generic 14 mile commute to work. I’m disappointed that I don’t ride daily due to my job. Notable about that ride was that I rode my carbon fiber bike for the second time this Winter, unusally early for this time of year.
I left at about 5:15 AM.
However, after perusing the Living Car Free Forum I went to Road Cycling and encountered this thread,
”Riding at Night by Choice...” to which you and Rowan both replied. I enjoy riding in the dark, especially in the early morning. One of the enjoyments of Winter cycling is the extended period of darkness of the morning to ride. One benefit of riding in the dark is that if it’s gloomy weather, you don’t notice it.
I particularly took note of two posts on that Road thread:
Originally Posted by
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…
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.
Last autumn, when I stayed overnight at my job at a suburban site, I tried some very early morning riding and had the same problem about oncoming car lights. In the city there is enough ambient light to keep my pupils constricted, but on the very dark suburban/exurban roads I become very dark-adapted and oncoming lights are blinding. But I too enjoy that sensation that everything is mine, and I’m in my own world. I calI it “
cocooning.”
Originally Posted by
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…