Safety Kit for dark rides

"Drinky" <[email hidden]> wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Apart from helmet, tail-light and front-light, what other safety gear do people use religiously
when cycling in the dark?

Brakes, tyres, reflectors, fluo/reflective clothing. But I wear the same in the day time as well
(and indeed have the lights available too).

Make sure you've got a decent front light...

And I miss off one of your mentioned items.

cheers, clive

Quoted message said:

Apart from helmet, tail-light and front-light, what other safety gear do people use religiously
when cycling in the dark?

I wear a waistcoat with reflective stripes on it. I have two front lights and three rear lights.
Bikesters have reflective strips on them too - and my gloves have a reflective strip on them. Plus
my bike has wheel reflectors & front/back reflectors.

Cheers, helen s

~~~~~~~~~~
This is sent from a redundant email Mail sent to it is dumped My correct one can be gleaned from
h*$el***$$n*$d$ot$**s**i$$m*$m$**on**$s$@*$$a**$*ol*$*.*$$c$om*$ by getting rid of the
overdependence on money and fame
~~~~~~~~~~

"Drinky" <[email hidden]> wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Apart from helmet, tail-light and front-light, what other safety gear do people use religiously
when cycling in the dark?

Reflective ankle bands.

Pete

Quoted message said:

I wear a waistcoat with reflective stripes on it. I have two front lights

and

Quoted message said:

three rear lights. Bikesters have reflective strips on them too - and my

gloves

Quoted message said:

have a reflective strip on them. Plus my bike has wheel reflectors &

front/back

Quoted message said:

reflectors.

Can you let us know which of these dots you are responsible for?
dark-skies.freeserve.co.ukuk night.gifOpen ↗

Drinky said:

Apart from helmet, tail-light and front-light, what other safety gear do people use religiously
when cycling in the dark?

Rear reflector, reflective Sam Browne belt and reflective leg bands. Legally I should also have
pedal reflectors, but the SPDs can't take them - the leg bands are much brighter anyway.

No helmet though!

Drinky said:

Apart from helmet, tail-light and front-light, what other safety gear do people use religiously
when cycling in the dark?

Next most useful items:

1. Reflective clothing (or at least light coloured).
2. Spare batteries and bulbs if you're likely to ever need them, and make sure all batteries are
fresh - replace *before* lights get really dim.
3. Spare extra shirt/gilet/jacket for temperature drops/breakdowns because dark tends to
equal cold.
4. Rear red reflector.

~PB

Drinky tried to scribble ...

Quoted message said:

Apart from helmet, tail-light and front-light, what other safety gear do people use religiously
when cycling in the dark?

Notalot, but then I don't cycle much at night .. Though the odd night hack across the local Forestry
commission tract is rather exhilarating with only one front light .. 😉

--
Digweed '79 Beamish RL 250, '85 Swift Corvette, '88 Ford Escort 1.6 Ghia, '95 Dyna-Tech CroMo Comp,
'97 Landrover Discovery 300 Tdi, '02 Schumacher CAT 3000, '03 Losi Kinwald Triple-X, '03 Associated
RC10 B4 .... 😉

Drinky said:

Apart from helmet, tail-light and front-light, what other safety gear do people use religiously
when cycling in the dark?

If you've ever driven a car you'll be aware how effective retro-reflective things which move with
pedalling motion are. They spell out 'cyclist ahead' more clearly than anything else. So
retro-reflective widgets on pedals, shoes, trousercuffs are great. Retro-reflectors in wheels are
also good for cars approaching from the side.

If it's being seen by drivers of motor vehicles[1] which you're concerned about, good
retro-reflectives are much more important than good lights, because they are independent of the
state of your batteries/dynamo and because they reflect the motor vehicles much more powerful lights
straight back at the driver, rather than spreading a relatively feeble glow through a wide arc.

On the light front, legalities be damned. Flashing-type LED rear lights are far more noticable to a
driver than steady rear lights, and as far as I'm concerned the jazzier the pattern the better. Some
of the new LED front lights seem to deliver a lot of light for a long time, although of course they
aren't in the same league as the halogen rechargeables. But in urban conditions you don't use the
light to see so much as to be seen, and retro-reflectives are so much more effective than any light
you can use.

The other thing to say is there is absolutely no point to either lights or retro-reflectives which
are obscured by dirt, clothing, luggage or whatever - check that yours are clean and can be seen.

I have to confess my reaction to retro-reflective belts and so on is similar to the paving slab
fairy's reaction to bib-shorts - I consider them a mortal offence against good taste and aesthetics,
and I personally would not be seen alive or dead in one. But there's no doubt they're effective.

Having said all this I don't personally use any of it, except on my road bike which has rear and
wheel retro-reflectors. My pedals are all SPDs with no reflectors, and my hill bikes have anything
which might reflect ruthlessly removed. I usually cycle in black bib longs and a grey jersey
(although my rain top is flourescent yellow). But then I live in a very quiet place with very
little traffic. All my bikes have flashing-type LED rear lights, and my road bike has a battery
front light as well.

[1] Provided of course the drivers have their lights on...

--
[email hidden] (Simon Brooke) jasmine.org.uk~simonOpen ↗

;; in faecibus sapiens rheum propagabit

"Drinky" asked what we wear to become more invisible at night and Helen aka
PSF replied:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

I wear a waistcoat with reflective stripes on it. I have two front

lights

Quoted message said:

and

Quoted message said:

three rear lights. Bikesters have reflective strips on them too - and my

gloves

Quoted message said:

have a reflective strip on them. Plus my bike has wheel reflectors &

front/back

Quoted message said:

reflectors.

Which prompted Drinky to respond:

Quoted message said:

Can you let us know which of these dots you are responsible for?
dark-skies.freeserve.co.ukuk night.gifOpen ↗

Drinky, here's a clue: Picture the present day incarnation of Bodica hurling paving slabs at
b*b-short wearing invaders on two wheeled self-propelled chariots to defend the same lands as
her ancestor.

Pete

Drinky said:

Apart from helmet, tail-light and front-light, what other safety gear do people use religiously
when cycling in the dark?

A helmet is not just for night wear.

Reflective jacket.
--
remove remove to reply

Zog The Undeniable said:

Drinky said:

Apart from helmet, tail-light and front-light, what other safety gear do people use religiously
when cycling in the dark?

Rear reflector, reflective Sam Browne belt and reflective leg bands. Legally I should also have
pedal reflectors, but the SPDs can't take them - the leg bands are much brighter anyway.

My SPDs can.

Quoted message said:

No helmet though!

--
remove remove to reply

Following on from Drinky's message. . .

Quoted message said:

Apart from helmet, tail-light and front-light, what other safety gear do people use religiously
when cycling in the dark?

Remember: A 'dog collar' may be white but it isn't reflective.

Don't cannon into people - Dressed in vestments in the dark you can't be seen and move in
mysterious ways.

Remember the trinity: A bell, book(Cyclecraft) and candle (so people can see you).

Keep to the straight (but not the narrow).

Novices have bad habits.

Cross when you see the light.

--
PETER FOX Not the same since the deckchair business folded

Witham Cycling Campaign www.eminent.demon.co.uk/wcc.htm East Anglian Pub cycle rides
www.eminent.demon.co.uk/rides

Drinky said:

Apart from helmet, tail-light and front-light, what other safety gear do people use religiously
when cycling in the dark?

Another 2 or 3 front lights, ditto rear lights. Reflective arm bands (for signalling), plenty of
reflective tape on the bike, spokes and the non-braking surfaces of the rims. Helmet in winter to
keep my head warm, it also makes a great lighting platform and has a reflective band wrapped round
it. This winter it will also have flashing red horns:
speedy5.freeserve.co.ukhornydan.jpgOpen ↗

--
Danny Colyer (remove safety to reply) ( juggler.netdannyOpen ↗ ) Recumbent cycle page:
speedy5.freeserve.co.ukrecumbentsOpen ↗ "He who dares not offend cannot be honest." -
Thomas Paine

"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

"Drinky" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Apart from helmet, tail-light and front-light, what other safety gear do people use religiously
when cycling in the dark?

Brakes, tyres, reflectors, fluo/reflective clothing. But I wear the same in the day time as well
(and indeed have the lights available too).

Make sure you've got a decent front light...

And I miss off one of your mentioned items.

Heresy! You'll be dead by dawn!

Which one is it: Front or tail light? ;-)

Tim.

PS. I'm probably missing it too.

---
Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free. Checked by AVG anti-virus system (grisoft.comgrisoft.comOpen ↗).
Version: 6.0.522 / Virus Database: 320 - Release Date: 29/09/03

Quoted message said:

This winter it will also have flashing red horns: speedy5.freeserve.co.ukhornydan.jpgOpen ↗

You do realise that the sight of you wearing that on your head, combined with nips exposed due
to foul wearing of item of clothing that is spawn of satan anyhow is enough to drive a body
mad, Danny ;-)

Cheers, helen s

~~~~~~~~~~
This is sent from a redundant email Mail sent to it is dumped My correct one can be gleaned from
h*$el***$$n*$d$ot$**s**i$$m*$m$**on**$s$@*$$a**$*ol*$*.*$$c$om*$ by getting rid of the
overdependence on money and fame
~~~~~~~~~~

I don't cycle much at night, but I drive a lot, and agree about the effectiveness of reflective
shoes, ankle bands etc - they stand out very well, and make it obvious that it's a bicycle ahead -
even when visibility is obscured by headlights coming the other way

On the other hand one of my pet hates is cycles with just a flashing light at the rear. Perhaps it's
just my eyes, but it's very difficult to judge the distance to a flashing light when there are no
other clues - especially when you have to pick it out from lots of other red lights in traffic. If I
only have one light on my bike I make sure it's set to "steady light" and that my clothing will
stand out - including the reflective bits on my bright yellow cycling shoes. If I'm planning to ride
at night (as opposed to being caught out by darkness) I also use a flashing light, but fitted some
way from the steady one to provide following drivers with something to judge size and distance

"Simon Brooke" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Drinky said:

Apart from helmet, tail-light and front-light, what other safety gear do people use religiously
when cycling in the dark?

If you've ever driven a car you'll be aware how effective retro-reflective things which move with
pedalling motion are. They spell out 'cyclist ahead' more clearly than anything else. So
retro-reflective widgets on pedals, shoes, trousercuffs are great. Retro-reflectors in wheels are
also good for cars approaching from the side.

If it's being seen by drivers of motor vehicles[1] which you're concerned about, good
retro-reflectives are much more important than good lights, because they are independent of the
state of your batteries/dynamo and because they reflect the motor vehicles much more powerful
lights straight back at the driver, rather than spreading a relatively feeble glow through a
wide arc.

On the light front, legalities be damned. Flashing-type LED rear lights are far more noticable to
a driver than steady rear lights, and as far as I'm concerned the jazzier the pattern the better.
Some of the new LED front lights seem to deliver a lot of light for a long time, although of
course they aren't in the same league as the halogen rechargeables. But in urban conditions you
don't use the light to see so much as to be seen, and retro-reflectives are so much more effective
than any light you can use.

The other thing to say is there is absolutely no point to either lights or retro-reflectives which
are obscured by dirt, clothing, luggage or whatever - check that yours are clean and can be seen.

I have to confess my reaction to retro-reflective belts and so on is similar to the paving slab
fairy's reaction to bib-shorts - I consider them a mortal offence against good taste and
aesthetics, and I personally would not be seen alive or dead in one. But there's no doubt they're
effective.

Having said all this I don't personally use any of it, except on my road bike which has rear and
wheel retro-reflectors. My pedals are all SPDs with no reflectors, and my hill bikes have anything
which might reflect ruthlessly removed. I usually cycle in black bib longs and a grey jersey
(although my rain top is flourescent yellow). But then I live in a very quiet place with very
little traffic. All my bikes have flashing-type LED rear lights, and my road bike has a battery
front light as well.

[1] Provided of course the drivers have their lights on...

--
[email hidden] (Simon Brooke) jasmine.org.uk~simonOpen ↗

;; in faecibus sapiens rheum propagabit

wafflyDIRTYcatLITTERhcsBOX said:

You do realise that the sight of you wearing that on your head, combined with nips exposed due to
foul wearing of item of clothing that is spawn of satan anyhow is enough to drive a body mad,
Danny ;-)

Nips exposed in winte^^^^^ sleet? Brrrr!

--
Danny Colyer (remove safety to reply) ( juggler.netdannyOpen ↗ ) Recumbent cycle page:
speedy5.freeserve.co.ukrecumbentsOpen ↗ "He who dares not offend cannot be honest." -
Thomas Paine

Drinky said:

Quoted message said:

I

Can you let us know which of these dots you are responsible for?
dark-skies.freeserve.co.ukuk night.gifOpen ↗

That one there.... no, left a bit, bit more. That's it - that one!

:-)
--
Tina Eager

Drinky said:

Apart from helmet, tail-light and front-light, what other safety gear do people use religiously
when cycling in the dark?

A headlight (AKA miners' lamp) Even a 3-LEd one is surprisingly effective; I now feel safer in the
dark than I do in daylight. And yes, reflective material everywhere, and spare lights (not just
bulbs or batteries: complete lights) front and rear.

Mark van Gorkom.