jaebberwock

Anyone else get kinda creeped out when you're on a lonely, isolated stretch of road where your only light source is the one you got mounted on your bike? I'm a guy in my late twenties so I find it strange I still have a sense of uneasiness at this age. Occasionally I'll see people just standing around in the dark and the quietness of the huge, seemingly empty houses that line Lake Washington is eerie.

adriano 

i love it.

gumbii

i have never ridden alone at night before... i wouldn't know...

RT

My recent exploits in late night commuting.

https://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...the-blow-darts

It's a whole new world out there when the sun goes down.

brbbiking

OP, I live near Lake Washington too (if it's the same one in Seattle you're talking about). Actually, downtown Bellevue. I got egged when riding home from work at midnight..

tFUnK

i only ride at night. in the city/suburbs it's fine; i can imagine things getting weird out in rural/remote areas.

socalrider

Just back from a night ride.. 25 miles - in total 4 cars passed me.. I love being out on the road when everyone else is in bed.. Of course I bring my pepper spray and a knife just in case.. Never had any issues riding at night, plenty of problems riding during the daytime..

cyclezealot

Late nite has been creepy, worse so for cave men before they discovered fire.. Can't say I 've been our much after 9 PM. Which in the winter can be dark. Lake Washginton. Is that not the Seattle area.? Watch out. Current posts here at Bike Forums warns of cyclists being attacked by dart guns.. A real shame, because late night rides could be fun when the road pretty much is all yours to be shared with few else.

Machka 

The only place riding alone at night bothered me was in the Canadian Rockies on a 400K. The road in question is a 100 km stretch with absolutely nothing open along the way and almost no vehicles. Knowing full well that there are bears, cougars, and wolves out there (and having seen all three), I rode right down the middle of the road.

The only thing that kept me partially sane on that stretch of road was the fact that my father was leap-frogging me in the car. I'd ride past the car. He'd wait till I was out of sight, then drive slowly past me up the road until he disappeared from sight somewhere up in the distance, etc.

Other than that, the only thing that bothers me about riding at night is the way towns seem to wander around. You see a glimmer of lights way off in the distance and think, "ah, there it is, I'll be there in a moment". Then the lights disappear, and some time later, they reappear off to the left looking about as far away as they did an hour ago. 15 minutes later they disappear again, and half an hour later reappear off to the right, looking about as far away as they did when you last saw them. And a time period that feels something in the neighborhood of forever passes before you actually arrive in the town.

kleinboogie

I like it if I'm fairly certain a massive pothole isn't before me. When I cruise around the lake my biggest fear is coming around a turn and hitting a jogger with no reflective gear or a light on them. When I'm out I do bring a headlamp just in case I need to change a tire, never needed to but I feel better.

jaebberwock

Yes, I'm in the Seattle area. I actually ride the Burke Gilman trail so I don't have to deal with motorists. The reason I do ride at night is because I have the road to myself. I quickly get exhausted if I ride during the day, having to slow down, start again, pass riders, then be passed by old guys in fully loaded commuter bikes. Its not so much the eggs and darts that worry me as much as it is the scary stories I start to recall as I ride. I imagine a Bundy type in one of those big lakeside houses. Heaven help me if I run a cross a little girl in a white dress wandering the trail by herself.

45suited

The only thing that keeps me from commuting to work (I work the overnight) is I am scared to get hit by a drunk. I would love to catch the extra 15 miles each way on a daily basis.

mx_599

I get creeped out too. I often play out Night of the Living Dead scenarios in my head so that hopefully I would be able to escape for the time being. You have to consider things like their speed...are they slow? or are they fast as sometimes depicted? Density is another huge factor. A sporadic zombie or two and you can ride around them...a mob, you're in trouble

mx_599

why not just drive near you the whole time??

carpediemracing 

Night riding is fascinating. It's more fascinating in the cities than the country. Around here even the cows are inside. In the city you see all sorts of people just hanging out on the streets. Back in the day cops (who wore cycling winter gloves because they fit their trigger guards) told me where to ride and not to ride, and who would be where. They could call it nicely - I'd see the dealers here, the prostitutes there, homeless in here, drunks over there.

cdr

mzeffex 

Try riding the bike path that runs along the potomac river at night. It's surrounded by trees, on a 3 foot wide path, and once in a while a car goes by on the parallel highway and blinds you. It's really scary; anyone could be in those bushes next to you. Fastest 8 miles I've ever done.

tuxbailey

I haven't ridden at night, but I have done pre-dawn morning commute and I find it a very peaceful experience.

jdon

I ride a circuit if I have to train at night. You can still ride distances without going far from home.

Tulex

I grew up in farm country. After midnight, there was absolutely no traffic. It was fun to go out with no lights on a full moon late at night in the summer. About the most free feeling I can remember from my childhood.

RT

MUPs and parks are the last place I want to be after dark. Considering recent events, finding an alternative route home has become job #1.

Machka 

On a randonnee you're not allowed to have assistance outside of controls. Driving near me might be considered helping, especially if his headlights or taillights were lighting up the road.

Ultraslide

I ride home around 11 pm, from band practice, twice a week. It's only 4 miles or so through the city but the quiet and lack of cars is amazing! I love it.

Yaniel

I've done some late night commuting on a mountain bike with a magic shine and no street lights, and i'll agree it is creepy. Part of me is hoping not to be hit by a car, the other part is hoping that I don't get a flat near a corner filled with homeless crackheads.

jfmckenna

I mostly night ride in the woods on my MTB but I like it on the road too. I live in the country so it's about as safe as it gets in so far as creepy people hiding in bushes goes Deer are the real concern.

WCroadie

I too commute in the early morning so it's often pretty dark. I can totally understand you being creeped out, I occasionally see some real characters walking about. I sometimes see females out running, some solo. No way I would let my wife or daughter run in the dark. My commute takes me along some lonely roads through wooded areas. Call me paranoid, but my mind often wanders when riding solo.

Even when I am out in broad daylight, I sometimes think some scary thoughts when riding in the country alone. There is one guy I often see walking around outside his home, it's a run-down home along a creek in a wooded area, he is usually wearing mechanic coveralls, looks disheveled and on occasion carrying a chainsaw (I kid you not). I politely say "Hi" while moving to the other side of the road.

I do like the solitude and little traffic though.