Thread: night riding

Went on my first night ride last night and had a blast. I had been a bit burnt out on a couple of the trails around where I live, due to riding them too much. But riding at night is completely different. I almost felt lost at a place I know well, which actually was sort of a good feeling....

Lights are expensive as hell, but considering it seems to be getting harder and harder to ride due to dwindling light when I get off work, they seem like they'll be a good investment.

I find it much cheaper to ride during the day time and simply close my eyes. Or wear a ninja eye mask.

Originally Posted by CantDog

I find it much cheaper to ride during the day time and simply close my eyes. Or wear a ninja eye mask.

Do you hit any sweet jumps with the ninja eye mask on?


On with the lights, yes it does make the same old trail a bit more lively. Night riding is fun, but can be a costly investment. I think I need a new light myself and have been looking around, but damn some of those systems are hundreds of dollars. The one I currently have was about $100 cost, but didn't come with the best mounts, so it has been frustrating me having to hold it on and trying to rig it up. And the cheap $20 handlebar mount light on my commuter works a lot better than my more expensive light, but doesn't have the juice when you need it. Oh well. Look for a deal and try not to buy one with a terrible mounting system.

I would say they are definitely worth the investment.

Originally Posted by CantDog

Or wear a ninja eye mask.

That's what I do at night... Dress up in all back, then I ride really fast out in front of my friends, hide in the woods and shut off my light. When they come down the trail, I jump out and knock them off their bikes.

It's really fun, but they get sort of mad.

I went for a night ride last night in the pissing rain. We stayed on the easy stuff and avoided the log rides and steep rock. We got about half way around the loop we planned when one of the guys realized he left his spankin' new pack on the trail where we stopped to light up and light up. So we went back and there it was. All in all a good ride but I think I'm buying a head lamp. I've got dual lights on the bars but they don't look around corners too well and if you hit a fast spot it is easy to over ride them if you don't reach down and adjust them.

3 guys had this light. It is bright and runs about $100cad.

I bought a Light and Motion ARC

It's burn your retina bright, but pretty pricey.

You cannot deny it. Winter is coming. The pansy headlights you put on you bike cannot stop the inevitable. Put the bike in the garage. It's over.

Originally Posted by Z

You cannot deny it. Winter is coming. The pansy headlights you put on you bike cannot stop the inevitable. Put the bike in the garage. It's over.

I'm going to rig up something so bright and powerful that it'll melt the snow as I'm riding. Plus, I don't have a garage.

Night riding rules!!!! Mine's broken right now, unfortunately. I had to use all of the restraint I have not to order a new Storm HID recently, but without any 24-hour relays on the calendar, I can't justify it, really.

Bring a petzl just in case things go horribly wrong out there. I had CO2/Pump/light failure on the same ride once...nothing like a brisk 4 mile jog with my bike in mountain lion country without any light whatsoever.

Agreed night riding rocks. It's a great way to extend the season. We don't get any snow here till about x-mas so it's almost 3 extra months of singletrack bliss.

This year I finally broke down and upgraded my lights. Had been using an old NiteRider 10w helmet mounted for the last 6 years.

Have this nice BLT BetaRay on my bars. Use it just as things start to get dark and on the climbs.

On the helmet a BLT X-ray. Use the 5w setting for mellow single track with the bar unit. When the speed picks up tap the buttom on the back of the light and it's 15w.

So far I am happy with the lights.

Night riding kicks arse! I love stealing a look over my shoulder once in awhile, into inky blackness. then the mind starts thinking about bears, mtn lions, etc. Gulp... stay on target!

Beave and HomerJay speak the truth.

I also have only a dualie on the bar, no helmet. Definitely keeps me off anything but very familiar single track if it's tight. Unless you are a frigging Jedi and can use the force to "feel" the switchbacks before you see them.

Throwing in the Petzl... yeah. Definitely a solid idea. My very first nightride a year or so ago found me trying to keep up with a buddy on an unfamiliar pretty technical trail. Hero time took over and I went beyond my limits. Next thing I know, I'm over the bars, rolling into a pitch black poison oak laden drainage (no moon that night) enjoying a tinlking glass sound realizing I may have just toasted my new light. I couldn't see anything, my friend rode back after I didn't show at the trail intersection, found me crawling around collecting my bike stuff by brail.

I ride a Jet dual light. http://www.mtbr.com/reviews/Lights/product_78290.shtml

All my mid week trail rides end with teh bar light on now. I fucking LOVE riding at night. The cone of light holds your focus much better than just riding during the day. I find I actually climb better on night rides. I tend to pick better lines and really focus on what's coming into that cone of visability.

Originally Posted by snow_slider

All my mid week trail rides end with teh bar light on now. I fucking LOVE riding at night. The cone of light holds your focus much better than just riding during the day. I find I actually climb better on night rides. I tend to pick better lines and really focus on what's coming into that cone of visability.

Yeah, I think it helps mentally to not be able to look and remind yourself what gear are on... I think I also climb harder in the dark as a result.

Thinking of getting into this Night Riding lark... Was just going to use my mountaineering headlamp, but all this talk has got me worried! Do I really need a nuke-the-ground-infront headlamp?

edg

Originally Posted by edg

Thinking of getting into this Night Riding lark... Was just going to use my mountaineering headlamp, but all this talk has got me worried! Do I really need a nuke-the-ground-infront headlamp?

edg

I'd try riding with your lamp. In my opinion, the Black Diamond one I have isn't bright enough. The area's I'm riding are pretty rocky and rooty though.

Night rides are a great way to break up local monotony, plus it makes those past daytime severed deer leg sightings really freaky.

Originally Posted by crashnburn'd

I'd try riding with your lamp. In my opinion, the Black Diamond one I have isn't bright enough. The area's I'm riding are pretty rocky and rooty though.

Yeah, I was gonna use my BDel Moonlight, but I'm planning to start on pretty tame terrain.

And there will be headcammage...

edg

I had gone 2 years with a night ride (except a couple 24 hour adventure races).....then Thurs I went out for 3 hours with a buddy. He is practicing his nav for a race, so we went in areas we had never been. It was such a great ride. Lots of checking the map to make sure we werent missing turns, but then we found a 20 minute downhill that kicked ass.....SO MUCH FUN!

My take is, to really have fun out there and not just be groping about, you should have some type of bike specific lighting system on the handlebars and then something (headlamp, whatever) on the helmet. Maybe the $300 isnt necessary, but some halogen action.

I have done the night rain rides too Beaver.....not very fun....takes some serious motivation.

Most of the time I'd rather ride at night too. I ride cleaner, smoother, smarter and faster. Currently sportin a Light and Motion LiIon Ultra on the helmet and a Marwi on the bar. You need both for the two shadow angles, it helps with depth perception. If you're only running one on the bar you can tell there's a root or a rock ahead just not how big it is. You also don't need to run both when climbing so you are effectively doubling your total burn time by powering down one at a time. This can really come in handy, as Homer found out, when you run into "technical difficulties." There are some really good LED lights happening now. I just ordered a bunch for my shop from Princeton Tec. Their high end light runs about $80 and is sufficient for technical riding but not at really high speed. The only downside is it uses a bunch of AA batteries so if you ride a lot it could get pricey. So I will also be looking for a deal on the good NiCad rechargeables and chargers this week. Their lights come with both a helmet and handlebar mount which is nice.

When are we gonna ride again?

I was going to go this morning but 4 inches of rain yesterday didn't leave me too excited. Now the trails are covered with slick as snot leaves and will be difficult to find, especially at night. Maybe Tuesday night or next Sunday, I'll let you know.

Back in the day a buddy of mine had one of those self-generating bike lights. You know, the kind that runs off the power of your wheel? Adds much resistance to pedaling and makes a wonderful tell-tale snowpantish sound. The Simpson's once mocked them nicely.

Anyhow, we were at a friend's house and stayed a bit later than expected. The ride home was in the dark and involved about 15 minutes on forest paths through an at-the-time undeveloped tract of land separating our little communities. So buddy clicks his light into place and I, not having anything, figure I can just stick behind him and follow his silohette. No problem.

Things are going well for the first bit, but then we come to a slight incline. Slight, but enough for some decent speed and for him to start gaining ground on me. The little cone of light is disappearing and things are getting hairy so I holler to him to slow down.

Instead, he stops. And, those of you paying attention, will realize that that meant complete lights out. So now I'm cruising down a forest path in total darkness, unknown roots and rocks beneath me and plenty of solid trees to either side. For some reason pulling the brakes does not occur to me so I just let myself go loose and try to ride it out. The bad news is that I don't quite manage. The good news is that of all the things to hit, I managed to get the softest option. I took my buddy right out.

So, yeah, I love night riding.

Sick and ashamed and happy (and I really do - it's so much more intimate and immediate),
d.

Originally Posted by gravitylover

I was going to go this morning but 4 inches of rain yesterday didn't leave me too excited. Now the trails are covered with slick as snot leaves and will be difficult to find, especially at night. Maybe Tuesday night or next Sunday, I'll let you know.

I'm on call this week, so no riding... Let me know though.

Originally Posted by gravitylover

There are some really good LED lights happening now. I just ordered a bunch for my shop from Princeton Tec. Their high end light runs about $80 and is sufficient for technical riding but not at really high speed.

Whch model did you decide to sell?

Originally Posted by edg

Thinking of getting into this Night Riding lark... Was just going to use my mountaineering headlamp, but all this talk has got me worried! Do I really need a nuke-the-ground-infront headlamp?

edg

I think a minimum for trail riding is 10 watts. More if the trail is technical or tight/twisty.

I have the NightRider Blowtorch and it's more than enough. Actually it's a bit too much as it makes stealty night assaults on forbidden trails harder to hide.