Night Ride Tips

I would to share my little (3-4 years) of night riding experience since ECC's Burung Hantu Night Mtb ride is coming soon.

Rear red blinking lights
A must for you to be visible to the cars coming from the back. More lights means more visibility but that is only if you are riding solo or with a friend. I am a supporter of a green environment, so if you have a big group of riders cycling together, you don't have to on all the lights. Just 1 rear red blinking light will do.

Front lights
This is the most important if you are going off road riding.

As pictured below, I have 1 white blinking light on all the time to warn oncoming cars of my presence and another strong bike torch light whenever I hit the dark areas. For me, dark areas means really bad visibility like cycling into the oil palm or rubber estate. If you are on a kampung road, there is usually the street light that is bright enough for you to see the road and I always try to conserve battery life.

Most of the time when I ride in a group, the lights emitted by the other riders is good enough for me to go without switching on mine.

Whenever you need to stop when there is a regroup or traffic jam ahead, remember to switch off the front torch light. This will help prolong the battery life.


If you are planning to ride fast and furious on the off road track, it is better to have 2 strong torch lights beside the blinking lights.

Point 1 nearer towards the front tires (approx. 3 feet) and the other about 8 feet ahead. This will help you see what is coming ahead.

There is always the element of surprise when doing off road night riding. Be alert of your surrounding, the shout of warning of riders ahead of you on dangers such as holes, bumbs and animals. Front riders usually come across birds such as Night Jars, owls, snakes and even wild boars on the tracks.

Batteries
Please try to use rechargeable batteries. Most will give you your monies worth in the long run and you'll be doing your bit for the environment.

Most front bike lights use AAA batteries. If you are using the usual alkaline batteries for the front lights and the strength is not enough to brighten the path ahead, don't throw them away. They will still be good enough to power the rear red blinking lights that uses the same battery size. Maximize the batteries before discarding them.

Hope these tips help in making your night ride pleasant and safe.

Additional points shared by Winston at Midnite Cowboys FB group

- if biking offroad in a group, please switch your back blinking lights to still lights. if not , your buddies behind you will suffer.
- always carry spare batteries and handphones with you
I had this unpleasant experience of the torch light giving up on me when I was leading a ride in the rubber estate! I got the 2nd rider to ride beside me so that I can see where we are heading.
- gauge your fitness and skills, be truthful to your buddies and yourself. you dont want to burden your buddies in the middle of nowhere, even more so while in darkness.
- NEVER ride alone.

Additional points shared by SN
If I may add to your list of lights. While its good to have a set of powerful lights on the handlebar, a helmet light is just as important. If you can, get a powerful light to be mounted on the helmet. The helmet light points wherever you are looking, whereas the handlebar light points only where the bike is going.

When you reach a switchback turn, you will want to look ahead around the turn, which is when the helmet light helps. The handlebar light will only shine straight ahead before you reach the turn, leaving you blind otherwise as to what lies around the turn.

Given a choice, I would suggest having 1 powerful helmet light over 2-3 handlebar lights... Best combo of course, is still both handlebar + helmet lights!

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So far all our night riding in Melaka are always done in a group and it is always "Follow the the leader". After reading SN's comment, I am going to dedicate 1 helmet with a torch light mounted on it and another for the usual day rides. Thanks SN, for the tips.