[Closed] Evening road rides.. Worth it or not?

I just do running instead.

I'll probably get the road bike out again as the nights get lighter.

Of course it's worth it.

The roads aren't busy after rush hour. DO NOT go during rush hour unless you are right out in the sticks, it's grim. Wait til after dinner, then grab lights and head out. Not only is traffic much lighter but drivers are far far more relaxed when they aren't going to and from work. It can be a pretty peaceful experience.

And, if you're a night owl, head out at 10pm. It's a fantastic experience - just make sure you know which roads get treated by the council.

I find riding at night safer to be honest, especially if you've got decent lights. Once you're off main roads, it's easier to see other vehicles coming just from the glow of lights and since they can rarely work out what you are, they slow down more.

Pick your routes though - places you know well. Also never go out if there's a risk of ice; at least in daytime you can (usually) see it, at night you'll be sliding down the road before you can even think "gosh that's icy!"

I would say cycling at night in the winter is far better than in the summer. From a car driver perspective, they have no idea what you are and just see huge lights coming at them or in front of them and practically grind to a halt to go round you. From a cycling perspective it means all those junctions where you normally can't really see clearly that you will now see the beam coming a mile away which means you can shoot out or across the junctions quicker because you can tell there's no one there. This is all under the assumption that you're not daft and don't go cycling A roads during home time traffic, stick to the nice little country lanes.

I’m wanting to up the amount of riding that Im doing to improve my fitness

I've found that you can - with some planning, achieve the same amount of fitness gain in less time, indoors on a turbo.

While more riding will to a certain extent = more fitness, unless you're going to follow a structured plan, you'll not be getting the best bang for your buck. By all means go out, and I'm not suggesting you shouldn't, but if fitness gain, rather than night riding for fun is your goal, I think there are better ways of achieving that than heading out onto the road at this time of the year.

Yeah, when I do it, I just stick to quieter roads & try to wait until rush hour has properly died down.

Only thing is, I am not sure it's as enjoyable as Zwift, so tend to just do that.
The roads are generally damp & covered with a layer of leaf mulch, mud & road grime. It's cold and dank & your lights only let you see 'a bit of road', rather than the glorious countryside (although not sure we have that on the edge of the fens).
Yes, it's getting outside but is it more enjoyable than Zwift? I'm not convinced. Before I had a smart trainer & Zwift subscription I would do night road rides as a necessary evil to keep up some level of fitness. Now, I rarely bother.
I fully acknowledge that I am turning a bit soft & should embrace it.

I hate outdoor road rides in the evenings, summer or winter.

All of the chavs are out, people pissed off about being delayed for 10 seconds aren’t late for work so they can take their time to berate you.

I’d second the turbo idea, or go out early if you can, being aware of ice of course, crashing on black ice is scary and painful (done it twice now) so I tend to stick to the turbo or off-road now over the winter. Or even (heaven forbid) running.

I'm in the "darker is safer" camp too, though this is really only true out of town where your lights aren't competing with streetlights etc.

Hint: make sure you have food and water and a spare warm layer in the event of a mechanical etc.

I’ve found that you can – with some planning, achieve the same amount of fitness gain in less time, indoors on a turbo.

while this may objectively be true, unless you are focused on racing, so what?

I fired up zwift for one session this winter, and then put the £12 a month towards a gravel bike instead. I might not be as fit by the end of the winter as someone who's smashed out the zwift miles, but I'll have had way more fun...

unless you are focused on racing, so what?

Because the OP has asked about getting fitter?  You don't have to be focused on racing to want to get fitter for the spring so that the climbs are a little less grim, and longer distances are less of a challenge. I've found that my best over winter fitness gains have always come from a structured plan, and for me, my biggest impact has always come from being on on a turbo or rollers. I'm not saying don't go night riding; do, it's always nice to be out on a bike, but if you're timed pressured, or thinking seriously about maximizing those fitness benefits, then turbo everytime.

I'd be up for an indoor trainer but to be honest the only place I have to put one is in the garage at the bottom of the garden and that has an asbestos/concrete roof so not ideal to breathing all that in.

Wife has said no to in the house !!

Depends what time rush hour ends. Round here, roads get quiet about 6pm. With proper lights front and back (proper and dazzling not always being the same thing) and a back up light front and back in case of disasters, I actually find cars see you sooner and give you more room than they do in daytime.

Risk of ice, and packing an extra layer in case you get cold dealing with a puncture, are more of a concern to me than drivers (tonight's road ride is off due to ice risk)

A gravel bike is a good night riding bike as you can go both on/off road but feels 'less' risky than either a full-on road or MTB night ride.

while this may objectively be true, unless you are focused on racing, so what?

Well, it really depends what your goal is.

If winter road rides are a necessary evil to gain/maintain fitness, then perhaps a turbo is a better answer. Especially if you're time crunched.

A gravel bike is a good night riding bike as you can go both on/off road but feels ‘less’ risky than either a full-on road or MTB night ride.

This ^^
Also, it's a bit more resilient to the occasional unseen bump or pothole than a pure road bike.

while this may objectively be true, unless you are focused on racing, so what?

HE is though.... he races XC and XCM. Regularly. Unless i've got the wrong guy.

If it’s just riding on my own I’d rather have a run or use the turbo. If it’s riding with a mate then it’s worth it for me.

I'd agree for fitness and efficiency then Zwift etc are probably superior, if you have the money and space to set one up. A lot of clubman emerge from winter having made huge leaps in fitness.

But they spend the first month back on the road crashing and/or causing crashes because they've forgotten how to steer and brake. 🤣

I admit I do use the indoor trainer these days in winter. Mostly because I have got a couple of regular races on the go and it is more productive for less time. But at other times I have done lots of mid-week evening road riding. It's better for base training. Remember that 'fitness' isn't one thing.

If the focus is mostly on training, then maybe go and find a nice quiet hill and do some repeats?

For me its an aid to help with weight loss and overall fitness.

I find that you get less close passes in the dark, even in town where there are plenty of street lights. I think people struggle to judge the width more in the dark so they give you more room.

Just make sure you have at least 2 rear lights on your bike. If your back light goes of you may not know as you don't always see it. Especially with some of the rechargeable lights, a couple of sets I have don't really go dim, they just suddenly turn off, so there is no warning the battery is getting low.

There is something enjoyable riding out in the dark on the roads. But saying that I tend to use zwift a lot more now mainly due to time constraints, so only really head out on the road when doing mtb ride and linking up the off road sections.

If you don't have an indoor trainer I'd definitely say it's worth it.

I do it sometimes when the offroad routes around me are too boggy, it is all riding bikes and all good fun.

I go at 7ish so most of the traffic has cleared, stick to quieter lanes and have 2 lights rear lights. 1 flashing and 1 constant. In all honesty, cars treat me batter at night that they do on a Sunday morning.

The only 2 issues I've had is potholes can be hard to see getting a move on and some car headlights can be very bright and they do impact my vision for a few seconds after they pass. Not an issue on the majority of lanes but there is the odd slightly busier section to get to the quieter stuff.

BTW OP, is there a reason why it has to be road riding? MTB night riding is way more funner than night roadie IME

BTW OP, is there a reason why it has to be road riding? MTB night riding is way more funner than night roadie IME

TO be honest there aren't really any trails that are rideable from my house. The nearest off road is the Wyre Forest about half hour away. By the time Im back from work had tea and packed the car up etc its all time I could have spent on a bike.

Running isn't an option for me, I tend to suffer with shin splints quite a bit.

Especially with some of the rechargeable lights, a couple of sets I have don’t really go dim, they just suddenly turn off, so there is no warning the battery is getting low.

Ours get recharged after every ride, however short it was.

Why not just try it and see what you think? I like night-time road riding. With decent lights and some reflective, outside of town anyway, you're more visible than you would be during the day and there's something pleasantly zen about it.

But I can live with indoor training too. It's not a binary thing. There are days - usually horrifically wet ones - when the concept of going outside and getting absolutely soaked isn't particularly appealing.

Especially with some of the rechargeable lights, a couple of sets I have don’t really go dim, they just suddenly turn off, so there is no warning the battery is getting low.

Yeah just a bit of common sense here. I have one that I know lasts 7hrs on the mode I use, so I charge it every couple of shorter rides or every long one. That simple. But of course, use two rear lights, as electronic items there's a chance they could fail at any time for any reason.

Or, go out early in the morning. Me and a mate try to get out at least once a week. Yes its a 5am start but means we can get an hour to hour half in before having to do the morning routine - kids, work etc

Go for it.
Crisp/clear winter nights with no ice around are an ace time to be out.
Even better if you can get out on to country roads where it's proper dark and there's plenty warning (lights) when a car is coming up behind.
As always, it depends how busy/congested your local area is.
It will help if you can work out a route that avoids the rush hour roads,or even goes against the traffic flow for the first part when it's busy.
You have posted a lot on here over the years about how you struggle with your fitness/motivation,and
sometimes ,just getting out the front door is the hardest part.
So find a route,make a plan ,and before you know,it will become part of your weekly routine.
Enjoy.

Or, go out early in the morning.

**** off!

😉

I also find riding at night safer (of course quieter, and you can see them coming, and they can see you if you’re well-lit/reflectored up)

I’m not a ‘roadie’ in the sports/leisure sense, just like riding bikes as transport. So if I fancy a spin for keep-fit I’ll usually take the gravelbeast (2.2”) or tourer (28c Marathons) and am not averse to taking long empty footpaths, backroads and tracks to link country lanes and towns. This hodge-podge of night-time interurban exploring is my favourite type of riding after all-day XC.

Biggest game-changer of late was buying a more road-specific front light* which helps enormously, relaxes the eyes and floods the road /kerb/verges ahead with a decent more even light. The remote is also game-changing as I can get a blast of high-beam for pitch-black sections, alerting other road users, whatever.

*Ravemen PR

I have been night road riding the whole year through for almost 10 years now. Love it. I mix it up with Peloton training, and the odd weekend ride I fit in around the family stuff going on. Last week I did a 70k into the Surrey Hills. I go at a slowish pace to my normal speed and stick to the roads I know super well. Just dont go mad!

Lights wise I have a few each end, just in case you loose one. I feel super safe, as soon as you get out into the hills or past busy traffic times. You can see cars coming miles out, and you can see the speed if you know the lay of the land.

Like long distance commuting it feels you have a jump on the world 🙂

I dont go out if the weather is going close to freezing now, I dont fancy falling off much anymore.

I got into it whilst on a contract in Cheltenham, and road with and without a local couple clubs that went out Tuesdays and Thursdays after work for dam good rides. I would also go out on my own on the Wednesday. I even would work late, leave the office and ride 100k and be home for 1am.

2+ hours in Z2 once a week, the milder weather this winter has made it much more enjoyable than the equivalent on Zwift or whichever.

Which means you're not so sick of the trainer when it comes to putting in your intervals.

I do have the benefit of a local loop on relatively quiet A roads if I leave it until after 6, generally nice and wide so plenty of space for passing and visibility is pretty good. Less sketchy than some of the lanes and make the effort a little more consistent.

I've done it in the past and enjoyed it.

Agree with what most on here are already saying in that of course just use some common sense but its really not that big of a deal. I always stuck to routes I know very well and made sure that the loop passed several train stations along the way just to add a bit of reassurance.

Personally I wouldn't bother in the darkest depths of winter but that is just me and I'm one of those weird people who quite likes the turbo trainer anyway.

Plan your route. As a roadie that used to commute on road, certainly safer at night and outside of rush hour - 7pm onwards. Used to enjoy those cold crisp nights.

I unfortunately don't commute via roads anymore due to some very nasty injuries, nor do I take the road bike out on roads near rush hour. I'm back commuting down the canal when in the office, and road rides or MTB around lunch time during the week - far nicer.

Plenty of reflectives.

If you do go down the gravel bike route and throw in some off-road trails be careful with the positioning of the lights. I hit a trail that was way muddier than expected, was great fun but when I got home I realised the main light was totally covered in mud and the back-up was barely visible. Was so lucky as I'd cycled up a horrible, twisty, fast, dark bit of road with no idea I was invisible.

I'm lucky in that after 10 minutes of cycle track beside a main road I can ride a 30 mile loop and only pass /be passed by half a dozen cars. It's normally a zone two ride with coffee and cake in the middle courtesy of my parents. I also zwift though - getting hot and sweaty and then having a mechanical in the dark doesn't appeal. Plenty of lights and reflectives tend to garner better driving IME, they probably think you're a hardnut too.

If you do go down the gravel bike route and throw in some off-road trails be careful with the positioning of the lights. I hit a trail that was way muddier than expected, was great fun but when I got home I realised the main light was totally covered in mud and the back-up was barely visible. Was so lucky as I’d cycled up a horrible, twisty, fast, dark bit of road with no idea I was invisible.

that's what mudguards are for. I'm really enjoying get back from manky rides with slightly muddy feet and that's about it.

I’m lucky in that I can squeeze some daylight riding in during the week

But if I couldn’t I’d night road ride. I’d consider a few laps of a quiet loop. If it’s icy leave it or go for a walk. Or just maybe turbo. But for me being outside is important for my well being even if it’s dark

I'm quite partial to a night ride, seems safe enough. Depends on your area of course! I live in East London

Depends where you live and where you can ride. In Newcastle there is too much risk of ice most of winter so I rarely bother. Away from the city though it is ok. Good front and rear lights and people give you a wide birth. The dear don't though so don't relax.

There area few chain gangs that start up at various points. Some are on industrial estates which are street lit so work really well. Minimal traffic after 5pm. Short laps on your own is dull, it is only worth doing as a group otherwise the turbo is as enjoyable.

I tend to go mtbing on easy trails. It's all time in the saddle and works towards base fitness. Focussed intensity I do indoors.

Y'know, back in my day we just used to do stuff, and if we liked it we did it more, if we didn't like it then we either strapped on a pair and did it anyway (life begins where your comfort zone ends), or else we found something else occupy ourseleves with. The moral of this story is... just do it.

For what it's worth, I love riding in the dark and find drivers give you more space when passing at night. Just make sure you are visible from the sides so that drivers pulling out of junctions etc can spot you. Also, I always have 2 front and rear lights fitted just in case one should go flat.

Interestingly I find the afternoon school run is actually the worst time to ride (in terms of dangerous passes) and I would much rather head out at 5:30pm than 3:30.

I used to do it a lot but after a couple of serious accidents I’m a little nervous about Ice but also leaves. Tends to need a good period of snow the roads always seem to be better after that.