As a believer in the idea of natural selection, I've avoided writing a "winter riding tips" blog now for 4 years. But since I'm still seeing a good number of people riding bikes in the winter without good equipment, I'm breaking my vow of silence to address some basic safety issues in the name of keeping bikes on the road year round. Hopefully this doesn't come as a surprise to you, but car drivers don't expect to see bicyclists this time of year. Whether you're in California and it's a frigid 58F or here in Minnesota and it's a balmy 22F, motorists are not looking for you. Light the hell out of your bike! Off the back: One flasher on the rear is not enough. Put two or three multi-LED lights on the back because you know the batteries in one of them will fry midway home. Angle the lights so they are pointing at the cars and keep them in flash mode. A loosely dangling flasher strapped to your courier bag is like asking a car to rear end you. The purpose of these is to capture the attention of a motorists from as far a distance as possible. Simple reflectors help, but do not stand alone in this function. On the front: I've had way too many cars pull out in front of me even with a bright steady beam and 3-LED flasher on the handlebars. In my experience, a rediculous amount of bright flashers on the front is much more effective than a steady lamp. Some of the new LED lights are very effective and moderately priced. Flash mode makes it more difficult to see the road in front of you, so if possible, choose a bright light that goes from steady to flash mode quickly and easily. Again, point the lights directly at the cars in order to get their attention. Helmet lights are also very effective, as you can quickly point the beam at the motorists to make sure they see you. Clothing: Day glow may give you a false sense of security because it is only effective during the day, so make sure your clothes have adequate reflective striping built in. This seems especially important on mittens when you signal for a turn. Yes, I usually signal my turns in traffic. Predictability is key to gaining the motorists respect and allowing them to cohabitate safely. Wheels: I've been using wheel lights and wheel reflectors more and more lately. A spinning light makes a much greater path of light than a stationary mounted light. Not to mention, when a motorist sees the rotating light, they can tell it's a bicycle and not a christmas lawn ornament. The bottom line here is to go overboard on the lights and reflectors, check your batteries often, and angle the lights at driver level. If you see a car pull over because they think you're a cop, then you know you've reached a good level of visibility. -----

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