Randonneurs do this regularly. For long nighttime rides, dynamo hubs and lights are common. Riding your bike becomes a jump-on-and-go affair. No more worries about whether your lights are charged. The added bonus of dynamo lights is that the headlights are almost all shaped beam lights. In contrast to round beam lights, a shaped beam has a cutoff. So the light you generate goes where you need it instead of sprayed everywhere. Also the top of the cutoff is the brightest part of the beam pattern. So you're putting more light farther down the road and less on the ground closest to your bike. This helps with visibility and preserving night vision.

Okay, so maybe a dynamo setup is out of your price range. For the price of a proper dynamo, headlight, and taillight, you could own two each of the Trek Commuter Pro RT and Flare RT. They even come in a package deal. Run one set while you charge the others using a GaN battery pack (GaN batteries can charge the lights before the ones in use are dead). And the Computer Pro RT has a great beam shape, as well as a true high beam-low beam mode (different beam shapes). I tried this setup on one of my bikes because I didn't have time to build and tweak a full dyno setup ahead of a big tour. Cool added bonus: both of the lights communicate with each other. Turn on the headlight and the taillight automatically turns on. The remaining charge indicator on the headlight also shows remaining charge on the taillight.

Finish out your lighting kit by mounting a good LED light on your helmet. I'm partial to ThruNite TC15 V3 in this context. It will run for almost a month in limp mode, which is enough light to read a map, cue sheet, and street signs. The next level up is equivalent to most cars' low beams. Yes, it's a round beam, but the beam pattern is excellent for bicycling. Carry a spare 18650 cell in a case (no fires please).

Dress for any temperature differential, i.e. technical fabric layers suited to the high and low temps. I'm partial to merino wool because all the reasons. Use a reflective sash, ankle straps, and if you're in the US, a reflective strap on your left wrist for hand signals. Vests are very visible, but not something you want to wear for long rides.

Know your hydration and caloric replacement needs. If you're riding somewhere remote (which makes for the best overnight rides, IMO), resupply may not be possible. Tune your loadout accordingly.

Know how to repair your bike on the side of the road. Cold. Test out all of your toolkit. If you don't enjoy wrenching on your bike in the comfort of your living room, with a tasty beverage nearby, imagine your morale on the roadside, in the rain, in the dead of night. And now you see another good reason for the helmet light above.

Source: am randonneur for 17 years now.

As a commuter, a big upgrade for me was getting a peircing loud bike horn. Despite having multiple bright lights and high-vis, I still have multiple close calls a week with cars not looking before turning. Having a way to get a driver's attention without needing to rely on them even looking at all has been a huge benefit.

Additionally, this might be a controversial opinion, but I've found the wearing high-vis clothing often makes the issue worse. As a general rule, I try to select high-vis clothing that makes me look more like a motorcycle than a pedestrian. For example, I wear a reflective helmet and neon gloves, but not vests or shirts. When a driver waiting to emerge sees me, I want them to think "rapidly approaching vehicle" and not "slow moving pedestrian".

I use my bike like a car, and I live in a rural area. I regularly ride 20-30mph to fit in with traffic, so my experience may differ from yours if you ride in a slower, more urban environment.

A silver spear to protect from werewolves and other supernatural predators.

Make sure you have enough battery capacity to power your lights until your destination or use a dynamo and have a headtorch with you for backup. Your lights failing in the middle of nowhere on a cloudy night is no fun!

Go big on reflective clothing. Rather than having small reflective patches on your clothes or bike, you can get jackets where the whole garment is made of reflective fabric. When a car's headlights hit you that jacket will light up like the sun.

Ortlieb's high-vis panniers are similar.

My suggestions, in no particular order:

• Front and rear lights, obviously. You can get lights that offer side visibility and get a front light with a cut off lens so you aren't blinding oncoming peoole.
• You can get vests or jackets that are basically one big reflector. The brand proviz makes a ton of options, but you can find them cheaper. I had one from a brand off Amazon and had peoole come up to me to ask about it because it was so visible.
• Ankle reflective bands are one of the best types of reflectors you can get.
• Tires with reflective sidewalls are awesome.
• If riding during dusk or dawn, wear high viz with reflective elements. High viz colours alone aren't very visible in the dark or by vehicle headlights at night.
• Ride in well lit areas, if possible.
• Ride slower than you would during the day.

blinking rear light

Blinking lights are my pet-peeve with cyclists. Cars don't have blinking lights - neither should bikes.

I recommend clear safety glasses. Especially if you live someplace dry. You don't want dust or insects in your eyes. I hit a palo verde beetle once and it almost knocked my glass off my face.

A lot of crashes are side impacts. So reflective frame tape or lights in spokes can help with side visibility. Some lights throw a little light to the side for this purpose as well.

Get retroreflectors. White pointing forward, red pointing back. You won't always realize when a light craps out, it's best to have passive backups. Get amber-colored retroreflectors that you can put between the spokes so you have sideways visibility. You can also buy reflective tape and wrap it around the frame.