Times To Ride – Breaking All The Rules.

                                                                Cruising Down The Avenue.

There seems to be a hard and fast rule about the definitive time to ride your bike.  I am not alluding to a time in our lives, but a time of day.  Most people I know swear by the early morning, and while that is all well and good, a lot of us cannot do the same.  Be it work, family, or in my case, just plain ‘ol laziness, rides at other times of the day become almost necessary.

There are 24-hours in a day, so to limit oneself to a small window of time in the early morning just seems so, well, limiting.  If you can open up your mind to other opportunities, then a whole new world of riding arises.

Case in point.  I have recently gotten into twilight riding with a group of hard-core thrill seekers.  With daylight savings time upon us, it will soon be dark by 5:00 PM.  Being we cannot get out at the crack of dawn, we have made a commitment to ride regardless of the sun’s position on the Earth to get our fun and fitness. 

                             Headlight: 160 Lumen Rechargeable Flashlight - Cost: $20.00

   

Armed with heavy duty lighting (the “See,” not “Be-Seen” type), bright clothing, the will to ride, a strict adherence to traffic laws, hand signals and call-outs, we have been getting our exercise in without messing up our routines with the proverbial early morning get up.  And, it has been working out really, really well.  It was by this method we made it through a particularly brutal Summer, and Fall will only require warm clothing to adjust to the season’s change.  Plus, it is a whole lot of fun.  Did I mention it was fun?

                          Seatbag With Large Reflective Swatch: $9.00.  Taillight by Planet Bike: $10.00

In short, morning is an excellent time to ride.  However, do not let the fact the sun goes down lock you out of some incredible riding time. 

Besides, you meet some of the nicest people in the dark. 

Just watch out for the potholes.