Dark winter nights... Brilliant.

GhallTN6

First real pitch black night ride of the season last night, brilliant fun, talk about use the force through some of that twisty singletrack, definately the best way to improve your confidence and reactions, what you can't see you can't stop for!
And my mate has even bodged together his own lights for about £2.29.. 10/10 for effort I wreckon (although I'm not to sure about the waterproof capabilities).
http://www.daysofspeed.com/3.jpg

chedabob

They look like they'd be rattled to pieces after about 5 minutes :P

GhallTN6

so did we, but we did some really rooty singletrack and they seemed to last, it was like being followed by an alien spaceship, or a lambretta! He had another torch on his bar and on his helmet..

Anonymous

I'm interested in night rides (never done them yet), but personally I hate darker nights in Britain. In a non-bike related way it's just miserable, and on the bike it just means I'm very limited. Whilst I'll probably do some night rides, I really love to see the countryside and explore while riding, and in the winter that limits me to weekends. Plus even if I was okay with night rides, it's more difficult to get a group together, and I'd rather not do a night ride on my own (more from fear of having a smash and lying there undiscovered).

Neil Fat man on a bike

The problem I have with night rides........Stags and Deer !!!!
Bloodyhell they are big when they appear out of the darkness, right in front and at point blank range.
Riding at night can be great fun. Even going slowly feels like you are flying.

Mastineo

My first night ride in ages last night too.
Riding down an unfamiliar piece of singletrack for the first time. Swerved to avoid a frog (may have been a toad) and rode into the pointy end of a low flying branch. Small cut to face and a twig in the mouth. Panicked a bit due to thinking I was going to be impaled down the throat and bailed. Got up, checked frog/toad was okay and carried on. Sometime later am thinking: "Nice track this, wonder why I've never bothered with it before. Must be getting late, wonder what time it is." Go to hit the backlight button on the Garmin 705 and there's no Garmin 705!!!
An hour+ later of WALKING back up the trail I found it. Deep Joy.
If you use a 705, keep the alert tones ON. Even though the constant beeping is annoying when you're stood still or sat in the cafe, at night when its hiding in bracken you'll be glad of it.

Justinjured

first one too but hit an unseen big stone on a downhill run went over the top and now have stitches in my elbow!
may be time to upgrade my hope vision 1 light for somethinf a bit more substantial!

cambo

Ooh, are we going to have the ritualistic 'which light' thread, always divided by people who spend £400 on a bright as fook light, verses people who spend £80 on a light from Hong Kong...

Must get some popcorn ready!!!

unixnerd

The problem I have with night rides........Stags and Deer !!!!

Same here, almost got knocked off twice last year by roe deer and managed to get headbutted by an owl!

Have promised myself better lights this year, especially a new head torch.

bartimaeus

£80 buys you TWO lights from HK

Never mind the 'What Lights' thread, we definitely need a 'Go Buy Some Lights' thread. Riding at night is something everyone should try... and those of us with kids don't always get the choice of going riding during the hours of daylight. I've been using my lights all summer.

bartimaeus

... but watch out for badgers

Northwind

I love night riding, through winter my routine is to go riding in the early afternoon, ride through sunset, ride home in pitch black. Fantastic... I sometimes ride 3 laps of the same 10 mile loop, once in daylight, once in half light, once in dark, and it's different each time even though you're in your own tyre treads.

stubs

Love night riding this time of year before it gets too cold. We dont have deer round my way but there is gazillions of rabbits its good fun chasing them down a narrow illegal bit of singletrack till you forget yourself and find you have followed the rabbit into a bramble patch or barbed wire fence

Radioactiveman

I learnt to MTB night riding, I didn't do a day ride for 6 months. It was certainly a baptism by fire I think I was falling off more than 20 times a ride while bumbling round the lake district trying to keep up with my buddies.

Bright lights are the secret. I run a bar mounted light and a helmet mounted lamp. As for dodging frogs I wouldn't recommend it but I would definitely recommend avoid dodging the bigger stuff.

When spending on lights I chose my lights based on reliabilty,aftercare and magazine reviews I would be interested in trying some of the deal extreme bargains though.

stubs

Costco have a deal on 2 torches for £14 very powerful for the money. Havent got round to making a mount yet though.

rockmonkeysc

Night rides are great fun. This week was really good, it got dark nice & the club I ride with has some excellent downhill trails in the woods which we used to finish the ride before heading back to the pub.
Not had any problems with deer, just suicidal badgers.

scotto

I had no idea badgers could get so big, one was literally racing me a couple of weeks ago, I was on the trail he was running through high grass to the left and beating me, when he emerged and crosed my path he was like the length of a labador and had a bigger head, massive thing.

rockmonkeysc

They are huge, I have seen people hit them before.
I have also seen a jack russel get in to a fight with one. Two nasty animals, not easy to seperate them!

Dazzza

Sounds like a few of you really need to upgrade your lights, ever since i did i've been having much fun on my local trails in the dark.

Though having rabbits running towards your front wheel can be interesting.

mattyboy199

someone has to say it so it may as well be me www.magicshineuk.co.uk just ordered the 1400lumen light looking forward to getting it. I understand the US/HK models are a slightly lesser spec but underneath the same hardware. £107 delivered (UK spec) £80 delivered (US/HK spec, you may have to wait a few weeks from what i have red). Depends what you got & what you want, piece of mind is the way for me (UK spec)

haz_pro

mattyboy199 wrote:

someone has to say it so it may as well be me www.magicshineuk.co.uk just ordered the 1400lumen light looking forward to getting it. I understand the US/HK models are a slightly lesser spec but underneath the same hardware. £107 delivered (UK spec) £80 delivered (US/HK spec, you may have to wait a few weeks from what i have red). Depends what you got & what you want, piece of mind is the way for me (UK spec)

Just had a look on that website, seems like a good deal, are they on par with the dual led hope front light?

Where can you buy the HK/US spec ones? Im new to night riding and interested in getting a decent light.

mattyboy199

http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.36018

bear in mind the US plug, wipes the floor with Hope etc in terms of performance & value for money (from what i have red) do a search

Muddy1182

First real pitch black night ride of the season last night, brilliant fun, talk about use the force through some of that twisty singletrack, definitely the best way to improve your confidence and reactions, what you can't see you can't stop for!
And my mate has even bodged together his own lights for about £2.29.. 10/10 for effort I wreckon (although I'm not to sure about the waterproof capabilities).
http://www.daysofspeed.com/3.jpg

Can we have an in action picture?