Night time riding with an Ebike

[Katman4532]

I live in West Texas where summers can be brutal. I either have to cycle very early in the morning or at
night. Recently, I took a night ride. Traffic is not a problem since I live on the edge of town. I have to say,
I really enjoy cycling at night; very peaceful (except for coyotes). So, I was wondering if anyone else does this,
and what problems you've run into. Also, whether you take any additional steps to prepare for a night ride (besides lights). Thanks!

 

[Mr. Coffee]

Most e-bikes come with built-in lights.

I like having an extra helmet-mounted light. It is also helpful if you have to fiddle with your bike in the dark when making field adjustments or emergency repairs.

 

[Katman4532]

Most e-bikes come with built-in lights.

I like having an extra helmet-mounted light. It is also helpful if you have to fiddle with your bike in the dark when making field adjustments or emergency repairs.

The helmet light is a great idea. It would be great for checking along side the road while riding. Sometimes
coyotes can get a bit too curious. What kind of helmet light do you have?

 

[Mr. Coffee]

I have a bontrager ion 700 r. Largely because that is what my local bike shop sells -- you need to buy the gopro-compatible mount separately and make sure your helmet has the gopro base too. I also like the light & motion usb-chargable lights like the light & motion trail 1000 ranger.

Whichever one you buy, make sure it has a breakaway base so you don't get whiplash (or worse) if you hit a tree branch.

 

[rich c]

Keep your mouth shut and wear safety glasses or goggles. Bugs are a big issue around here at night. Flashing tail light is the most effective, and I wear a lot of reflective wear.

 

[Trail Cruiser]

My biggest fear when riding at the dark, esp under the trees, is encountering wild animals. I would suggest a blinding handheld strobe light, a noise maker of some sort, a taser device, and/or pepper spray.

 

[Roxlimn]

I used to ride at night regularly for fun. I also prefer to ride early enough in the mornings that it's still dark. Visibility is a major issue. You can suddenly encounter serious road hazards without seeing them on account of bad lighting conditions. Worse in the rain. Aside from multiple rear lights, I have two front lights installed independent of the battery. It's a bit of a hassle but it's better than having no lights if your ebike system fails. I have two lights so I have a backup. I have two more lights in the pack. I have this many lights because in very dark conditions, I prefer throwing something like 800+ lumens down the street, and my primary lights only last 2 hours on that mode.

 

[Mr. Coffee]

I am very lucky to live in an area with abundant wildlife. I routinely see deer, coyotes, black bears, rattlesnakes, porcupines, skunks, bobcat, bald eagles, and ospreys. Less frequently I have seen mountain lion, lynx, wolves, elk (what Europeans call "giant deer"), and moose (what Europeans call "elk").

Bluntly I am far more afraid of the cows I routinely encounter as well. Coming around a blind corner at speed into a road full of cows isn't a good scenario.

Cycling is very popular where I live. I have never heard of any cyclist being attacked by wild beasts here. My normal run to town is a popular cycling route that I often make early in the morning -- I've never seen any evidence of animal attacks on cyclists -- no mangled bikes, no bloody bits of lycra, nothing. If the animals are attacking cyclists they are devouring them bike and all.

There is discussion of US F & W reintroducing grizzly bears into my locality. If that happens I will need to figure out how to mount a 12-gauge pump-action shotgun or Weatherby Dangerous Game Rifle on my bike. But that hasn't proven necessary. Yet.

 

[rich c]

My biggest fear when riding at the dark, esp under the trees, is encountering wild animals. I would suggest a blinding handheld strobe light, a noise maker of some sort, a taser device, and/or pepper spray.

He said he was from Texas. Doesn't everyone there carry a gun? LOL!

 

[Katman4532]

My biggest fear when riding at the dark, esp under the trees, is encountering wild animals. I would suggest a blinding handheld strobe light, a noise maker of some sort, a taser device, and/or pepper spray.

I carry pepper spray. Most of the time that works. I did have one determined dog that took over 1/3 can of spray
before it got tired of coughing and sneezing and moved on.

 

[Katman4532]

I used to ride at night regularly for fun. I also prefer to ride early enough in the mornings that it's still dark. Visibility is a major issue. You can suddenly encounter serious road hazards without seeing them on account of bad lighting conditions. Worse in the rain. Aside from multiple rear lights, I have two front lights installed independent of the battery. It's a bit of a hassle but it's better than having no lights if your ebike system fails. I have two lights so I have a backup. I have two more lights in the pack. I have this many lights because in very dark conditions, I prefer throwing something like 800+ lumens down the street, and my primary lights only last 2 hours on that mode.

I plan on getting a helmet light. You can't have too many lights while cycling.

 

[Katman4532]

I am very lucky to live in an area with abundant wildlife. I routinely see deer, coyotes, black bears, rattlesnakes, porcupines, skunks, bobcat, bald eagles, and ospreys. Less frequently I have seen mountain lion, lynx, wolves, elk (what Europeans call "giant deer"), and moose (what Europeans call "elk").

Bluntly I am far more afraid of the cows I routinely encounter as well. Coming around a blind corner at speed into a road full of cows isn't a good scenario.

Cycling is very popular where I live. I have never heard of any cyclist being attacked by wild beasts here. My normal run to town is a popular cycling route that I often make early in the morning -- I've never seen any evidence of animal attacks on cyclists -- no mangled bikes, no bloody bits of lycra, nothing. If the animals are attacking cyclists they are devouring them bike and all.

There is discussion of US F & W reintroducing grizzly bears into my locality. If that happens I will need to figure out how to mount a 12-gauge pump-action shotgun or Weatherby Dangerous Game Rifle on my bike. But that hasn't proven necessary. Yet.

Outside of the occasional vicious dog, the only wildlife encounter I've had was with a rabid coyote. Fortunately, it
was in the "prodromal" phase and not yet vicious. Rabies has been a bit of a problem in our area. I have considered
carrying a shotgun slung over my shoulder for night time rides. Openly carrying a long gun in Texas is legal. I really
wish I had access to the more effective pepper spray the police have.

 

[Katman4532]

He said he was from Texas. Doesn't everyone there carry a gun? LOL!

It's actually not that common (rather surprising). However, when someone is openly carrying, no one seems to
notice or care. Oddly enough, I think riding with a shotgun slung over my shoulder would solve both the critter
problem and the night time visibility problem as well. Car lights hitting a cyclist carrying a shotgun would certainly
Get noticed! May have to think long and hard about that one.

 

[Mr. Coffee]

I was actually being facetious about the shotgun or dangerous game rifle. From a practical standpoint, unless you could handle the considerable recoil while mounted on the bike and fire accurately one-handed without engaging the sights, it isn't really clear to me that a firearm would significantly increase your safety in these hypothetical situations. For myself, I lack the substantial weapons skills required to fire accurately one-handed (with either hand) and without engaging the sights so it is a moot point.

 

[Katman4532]

I was actually being facetious about the shotgun or dangerous game rifle. From a practical standpoint, unless you could handle the considerable recoil while mounted on the bike and fire accurately one-handed without engaging the sights, it isn't really clear to me that a firearm would significantly increase your safety in these hypothetical situations. For myself, I lack the substantial weapons skills required to fire accurately one-handed (with either hand) and without engaging the sights so it is a moot point.

Yeah, a long gun would be pretty impractical unless you were facing some really big critters. Actually, a practical solution (in addition to Pepper
Spray), would be a helmet light and an
openly carried handgun with a laser. I think that would be the best way to deal
with an "overly aggressive " coyote.

 

[Katman4532]

I appreciate all the good advice! I plan
on taking some night rides this week.

 

[Trail Cruiser]

If I have something that has a powerful flashlight function plus a stun gun function then I'll be comfortable riding in the countryside bike trails at night time. http://www.womenonguard.com/police-force-tactical-stun-baton-flashlight

 

[EddieJ]

I guess that I put in about 1,500 - 1,800 miles a year riding off road after daylight hours. I actually prefer it to day time riding, but then we only have weirdos in the woods to worry about at night time, and the only animal hazards are deer.

The one thing that I have learnt, is that you never look behind. I have only managed to freak myself out twice on night rides, and on both occasions it was because I looked behind.

Up until recently, my main light has been a Fenix BT20 with a modified battery pack, but I am about to take delivery of a Magicshine EagleF3. I also make sure that I have a back up light of some kind, plus one of these wrist mounted lights. I thought that it was going to be a real gimmick when I bought it from Ebay, but it has proved to be very useful.



I don't use head/helmet mounted torches, as much of my riding terrain is through tight woodland with low hanging branches. As Mr. Coffee has alluded to, I'm another that doesn't want to risk a whiplash injury.



And a couple of very rare road shots.

 

[Ann M.]

Outside of the occasional vicious dog, the only wildlife encounter I've had was with a rabid coyote. Fortunately, it was in the "prodromal" phase and not yet vicious. Rabies has been a bit of a problem in our area. I have considered
carrying a shotgun slung over my shoulder for night time rides. Openly carrying a long gun in Texas is legal. I really
wish I had access to the more effective pepper spray the police have.

That's pretty extreme and unrealistic; @Katman. Whatever you want to call "prodromal" is not a realistic statement. How do you know that the coyote you encountered was rabid. That is serious and in our area of Central Texas it's no joke! Your suggestion of guns does nothing but create fear and we Texans don't buy into fear. You don't encounter coyotes all that often. I KNOW, I live where there are a lot of coyotes and You are creating an incorrect image of how they act.

Coyotes DO NOT chase or attack or do anything against HUMANS. They run away from us.

BTW I've lived in a very rural eastern area of Travis County in Central Texas with a lot coyotes in the space with us for about 30 years. Both Travis and Bastrop counties have continued to do their rabies prevention via air drops for a long time. No Need For Fear!

 

[Mr. Coffee]

Thank you, Ann.

I'd like to add that I consider wildlife encounters memorable, interesting, and most of all a great honor. While I have had a few encounters that have been a bit spooky, never have I felt seriously endangered by wildlife. And I encounter *lots* of wildlife.