Verdi Loop Night ride....well, kinda.

This was the route I took home last night from a house warming party out in Mogel.  Basically, it's a portion of the Verdi loop.  I had the advantage of driving out in the car with Wifey.  However, she headed out a bit early because she has been power working (20 hours) over the weekend and was ready for bed.  I stayed on to enjoy the home brewed hard cider and company.  Fortunately, this problem had been anticipated and I had strategically stashed a bike in the back of the car for the trip home.  I ended up departing about 8:15 just as it was going from dusk to dark.

Fortunately there are really good bike lanes along the entire route.

It was actually fun and relaxing to do a solo night ride.  The bike lanes are great in this section and with good front and rear lights and light traffic it's kind of a zen ride.

A blurry picture that illustrates you are definitely riding in a non-lighted area.  A good front (and rear) light makes this a non-issue.

 

Good light or not...there are some really dark areas out here.  However, the bike lane makes it a little better.

And just so you don't feel alone while riding at night....you get to pass this other rider every 1000ft or so!

So don't let the early darkness keep you from sneaking in that late evening ride.  You might be surprise how enjoyable it can be!

Speaking of lighting.

Ok, so since I just put up the post about the nighttime cyclocross race.  I've been tinkering with my lighting this week in preparation.  I have a ton of lighting options laying around the house....everything from dyno hub generator lights, AA battery type lights like the Planet bike Blaze (which is pretty darn bright), to a couple of Nite Rider battery pack lights.  So I figured I might as well go all out for this event and even just for general riding.

Here's the current configuration:

It's a little hard to see but I've opted for a dual NiteRider configuration up front.

On the back I'm using a Planet bike Superblinky and a Serfas LED light that is just about blinding.  I figure cars can't miss it and it might moderately blind anyone thinking of passing me in the race!

I don't want to be a bike Ninja!

Yesterday I put in a few more miles than normal due to an evening meeting.  It was a nice change of pace and gave me the chance to bike some areas I'm not that familiar with in south Reno.  It was also nice because I got the chance to ride with someone on the way home!  One might say doubly nice since that person is my "bike mentor" and one of the reasons I turned to bike commuting. 

Anyway, on the ride home the conversation turned to a topic that we both hold in high regard as regular bicycle commuters....namely, being seen by cars and not becoming a statistic!  So while the rigs that the two of us ride are remarkably similar (mainly because I'm a copy cat) we do use some different lights, reflective treatments, and visual safety systems.  Here's the list between the two of us:

Lighting:

Planet bike 1 watt dyno hub lights.

We both use this light as our primary because you never have to think of batteries and remember to charge.  If the front wheel is spinning, you've got a headlight!

The Niterider Minewt.

This is my extra rechargeable headlight that I employ when in really dark areas or in zones of high traffic when I want to make sure I have more lights for drivers to see me.

The Downlow Glow.

This is the system my friend uses.  The neon under lighting makes for great front, side, and rear visibility and looks cool to boot!  I wish I could get one but they don't seem to be on the market any longer.

Looks something like this in action....very cool!

Planet Bikes Super Flash.  A good way to be seen.

This is the tail light we both use a version of.  The pulsing pattern of blinks is a real attention grabber for the motorist coming up from behind you!

Planet Bike Turbo.  The above with more watts. 

For the record, riding behind the turbo last night was an eye opener.  This stupid thing is so bright I'm still seeing it burned into my retina this morning!


Reflective gear:

Adventure Cycling's reflective rear triangle.

We both use this little gem on the rear of our bikes.  Looks like a traffic sign that drivers are used to and is a big reflective surface.  Most drivers at least slow down for this type of symbol.

Shower Pass Reflective jacket.

This is something the peddling preacher (search earlier posts for this reference) uses.  I don't have a cool reflective jacket yet, but it would be a really good idea.  It's a shame I didn't thing to ask for this for Christmas!

Anyway, that's a quick list of our attempts to be seen by drivers.  What type of gear do you use to be seen?

I know it's the Holidays....

The holiday season is upon us and you have to love living in a region where you can ride your bike pretty much year round.  So I guess what I can't decide is....Is this guy going completely overboard?  Or am I just jealous I haven't gotten around to putting Christmas lights on my bike?