I love my commute from Bethesda to DC now, but what happens in the fall/winter?

[ab20854]

This is the first year that I’ve been regularly commuting from Bethesda – my office isn’t far from Judiciary Square – and I absolutely love it. Can anyone who does a similar commute tell me how it is when we start losing daylight? I know this sounds like a silly question (i.e., the obvious answer is “buy a light”), but I’m also curious to know what to expect. For example, is the CCT safe in the evenings when it’s completely dark, as opposed to summer evenings when it’s packed with people? What about the ride through DC and Georgetown when the only part of me that’s visible to cars is my light? And how strong of a bike light do I need so that I can see what’s ahead of me on the CCT (including walkers and other bikers)?

Thanks in advance for the help.

Topic

[Riley Casey]

I’ve been bike commuting year round for about ten years now and this is something I’ve noticed that a great many riders don’t get about riding at night in urban areas. You can’t carry enough lighting power on your bike to compete with the street lights, store lights and car / truck lights. What i do and suggest to everyone who rides on city streets is to light up your bike and yourself in addition to front and rear lights. There are many solutions including lights that weave into your spokes. I make a point of buying light colored bikes that reflect light and then Velcroing ( spell check is not pleased with that ) cheap Costco LED flashlights set to the strobe function to the bike frame pointing down at the street. I ride in a flashing pool of light with my frame and legs brightly lit. I’ve had more than one motorist comment on how easy I am to be seen in traffic. Music to my ears. A helmet light is also a handy thing for spotting potholes so yea I ride with four lights minimum at night.

One thing to watch out for if you’re switching from driving to riding regularly is that eventually you’ll only know the bike route to many places and having to occasionally drive will perplex you to no end. Parking lots will become particularly vexing. l-)

@ab20854 162667 wrote:

… What about the ride through DC and Georgetown when the only part of me that’s visible to cars is my light? …

Thanks in advance for the help.

[drevil]

@Riley Casey 162914 wrote:

I’ve been bike commuting year round for about ten years now and this is something I’ve noticed that a great many riders don’t get about riding at night in urban areas. You can’t carry enough lighting power on your bike to compete with the street lights, store lights and car / truck lights. What i do and suggest to everyone who rides on city streets is to light up your bike and yourself in addition to front and rear lights. There are many solutions including lights that weave into your spokes. I make a point of buying light colored bikes that reflect light and then Velcroing ( spell check is not pleased with that ) cheap Costco LED flashlights set to the strobe function to the bike frame pointing down at the street. I ride in a flashing pool of light with my frame and legs brightly lit. I’ve had more than one motorist comment on how easy I am to be seen in traffic. Music to my ears. A helmet light is also a handy thing for spotting potholes so yea I ride with four lights minimum at night.

One thing to watch out for if you’re switching from driving to riding regularly is that eventually you’ll only know the bike route to many places and having to occasionally drive will perplex you to no end. Parking lots will become particularly vexing. l-)

Don’t forget the obnoxiously reflective jackets from Sugoi, Proviz, Specialized, Showers Pass, etc. If I commuted by bike, I’d most likely be wearing one of these.

[Judd]

@Riley Casey 162914 wrote:

One thing to watch out for if you’re switching from driving to riding regularly is that eventually you’ll only know the bike route to many places and having to occasionally drive will perplex you to no end. Parking lots will become particularly vexing. l-)

This happens to me a lot. I bought a new bike at Bikenetic a few weeks ago and when I got in the car to go pick it up I suddenly realized that I had no idea at all how to get there in a car. It turns out that I can get there by bike in about the same time as a car.

[Judd]

@Riley Casey 162914 wrote:

I make a point of buying light colored bikes that reflect light and then Velcroing ( spell check is not pleased with that ) cheap Costco LED flashlights set to the strobe function to the bike frame pointing down at the street.

I rode with a string of outdoor LED Christmas lights taped to my bikes most of the winter. Made the bike really easy to see and people seemed to get a kick out of it.

[Sunyata]

@Judd 162916 wrote:

This happens to me a lot. I bought a new bike at Bikenetic a few weeks ago and when I got in the car to go pick it up I suddenly realized that I had no idea at all how to get there in a car. It turns out that I can get there by bike in about the same time as a car.

You know there is a CaBi station less than 3/4 mile from the shop (there might actually be one closer, but I am too lazy to look). It actually takes me about 5 minutes longer to drive to the shop than it does to ride there. And just to show you how much I hate driving… I once had to drop my commuter off at the shop to get the IGH serviced. I rode my bike to the shop and RAN home. It is SEVEN miles. It was horrible. I decided after that incident that I would just CaBi home.

[Judd]

@Sunyata 162923 wrote:

You know there is a CaBi station less than 3/4 mile from the shop (there might actually be one closer, but I am too lazy to look). It actually takes me about 5 minutes longer to drive to the shop than it does to ride there. And just to show you how much I hate driving… I once had to drop my commuter off at the shop to get the IGH serviced. I rode my bike to the shop and RAN home. It is SEVEN miles. It was horrible. I decided after that incident that I would just CaBi home.

Seven miles on a CABI sounds pretty awful to me.

[lordofthemark]

@Judd 162946 wrote:

Seven miles on a CABI sounds pretty awful to me.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xn676-fLq7I

[Steve O]

@Judd 162946 wrote:

Seven miles on a CABI sounds pretty awful to me.

Try 40
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ac-sSS892V8

[ian74]

@Judd 162916 wrote:

This happens to me a lot. I bought a new bike at Bikenetic a few weeks ago and when I got in the car to go pick it up I suddenly realized that I had no idea at all how to get there in a car. It turns out that I can get there by bike in about the same time as a car.

Whoah. How did I miss this. Where are all the pretty pictures?

[Judd]

@ian74 163017 wrote:

Whoah. How did I miss this. Where are all the pretty pictures?

Artsy Potomac overlook picture attached to this ride: https://www.strava.com/activities/1058957749
New bike with pie: https://www.strava.com/activities/1051834190
What my bike looks like when Komorebi is taking pictures of my butt: https://www.strava.com/activities/1052023520

[Zack]

@Steve O 162969 wrote:

Try 40
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ac-sSS892V8

I have done about 8.5 from Alexandria to Navy Yard on CaBi when my regular bike is the shop or I need to go one-way. It is slower for sure, about 5-8 minutes, but the real difference is the backpack. I use a basket on my regular bike. But I do like riding the CaBi without a helmet!

[ian74]

@Judd 163020 wrote:

Artsy Potomac overlook picture attached to this ride: https://www.strava.com/activities/1058957749
New bike with pie: https://www.strava.com/activities/1051834190
What my bike looks like when Komorebi is taking pictures of my butt: https://www.strava.com/activities/1052023520

Cool bike! I hope you have lots of fun on it! You lucky dog.

[cvcalhoun]

@drevil 162915 wrote:

Don’t forget the obnoxiously reflective jackets from Sugoi, Proviz, Specialized, Showers Pass, etc. If I commuted by bike, I’d most likely be wearing one of these.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c3II1V6NISs

I have the Proviz one. (I’m happy to be obnoxious, if it keeps me alive.) However, it’s not really suitable for year-round use. Even with a couple of layers under it, it doesn’t really work for temperatures under freezing. Conversely, it is way too warm for the weather now.

[Judd]

@cvcalhoun 163046 wrote:

Conversely, it is way too warm for the weather now.

OMG! Everything is too warm now. I’m going to do all of my biking this weekend in TwoWheels pool.

[cvcalhoun]

@Judd 163049 wrote:

OMG! Everything is too warm now. I’m going to do all of my biking this weekend in TwoWheels pool.

Yeah, I’ve been foregoing a helmet sometimes, on the theory that it may actually cause accidents by giving me heat exhaustion.

But my point here is that an ANSI class 2 reflective vest can be worn year round — over a bikini top or bare chest in the summer, and over a heavy jacket in the winter. I love my Proviz jacket, but it is suitable for a much narrower temperature range.

[Author]

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