I have lights on my wheels and a reflective vest – less visibility is not ideal safety. That said riding through the city early morning when the streets are clear and almost nobody is around the experience is pretty incredible. Cool air, less traffic, really cool buildings and light, artwork (at least in this area of the city). I have ridden around here a significant amount thus I know the streets – I might not want to ride in the dark if I didn’t know the area.
Open air experience does have potential like encouragement, encouraging music to potentially obfuscate dangers present like potholes – less dangers might sometimes be equated to no dangers. Standing on the bike pedals increases airflow a bit, feels a bit like being a rockstar on stage which is encouraging – again though encouragement has potential for obfuscating, thus rider beware. Further increased height might not always be a good thing (different clearance levels in the city).
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