E-bike riders should always follow safety precautions and ride carefully every time they hop on their e-bikes, especially at night. The darkness can impact numerous aspects of riding safety, and riders must know how to be safe on bike paths or roads. Prepare for riding an e-bike at night with these ten tips

1. Use Reflective Cycling Gear

Visibility is a must when riding your e-bike at night! The darkness can easily make you invisible to cars and other bike riders. You can ensure others see you on your e-bike by wearing reflective cycling gear. Items like vests, helmets, jackets, pants and more are made with reflective material that will make you visible to everyone around you. 

2. Plan Your Route

Planning your riding route before taking your e-bike out ensures you know where you are. The low visibility at night can make it challenging to see pathways and any obstacles that can impede your ride. Map out your night route and test it out during the daytime so you can ensure it's a safe path to take when it's dark outside. It's also wise to use a GPS, so you know where to turn around and safely head back home during your night ride.

3. Use Headlights

Headlights are a MUST if you decide to go riding at night. These will provide you with optimal lighting to see the path or lane in front of you and make you visible to other cars or bikes on the road. Our City, Folding, Fat, and Cargo e-bikes come with integrated front and rear "auto-on" lights powered by the E-bike battery and controlled by a handlebar button (never worry about changing out AAA batteries again!). This helps so you can be seen from behind while riding. Be sure to test all lights to ensure they work before heading out for your nighttime ride. EBS also offers the Dash Pro 600 Headlight which has a multi-fit rubber strap attaches to the handlebar.

A black video camera

4. Wear the Right Attire

The weather overnight can be significantly different than during the day, depending on your location. Dress accordingly for riding at night, so you are comfortable the entire time.

5. Ride with a Friend

Riding your e-bike with a friend can make your ride safer and more enjoyable, especially at night. Riding with a friend or a group of e-bike riders creates more of a presence for car drivers on the road, making it safer for you to ride.

6. Prepare Your Bike During the Day

Once you've gathered all your nighttime riding gear, get your bike ready before the sun goes down. After sunset, it can be more challenging to inspect everything and ensure it works. 

7. Charge the Battery

Always check that the battery is fully charged and properly installed before your evening ride, you wouldn’t want to run out of juice in the darkness. It’s always better to have more charge than you think you will need so you don’t end up pedaling your bike home with no electric power.

8. Pay Extra Attention to Your Surroundings

You should always pay careful attention to the road while riding on your e-bike, but it's especially vital at night when the riding conditions are less ideal. Defensive riding is a valuable skill for ensuring your safety. Even with reflective gear and lights on your electric bike, distracted drivers might still miss you. You can protect yourself with the following tactics:

• Moving farther to the side of the road if a car tries to pass you.
• Waiting longer at intersections before turning.
• Riding with no music to minimize distractions.

9. Prepare for Mechanical Issues

Accidents or breakdowns can happen during any bike ride. Have a plan for handling any mechanical problems you might encounter on your night ride. Bring a bike repair tool kit and have your phone charged in case you need to call someone for assistance.

10. Have Fun

Above all else, remember to have fun and enjoy the ride! Riding your electric bike at night provides you with a chance to exercise, get fresh air or run a quick errand without using your car or walking. Change your riding routine and test your e-bike skills by planning nighttime rides.

Riding at night can provide a fun new way for you to discover a new side of your town. If you follow these 10 tips, you’ll be sure to keep riding and adventuring for a long time. Looking for an electric bike in time for riding season? Browse through all the e-bike options from Electric Bike Store and find the perfect new E-bike for you!

Have questions about which of our E-bikes would be suit you? Call us at 1-800-215-1976 or send us an email to support@electricbikestore.com.