Tips for pre-Dawn riding?

[XXtwindad]

Originally Posted by pdonk

My dawn patrol routine is like many here.

Layout everything the night before. I leave it downstairs by my bike so I don't wake people up.

Reflective tape on shoes, and helmet.
Reflective socks. Lululemon has really good, comfortable socks that are not too expensive. Colour is black or fluro.
Have a rear flasher and a front light. Not super high end stuff but they work.
Route, ones I know, try to use the separated bike lanes as much as possible.
People watching at 5am can be quality. I've been propositioned by hookers, seen some weird drug deals, and just general night life weirdness.

My biggest concern when I started early rides was people, still cautious about where I ride and avoid most park and ravine bike paths.

I typically, get up, get going, and then eat on the bike after about 15 minutes. I like oatmeal Bobo bars.

I lived in the Tenderloin district of San Francisco for over a decade. That all seems familiar. Now I just worry about deers, squirrels, and harried soccer moms.