cycling

“I would not, could not in the dark.” Yes, yes you can! Making riding at night fun

Sam B

Lots of my friends who ride bikes aren’t that comfortable riding at night.

And it’s not just the night of course. More like the dark. And depending on where you live that can be 4:30 pm. Yikes.

So if you’re going to use your bike for fall/winter transportation you need to get comfortable riding once the sun goes down.

Here’s some of the things I do to make it okay…

  1. If you’re on the streets, around traffic be sure to be extra visible. Wear something super reflective. I’ve got this jacket.

2. Go for super bright lights, three of them at least. You want a solid red light at the rear and two bright lights at the front, one for your helmet and one for the front handlebar. These aren’t just to be seen they are also to see.

Why two? Why one for your helmet? You want to see where you are going to go, where you are looking. Since you won’t yet have turned your front bar light won’t be pointing there. At speed, in actual dark (as opposed to city street dark) you want a light on your helmet. Trust me. It’ll make sense once you are out there.

3. Go on a glow ride!

4. More tips

Here! “Sure, it’s dark and it’s snowy – but more and more cyclists are taking to the river valley trails each winter. Here’s 5 tips for staying safe from Women on Wheels YEG: www.cbc.ca/1.4391711

Do you ride in the dark? What tips do you have to offer?

Published by Sam B

Philosopher, feminist, parent, and cyclist! Co-founder of Fit Is a Feminist Issue, co-author of Fit at Mid-Life: A Feminist Fitness Journey, published by Greystone Books.

One thought on ““I would not, could not in the dark.” Yes, yes you can! Making riding at night fun”

  1. If I bike ride, I only do it as part of utilitarian ride…a meeting, grocery shopping. Even in the summer. I tend to ride in areas where there is street light, very low car traffic or pathways I know don’t have many people walking about at that time. And streets that I generally know where I’m going. So for bike touring, we’ve tried to finish before supper and settle into hotel, etc.

    I don’t ride at night far, for fun. I just prefer to speed along during the day and not worry about shadows which might be people, dogs, etc. and unexpected bumps/corners for areas I’m unfamiliar.

    I appreciate helmet light, etc. But still not same as riding during day.I’m not even keen riding in a group at night… More paying attention, etc.

Comments are closed.