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I’ve dreaded it. I’ve lamented over it. I’ve kicked, screamed, and written letters to my state representative over it (ok I didn’t really write any letters). Daylight’s savings time…I hate it.

The turning back of the clocks symbolize winter is officially coming, and for a lot of people it means they break out the trainer and commit to a long season of grinding away indoors after work. I’m a firm believer in the benefits that riding a trainer can bring, but equally so I believe that there’s no replacement for quality miles logged on the road. So what’s a roadie to do? Night ride.

I went for my first night ride today, and it didn’t take long to be reminded of how fun it is. It’s a lot simpler; things like cadence, watts, and heartrate don’t matter…especially when the sun sets and you can’t see the LCD display on your Ptap headunit. Your mind is clearer and you are more tuned in to your surroundings. Its great riding, and its for that reason that I decided to compile some helpful tips when riding at night.

Dislaimer: I’m not claiming to be an expert of anything, including riding a bike at night. Use these tips at your own discretion…I take zero responsibility for anything that happens to you while riding your bike at night. (it’s a shame I have to say that, but these are the times we live in)

Here we go:

Do wear bright colored and/or reflective clothing. My team kits are red and yellow so I’m at an advantage to start, plus I’ve got some leg warmers with reflective logos and zippers. I’ve even got some reflective leg bands and a PENN-DOT style reflective best for extreme visibility.

Do have the proper lighting. At minimum I recommend a red rear blinking LED, a white front blinking LED, and a good headlight. I’ve tried both and I prefer a helmet mount to a handlebar mount. The helmet mount gives you visibility where ever you look, as opposed to only where your bars are pointed. It also helps should you need to get off your bike, say to fix a flat. Its not fun trying to change a flat while holding your wheel in front of your bar-mounted light on the ground or while holding the thing…trust me. Handlebar mounted lights may have their advantages, but I don’t know of nor can’t think of any. This is just personal preference.

Don’t skimp on a headlight; buy the best light your budget allows. If you can afford the next model up then by all means do so. Its an investment in your safety and riding.

Don’t take chances when riding at night. Its important to follow traffic laws at all times, but even more so at night as your visibility is less and your reaction time may be reduced. There’s never a good time to blow through stop signs or traffic lights, but in the dark is especially not the time.

Do turn your light on earlier than you think you need to. Just as the sun is setting is probably the time you need your light on most. You may think you can still see well enough without it, but with no sunlight to reflect off you even the brightest colors will not stand out. If your light has a high/low setting like mine does, turn it on low just as the sun begins to set and you will increase your visibility. Plus it will already be on when you really need it, just kick it to high mode.

Don’t take busy roads. This is probably a no-brainer but try to avoid roads with a lot of traffic. I take as many back roads as possible, cut through developments, etc.

Do go exploring. If you’ve even ridden past a road on a regular route and wondered where it goes, night rides are a good time to find out. I prefer to do this when there’s still a little daylight out so you don’t get lost, but still adventurous in the dark. Plus it keeps you off those busy roads.

Do look at drivers when you approach an intersection. Never assume that a driver sees you as you approach an intersection. I turn my head and look directly at the driver, and while it seems like the purpose is just to annoy them it really serves to make you absolutely visible to them. You are most visible from the front and read due to your lights, so possible traffic from the side needs to be made aware of your presence. This is another advantage to the helmet-mounted light.

Don’t piss off motorists. If even there was a time to not make a bad name for your fellow cyclists its while riding at night. It takes a combination of trust, nerves, confidence, experience, and skill to ride your bike in the dark with motorist. Don’t be a d**k and have some motorist take it out on the next guy he sees on a bike at night because it could be me.

Do have fun. It’s a blast to ride at night. It will improve your sanity and fitness over the winter, and it will make you a better rider in general.

So there you have it; with a good light, some common sense, and a few of these tips you too can (should) be out enjoying some night riding of your own.

I don’t know who this kid is, but he’s alright by me. I salute you my friend.

I had a whole long post written up…but WordPress is being a douche and I lost the whole thing. I’m not retyping it, so here’s a quick recap:

Thu – FSX
Fri – dinner with a bunch of bike geek friends
Sat – rain all day, Halloween party at night
Sun – TdM (hung-over) and Taking Back Sun & Anberlin concert
Mon – Pain Cave

Man do I hate Mondays…