robertj298 

I have 9 nighttime rides from 11pm till midnight so far here in NW Ohio. So far I've counted 42 Whitetail deer, 32 Raccoon, 1 Fox
1 Possum and 1 Skunk. The area I'm in is all farm country and I very rarely see a car while I'm out

52telecaster

Night rides are my favorite. I ride slow but the dynamo lights the way. Even in the city cars notice you big time with good lights. I feel safer than daytime.

robertj298 

I use a Cygolite 600 on the front and a Grateful Red on the rear and both work very well but I now wish I would have found a helmet light so I could direst the beam

kermie

I don't do much night riding anymore, but back in the early 90's I trained in the early morning hours, at about the start of rush hour. The headlight and taillight helped, but the biggest upgrade was reflective decals that were to be placed on both rims between the spokes on my Peugeot Versailles. This created a flashing that drivers noticed long before they saw me. Most cars went way around me as they passed. I felt much safer riding in the dark as opposed to daytime riding. I would do that again if I was riding in the dark.

seypat

Don't you need a different kitt to be a night rider?

stardognine

Good numbers, on the critter counting. 👍 I see a lot more coyotes than you, but I've only seen one raccoon this year, trying to pilfer my cookies in the middle of the night. 😬

I pretty much never ride at night anymore, my eyes are too bad, but huge reflector strips on my panniers keep me super visible to other traffic. 👍

polymorphself 

Most of my riding is at night and I would agree. People don't consider this enough and are quick to say that riding at night seems dangerous. At night I'm a giant lightbulb. During the day I blend in with the colors of my surroundings.

steelbikeguy

I do enjoy riding at dusk and at night! Watching the sun slowly sink below the horizon and the light gradually fade away is a beautiful experience! Watching the sunrise is cool too!

When I was still working, I was able to bike commute most of the time and got to enjoy this quite often. Honestly, when I retired, I knew that I'd miss the bike commute! I even took a picture of the last time the bike was in the rack at work....



I don't really miss riding at night in the middle of January, but seeing the critters at dusk was fun. The only downside was that I had the same schedule as a skunk that crossed the road near a creek. There were a couple of times where I thought "what's that dark spot on the road?", and then noticed the white stripe and the movement!! Fortunately, the skunk didn't seem to be worried about me.

Steve in Peoria

seypat

I run at night. Get one of these or something similar. You will be seen.

https://www.noxgear.com/tracer2

bamboobike4

Only one politician. Must be a nice area.

On occasion, I've had to ride at night, and sometimes planned it.
Lights and reflectives have gotten so much better these days.
I wear glasses, so clear shields are necessary, too.
I carried a camera, always, and can say with first-hand knowledge that a nearby lightning strike creates a completely white screen.

Very cool.
I always wore a vest and bands on my ankles, when that was all there was.
Today, you can get tops that are almost all reflective.
Or you could wear that pink tutu.

sd5782 

Full moon tonight in this area too for you lucky country people and the night rides. No lights and just moonlight sounds summery to those so inclined.

tendency

What in the HECK do you have strapped under your seat? Looks like an entire campground

steelbikeguy

It's a Carradice Junior. Very handy for various things, but especially for carrying a bike cover for rainy days.

Steve in Peoria

bamboobike4

So 42 Whitetail deer, 32 Raccoon, 1 Fox, 1 Possum and 1 Skunk walk into a bar.

"Did you see that cyclist?"

Drillium Dude 

AZ thermometer readings currently dictate beginning rides at the ever-popular Crack of Dawn, or the less-popular-but-much-more-inspiring Witching Hour. Full moons are a bonus

Since I'm gonna be here in the heat for some months to come, detest getting up early when I can stay up late instead, and feel my lighting has been less-than-adequate, I found a solution that should arrive in a couple days:



The MiNewt Dual 2.0 will obviously draw more power from the battery, but since I already have two spares I'll be in good shape for an all-nighter should I feel so inclined.

The animals are plentiful and busy 'round these parts at night. Coyotes, prairie dogs, mice - even javelina - have all come out of nowhere at night, and getting a bit wider cone should pick them up earlier as they approach and cross. I hope

DD

steelbikeguy

While enjoying a few years in the Marines in Yuma, AZ, I had the chance to learn the full range of the climate in SW Arizona. i.e. crazy hot!
Night riding was key to getting any miles, and since it was the late 70's, I was using a Jos block dynamo:



I'm not sure that it was providing more illumination than the full moon, but it was state of the art.

Steve in Peoria, where temperatures in the 90's is considered to be hot (and with high humidity, it's pretty bad, but not 124F bad)

Deal4Fuji

Our weeknight riding group rides year-round so when DST ends we're in darkness most of the ride. We're also on country roads & I agree I feel safer as far as being seen and avoided by cars, but I'm nervous about the wildlife that might dart out from the side of the road. Even with the best lighting there's a chance for going down from hitting something like a possum or racoon or being hit by a deer. We counter this by riding center lane and to date no one's gone down but we have had some close calls. We're only about 4 - 5 riders strong, so when our last 9-5'er retires we'll start earlier.

Chuck M 

A couple of years ago during the Trek Century Challenge, I did a lot of the rides for that cheap t-shirt at about 4:30 or 5:00 in the morning. I have a road close to the house that gives me a nice Oklahoma sunrise as I head east in the morning.

downtube42

Yeah some of my favorite miles have been at night.

• In southern Indiana, watching the lightshow from a thunderstorm off in the distance.
• In the inky black desert of west Texas, where I would see no cars from 11pm to 5am and the only light was the cone of light from my headlight.
• At PBP in France, with the string of taillights disappearing into the distance in front of me.
• Crossing the bridge over the Columbia River from Astoria, OR to the very first glimmer of morning light.
• Bombing down a twisty descent on the Oregon coast, using my GPS to see the upcoming curves beyond the reach of my headlight.

Frickin' awesome. BTW, I do not recommend the last point for those wishing to arrive alive, but it was exciting.

BradH

I can't remember how many 'coons, cats, possums and dogs I've come across in the dark. I do know I've seen exactly one mountain lion.

SurferRosa

"Let me tell you a little story. I once knew a guy who could have been a great [cyclist], could have gone pro. All he needed was a little time and practice. Decided to go to college instead. Went for four years, did pretty well. At the end of his four years, his last semester he was kicked out. You know what for? He was night [riding], just [riding] at night with the fifteen-year-old daughter of the Dean... You know who that guy was..? That guy was Mitch Cumstein, my roommate. He was a good guy..."

52telecaster

I did band practice last night by bike. It's only an 8 mile round trip but the ride back, about half on a mup is just wonderful in the dark.

seedsbelize2

I also love night riding, but don't do it anymore due to traffic. Here in Yucatan, there are not many roads, period, They all go somewhere, and my last favorite night ride got overtaken by buses taking people to work at one end or the other. A road with almost negative shoulder and barely two lane.

zandoval 

Boy do I miss my night rides. It has been a real handicap not being able to do them anymore. Night time road temps during the summer put pavement routes at just over 90°F to 100°F at bike level in central Texas. Although those temps are not critically high I used to make my bike routes crossing as many water points as I could. I have used many type lights and they all did well but the single most effective device was my large yellow reflective vest.

I had to give up on night rides due to poor proprioception after an ear infection years ago.

EJM73

Lol