Daylight saving is back

Every October someone at the MC Clubhouse says daylight saving means more riding light. For the evening, sure. For the dawn crew it works the other way. At 2am this Sunday (4 Oct) the clocks jump forward an hour, and sunrise jumps with them - from about 5:40am on Saturday to about 6:40am on Sunday. A 6am start that sat in comfortable half-light the week before now rolls out in the dark.

It doesn't last long. Sunrise creeps back about a minute a day, so by the end of October 6am is light again. But those first few weeks catch people out every year, and they happen to be the weeks when the group rides start filling up again with spring riders. The LapaTainers leave the Centennial Park Horse Gates at 6:15am on a Tuesday, which is properly dark for most of October. The Saturday MC Classic leaves Maroubra Junction at 6:30am, which is right on sunrise - low sun, long shadows, drivers squinting east. The Sunday road bunch heads out into the same thing.

So a few things before the alarm goes off.

Lights - front and rear, charged, actually on

NSW road rules require a white front light and a red rear light, both visible from 200 metres, plus a red rear reflector whenever you ride at night or in bad visibility. Pre-dawn counts. Even on the Saturday Classic, when it's technically light, a daytime-running rear light in flash mode is the single best thing you can do to be noticed by a driver with the sun in their eyes.

• Charge them the night before. A light that dies at the Maroubra roundabout is worse than no light, because you think you’re visible.
• Aim the front light down at the road, not into oncoming drivers’ eyes.
• Rear light on the seatpost, not the saddlebag, where a jacket or a bag flap can cover it.
• In the bunch, rear lights on steady rather than flashing - a pack of strobing lights is hard on the eyes of the rider behind you. Flash when you’re solo or at the back.

If your lights are last year's and hold half the charge they used to, it might be time to upgrade. We stock front and rear sets and can help you pick something that suits how and when you ride.

Book the spring service before the rush

When the light comes back, so does everyone else. The group rides get busier, and the workshop gets busy with them. If your bike has been sitting through winter, or your gears and brakes have been doing their own thing, book a spring service now and get it done before the bunch fills up.

Book a service · See the MC Velo ride calendar

See you at the start - lights on.