Beyond 1200

The Copenhagen Wheel

http://picasaweb.google.com/hellotopeter/Beyond1200#5510970799316672322

The Copenhagen Wheel is touted as bringing the web, online social media, green power and cycling together.

The wheel itself feels like cool technology for technologies sake, and I don’t mind that. Efforts to do new things inspire others to do new things and that all works together in the end.

All it needs now is to include a Rohloff hub and you’ll have an ridiculously expensive wheel that does a whole lot of cool things. And it will bring your bike one step closer to being the electronic beast that most cars have become.

I have to give it credit for being a super-simple way to add electric power to any bike.

Here’s a video about it:

This was from an article at The Guardian.

Shimano MTB Cycling Shoes Review Update

The original review is at Shimano MTB Cycling Shoes Review but I took new pics with a better camera, so here is an update.

http://picasaweb.google.com/hellotopeter/Beyond1200#5510940003743186482

Faithfully serving me for over a decade, this pair of shoes don’t disappoint. Being my fourth pair of cycling shoes they have lasted a helluva lot longer than any other shoes I have owned.

The typical minimal design and comfortable shape all make the shoes almost unnoticeable after I put them on and start riding. Seeing as I already did a overview of the shoes before, lets look at how they have held up specifically.

From the picture above, the areas of wear and tear are quite clear, but I’ll identify them more clearly here.

The leather has held up through all these years. It is has dried out and I have never applied anything to make the leather stronger or put back the shine. The original glossy red is no longer there, but still, bright red shoes don’t need to be shiny to be noticed.

The sole and the body started to separate a few months ago, as can be seen where the nose piece attaches to the main body. I outline how to repair shimano cycling shoes previously. After a bit of patching they are now ready to go.

With good fit, there is less necessity to have tight straps. Like the fit of a good helmet, the shoes should stay on even without being strapped in. This is true with this pair and the two straps serve as the final bond to keep your shoes and feet together. The straps combine a plastic strap part with velcro. The plastic and velcro are almost completely separated, so it seems the plastic part was superfluous and probably just there for branding purposes. The velcro still holds strong and will probably be strong enough to last for a few more years.

http://picasaweb.google.com/hellotopeter/Beyond1200#5510940111682878386

The bottom of the shoes shows the deterioration of the rubber. Seeing as I don’t walk around in these shoes much the rubber has just worn out with time, rather than from heavy use.

The wear patterns do show the most contacted points of the sole. The area around the cleat is worn out because it takes a bit of beating when the engaging and disengaging the pedal. The nose of the shoe also takes a slightly harder beating when walking.

The hardened rubber no longer provides great levels of grip when walking on slippery surfaces and I need to watch out when walking on smooth, wet floors, but then again I need to be careful when I do that with all my ordinary shoes too.

http://picasaweb.google.com/hellotopeter/Beyond1200#5510940891451020194

A closeup of the rubber near the cleat.

http://picasaweb.google.com/hellotopeter/Beyond1200#5510940791701511106

The sole of the shoe has been strong and dependable.

As I haven’t bought any new shoes in such a long time I’m not clear if modern shoes experience the same problems as all my original shoes did.

At the time I bought my first set of Shimano shoes (not this pair) many of my friends had problems with the soles of their shoes cracking or breaking.

The sole of those original Shimano shoes cracked right across, just behind where the cleat was mounted. Friends were quick to tell me that it was because I did crazy things on my bike or that I was heavy, but that’s just rubbish and as these shoes have shown, those original problems were in the design.

This pair are as strong and dependable as before, although now a little tired looking, much like the dude who puts them on every now and again.

You Can’t Do That On a Bike

Why is it that people’s first reaction to a lot of my riding or any suggestions about riding is “you can’t do that”. There are unspoken preconceptions of what you can and cannot do on a bike, and even what is “normal” to do on a bike.

In general, riding more than 5km is not “normal” on a bike, riding fast is not “normal” on a bike, riding for more than like and hour is not “normal”, folding a bike and taking it on the bus is not “normal”. The list goes on and on, but I will spare you the rambling.

So this comes down to a problem of how we define “normal”.

For most people, this is how it comes out. They don’t do those things like that, so why would anyone else.

Well, here are some of the things that people do on bikes that are slightly out of the ordinary.

Endurance

http://picasaweb.google.com/hellotopeter/Mobile#5471033951220163890

A recent post on Taiwan in Cycles talked out Jure Robic, a Slovene who is considered to possibly be the world’s greatest endurance athlete. The picture above is him after 2,530 miles and 7 days, 9 hours and twenty minutes on the bike. In that time he only got 9 hours sleep and consumed a mind boggling 100,000 calories. At a different time he set a 24 hours riding record of 834.7 km.

The article in the New York Times outlines the metal breakdown he goes through in his attempts at RAAM, a non-stop race across the USA.

Definitely not “normal”

Speed & Distance

http://picasaweb.google.com/hellotopeter/Mobile#5471035309137834018

Bicycles are usually considered fairly slow, but here are some figures…

200m flying start record (HPV): 132 km/h
downhill speed record (on snow): 210 km/h
24 hour distance record (HPV): 1041.25 km

These are all records that were set on human power alone. The reality is that these were all achieved with very specialized bicycles and in perfect conditions, which might lead you to discredit them.

But not so fast, because the entire Human Powered Vehicle crowd are basically University students and people who do it as a hobby. There are no big sponsorships and to use a computing metaphor is closer to the open source crowd than to the battles of the big names.

Big Stuff Transport

http://picasaweb.google.com/hellotopeter/Mobile#5471033954412823490

Let’s get a little more practical. Moving big stuff is often a reason for cars, but just like trucks are specialized motorized vehicles more moving lots of stuff, so there are also bike for doing the same thing.

Introducing the Long John. Nope, not a pair of underwear to keep your precious bits warm in the winter, but a bike for hauling big things, typically up to 120 kg or so.

Not for long distances probably, but definitely convenient for errands.

Kid Transport

http://picasaweb.google.com/hellotopeter/Mobile#5468000275273485762

As a parent of two, one of my main struggles is with just how to take the kids along on rides. Oftentimes it is just me by myself, so I need to be able to get both on one bike.

My solution is to take a very standard production bike, put a kid seat on the back and another one between the seat and handlebars. It works, but does lack a bit of comfort for longer rides, which is where my other favorite kind of bike kicks in.

The cargo bike is designed with a very long tail, which adds stability when putting lots of weight over the rear end of the bike.

Take Them Anywhere

http://picasaweb.google.com/hellotopeter/Mobile#5470327669696775330

And finally, if you really need to take a bike with you and are short of space, something like the little guy below fold really tiny and can take you short distances.

How To Choose The Perfect Stem

The wild west. A small and dusty town. A bar. A derivative walks into the bar. All the functions scatter. In a dark corner, a lone function dares to stand his ground. The derivative walks up to the lone function and asks, “Who the hell do you think you are?” Without skipping a beat, the function, with eyes barely visible from under the brim of his hat, replies “I’m ex.” The derivative gives a small, knowing grin and says, “Today is not your lucky day, I’m d/dy.” – Original source unknown

So it’s been a while since whipping out the high school math books. I mean who needs that kind of grief in the real world?

Well, ladies and gents, for the first time ever, I’m going to show you a practical use for your trigonometry classes.

But fear not, I’ll be holding your hand through this, you just need to plug in the numbers.

Why This Is Useful

The best option for choosing a stem is to have yourself measured on your bike and get a stem that matches the angle and length of the one used for measurement. There is no guessing here, and it’s all worked out well.

But what if your bike is not quite right, or if you didn’t have it fitted, or after some time the “correct” fit just doesn’t quite cut it?

Amongst other things, the stem will need to be adjusted.

Simple?

No.

Doable?

Yes.

Because of the angles, every adjustment of the stem affects not only the height, but the distance from the top of the saddle to the handlebars.

How My Dilemma Helps You

I am 6’1″ (185mm) and my build gives me legs that are quite long, but not long arms. I’m like a Tyrannosaurus on wheels.

Ideally I’d be riding a custom built frame that’s just right for me, but I don’t have deep pockets for that kinda stuff, so standard consumer bikes is the only option. Fitting my body on a standard, production bike takes a bit of work, thought and adjustment.

My current mountain bike setup puts the handlebars about 79cm in front of the saddle (measured from where my sitting bones would rest). This is a position I have had on my bikes for over 10 years already, but after riding a small, folding bike that is only 72cm from seat to handlebar, and finding it quite comfortable, I need to make some adjustments to my bigger bike. The vertical difference between saddle and handlebar currently puts the handlebar 2cm below the saddle.

There is one other sure giveaway of being too stretched out. When riding for over three hours I often place the middle of my fingers on the handlebars, rather than the palm. This position eases strain in my back and just feels right.

Target: move handlebars 4cm closer to seat, and raise them by up to 2cm.

Ready?

Let’s go.

Preparation

First, some abbreviations:

hl = horizontal length, the length of your stem measured directly forward, parallel to level ground (we’ll calculate this number)
vh = vertical height, the height of your stem as measured directly upwards (we’ll calculate this number)
sa = stem angle, the angle marked on the stem
sl = stem length, the length marked on the stem
hta = head tube angle, the angle of your head tube (we’ll measure this)

To measure the head tube angle:

Take angle from manufacturers specifications (I did)

Stand bike securely (lean against something, tie rubber bands around brake levers and handlebars to stop sliding)
Find something long and straight (broom, etc)
Drop line straight down the head tube to the floor
Measure the head tube angle as shown in the diagram, between the floor and that line (you’ll need a protractor for this)

To measure the stem length:

Check specifications (often written on the underside of the stem)

Measure from the center of the head tube to the center of the handlebar.

The Math Part

You’ll need the online scientific calculator (or a real one) for these.

Calculate horizontal length and vertical height.

bignum = 90 – head tube angle + stem angle

horizontal length = cos(bignum) x stem length

vertical height = sin(bignum) x stem length

Original Stem Figures

My current figures are…

stem angle = 25
stem length = 120mm
head tube angle = 72

so…

bignum = 90 – 72 + 25 = 43

horizontal length = cos(43) x 120 = 87mm

vertical height = sin(43) x 120 = 81mm

Find A New Stem

Now you just need to plug in the numbers of a new stem to find the one that is closest to your requirements.

To get 4cm extra height is quite a rise, so I’ll try out a 45 degree stem first. These are available in a range of lengths, this angle is probably right, but the length will make a big difference.

120mm stem with 45 degree rise:

bignum = 90 – 72 + 45 = 63

horizontal length = cos(63) x 120 = 54mm

vertical height = sin(63) x 120 = 106mm

So I’ve moved back 33mm, but moved up by 25mm.

I was hoping to move further back and don’t need that much more height.

Next…

100mm stem with 45 degree rise:

bignum = 90 – 72 + 45 = 63

horizontal length = cos(63) x 100 = 45mm

vertical height = sin(63) x 100 = 89mm

Overall, for my bike, they work out as shown in the table below.

Stem	Horizontal Length	Vertical Height
120mm, 25 degree	87mm	81mm
120mm, 45 degree	54mm	106mm
100mm, 45 degree	45mm	89mm

Conclusion

Taking the time to get the right stem is worth it. However, this isn’t really needed any more and there are plenty of shops with adjustable stems in their stock. It’s much easier to use one of those to determine the right length, etc.

If you are in the market for a very expensive stem, I’d recommend just buying an adjustable one (not that expensive), and then spend a little less on the full stem when you’ve determined the right size and length.

The Hello Kitty Bike

Christina and the Hello Kitty bike

When my wife originally wanted to go riding with me and needed a new bike, the Giant Hello Kitty caught her attention.

Its first major ride was a 70km ride from Yonghe to Fulong even though she had never been a cyclist and had not done training of any kind. She threw her bag on the rack, held it down with the sprung part included on cheaper racks and just headed off. What a trooper.

Now, 7 years later, the bike is still in use. It doesn’t get nearly as much use as any of our other bikes, but it is a staple in the stable of loyal chariots.

Amongst its features are:

Big basket (with Hello Kitty picture up front)
Downtube-only “girls” bike design
Kick stand attached to rear wheel bolt
Big seat with springs for comfort (but not comfortable)
Hello Kitty bell
6-speed Grip Shift (rear gears only)
Caliper front brakes
Drum brakes at the back

The child seat at the back was most often used on my mountain bike when I used to take Christina out on bike rides. It was a little more pricey than the other models available and seemed more comfortable. It was just the right size when she was almost two years old and it is still fine now. She enjoys trying to climb up and into the seat on her own now.

Although it is not my first choice by any means, it is still a regular in our household.

I think it will continue to be for some time too.

Pedaling for Greatest Efficiency

“Just hop on and enjoy the ride” – a mantra I can appreciate.

Throw all concerns to the wind, just get on with it, cut to the heart of a great ride.

But…

If you want to go that little bit further, save that little bit more energy and make your long efforts feel that much easier, then a slight change in riding style is probably called for.

The reality is that any ride is directly affected by how effectively you pedal. When going for distance or going for speed, or anything beyond a quick spin around the block, how fast you pedal has a direct effect on your overall energy usage and power output.

Usually…

People will hop on a bike and start to pedal at a pace that feels comfortable. And surely being comfortable is a major concern, right?

Or course.

But what we find comfortable is actually more accurately described as “what you’re used to”. Pedaling in the same way as you always have is just falling back on your experience, and chances are that your experience has probably taught you some bad habits.

To break those bad habits you’ll need to bring a bit of science and timing into your pedaling action. So here’s the background information.

What is Cadence?

Cadence is how fast your pedals are turning around while you’re pedaling.

Thanks to the invention of gears you end up turning your legs around at about the same cadence all the time. You adjust the gears to be easier when you are climbing a hill and you adjust them to be harder when you are descending or on a flat.

Low cadences require you to put more pressure on the pedals to maintain the same speed. This puts stress on your muscles for hard strength. Spinning as low as 60 puts most of the strain on these parts of your muscles.

Higher cadences require you to put downward pressure on your muscles but require you legs to turn over very quickly. Racers will typically keep their cadence over 90, while spin at up to 120 during time trials and such speed events.

What Is The Best Cadence?

This article on Cycling Performance suggests that the perfect cadence is somewhere from 85-100 RPM.

It varies depending on the terrain, but a smooth, fast cadence will increase your overall efficiency.

How do you work out your cadence?

Many bike computers/speedometers and fancy bike gadgets work this out for you. They will have a sensor mounted by the crank.

But if you don’t have one you can get a general idea of how fast you are pedaling.

You’ll need:

An easily visible timer (preferably on the handlebar, a watch can be wrapped around the handlebar for this purpose too, if necessary)
A clear road (because your focus will not be entirely on the road for up to 15 seconds)
You math hat

Counting cadence:

1 revolution = right side pedal movement from bottom position (6 o’clock), all the way around, past 12 o’clock, and back to the 6 o’clock position

Timing (best shown by example):

6 seconds = every stroke from the moment the clock shows :00 to the last moment it shows :05 (stop counting once the clock shows :06)
12 seconds = every stroke from the moment the clock shows :00 to the last moment it shows :11 (stop counting once the clock shows :12)

The process:

Start riding
Settle into a single gear at a constant speed
Start counting pedal strokes when the timer hits :00 (first stroke is the second time the right pedal is at the bottom)
Stop counting as soon as the timer hits :06 (or :12)
Multiply the result by 10 (or 5) to get your cadence

Because you’re multiplying by 10, it’s important to start and stop counting at the right time.

If your cadence is too low, change to an easier gear (bigger cog at the rear or small chainring at the front). If it’s too high, change to a bigger chainring at the front or a smaller cog at the back.

How Will This Help Anything?

There is a useful test you can do which is outlined at the link above.

The test goes like this:

Thorough warm-up (20 minutes, with a few fast efforts)
Rest for 5 minutes
Pick your usual gears with slower cadence
Go flat out for 15 minutes and time it
15 minutes rest
Change to an easier gear
do 15 minutes hard again

Try the same two days later, with the higher cadence part first and you will be able to feel the difference.

100K on the Dahon Super Comp Folding Bike

The best way to test a bike is to ride it for a long time and a long distance.

Small niggles and annoyances are easily overlooked on bicycles that are seldom used, or only used for short commutes.

There’s precious little time to determine just how well things work as the ride is over before any poor design elements of the bike start to rear their ugly heads.

Longer rides are a true test of just how well all the parts work. After a few hours in the saddle, as your body starts to become tired and your muscles start to ache, every little creak, every little part that is slightly out of place and every uncomfortable element become painfully obvious and a constant hinderence to riding performance.

This is when the real test begins.

I recently took the Dahon Super Comp for a 100K ride to test these very elements.

And this is what I found.

I’ll start with the good stuff, then move onto my dislikes.

Overall solid build

The whole build is nice. There is nothing out of place, the only small consistent noise is the rear fender, which will probably get fixed. I’m still concerned when I hit bumps or need to go off sidewalks since I’ve read the big warning sticker warning against off-road use and not riders over 105kg, a weight that I am too close to for my own liking.

Still haven’t tried folding much, but that’s another post in itself.

Relaxed riding position

This is the most upright position I’ve ridden in. The handlebar is actually about 1cm higher than the saddle. The reach from seat to handlebar is also very short, approximately 6-8cm shorter than my regular ride.

This certainly came through with much less pressure on my arms throughout. The pain I sometimes start to feel from my palms did not happen during the ride. This could also be, in part, due to the nice comfy grips.

Comfy grips

I’ve eyed these new “ergonomic” grips for a while and wondered if they really work well. The ones on this bike are fat, softish and have the ergonomic bump facing the rider. The bump is supposed to support the ball of your hand so your wrists don’t rest at an extreme angle.

These grips tend to slip while riding, meaning that they start to rotate backwards slowly. This would be eliminated by a set that have fasteners at the ends.

Comfy seat

Maybe I’ve been riding on the vicious Selle seat for too long, but this seat felt very comfy. It was comfortable throughout the ride.

Front shifting very heavy

No matter how much I try to adjust them I can only get a decent match on the setup. The match of the three speed shifter with a two-ring crankset is not good. My other bikes has not needed the gears adjusted in over two years and works precisely every time.

The upside is that on flats there was almost no need to change chainrings.

But, the downshift is too much lighter than the upshift. Although the upshift is heavy, just a small nudge on the shifter could push it down to the smaller cog. I don’t expect the downshift to be tougher, I expect the upshift to be better.

Poor water bottle position

Bad cage design aside, getting my Zefal Magnum bottle in and out was a bit of a squeeze. The top of the bottle hits the stem.

I had to use a slightly sideways motion to slip the first part into the cage, then push in as normal.

Stupid brake levers

There are times when developments are made for no reason, and at other times it seems like products are deliberately downgraded to be crappy.

These levers feel like that.

The braking action is fine and the barrel adjustment works as expected. But the position of the fastening screw is ridiculous.

On longer rides it is necessary to move your hands around on the handlebar to give you hands a break. Rather than the usual position for the screw, down and out of the way, it has been positioned in the exact position where it will press directly into the palm of my hands when I rest my hands there. It is still possible to put your hands there, but it’s very awkward and I had to twist my wrists in a slightly strange position for that.

Disintegrating rubber handlebar guides

In order to assist with the disassembly and reassembly of the bike, the handlebar has two rubber stoppers to indicate where the center of the bar is. This helps when putting the handlebar back on the stem as the stop mark the right position.

However, after a few rides the rubber has started to deteriorate, so if you rub your hands on them you’ll get black marks on your hands.

This has little bearing on riding, but is a concern for commuters who are riding in their smart clothes. Last thing they need is to get black marks on their clothes.

Rattling rear fender

The rear fender rattles a bit. This got progressively worse throughout my ride.

I narrowed this down to the clip that fastens between the seatstays. It might just need a bit of crimping, but after that is sorted out it should be a very quiet ride indeed.

Conclusion

My test ride was a bit faster than I’d intended, simply due to time constraints. At a slightly slower speed this bike would probably be fine for over 150km. And as I’ve stated before, that’s even easier if the bike fits you.

The feel of the bike is good, the ride is smooth and the brake lever clamp was the only persistent niggle throughout.

Overall I’m pretty happy with it.

Dahon In The Morning

The morning sunlight can make anything look good and shiny.

On my way back home along the riverside path, the morning sun was shining down, piercing through the slight chill in the air.

Here’s a few shots I took of the Dahon. I had been waiting for good, strong sunlight and I got it.

Yep, that’s me below. Not a shadow panda, but I’ll get around to one of those another day.

Panda Portraits – You, Your Bike and Your Camera

If you ride a bike much you’ve probably taken a picture like this. Raw, on the go, just you, just for fun.

Well, sometimes you just wander into things that you don’t know and don’t expect.

For some reason I was on Flickr and I wondered into a picture in the same style as the one above, either captioned or titled as “Panda”. Now to set the obvious aside, there were no big black and white animals in the shot.

So, dutifully following the rabbit trail of digital knowledge I discovered the Panda Portrait Flickr group.

As it turns out, the panda portrait is a very specific kind of cycling photo.

It’s a photo taken of yourself, by yourself, on your bike, while moving. The only exception to these rules is shooting the aftermath if you crash while doing it.

Here are a few tips (from a non-photographer who uses his cellphone to take pictures most of the time):

Set the camera to take the picture faster (set the ISO to 400 or higher, higher is faster, compensates for wobbly arms)
Try a few first to get an idea of where to aim (or just forget it and see what happens, just as fun)
If you really want a decent shot, check the image after taking (take again if your head is half cut off etc.)
Watch the road! Quieter roads without too many cars are better. You’ve been warned!
Capture yourself, bike and… something else. Getting a friend in the shot, or something interesting in the background adds a little something to the basic panda.

In the end, just have fun. Be aware that although you probably won’t get fined for using a cellphone on your bicycle, that you still need to pay attention to the road and where you’re going.

Here are some interesting ones for your viewing pleasure. Big, happy smiles were my main criteria when picking. (Photos that are not mine are linked to their pages on Flickr)

Ride Like Warren Buffett – How The World’s Best Investor Can Prevent Your Next Accident

Warren Buffett, a legend in his own time. Ever since I first heard of him I have been amazed at how he works. By simply picking stocks and buying companies in a sensible manner he has managed to get over 13% growth per year on average for the last 40 years.

The average investment advice basically assumes that the market is absolutely efficient, so you can’t really do anything to beat it. The best approach is just to buy a spread and ride the same waves the market rides. Basically everyone ends up with the same odds.

But Buffett proves this assumption is wrong.

By preparing, staying informed, making sensible choices, avoiding duds and understanding the companies he invests in, Warren Buffet has been able to beat the market. It is true that he doesn’t let on to the complete details of his investment strategies, but he proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that you can beat the odds.

You can beat the odds of having an accident too.

When you’re out on the road cycling, your odds of being in an accident are related to your riding skills, your awareness while riding, your riding position, choice of approach and ability to avoid dangerous situations.

A lot of this has been adapted from Bicycling Safe as I thought it did a great job at explaining things clearly.

Avoid accidents

The ultimate goal for cycling safety is to not have accidents in the first place.

No accident = no injury or death… simple.

Helmets are promoted as the way to cheat death while riding.

Lies, all lies.

Your bowl of polystyrene is very unlikely to put up much of a fight against an 18-wheeler.

Most likely result: big truck 1, little cyclist 0

Ride like you’re invisible

Huh?

The trick here is to be as visible as possible, but to ride in such a way that even if you were invisible, you still wouldn’t get hit by any cars. Basically avoid every single possible situation where a car or other traffic vehicle would have to react or alter their course for you not to get hit. Easier said than done, but worth the effort.

Relying on the other drivers not to hit you is a guaranteed shortcut to the emergency room or worse. Your safety is entirely your own responsibility. Whatever crappy roads or driving get thrown your way, you have to deal with it to ensure you arrive home safe for your loved ones.

Pick safe routes

Better than trusting your skills to save you is to not have to use your skills.

Choose the safest route possible. Choose quieter roads, choose roads with a wide shoulder, choose bike paths, take the longer, less traveled path.

Ride further into the lane

Ride far enough into the lane that you will not slam into a car door if it is opened in front of you. When there are no parked cars you can ride closer to the side.

This position also makes you more visible to cars at intersections in front of you. Don’t hold this position all the time as it can be quite annoying for drivers behind you, but be aware of your safety before their annoyance.

Avoid crosswalks and riding on the wrong side

You are most visible when you are going with the flow of traffic.

Cars are looking for other traffic and that is their primary concern. Pedestrians or bicycles crossing from the right when the car is turning right are not seen. The car is looking for traffic from the left. Best to wait and cross when there are no cars or ride on the correct side of the road.

Don’t stop or ride in the blind spot

The blind spot is the position directly next to the car stretching about as far back as the rear bumper.

Do not stop in this position as the driver cannot see you in the rear view mirror and might turn into you. This also applies while moving, stay out of this position. Drop slightly back to where the car behind can see you but you won’t get clipped by the turning vehicle.

Lights, lights, lights

In Taiwan this is particularly bad. Very many people don’t use lights at night, and the places where there are less street lights, there seem to be even less bicycle lights.

Cars cannot see you. Really.

Cars have the oncoming lights in their eyes, which detracts from their ability to see you. Those same lights cast you into shadow. Use big reflectors if necessary, the bigger, more garish and uglier, the better.

Nighttime kit includes:

front lights
rear lights
front reflectors
rear reflectors
side refelectors
reflective jacket (construction site style)
anything else reflective or bright

And when it comes to the ugly reflective jackets, the phrase “I wouldn’t be seen dead in that,” rings true. If you’re wearing the reflective stuff your chances of an accident are less.

Be Safe

Remember that in the end you want to get home safe and sound. Being overly worried about safety is not helpful, but being aware enough to take the relevant steps to improve your safety is key.

The two guides below are highly recommended and put into text many things which have become second nature after years in the saddle.