Go Back  Bike Forums > Bike Forums > Road Cycling
Reload this Page >

Am I mad?

Notices
Road Cycling “It is by riding a bicycle that you learn the contours of a country best, since you have to sweat up the hills and coast down them. Thus you remember them as they actually are, while in a motor car only a high hill impresses you, and you have no such accurate remembrance of country you have driven through as you gain by riding a bicycle.” -- Ernest Hemingway

Am I mad?

Old 01-08-20, 10:49 AM
  #26  
datlas 
Should Be More Popular
 
datlas's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Malvern, PA (20 miles West of Philly)
Posts: 42,957

Bikes: 1986 Alpine (steel road bike), 2009 Ti Habenero, 2013 Specialized Roubaix

Mentioned: 560 Post(s)
Tagged: 2 Thread(s)
Quoted: 22513 Post(s)
Liked 8,843 Times in 4,113 Posts
One other comment about night riding. I think it’s best to ride on FAMILIAR roads whenever possible. You are less likely to have a surprise pothole or unexpected road change that way.
__________________
Originally Posted by rjones28
Addiction is all about class.
datlas is offline  
Old 01-08-20, 11:32 AM
  #27  
Amt0571
Senior Member
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: Dec 2014
Location: Catalonia
Posts: 956

Bikes: Canyon Grand Canyon AL SL 8.0, Triban RC520 Gravel Ltd, Btwin Ultra 520 AF GF, Triban Road 7, Benotto 850

Mentioned: 1 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 402 Post(s)
Liked 215 Times in 137 Posts
Originally Posted by rumrunn6
what's ridiculous about it?
Sorry, didn't want to offend, but I think it's light is way too weak for safe riding.
Amt0571 is offline  
Old 01-08-20, 11:57 AM
  #28  
rumrunn6
Senior Member
 
rumrunn6's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: 25 miles northwest of Boston
Posts: 29,528

Bikes: Bottecchia Sprint, GT Timberline 29r, Marin Muirwoods 29er, Trek FX Alpha 7.0

Mentioned: 112 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 5218 Post(s)
Liked 3,564 Times in 2,331 Posts
Originally Posted by Amt0571
way too weak for safe riding
I don't think the video camera does it justice but I've also added a beam cutoff hood so I don't blind oncoming traffic. maybe that influences how it appears on video? the man. advertises it as 900 lumen. I can see where I'm going & traffic approaching me, can see me. this is what I use rear-facing



rumrunn6 is offline  
Old 01-08-20, 01:32 PM
  #29  
burnthesheep
Newbie racer
 
Join Date: Feb 2018
Posts: 3,406

Bikes: Propel, red is faster

Mentioned: 34 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1575 Post(s)
Liked 1,568 Times in 973 Posts
Lights, lights, and reflective stuff. And take a route that you deem fits your life's risk mitigation tolerance levels.

We have a guy here that commutes somewhere to work and home daily. He takes the road in daylight an I see him on our greenway in darkness. That has him avoid a bad area in dark.

Nothing wrong with dark. I just adjust my risk mitigation strategy according to the perils.
burnthesheep is offline  
Old 01-08-20, 04:51 PM
  #30  
delbiker1 
Mother Nature's Son
 
delbiker1's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2016
Location: Sussex County, Delaware
Posts: 3,111

Bikes: 2014 Orbea Avant MD30, 2004 Airborne Zeppelin TI, 2003 Lemond Poprad, 2001 Lemond Tourmalet, 2014? Soma Smoothie

Mentioned: 14 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 838 Post(s)
Liked 1,414 Times in 801 Posts
Quoting Pink Floyd: " I know I'm mad, I've always been mad aahhahahahahahaha!"
delbiker1 is offline  
Old 01-08-20, 05:40 PM
  #31  
rseeker
Senior Member
 
rseeker's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2016
Location: Southeast US
Posts: 937
Mentioned: 9 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 318 Post(s)
Liked 149 Times in 104 Posts
Originally Posted by Amt0571
And I have always felt safer on the night (relative to cars), since it seems it's something drivers don't expect, so they pass way more cautiously than during the day.
I feel the same way. I feel safer at night, and most of my rides are at night, usually three times a week.

The car-commuter mindset is not conducive to safety, but that's true whether it's light out or not.

Last edited by rseeker; 01-08-20 at 05:51 PM.
rseeker is offline  
Old 01-08-20, 05:56 PM
  #32  
Mad Honk 
Senior Member
 
Join Date: May 2019
Location: Bloomington, IN
Posts: 2,937

Bikes: Paramount, Faggin, Ochsner, Ciocc, Basso

Mentioned: 114 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1283 Post(s)
Liked 1,836 Times in 1,110 Posts
I guess you can be in good company with me, Smiles, MAD HONK
Mad Honk is online now  
Old 01-08-20, 10:06 PM
  #33  
2manybikes
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2003
Posts: 18,138

Bikes: 2 many

Mentioned: 13 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1266 Post(s)
Liked 323 Times in 169 Posts
Another benefit on rural roads with light traffic, not being in a car, the cyclists can hear a car coming from far away. There are places where I can hear them close to a mile away, at night.
2manybikes is offline  
Old 01-08-20, 10:26 PM
  #34  
79pmooney
Senior Member
 
79pmooney's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2014
Location: Portland, OR
Posts: 12,827

Bikes: (2) ti TiCycles, 2007 w/ triple and 2011 fixed, 1979 Peter Mooney, ~1983 Trek 420 now fixed and ~1973 Raleigh Carlton Competition gravel grinder

Mentioned: 128 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 4743 Post(s)
Liked 3,860 Times in 2,509 Posts
Originally Posted by DOS
When I ride at night commuting home,I am more worried about hitting pedestrians/evening joggers than I am about getting hit by cars. Pedestrians don't have lights, often cross roads at odd angles, and are near invisible until they step into the relatively narrow field of light my bike lights create. I have had a number of near misses with joggers, whom I didn't see and who didn't see me despite my lights, suddenly crossing my path
A jogger (or car or anyone else) crossing your path at right angles, ie coming out of a sidestreet or driveway or crossing the road may not see enough of the beam of a narrow bike headlight to have any idea we are coming; not until they are about to step or drive in front of us. And their light or headlight isn't being reflected back by anything we have. I get around this by wearing blinkies on the forward corners of my hips; really visible to anyone who turns their head to look for cars. (Both sides. I fear left turners the most.) I put them on the straps for my night vest. Cars wait for me and are looking at me as I pass. In my early days with these lights, I rode home one evening minus my headlight. Entered right of way intersections very slowly so I wouldn't get hit by the cars turning left across my path or pulling out on my right - until I realized I had to just keep riding. Everyone else just waited for me!

Ben
79pmooney is online now  
Old 01-09-20, 01:27 AM
  #35  
TheDudeIsHere
Registered User
 
Join Date: Oct 2019
Posts: 467
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 188 Post(s)
Liked 276 Times in 161 Posts
I love riding at night. I get a sense of security. I feel I can see every and any vehicle approaching. I do a good job of being seen, 2 headlights, 2 rear blinkies (one on helmet, one seatpost) and ankle reflectors so that i can be seen from the side with the motion. I actually see many joggers from quite a distance with the little tabs on their shoes so I am sure these tri color bands are very visible, especially with the motion.

I actually feel safer at night than I do during the day. Less traffic, better visibility imo.

As far as peds stepping off a curb surprising me? I actually see them looking back when they see my lights coming. Pretty bright, maybe they think they are being stalked by a slow passing vehicle.

Peds surprising me, no!





TheDudeIsHere is offline  
Likes For TheDudeIsHere:
Old 01-09-20, 07:23 AM
  #36  
indyfabz
Senior Member
 
indyfabz's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2010
Posts: 39,056
Mentioned: 210 Post(s)
Tagged: 1 Thread(s)
Quoted: 18319 Post(s)
Liked 15,288 Times in 7,227 Posts
Yeah. Night riding can be great. Here in the big city Friday and Saturday nights in August are terrific. So many people are either "down the shore" on up in the Poconos that center city seems deserted. I can ride to dinner and a movie with much less traffic than normal.
indyfabz is online now  
Old 01-09-20, 08:35 AM
  #37  
wipekitty
vespertine member
 
wipekitty's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: Land of Angora, Turkey
Posts: 2,476

Bikes: Yes

Mentioned: 22 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 687 Post(s)
Liked 220 Times in 163 Posts
There's nothing wrong with riding in the dark. There are some routes that I avoid after dark, but this is mainly due to my own levels of skill and confidence. Anyone who lives in northern (or far southern) latitudes and wants to ride outdoors year round will probably, at some point, be riding in the dark.

Plenty of people initially think I'm nuts not only for riding at night, but for riding on actual roads with actual cars. These are generally people who do not ride at all, or only ride on rails-to-trails type setups. I show them my lighting setup, explain that it looks more frightening from the perspective of a car, and that usually sets them straight.

If you really want to freak out your well-meaning co-workers and family members, tell them about randonneuring. The Minnesota Randonneurs have one called the Golden Pancake 200 - it's a 200K that *starts* at 8PM and goes overnight.
wipekitty is offline  
Old 01-09-20, 02:24 PM
  #38  
tankist
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2006
Posts: 172
Mentioned: 1 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 83 Post(s)
Liked 157 Times in 55 Posts
Judging by statistics from our local newspapers (East Bay San Francisco Bay Area) most bicyclists are killed when they ride in dark.
tankist is offline  
Old 01-09-20, 02:46 PM
  #39  
BarryVee
Senior Member
 
BarryVee's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2015
Location: N. California
Posts: 158

Bikes: Trek Emonda SL6, Santa Cruz Tallboy 27.5+

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 37 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 9 Times in 6 Posts
I like to add some reflective motion immediately recognizable as human.

A large safety yellow reflective band Velcro’s around my left ankle every road ride day or night.
BarryVee is offline  
Old 01-09-20, 04:52 PM
  #40  
2manybikes
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2003
Posts: 18,138

Bikes: 2 many

Mentioned: 13 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1266 Post(s)
Liked 323 Times in 169 Posts
Originally Posted by tankist
Judging by statistics from our local newspapers (East Bay San Francisco Bay Area) most bicyclists are killed when they ride. in dark.
It may not say, but, a lot of cyclists don't use any lights or reflector. Around here kids also wear black clothing on black bikes as well.
Without my good headlight I would have had a couple of head on crashes, on the near by, off road, unlighted bike path.
2manybikes is offline  
Old 01-09-20, 05:13 PM
  #41  
Ogsarg
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2017
Location: Hollister, CA (not the surf town)
Posts: 1,724

Bikes: 2019 Specialized Roubaix Comp Di2, 2009 Roubaix, early 90's Giant Iguana

Mentioned: 8 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 636 Post(s)
Liked 1,489 Times in 543 Posts
People who don't ride are always saying how dangerous it is to ride at night. Ask your friends how often they have run over cyclists at night. Ask them if they've ever even come close to hitting someone that wasn't riding without any lights.
Ogsarg is offline  
Likes For Ogsarg:
Old 01-11-20, 12:52 PM
  #42  
Wildwood 
Veteran, Pacifist
 
Wildwood's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Seattle area
Posts: 13,303

Bikes: Bikes??? Thought this was social media?!?

Mentioned: 284 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 3875 Post(s)
Liked 4,780 Times in 2,205 Posts
I always say, 'Consider the source'.
If your co-workers are not cyclists or have never cycled with good lighting at night, then they are not a good source to evaluate your actions.

Remember, most drunk drivers are out after dark.
+1 on the comments regarding familiar roads.
__________________
Vintage, modern, e-road. It is a big cycling universe.
Wildwood is offline  
Likes For Wildwood:
Old 01-11-20, 01:27 PM
  #43  
Amt0571
Senior Member
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: Dec 2014
Location: Catalonia
Posts: 956

Bikes: Canyon Grand Canyon AL SL 8.0, Triban RC520 Gravel Ltd, Btwin Ultra 520 AF GF, Triban Road 7, Benotto 850

Mentioned: 1 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 402 Post(s)
Liked 215 Times in 137 Posts
Originally Posted by Wildwood
I always say, 'Consider the source'.
If your co-workers are not cyclists or have never cycled with good lighting at night, then they are not a good source to evaluate your actions.

Remember, most drunk drivers are out after dark.
+1 on the comments regarding familiar roads.
I mainly ride while dark when commuting to / from work, so I always ride familiar roads when dark. Hope there are not many drunk people on the road on work days at 7 pm.
Amt0571 is offline  
Old 01-11-20, 01:36 PM
  #44  
RiceAWay
Full Member
 
Join Date: Dec 2018
Posts: 477
Mentioned: 4 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 319 Post(s)
Liked 112 Times in 81 Posts
It was my experience that around here with heavy commercial truck traffic that trucks actually give you more room at night than during the daylight. Especially when you have blinking lights front and rear. Blinkies especially improve your visibility in the twilight times. Since you are in such a bad position because of lmited visibility I always take special care to stay as far away from traffic as possible. This includes take the route less traveled
RiceAWay is offline  
Old 01-11-20, 01:55 PM
  #45  
2manybikes
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2003
Posts: 18,138

Bikes: 2 many

Mentioned: 13 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1266 Post(s)
Liked 323 Times in 169 Posts
Some of the rural roads I ride on, will go by a bar or restaurant. I found out that I have to avoid the area around closing time. On Sunday night almost everyone is off the road. My theory is that they are home resting up for work on Monday.
2manybikes is offline  
Old 01-11-20, 06:28 PM
  #46  
Wildwood 
Veteran, Pacifist
 
Wildwood's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Seattle area
Posts: 13,303

Bikes: Bikes??? Thought this was social media?!?

Mentioned: 284 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 3875 Post(s)
Liked 4,780 Times in 2,205 Posts
Originally Posted by Amt0571
I mainly ride while dark when commuting to / from work, so I always ride familiar roads when dark. Hope there are not many drunk people on the road on work days at 7 pm.

Did not see Catalonia before - many people getting off work at 7.. Dinner at 9 - 10 is what I remember, but it's been a while. And I was muchly in Mallorca where afternoon siesta was widely observed outside the tourist areas & businesses.
__________________
Vintage, modern, e-road. It is a big cycling universe.
Wildwood is offline  
Old 01-12-20, 02:10 AM
  #47  
Amt0571
Senior Member
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: Dec 2014
Location: Catalonia
Posts: 956

Bikes: Canyon Grand Canyon AL SL 8.0, Triban RC520 Gravel Ltd, Btwin Ultra 520 AF GF, Triban Road 7, Benotto 850

Mentioned: 1 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 402 Post(s)
Liked 215 Times in 137 Posts
Originally Posted by Wildwood
Did not see Catalonia before - many people getting off work at 7.. Dinner at 9 - 10 is what I remember, but it's been a while. And I was muchly in Mallorca where afternoon siesta was widely observed outside the tourist areas & businesses.
I get out of work between 17 and 18. Siestas are not so common on workdays. I almost never sleep siesta.

Dinner at 9 is the usual here.
Amt0571 is offline  
Old 01-12-20, 03:08 AM
  #48  
krecik
Full Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2018
Posts: 358
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 137 Post(s)
Liked 86 Times in 54 Posts
​​​​​​​

Last edited by krecik; 01-14-21 at 09:13 AM.
krecik is offline  
Old 01-12-20, 03:41 AM
  #49  
KraneXL
 
Join Date: Feb 2015
Location: La-la Land, CA
Posts: 3,623

Bikes: Cannondale Quick SL1 Bike - 2014

Mentioned: 32 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 3405 Post(s)
Liked 240 Times in 185 Posts
Originally Posted by Amt0571
Yesterday I posted a picture of me cycling in a pitch dark road at night on Instagram. And it caused quite a stir among some familiars and coworkers who told me I'm mad and I'm going to be run over.

I've been commuting at night for 3 years, and I always use 2 front and 2 rear lights. I mount one light on handlebars and another on the helmet. On the rear I have one light fixed and the other in blinking mode. I have enough light to descend at 60km/h without feeling unsafe. And I have always felt safer on the night (relative to cars), since it seems it's something drivers don't expect, so they pass way more cautiously than during the day.

I haven't found almost anyone else riding on the night, and the feedback to my Instagram post has worried me somewhat. Am I really mad? Does someone else think it's really that dangerous?
Statistically speaking it is more dangerous at night because nobody expects you to be there. I worked the graveyard shift for many years and road my bike to work at night many times.

When you ride at night its easy to let your guard down and that's when accidents happen. Even though you may have lights people can see you but don't realize you can't always see them. Some of my closes calls were pedestrians walking (or sitting) on the bike path at night -- when and where you least expect them.

Anyway, you only need one good headlight, but make sure you have reflective tape/clothing as well. Just make sure you're easily seen -- from all angles -- but not distracting.
KraneXL is offline  
Old 01-12-20, 06:49 AM
  #50  
nycphotography
NYC
 
nycphotography's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2006
Posts: 3,720
Mentioned: 18 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1169 Post(s)
Liked 107 Times in 62 Posts
A bunch of people with no, none, zero experience with something are telling someone who not only has experience with it, but has also thought carefully about it, and has improved their skills and equipment over time, and is very well aware of the risks they are managing? Yet you are asking which one is the nutter?

The bell curve is real. Very very real. Worse, a great many people punch way under their weight class by being willfully stupid. You were only born with what you were born with, but fail to actually use what little you have in the first place? Eff people. Especially eff willfully stupid people with big mouths.
nycphotography is offline  

Thread Tools
Search this Thread

Contact Us - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Terms of Service -

Copyright © 2024 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Use of this site indicates your consent to the Terms of Use.