Night cycling in Rural areas

tuxy

Hi, currently cycling is my only mode of transport. Living in a rural area so buses are not an option. The evening are now very short and I still need to get around. I will get the brightest luminous cloths I can find and good quality lights.

When I used to drive it was extremely rare to see a cyclist at night.
Do many people here cycle at night? Do you find it safe?

Beasty

tuxy wrote: »

Do many people here cycle at night? Do you find it safe?

Yes and yes

Decent lights make all the difference - motorists can see them better than unlit cylists in daylight, and you can use them to spot any potholes or other problems in the road

galwaycyclist

Hi

what are the local traffic levels and speeds like? In addition to lights I would also consider pedal reflectors or reflective ankle bands. They make you more identifiable as a cyclist. One of the problems with lots of reflective gear is that it can make some oncoming motorists reluctant to dim their lights as you "disappear" when they do.

dewindygap

Fully agree with Beasty. Have taken to cycling a lot at night lately and have found that albeit the traffic is lighter, with a good set of lights, motorists seem to give a wider berth.

clonmahon

I find night cycling is safer, even if some drivers are slow to dip headlights. If the road is wet it is harder to see potholes.

Lumen

It's safer than walking.

Jawgap

Decent lights and stick to routes you know well, would be my advice.

M cebee

i'm not a huge fan of it now after 2 accidents

a really bright headlamp to see the road ahead is important anyhow

Nwm2

tuxy wrote: »

Hi, currently cycling is my only mode of transport. Living in a rural area so buses are not an option. The evening are now very short and I still need to get around. I will get the brightest luminous cloths I can find and good quality lights.

When I used to drive it was extremely rare to see a cyclist at night.
Do many people here cycle at night? Do you find it safe?

Some recent study showed that stationary lights (or even blinking lights IIRC) are insufficient to guarantee visibility.

The human eye is attracted to movement. So also put some white LED lights on each pedal or ankle, pointing backwards.

denlaw

i love going out of a winters eve about 8ish , kids are in bed , i invested in two good cats eye lights and a decent back light , a good luminous jacket is a must , i'm out in the sticks about 3mls from the nearest town and for luck there is a brand new rd connecting the town to the motorway, its a mile away from me and i do most of my cycling up and down that rd , it has a 10ft hard shoulder so never any fear of being hit , it can be a different story going other routes though , i find some people will not dim no matter what ....that drives me barmy ...

tomasrojo

denlaw wrote: »

[...] a good luminous jacket is a must [...] i find some people will not dim no matter what ....that drives me barmy ...

As mentioned earlier in the thread, reflective jackets seem to make motorist less likely to dip their headlights, since you become less visible when they do. Maybe use extra lights instead?

The biomotion suggestion (lights on the ankles) is a good one, I think. Biomotion gets human attention in way that stationary lights don't -- it's not a visibility issue, as such; it's more to do with how the human brain decides what is important in all the visual information it receives. Even quite small, but bright lights would be good, since the motion is most of the effect.

Another possibility is to add a large-ish amber or yellow reflector to the back of your bike. Red reflectors aren't that conspicuous, though they're a legal requirement. White ones are better, but are associated with the front of bikes. Amber is associated with warning, so it's quite a good colour. Get the reflector as low as possible to get the most out of dipped headlights.

Beasty

I use a Exposure helmet lights:

This pointing forwards:

attached to this pointing backwards:


They provide continual motion to attract attention, giving an "aimable" pothole spotter and something that can also be pointed towards vehicles at junctions if you think a driver hasn't seen you - they are very bright (not as bright as the lights I have on the bike though)

Although quite expensive they use a rechargeable battery which has never given out on me

You need to make sure you get them pointing in the right direction to start with, otherwise you could end up dazzling oncoming drivers - in my case the normal position is with the front pointing down slightly towards the kerb with the back one pointing in exactly the opposite direction

cdaly_

tomasrojo wrote: »

The biomotion suggestion (lights on the ankles) is a good one, I think. Biomotion gets human attention in way that stationary lights don't -- it's not a visibility issue, as such; it's more to do with how the human brain decides what is important in all the visual information it receives. Even quite small, but bright lights would be good, since the motion is most of the effect.

Another possibility is to add a large-ish amber or yellow reflector to the back of your bike. Red reflectors aren't that conspicuous, though they're a legal requirement. White ones are better, but are associated with the front of bikes. Amber is associated with warning, so it's quite a good colour. Get the reflector as low as possible to get the most out of dipped headlights.

The reflective bands on the ankles will do both the bio-motion and rear reflector jobs in one.

Beasty wrote: »

I use a Exposure helmet lights:

This pointing forwards:

Nice looking helmet mount though I'm a bit iffy about the C-socket for the actual torch. How secure is that? I wonder would that mount take a Fenix TK11?

Beasty

cdaly_ wrote: »

Nice looking helmet mount though I'm a bit iffy about the C-socket for the actual torch. How secure is that? I wonder would that mount take a Fenix TK11?

Been using it for 2 years - it's very secure (in fact it needs a bit of force to remove the light and grips it very well - there's a lot of friction if you try and twist it within the mount) - I've no idea about the Fenix though

ROK ON

I cycled in Dublin at night for years, with no problems thankfully. Most places had some form of street lighting.

I now live in the country, and would not cycle at night. I know that in the pitch black of night that I would be more visible to other traffic with my front and rear lights. Its just that I dont fancy it. Too many potholes etc.

Wishbone Ash

tuxy wrote: »

Do many people here cycle at night? Do you find it safe?

Do it almost daily -away before 6.30am and return at 9pm. Some of my commute is on unlit semi-rural roads. Feels safe enough as I've got good lights and reflective gear. Can be difficult in very wet weather as it's difficult to see potholes when the roads are fooded. Muck deposited by agri vehicles leaving fields can be hazardous and difficult to see at night - particularly bad at the moment with the spud harvest.

Tonyandthewhale

I ride at night all the time, urban and rural. I use a petzl headlamp, means I can shine it in drivers' faces if I think they haven't seen me and can look around me for potential obstacles rather than just having the relatively stationary beam of the torch mounted on the handlebars.

tuxy

Hey thanks for the replies. Some good advice in here. Looking forward to cycling at night now

Wishbone Ash

Wishbone Ash wrote: »

I've got good lights

Just jinxed myself. Bloody front light gave up tonight on the way home due to the excessive rain and splashing from passing vehicles. I had to do the last 10km at a crawl feeling my way through the floods and getting blinded from oncoming traffic. I put the light in the hotpress - hopefully it will dry out overnight.

denlaw

I have to say fair play to anyone who got home in and around dublin last night with the floods and what not.. That was just plain crazy ****e the rain that fell over the last few days ..