Night riding!

[Declutter]

For some reason I have always loved night riding, and try to get out for a night ride three to four times a week. Last year I managed to get in about 200hrs of night riding fun and probably about the same for the previous two years as well.

I'm pretty lucky in that I can be off road and riding within one minute of leaving the house, and have several brilliant spots to venture into. I've had a few incidents, seen some pretty odd things, but it's all good fun.

So, does anyone else love night riding, and what lighting set up do you use?

 

[Paulquattro]

Love night riding the trails feel so much faster in the dark
I use an Exposure Maxx-d and a Joystick on my head
I had looked at the magicshine monteer 12000 but not sure if its a bit over kill all thou i like the idea of the dip beam for road use as i also commute

 

[markloch]

I’ve got a Lezyne Macro Drive 1000 on my Trek, and just bought one for my Orbea, but waiting for a Di2 derailleur to arrive before dropping the motor to get the lighting and derailleur wired up and shifter cable pulled. The Trek has a rear light that draws off the main battery, but if I had to do it again I’d do what I did with the Orbea: get a cheap rechargeable light that straps to the underside of the saddle, and has an auto-on/off feature.

Warm summer nights I’ll ride in the Marin Headlands, right across the Golden Gate Bridge - GGNRA is open 24/7 and a trailhead into GGNRA and the contiguous parks and open spaces further north is a backroad mile from my house. When the days get shorter a lot of my rides end at night as well.

 

[Stihldog]

Bontrager has a system that works good for night riding. The stem incorporates a GoPro mount or light mount. I then also use a helmet mount.





At night familiar trails start to look different. You also see some really weird stuff …things you can’t un-see.

 

[CarolinaCrawler]

I love to night ride, and after time change that's pretty much all I get to do during the week. I got some cheap lights to try night riding incase I didn't like it. I picked up one of the biggest cheap, rechargeable bicycle light bars you can find all over aliexpress and amazon. I've been so happy with it that I haven't wanted to upgrade. I would buy a new one every year if I had to.

I really wanted to install a Surron headlight kit since my bike has headlight control built into the controller, but it just doesn't seem worth all the work when the light bar works so well.

I've been using a night rider helmet light. That will get passed down to one of my kids this year and I'm going to get an Outbound Hangover helmet light. I really like their products but I can't bring myself to spend $250 on their Trail Evo light when my $40 light bar works so well.

 

[Beaker2135]

I like a night ride and use a MaXX D on the bars to see where I’m going and a Diablo on my helmet to see where I’m looking

 

[DirkWisely]

Night riding seems like it would be fun, but all the parks around me close at sunset. Is that different for you guys, or is it just not a concern?

 

[Declutter]

Bontrager has a system that works good for night riding. The stem incorporates a GoPro mount or light mount. I then also use a helmet mount.

View attachment 145356

View attachment 145357

At night familiar trails start to look different. You also see some really weird stuff …things you can’t un-see.

A whole lot of weird stuffs. Well, I'm use to that any way. Nothing too scary lol.

 

[Haveland]

I run Outbound lighting and love it! I was on a ride this week, and I think half the group went out and bought the light after the ride.

 

[Hattori-Hanzo]

I enjoy night riding, but none of my friends are interested at all, which is a shame, so I only go occasionally when the weather is decent.

I'm using a dual torch set up, which is plenty bright enough.

 

[Stihldog]

A whole lot of weird stuffs. Well, I'm use to that any way. Nothing too scary lol.

Riding at night, after 6pm, in the snow, really thins-out the crowd. Besides the surprises under the snow, trails that look different, weird shadowy things around every corner,…letting your spouse know your plans, even though she might protest, is important.

I don’t know if I’ve had a psychotic episode during these rides or weird stuff just happens when it’s dark. (I don’t see dead people, anymore , only live ones).

I do worry about stalking cougars …and that one weird guy jogging down the fire-road, at night, in the snow, wearing nothing but blue shorts ( bare feet and shirtless), and never said a word when I offered help. That’s was friggen creepy.

So ride with a friend if you can. It’s probably safer and you’ll have fewer episodes.

 

[Declutter]

W

I run Outbound lighting and love it! I was on a ride this week, and I think half the group went out and bought the light after the ride.

Wow really.

 

[Declutter]

I enjoy night riding, but none of my friends are interested at all, which is a shame, so I only go occasionally when the weather is decent.

I'm using a dual torch set up, which is plenty bright enough.

My son is my best buddy, He's up for the ride anytime any day.

 

[RustyMTB]

I'm a full convert to night riding. In fact I'd go so far as to say I prefer it over days, which is just as well as the clocks are about to change here & it will be dark at 4pm for the next six months. There's something magical about being out on the hills at night & it's definitely helped by running an Exposure six pack on the bars & a Moon Meteor storm helmet light.

 

[Hattori-Hanzo]

Where do you go in the evenings @RustyMTB

I was up Angmering park the other evening after the rain and it's already in a pretty bad state, give it a few more days of rain and a lot of it will be impassable.

 

[RustyMTB]

This was three of us last Thursday night. Long Furlong then west to the north side of Patching woods, then up Nettle alley to the SDW. Back to the A24 then Wiston estate & south along the A24 toward Findon. Pretty typical looop for us really. We change them all the time depending on the weather or time of year/how overgrown the narrowe trails are but in general, east as far as Devils Dyke & west as far as Amberley/Burpham. That was 20 miles/couple of hours riding & a little bit of everything. Really enjoyable ride.

On the woods specifically, you're right, they do get bad & don't really ever dry out in places. The worst parts are the southern & northern ends where the main paths used by the foresting guys in their heavy machinery are but there's always little cut throughs & off piste routes if you look for them but it's also true we generally stay out of them after October.

 

[Hattori-Hanzo]

Cheers rusty, looks good. I'll give it a go

 

[irie]

Where do you go in the evenings @RustyMTB

I was up Angmering park the other evening after the rain and it's already in a pretty bad state, give it a few more days of rain and a lot of it will be impassable.

Was getting really mucky on Sunday on the South Downs, especially Kingley Vale - mud up our backs.

After the very heavy rain last night it's now time to get the dreaded fugly Mudhugger rears on. Must get the Assegais off (which are turning into muddy slicks) and put Magic Mary fronts and DHR2 rears on our bikes. Oh joy. Not.

 

[Hiltix]

I don't think biking at night in the woods is such a good idea. At some point we should give the wild animals a rest, and they are also very frightened by the quick and sudden appearance.

 

[BIG-DUKE-6]

I don't think biking at night in the woods is such a good idea. At some point we should give the wild animals a rest, and they are also very frightened by the quick and sudden appearance.

Obviously you’re not up to speed on how the animal kingdom works .

 

[Growmac]

Yep, our group rides all winter, so night riding is standard. Most of us are running Exposure lights of some sort because they're rock solid and bright. I have a MaxxD on the bars and a Zenith on the helmet. Ludicrously expensive at RRP, but discounts always come up and the performance is fantastic and worth it for me given how much they get used.

 

[Eliadn]

How don't you kill yourself in the dark? Surely even with lights the trails are sketchy af. And aren't you scared of the dark?

 

[Bones]

How don't you kill yourself in the dark? Surely even with lights the trails are sketchy af. And aren't you scared of the dark?

It adds a whole new meaning to, fooking hell that was scary

 

[Bndit]

Everyone should try night riding!

 

[brbr]

Last year I’ve managed to do a personal best on a trail I rode at night!
Lots of animals, deers, foxes, rabbits, badgers, …
I’ve just get a supernova m99 mini pro to replace my AliExpress M5 which died and I have an AliExpress M3 on my helmet

 

[whitymon]

I think it is okayish for some trail / road and the ones you know by heart.

I did in the past some XC at night in summer it was cool, but now on for Enduro/DH I find it impossible, too risky (even in daylight!)

 

[steve_sordy]

I have done a night ride only once, with borrowed kit.
I learned two things:

• Always wear a helmet light in addition to the bar light so that you can see where you are looking as a well as where you are going. The high angle also gives depth to shadows (is that black hole deep or shallow?)
• When you only have a bar light, NEVER follow a lunatic with zero sense of his own personal safety!

 

[Declutter]

I have done a night ride only once, with borrowed kit.
I learned two things:

• Always wear a helmet light in addition to the bar light so that you can see where you are looking as a well as where you are going. The high angle also gives depth to shadows (is that black hole deep or shallow?)
• When you only have a bar light, NEVER follow a lunatic with zero sense of his own personal safety!

More of the reason why i won't let my friend take the lead while night driving. He's somewhat of a lunatic We bumped into a group of bear about 3 years ago while riding through a park at night. One of the bear charged at me and my soul almost left my body. It was an insane experience for me.

 

[VWsurfbum]

From 6:00 on in the dark from last week.

 

[RustyMTB]

Just noting there's nothing more annoying than following your mate down the trails whose forgotten to switch off his nuclear bomb bright rear light.