ooooh it's interesting in the dark

FSR_XC

Did first proper night ride last night.

Had done the odd dim lit trail before, but nothing 'proper'.

I used my old 'Vista light' 6&10w lights on the bars and a L&M Solo logic on my helmet.

Mate 1 used a Cateye tripleshot on the bars while No2 used Dinotte 600 lumen bar light with 200 lumen Helmet light.

Cateyes were OK and he could ride comfortably.
My Vista lights were bl**dy useless!!!! Only use was so I didn't blind drivers for the 3 miles of road work we did.
L&M - great. Loved seeing were I was looking, especially on bends were I could look ahead and around it.
Dinotte set up is soooo much better though. The helmet light was whiter than the L&M (LED compared to Halogen), but fairly comparable in terms of vision. It was possibly more penetrative, yet the L&M had a better spread of light. But now I want a big headlight!!!!! My mate could ride faster, as he could see further in front and had a very clear view.

Anyway - XC in the dark is wicked! Anyone that hasn't done it, you need to get out & have a go.
Tracks that you know well are so different when it's dark.
Drop offs that we knew, seemed much more interesting.

El Capitano

Night Riding is Definately FTW!

stevieboy

Yeah agree with that, I find it helps improve your reactions to obstacles etc. Bit spooky on your own though in the woods (which I do 2-3 nights a week), much better in groups.

They key is to remember that dark shadow up ahead on the trail = get ready to drop

homers_double

Night riding is excellent, but for those starting out I'd reccomend you hit familiar trails first.

FSR_XC

I should add . . . .

At one point, what looked like mud turned out to be slurry!

After 3 of us riding through it, we found ourselves in a field with no other way out.

Moral - not everything is as it seems in the dark.

loamy

mmmm nice

Discopooh

stevieboy wrote:

Bit spooky on your own though in the woods

lol, that makes me ride soooo much quicker, get the extra energy from somewhere but god knows where

kayoueche

yeah, same!! when I ride in the dark I don't get tired as easy. It's wicked!!

cjw

Ahhhh pure terror gives one hell of an adrenalin boost :twisted:

stevieboy

It's glowing eyes that get me pedalling faster, especially the deer that roam around in the undergrowth!

Discopooh

it's not deers that scare me, it's the monster's that are out there(in my mind anyway)

unocogero

It's nice to know I'm not the only one riding around bricking it. It is better in groups but if you get left behind or are at the back...who knows whats following!

In some ways I find dusk scarier, it's all the noises and the half imagined movement in the corner of my eye (bloody squirrels!)

P.S. where is the 9th worst place in Britain?

cjw

unocogero wrote:

P.S. where is the 9th worst place in Britain?

Mansfield according to Chan 4.

Discopooh

unocogero wrote:

In some ways I find dusk scarier, it's all the noises and the half imagined movement in the corner of my eye (bloody squirrels!)

Dark nights, dodgy shadows/night eyes, thrash metal on the mp3 player = warp speed Mr sulu

unocogero

cjw wrote:

unocogero wrote:

P.S. where is the 9th worst place in Britain?

Mansfield according to Chan 4.

I've been to 9 worse places than Mansfield!

unocogero

Dark nights, dodgy shadows/night eyes, thrash metal on the mp3 player = warp speed Mr sulu

Listening to an MP3 is a killer. Even during the day I get spooked out rididng in the woods. You can't hear whats behind you!

Discopooh

Nottingham came worse than that

stevieboy

unocogero wrote:

cjw wrote:

unocogero wrote:

P.S. where is the 9th worst place in Britain?

Mansfield according to Chan 4.

I've been to 9 worse places than Mansfield!

Me too - all within the M25

nickcuk

Scary night riding is great - running sounds in the hedges, cracks from the trees, shadows and glowing eyes appearing and disappearing just where your light finishes, bats in the twilight, owls in the dark, cats darting into bushes but you think they'll run out in front of you, parked cars in the middle of nowhere, houses with windows lit like Amityville, spooky full moon appearing like you see in a classic horror film - i love it

stevieboy

nickcuk wrote:

parked cars in the middle of nowhere

yeah, it's a bit like that round our way - sheepish looking people jumping out of cars as an array of blue-white lights rush towards them

Discopooh

Dogging?

stevieboy

I presume so, bit late / remote / dark for anything else.

We always make sure we say hello as we scream past to make it know that they're been caught red handed!

unocogero

Discopooh wrote:

Nottingham came worse than that

I live in Nottingham. Where did Nottingham come???

I thought it was only dogging when someone else was watching!!! That means it's only dogging when you shine your LED's through the window and say "Evening"!

Otherwise isn't it just 'mountin' without the biking!

Discopooh

Notts came about 4th I think (could be wrong)

unocogero

All the more reason to escape into the countryside and woods...no bullets!!

Cunobelin

Discopooh wrote:

Dogging?

Merely "Night Riding" from a different perspective!

I once made the mistake on a night ride of stopping at a picnic point and sat on a park bench to wait for a couple of stragglers. Similar situation, but noted a certain absence of anyone of the "female persuasion", and some lingering looks from the entirely male population of the car park.

Then one car drove up so I was in his headlights, flashed his lights and beckoned me over!


Now THAT is and incentive to pedal faster

Bromski

So is it any better in a group (night riding I mean) - I've only ever been out night riding 4 times.

Once I got spooked by a tree stump and had to come home :oops:

On Thursday nights my BTL Metrino's ran out of battery 45 minutes in and I limped home under less light than if I'd have lit a match.

Very scary every time!

steve100

The one problem with night riding, avoiding dog shit!!!!!!!!

cjw

Bromski wrote:

So is it any better in a group (night riding I mean) - I've only ever been out night riding 4 times.

Once I got spooked by a tree stump and had to come home :oops:

On Thursday nights my BTL Metrino's ran out of battery 45 minutes in and I limped home under less light than if I'd have lit a match.

Very scary every time!

You wimp! Seriously though I find night riding (by myself) bloody scarry! I rode a route I normally ride at lunchtimes every week the other night and I got lost :oops: Just everything looks so so different.

Father Faff

We once suprised a stray lama while riding across t'moors at night - not sure who was more shocked.

Discopooh

I love to see the bunnys at night looking as you ride towards them thinking 'what the bloody hell is that?? 'what the bloody hell is that?' 'WHAT THE BLOODY HELL IS THAT!!!!!' only to then do that darting left to right run away run, away thing.