Cycling in the dark

The title of the post is meant literally in this case. I wanted to try out my new lights (upgrades from my about-town lights), so the bike and I went for a wee spin this morning. I'll admit to being nervous because so far all my real road riding has been done in daylight hours with the occasional flashing rear light being employed for peace of mind. My anxiety led me to load up me and my road bike with

• the new front light,
• my about-town front light in flashing mode,
• my new rear light,
• head torch on the helmet,
• about-town rear light in flashing mode on the rear of the helmet,
• high-viz jacket,
• high-viz detailing on my leggings and overshoes.

Over the top? I don't think so, and hopefully I could be seen for miles. Certainly the majority of cars dipped their headlights for me, and whether that was out of courtesy or because I was beaming back loads of light at them I don't know. I'll need to get a pal to drive past me and then give me a report.

From a riding point of view I found the combination of front light and head torch very useful although I could probably do with a little longer beam of light for the downhill sections. The strange thing was that I felt safer when it was pitch black than I did when it started to brighten up. Certainly it is easier for me to see vehicles when it's very dark; the headlamps and their light gives them away.

The ride itself was nothing special, but it has given me the confidence to go out and do it again. The temperature will need to be right though. I'm not at all sure about popping out onto country roads with the possibility of frost or, worse, ice.

The Ride

Technical Details

For those of you who are interested the new lights are

• Front - Hope Vision 1
• Rear - Cateye TL-LD1100