I commute to work by bicycle year round. When November comes around there is an abrupt change in conditions, mostly due to loss of daylight saving time, bringing on darkness for my commute home, but also the colder, wetter weather than November ushers in. My ride is 8 miles each way, on quiet neighborhood streets and wide bike lanes on busy streets. So I get a good hour of exercise each day I commute and avoid any slow traffic the car commuters encounter.
There are several components to riding successfully and safely this time of year. First, you need the right frame of mind. So what if it is wet out. The air is fresh and the exercise great, and the cold is only momentary. Second, you need the right equipment–clothes and booties for the wet conditions, and lights, both front and rear. Third, you need to ride safely for the conditions. In November that includes watching out for slick dead leaves on the roadway. And if the weather is particularly stormy, meaning gusty winds that might blow me around, or excessive rain to reduce visibility, then I will opt to drive a car for safety reasons. Also, if the road is snowy or icy I will skip riding the bike.
I mark my calendar at work, circling the days I commute by bike. I normally don’t work on Fridays, but pretty much every other day is circled this year. (I worked from home a lot in July and August, and wasn’t consistent with marking the calendar.)
I’m pretty confident that I am more visible to cars in the dark than I am in daylight, due to reflectors and bright, flashing lights on my bike. I have noticed cars slow down and give me wide berth. I’m glad that Oregon is a very bike friendly state, and especially the Portland metro area. Technology has increased dramatically in recent years with high efficiency, bright bike lights. In addition to one or two blinking rear taillights, I have two headlights, usually setting one to blink to increase my visibility to cars, and the other solid to help me see the road ahead. Even in daylight I will set my headlight to flash to increase visibility and safety. Here is my bike with both headlights on.
Here is some of the winter road debris that collects on my bike. It is worse in November due to the particles from leaves on the roadway.
