Winter is coming. With him disappears the long days when the sun shone until late at night. The days are getting shorter and shorter and it is becoming complicated to ride using natural light alone. But ultimately is this really annoying? Once properly equipped there is no reason not to continue riding at night. Whether for the pleasure of going for a ride on Saturday afternoon and coming back once the sun has set, or simply for going to work by bike and not having managed to convince your boss to reduce your time slot, there is always a good reason to cycle at night. This is why we have decided to give you our best advice at the start of autumn for riding in the dark.
ride a bike at night
Respect the mandatory rules for cycling at night
First of all, you should know that there are mandatory items to have on your bike, and with you when riding at night. First you need reflectors. For those to whom this word means nothing, these are the retroreflective devices located on the wheels, pedals and at the front and rear of your bike. As part of the mandatory equipment, you will also need to have front and rear lighting . Finally, the law requires you to wear a retroreflective vest if you are traveling outside of built-up areas or if the light is insufficient.
Equip yourself warmly
After the obligatory equipment, it’s time for the non-obligatory equipment but still strongly recommended if you ride at night. Indeed, when you say driving at night, you mean driving at lower temperatures, and unless you are doing a night trip in the middle of August, we advise you to check the weather before leaving. At night temperatures can drop quickly. This is why we strongly advise you to dress well. Prioritize the feet and hands as well as the head . It is in fact at the extremities that you will get cold the quickest. Don’t skimp on buying good winter gloves and a pair of shoes very hot. Be careful with socks though. In fact, you might be tempted to wear your biggest pair to be as warm as possible. Unfortunately this would be a great strategic error. You would then prevent your blood from circulating and therefore accentuate the feeling of cold. For the upper body, always favor the 3-layer strategy (underwear, jersey and jacket) . We have also written a special article on how to dress for cycling in winter which we invite you to read.
Who says driving at night, says no sun, therefore no light to see. It is therefore essential to think about your bike lighting . Depending on where you practice, the light you need will be different. So for use in the city, which are generally lit, or at least which were last winter before the energy crisis, a handlebar lamp with batteries or an integrated battery is more than sufficient. We recommend opting for a front lamp offering between 100 and 500 lumens (such as the Ravemen FR160 lamp ). On the other hand, as soon as you venture into the forest or in a poorly lit place, we advise you to opt for a lamp with an external battery offering between 2000 to 3000 lumens.. In fact, the latter will light up much brighter, hence the reason for an external battery to maintain good autonomy. It will then be possible for you to carry out outings in the dark of night, such as night-time outings, for example.
For driving at night, a front lamp seems obvious, however we might tend to forget the rear lamp . This would be a great mistake as it is useful for other road users to see you. It is also one of the mandatory elements as we said at the beginning of the article. There are many models ranging from the simple classic lamp to the Varia range from Garmin. Today many of these lamps are connected to your smartphone or your GPS using ANT +. So if your only objective is to be seen a classic model with battery a small battery will be enough for you. On the other hand, if you want to see remaining battery life or changing the type of lighting on your GPS , then a connected model like the Bontrager Flare RT could be the right solution. Finally you could opt for the Rolls of rear lamps connected with a Varia model from Garmin. Their latest model, the Varia 715, which we were able to test, has a radar to detect arriving cars or even a dashcam in the event of an accident . So it could be the ideal rear lamp if you do a lot of driving and if you already have a Garmin GPS .
Our advice for riding at night
To finish this article, here are our tips from Alltricks to ensure that your night cycling trips go well. First of all, dress warmly as we said at the beginning of the article. Protect your feet and hands well, it is essential to avoid turning your outing into a real ordeal. Second, double check your lighting before you leave. If the latter is battery-powered, check the state of charge carefully and take a second battery if possible. Finally, the landmarks change a lot at night, so choose a route you know to start. Once these few points are respected, all you have to do is go and enjoy. It can be difficult at first but the feeling once you leave is unique.
