# Night riding



## Sjw (28 Sep 2018)

I was just wondering. Does anyone go cycling at night? Not commuting but for leisure. Roads are quieter and with the right gear you can see and be seen.


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## Jody (28 Sep 2018)

Lots of people on here will ride at night. I ride on and off road but off road can seem a little eerie when you're riding solo.


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## T.M.H.N.E.T (28 Sep 2018)

I love it


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## Drago (28 Sep 2018)

Yes. You meet the friendliest people.


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## steveindenmark (28 Sep 2018)

On Tuscany Road I was one of the few people who was riding at 4am. In my view a lot of people missed the best part of the day, with the dawn breaking over the Tuscan countryside. Riding through Siena and Florence while the streets are almost empty. Its a totally different side to Italy.

I like riding in the dark.


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## uphillstruggler (28 Sep 2018)

there's nothing quite like being out all night on the bike, whether with a big group like the 'fridays' or solo

I find my senses are far more keen


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## Sjw (28 Sep 2018)

I'm thinking of giving this a go soon. Might make me feel more confident cycling.


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## raleighnut (28 Sep 2018)

Love it.


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## Bazzer (28 Sep 2018)

https://www.fnrttc.org.uk/

The rides are regularly posted on here.

Also personally love it, although Mrs B isn't too chuffed when I am out.

Edited for correct link


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## Hugh Manatee (28 Sep 2018)

I tend to do the same routes over and again. Riding at night brings a whole new dimension making the familiar more like the unfamiliar. Get out there with the owls and the badgers!


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## StuAff (28 Sep 2018)

No, not much.....


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## Johnno260 (28 Sep 2018)

I go early morning or later in the evening I prefer it as the roads are not as busy.


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## Sjw (28 Sep 2018)

Any tips for a beginner apart from the obvious? I'm thinking of doing a loop along rural narrow roads and along a busy (in daytine) A road to back home. About 25 miles. I've got lights and reflective clobber


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## si_c (28 Sep 2018)

Sjw said:


> Any tips for a beginner apart from the obvious? I'm thinking of doing a loop along rural narrow roads and along a busy (in daytine) A road to back home. About 25 miles. I've got lights and reflective clobber


Sounds like a good choice, especially if you already know the roads.

One thing that's worth noting for night riding is that you really need a good set of front lights for seeing where you are going. So provided you have that you're fine. I find that a well-designed light with around 300lumen output is pretty much perfect, but it does require the well designed part - putting the light where you need it. 

I really enjoy night riding, it's something I want to do more of.


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## Johnno260 (28 Sep 2018)

take it easy, pot holes have a tendency to leap out from the shadows at night, in the darker months I don't go for speed, just enjoy being out and increasing my mileage.

A good front light is a must, I use a UT800 it's not cheap but I like it, I'm quite rural as well, I do carry a spare light in case of failure or battery issues as the cold does leech the power from them.

Edit: if your light takes batteries like AAA etc just take spare batteries.


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## fatjel (28 Sep 2018)

I love early morning rides in the summer watching the sun come up
Not so much dark winter evenings


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## Johnno260 (28 Sep 2018)

fatjel said:


> I love early morning rides in the summer watching the sun come up
> Not so much dark winter evenings



Doesn’t really do the scene justice.


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## Soltydog (28 Sep 2018)

Sjw said:


> Any tips for a beginner apart from the obvious? I'm thinking of doing a loop along rural narrow roads and along a busy (in daytine) A road to back home. About 25 miles. I've got lights and reflective clobber



Stick to routes that you are very familiar with to start off. You'll know where the rough surfaces/potholes are, so even if your lights don't pick them out, you've got a chance


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## Ajax Bay (28 Sep 2018)

I'd echo both spare (ie back up) lights and familiar roads. Headtorch in the bag or back pocket in case of 'difficulties'.


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## Drago (28 Sep 2018)

Sjw said:


> Any tips for a beginner apart from the obvious? I'm thinking of doing a loop along rural narrow roads and along a busy (in daytine) A road to back home. About 25 miles. I've got lights and reflective clobber



Avoid helmet mounted lamps. The brain works best when there's a baseline between the light source and the eye, as it has evolved that way with the sun in the sky and the eyes on your head. The difference in perception and recognition time, and hence reaction time, with a head mounted light source is marked.

In addition, if you auger in head first you don't want anything solid on your head.


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## Vantage (28 Sep 2018)

I used to love night rides...specially in summer.
My usual route was a loop along a cycleway into Horwich and then back along a main road and the final bit through a graveyard which scared the living crap out of me at times.
Once in a while I'd do a longer route which sometimes rewarded me with views like this...





Taken around 11pm in June 2014.

Its not as much an issue during the day anymore, but I don't like leaving the kids alone in the house at night so those rides for the time being are on the back burner.


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## huwsparky (28 Sep 2018)

Can't beat a full moonlight night ride. Just make sure you have spare front and rear lights to avoid being stranded.


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## Globalti (28 Sep 2018)

Used to night ride off road all through the winter; we got into some quite amazing places and some quite comical situations. My best memory is of a ride up to Darwen tower in the snow in bright moonlight - absolutely stunning, we turned the lights off.

More recently we've been night riding on our midweek hooligan rides, having lights is an excellent way of extending the riding into winter; the roads are empty and cars can see you from a long distance away thanks to your bright LED lights.

Don't wear the light on your helmet where it casts no shadows. You need it on the bars so that potholes will show up.


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## Heltor Chasca (28 Sep 2018)

This is good http://www.dartmoorghost.org.uk/


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## mustang1 (28 Sep 2018)

This has inspired me to go out for a night ride today.


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## Threevok (28 Sep 2018)

mustang1 said:


> This has inspired me to go out for a night ride today.



If I was you, I would leave it until tonight - much darker


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## Sjw (28 Sep 2018)

Fantastic advice folks, thank you!


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## Saluki (28 Sep 2018)

Sjw said:


> I was just wondering. Does anyone go cycling at night? Not commuting but for leisure. Roads are quieter and with the right gear you can see and be seen.


I love night riding. I have good lights and I like it.
Last year, I was in Lincolnshire with long and straight roads. I used to turn off my main light and ride by the light of the moon. Only when there were 2 or more of us though, in case my light decided to fail on me when I could see oncoming lights a couple of miles up the road.


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## uphillstruggler (28 Sep 2018)

@Sjw 

you've plenty of time to practice but the Exmouth excedus is a fantastic ride - usually at the end of August from Bath to Exmouth overnight. the guys who run it are handing it over to someone else I believe so just search the ride and sign up for news updates.

. its probably (although I don't know) easy to get back from Exmouth by public transport to your area.


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## Sunny Portrush (28 Sep 2018)

I love night riding too but there is one drawback...........meeting someone coming the other way who has lights that could reach the moon. When I see someone coming towards me, I always turn my light onto it`s lowest setting (which to be fair is still rather bright!) but I also angle it down the way briefly. There have been more than a few times when I`ve had to stop as I can`t work out where the other rider is as their lights are blinding me!


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## cosmicbike (28 Sep 2018)

I love it. Chilly evenings out on the bike instead of indoors with the telly on. I picked up a pair of Hope Vision 1 lights on the cheap last year and they are great. Best places for me are those with no light pollution, so I head out Chobham way on familiar roads.
Back home to a warming cuppa, wonderful.


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## pjd57 (29 Sep 2018)

One of my regular runs is across Glasgow to the football. Just under 8 miles from my house to Celtic park.

I really enjoy it at night. Coming through the city centre after 10, midweek is a different experience.
Still plenty of people around but not much traffic.
The weather isn't much of an issue , unless I get soaked on the way there.
Doesn't matter if it's wet coming home , getting changed for bed anyway.


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## MountainSide (29 Sep 2018)

I like to have two lights front and back at night. One on flash, one on steady. Can normally check the rears are working (in the dark) by looking over my shoulder but prefer not to rely on one. I prefer lights with standard batteries rather than built-in ones so I can just replace the batteries when the capacity drops and of course have spares. Most lights that take alkaline batteries work well with rechargeable Nimh and the "pre-charged" batteries (very slightly more expensive) have very low self-discharge rates. Lights are now SO much better than when I was young when the incandescent bulb would start to dim after just 5 minutes on size D batteries and they never lit up the roads like todays lights do! Quiet narrow country lanes are great at night as you can see car headlights from a very long distance and if necessary pull over at a suitable place. There is a big hill near me, with no light pollution and it is great to cycle up in the early hours and watch meteor showers.


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## hoopdriver (29 Sep 2018)

I have been going out at 4:30am for many years now, all year round. I usually put in a 30 mile ride and am back at the house making coffee by around 6:30. Given my early start I am riding in the dark, at least some of the time, about nine months a year and in autumn and winter my whole ride is at night. I love it. I have the streets and roads and lanes all to myself, ride by moonlight and starlight, see foxes and badgers out about their business, and enjoy the pleasure of being out and rolling while all the rest of the world is asleep. 

I’ve an excellent Lupine headland and a very bright rechargeable taillight, and ride on Schwalbe Marathon Plusses as I’d just as soon not have to deal with flats in the dark and cold. Often I bring a camera to capture night images. It is a wonderful time to be out on a bicycle


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## Alan O (29 Sep 2018)

I used to love night riding in the days when I was surrounded by Hampshire and then Dorset country roads. But living fairly near the centre of a well-lit city these days, it doesn't have the same appeal now.


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## Fab Foodie (29 Sep 2018)

Alan O said:


> I used to love night riding in the days when I was surrounded by Hampshire and then Dorset country roads. But living fairly near the centre of a well-lit city these days, it doesn't have the same appeal now.


Actually, I’m the opposite, I love city night-riding!


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## Blue Hills (29 Sep 2018)

si_c said:


> Sounds like a good choice, especially if you already know the roads.
> 
> One thing that's worth noting for night riding is that you really need a good set of front lights for seeing where you are going. So provided you have that you're fine. I find that a well-designed light with around 300lumen output is pretty much perfect, but it does require the well designed part - putting the light where you need it.
> 
> I really enjoy night riding, it's something I want to do more of.


You don't need to spend a lot these days though. I can ride through the night with a Lidl light that cost around £12. Takes 4AAs which of course can be swapped - I have two sets of AA 2900 rechargeables which will easily see me through a long night even with a lot of full power use. The beam pattern is pretty good, I assume because of the German standards.


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## Blue Hills (29 Sep 2018)

Alan O said:


> I used to love night riding in the days when I was surrounded by Hampshire and then Dorset country roads. But living fairly near the centre of a well-lit city these days, it doesn't have the same appeal now.


Well night riding in cities has its own special appeal I think. I like summer night riding through London. I imagine its even better in other cities because there will be less people and the lack of good night time public transport in many of them will give you a real sense of independence.

I have a 100 mile plus night time ride arranged for October - my only concern was avoiding some bits of urban canal when troublesome folk might be abroad but I think I've sorted this.


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## Phaeton (29 Sep 2018)

Sjw said:


> I'm thinking of giving this a go soon.


Me too, I have told myself that I still need to maintain my weekly average all through winter & as I ride off road there's no way of putting that big ride in on Sunday's to claw it back so I see no alternative, but whether it happens is another matter.


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## Sjw (29 Sep 2018)

Phaeton said:


> Me too, I have told myself that I still need to maintain my weekly average all through winter & as I ride off road there's no way of putting that big ride in on Sunday's to claw it back so I see no alternative, but whether it happens is another matter.


I'm gearing myself up to it. Bit of prevaricating going on though


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## hoopdriver (29 Sep 2018)

Fab Foodie said:


> Actually, I’m the opposite, I love city night-riding!


I don’t usually ride in the city, living down on the coast, but I have a great memory of coming back from a cycle trip in Orkney and arriving in Kings Cross station in London late at night on a Saturday and having to ride across the City to Charing Cross station and my train the rest of the way home. I loved that night time city ride - all the activity, the theatre and restaurant crowds, the music, the late-night urgency of a city on the move. If I hadn't had to catch that last train south, I’d have ridden around much longer.


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## Donger (29 Sep 2018)

After my experience doing London to Brighton Overnight a few years back, my advice is to distrust the official blurb about battery life of your lights .... and take spare, fully charged lights with you. Make sure that your lights actually light up the road in front of you, and are not just good eneough to allow others to see you. Also wear your brightest reflective kit. I wear the emergency vest that I keep in the car.

Night riding can be strangely exhilarating, and I plan to do another night ride soon. I was recently reminded of a curious aspect of night riding - that because you cannot see beyond the light spot on the road in front of you, it can sometimes be difficult to detect gradients, or even to know whether you are going up or down hill at times. It also might pay to do your first night ride on a road that you know well. One on which you know where the hills and the potholes are.

Enjoy!


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## Racing roadkill (29 Sep 2018)

I prefer riding at night. The lights on the bike, flush rodents out of the hedges, and Owls know this, so I’ll often find myself with Owls for company, which is nice.


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## iancity (29 Sep 2018)

Another thing to remember, I dont think anyone else has mentioned it, is sunglasses ! I was struck the first time I went out in the dark how many pesty bugs flew towards my light (and up a bit!). Get some clear (or even night vision) lenses, Thank me later


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## si_c (29 Sep 2018)

Blue Hills said:


> You don't need to spend a lot these days though. I can ride through the night with a Lidl light that cost around £12. Takes 4AAs which of course can be swapped - I have two sets of AA 2900 rechargeables which will easily see me through a long night even with a lot of full power use. The beam pattern is pretty good, I assume because of the German standards.


Anything built to German standards is golden - plenty of light on the road where you need it - that being said I do prefer something a tad more powerful, so I've got a non-german standards compliant dynamo front light, which puts out about 800lumen. 

In addition I have a Fenix BC-30 which is brilliant, in some ways it's better than the dynamo light - only problem is that the light doesn't last more than 5 hours on a decent output, but it uses 18650 batteries which are easy enough to carry spares for.


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## The Bystander (30 Sep 2018)

I woke up at 4:30 this morning and, inspired by this thread, decided to get up and get the bike out.

Not sure that I really get the appeal, but I'll give the sunrise a  .


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## hoopdriver (30 Sep 2018)

iancity said:


> Another thing to remember, I dont think anyone else has mentioned it, is sunglasses ! I was struck the first time I went out in the dark how many pesty bugs flew towards my light (and up a bit!). Get some clear (or even night vision) lenses, Thank me later


Yes, I always wear sunglasses anyway, so I didn’t mention it. I have replaceable lenses in mine and use a yellow tinted pair for night/dawn riding. The yellow tint is just fine at night - it doesn't darken things too much at all; in fact I don’t even notice - and the yellow help picks up detail in the grey light at dawn or in dull rainy mornings.


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## si_c (30 Sep 2018)

Went out yesterday after thinking about this thread, started late afternoon, finished at 9pm, good ride through dusk and into the proper dark.


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## Pale Rider (30 Sep 2018)

Very few of us get the chance to ride in true darkness.

Most of the south east is permanently subject to light pollution, as are the other populated areas such as the Midlands and much of Yorkshire and Lancashire.

Even the North East where I am suffers light pollution, although I can experience close to true darkness at my caravan in Wensleydale.

What strikes me is the huge number of visible stars on a clear night, which anyone in the polluted areas will never see.

Turn off my torch and it's like walking blindfolded, which is another experience unique to the non-polluted areas.

https://www.lightpollutionmap.info/#zoom=6&lat=6916746&lon=47212&layers=B0FFFFTFFFF


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## Blue Hills (30 Sep 2018)

Racing roadkill said:


> . The lights on the bike, flush rodents out of the hedges, and Owls know this,.



curious - why is this? Why are they flushed out?

And the owls know this but the rodents don't know that the owls know?

Clever things owls.


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## Levo-Lon (30 Sep 2018)

In the woods with super bright lights..wild animal eye's everywhere ..awesome.
everything is interesting at night, a trail you know well is all new and mysterious eerie quiet.

love it


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## Alan O (30 Sep 2018)

Blue Hills said:


> curious - why is this? Why are they flushed out?
> 
> And the owls know this but the rodents don't know that the owls know?
> 
> Clever things owls.


Well, you never hear the phrase "Wise old rat", do you?


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## Heltor Chasca (30 Sep 2018)

Alan O said:


> Well, you never hear the phrase "Wise old rat", do you?



Oh but they are super wise. 

They are one step ahead of the owls, unassuming and don’t need the advertising.


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## Ivo (30 Sep 2018)

I ride a lot at night. Mostly I do about 5-10 full nightrides each season. Sometimes together with others, sometimes alone.


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## freiston (30 Sep 2018)

I like to ride at night. In the small winding lanes that I see more cars than I can count in the daytime, there is next to no traffic on them at night and if a car does approach (which is rare), I reckon we are aware of each other a lot sooner with the noise of the car and the lights of both vehicles giving forewarning. On the bigger roads, cars seem to take fewer chances at junctions etc. - again, I reckon this is down to the lights - they initially see a "vehicle" rather than a bike and respond accordingly. I use nice bright B+M dynamo lights. @Vantage - almost all of my night rides involve a short cut through a (church) graveyard ;-)


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## Milzy (30 Sep 2018)

It’s great in a group and horrible alone for me. A high end front light is a must on country roads.


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## hondated (30 Sep 2018)

hoopdriver said:


> I don’t usually ride in the city, living down on the coast, but I have a great memory of coming back from a cycle trip in Orkney and arriving in Kings Cross station in London late at night on a Saturday and having to ride across the City to Charing Cross station and my train the rest of the way home. I loved that night time city ride - all the activity, the theatre and restaurant crowds, the music, the late-night urgency of a city on the move. If I hadn't had to catch that last train south, I’d have ridden around much longer.


East Sussex Where are you hoopdriver ! I ask because I am in Eastbourne and I have ridden in the early hours over to Birling Gap and up onto Beachy Head and from there down into town and back home. A brilliant ride and all I have used for lighting for several years now is some cheap Chinese Cree lights and I carry another light for a back up if I should need it. Certainly a great alternative to laying in bed suffering from acid reflux.


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## Sjw (30 Sep 2018)

freiston said:


> almost all of my night rides involve a short cut through a (church) graveyard ;-)


Scary!


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## Sjw (30 Sep 2018)

Be good to see some photos if anyone can take some please?


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## hoopdriver (30 Sep 2018)

hondated said:


> East Sussex Where are you hoopdriver ! I ask because I am in Eastbourne and I have ridden in the early hours over to Birling Gap and up onto Beachy Head and from there down into town and back home. A brilliant ride and all I have used for lighting for several years now is some cheap Chinese Cree lights and I carry another light for a back up if I should need it. Certainly a great alternative to laying in bed suffering from acid reflux.


I sometimes do that same route, although it is longer for me, being nearer Battle. I often ride to Pevensey, as I did this morning, via Bexhill. I do love that ride up to Beachy Head, though, and the descent down to Eastbourne and along the waterfront.

The sunrise this morning was especially nice. After a ride by cold starlight to Pevensey, the return trip was full of colours in the sky and a blanket of mist hovering over a sea as smooth as rippled silk. Just gorgeous. In the distance I could see the seafront at Hastings sparkling in the sunrise.


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## Incontinentia Buttocks (30 Sep 2018)

My new commute route is along a pitch black canal towpath at 0500hrs. I love it, though my favourite time to ride is dusk in the summer. Makes me feel about 10 years old with all the excitement of the impending night I got as a kid.


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## Levo-Lon (30 Sep 2018)

For mtb you must have a head light and a bar light too for a safer ride.


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## Bazzer (1 Oct 2018)

Sjw said:


> Be good to see some photos if anyone can take some please?



https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/f...ester-morecambe-4th-august-2017.217462/page-8 _see #118

It can be dark on the moors but a lot brighter in a city.


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## Sjw (1 Oct 2018)

Bazzer said:


> https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/f...ester-morecambe-4th-august-2017.217462/page-8 _see #118
> 
> It can be dark on the moors but a lot brighter in a city.


Ha ha i get it!!!


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## hondated (1 Oct 2018)

Bazzer said:


> https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/f...ester-morecambe-4th-august-2017.217462/page-8 _see #118
> 
> It can be dark on the moors but a lot brighter in a city.


Baxter I did try once but given it was a compact camera everything came out really black I will try it again after our holiday.


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## Sjw (1 Oct 2018)

Just had new lights delivered so fitted them. Going to layer up and give it a go (as I keep saying ...)


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## Racing roadkill (1 Oct 2018)

Blue Hills said:


> curious - why is this? Why are they flushed out?
> 
> And the owls know this but the rodents don't know that the owls know?
> 
> Clever things owls.


I’m not sure why the rodents don’t like the lights, but they don’t. The owls can spot a bike riders lights from miles away, they’ve learned that cyclists with lights = dinner time. That’s the thing with having loads of experience in riding at night, on dark country lanes, you get to see things like this.


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## cabbieman (1 Oct 2018)

I can't be bothered to read all the replies so apologies if this has been mentioned before but always make sure your lights are always charged or you have spare batteries as it's no fun if your lights die.


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## Edwardoka (1 Oct 2018)

Donger said:


> Night riding can be strangely exhilarating, and I plan to do another night ride soon. I was recently reminded of a curious aspect of night riding - that because you cannot see beyond the light spot on the road in front of you, it can sometimes be difficult to detect gradients, or even to know whether you are going up or down hill at times.


I love climbing in the dark. You can't see how far you still have to climb


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## Racing roadkill (1 Oct 2018)

Light batteries run out of charge more quickly in the cold as well, so it’s always a good idea to have spare lights handy, if it’s cold.


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## si_c (1 Oct 2018)

Racing roadkill said:


> Light batteries run out of charge more quickly in the cold as well, so it’s always a good idea to have spare lights handy, if it’s cold.


Yep. I keep buying spare lights to fit "just in case". Currently have a main light, a backup main light, a blinky light which can serve as a main light and a backup blinky which I can use as a main light if I really really am pushed. Same with the 4 taillights.

Most days when commuting I just have two of each fitted, but if I needed to I could put them all on and xmas tree it.


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## Blue Hills (1 Oct 2018)

Racing roadkill said:


> I’m not sure why the rodents don’t like the lights, but they don’t. The owls can spot a bike riders lights from miles away, they’ve learned that cyclists with lights = dinner time. That’s the thing with having loads of experience in riding at night, on dark country lanes, you get to see things like this.


The things you learn on here! Now you mention it I did a night ride london to cambridge where I noticed some creatures emerging from the roadside, including possibly a badger.


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## Sunny Portrush (1 Oct 2018)

Blue Hills said:


> curious - why is this? Why are they flushed out?
> 
> And the owls know this but the rodents don't know that the owls know?
> 
> Clever things owls.



Actually, Owls are a bit thick. I know an animal trainer who works in the movies. She says a crow will learn a trick in a couple of days. Same trick will take an owl about three weeks. She said she always felt for the trainers working with the owls on Harry Potter. 



Alan O said:


> Well, you never hear the phrase "Wise old rat", do you?



And guess what, the rats are cleverer than owls, they just get a bad press lol


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## raleighnut (2 Oct 2018)

Dogtrousers said:


> Badgers can be remarkably fast moving. I've had a couple of very close misses with badgers that zoomed out into the road in the night. Also watch out for deer (day and night).
> 
> Moving on from owls I had a really lovely daytime encounter with a kestrel(?): It flew along just ahead of me, at my pace (maybe 25-30 kmh) quite low to the ground, flicking from side to side between the hedges. Went on for a couple of hundred metres.


Yep I've had an encounter with a Badger, about 25mph downhill with the trailer loaded with 'comfy' camping gear  I had to stop for a 'cigarette' and a glass of something restorative after that.


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## Racing roadkill (2 Oct 2018)

Dogtrousers said:


> Badgers can be remarkably fast moving. I've had a couple of very close misses with badgers that zoomed out into the road in the night. Also watch out for deer (day and night).
> 
> Moving on from owls I had a really lovely daytime encounter with a kestrel(?): It flew along just ahead of me, at my pace (maybe 25-30 kmh) quite low to the ground, flicking from side to side between the hedges. Went on for a couple of hundred metres.


I had a Harris Hawk fly alongside me a couple of months ago.


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## Blue Hills (2 Oct 2018)

Dogtrousers said:


> Badgers can be remarkably fast moving. I've had a couple of very close misses with badgers that zoomed out into the road in the night. Also watch out for deer (day and night).
> 
> Moving on from owls I had a really lovely daytime encounter with a kestrel(?): It flew along just ahead of me, at my pace (maybe 25-30 kmh) quite low to the ground, flicking from side to side between the hedges. Went on for a couple of hundred metres.


Yes I was a bit scared, but it came and went very quickly. If you hit a badger I imagine it would bring you off. If you did hit one, are you likely to get attacked? I understand that when roused they can be vicious/dangerous.

Not much you can do about watching out for deer I think - day or night. They have a habit of just vaulting hedges, crossing the road, vaulting the opposite one. One did that it front of a ride I was leading once. A fair chance one of us could have been seriously injured/even killed.


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## Racing roadkill (2 Oct 2018)

Dogtrousers said:


> You must have been near a falconry centre, as they're not British birds* I did a falconry day years ago where we flew Harris Hawks. Lots of fun.
> 
> 
> *Coming over here, landing on our gauntlets. Eating our day old chicks.


I was very near the Hawk conservancy centre, near Andover. To be fair, it was the middle of the day, not at night.


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## Threevok (2 Oct 2018)

I get a lot of bats following the bike and swooping in front of me for the insects the lights attract.

Baby frogs is the worst - very messy


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## LeetleGreyCells (2 Oct 2018)

Sunny Portrush said:


> Actually, Owls are a bit thick. I know an animal trainer who works in the movies. She says a crow will learn a trick in a couple of days. Same trick will take an owl about three weeks. She said she always felt for the trainers working with the owls on Harry Potter.



I did the Harry Potter Studios Tour in London a couple of years ago. On the audio commentary (read by Tom Felton who played Draco Malloy) he states that it took 6 months to train the owls to swoop through the glass-less window, drop the students’ post on the table and fly out of the opposite window. It also said a raven could learn the same in 4 hours. Apparently the majority of the owl’s brain is to process the information received through the eyes. 

Interesting stuff. Nature is fascinating.


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## Drago (2 Oct 2018)

RealLeeHimself said:


> Interesting stuff. Nature is fascinating.



And very tasty too!

We used to have a raven who'd hang around the car park at work. He was a big old lad, and not remotely bothered by the puny humans who would come up to him. We called him Odin.


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## Bazzer (2 Oct 2018)

Blue Hills said:


> Yes I was a bit scared, but it came and went very quickly. *If you hit a badger I imagine it would bring you off.* If you did hit one, are you likely to get attacked? I understand that when roused they can be vicious/dangerous.
> 
> Not much you can do about watching out for deer I think - day or night. They have a habit of just vaulting hedges, crossing the road, vaulting the opposite one. One did that it front of a ride I was leading once. A fair chance one of us could have been seriously injured/even killed.



I can vouch for that. I hit one when on a night ride, as it ran out from a hedge. It was like hitting a wall. Next thing I knew I was on the tarmac with (as I later discovered) a leg broken in two places.


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## Alan O (2 Oct 2018)

Dogtrousers said:


> I've never tasted owl. Nor raven come to that.


And rook's always off.


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## Nonethewiser (2 Oct 2018)

Alan O said:


> And rook's always off.



As for four and twenty blackbirds baked in a pie. No ta. I'll stick to chicken. Or steak and kidney.


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## Katherine (2 Oct 2018)

Bazzer said:


> I can vouch for that. I hit one when on a night ride, as it ran out from a hedge. It was like hitting a wall. Next thing I knew I was on the tarmac with (as I later discovered) a leg broken in two places.


Yikes!


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## Sjw (2 Oct 2018)

Katherine said:


> Yikes!


Eeeks! I winced


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## Blue Hills (2 Oct 2018)

Bazzer said:


> I can vouch for that. I hit one when on a night ride, as it ran out from a hedge. It was like hitting a wall. Next thing I knew I was on the tarmac with (as I later discovered) a leg broken in two places.


Cripes. It is dangerous out there. Kinda got me worried for my ride. Never thought that badgers would be possibly the main threat.


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## Bazzer (3 Oct 2018)

Blue Hills said:


> Cripes. It is dangerous out there. Kinda got me worried for my ride. Never thought that badgers would be possibly the main threat.



Neither had I. 
Ironically, I had deliberately come off a main road I had intended to ride further along, because I thought a lone cyclist at 1.30am might be more vulnerable to traffic not expecting to see said cyclist.
Not that it would have made any difference at the time, because I was riding in the middle of the road anyway, as it was a narrow country lane, but in rural or semi rural areas, if it is dark and quiet or little traffic, I now always ride further away from the edge of the road than I would do in daylight and probably visually scan the edge of the road more than the road itself. Partly because of my badger experience, but also because a few times I have had startled cats bolting across, or along the road.


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## Pale Rider (3 Oct 2018)

Sjw said:


> Eeeks! I winced



So did the badger.


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