I know about the obvious stuff like a bright vest, blinking rear light and wearing light colored clothes but is there anything else that I need for when nightfall hits?
I know about the obvious stuff like a bright vest, blinking rear light and wearing light colored clothes but is there anything else that I need for when nightfall hits?
As a commuter, a big upgrade for me was getting a peircing loud bike horn. Despite having multiple bright lights and high-vis, I still have multiple close calls a week with cars not looking before turning. Having a way to get a driver’s attention without needing to rely on them even looking at all has been a huge benefit.
Additionally, this might be a controversial opinion, but I’ve found the wearing high-vis clothing often makes the issue worse. As a general rule, I try to select high-vis clothing that makes me look more like a motorcycle than a pedestrian. For example, I wear a reflective helmet and neon gloves, but not vests or shirts. When a driver waiting to emerge sees me, I want them to think “rapidly approaching vehicle” and not “slow moving pedestrian”.
I use my bike like a car, and I live in a rural area. I regularly ride 20-30mph to fit in with traffic, so my experience may differ from yours if you ride in a slower, more urban environment.
I’ve been thinking about getting a horn. What kind of horn do you recommend? Anything that’s electric and rechargeable? Or completely mechanical in nature?
I’ve been using the Hornit dB140, which has two modes. One is a loud peircing chirp sound, and the other is a much less loud sound resembling a car horn. I personally leave it on the peircing mode. The battery has lasted several months with regular use, so recharging isn’t much of a concern.
The trigger is separate from the horn unit, which allows me to put it somewhere that I can hit the brakes and the horn at the same time.
I’ve been really happy with it, but I also haven’t tried any alternatives to compare to.