My first night ride coming soon,any tips???

stanny_uk

gonna hit my first ever trail ride by night shortly,,any tips?? or stuff i should no? it will almost certainly be dog/monkey cannock combo as i ride this by day a lot,, lots of people said its totally different?????

scale20

Love every minuite of it mate, that trail you know oh so well will be very different at night.

Not really got any tips, just ride it like you would in the day. I tend to have 2 sets of lights, one on the bars and one helmet. Be battery savvy, if you are with others that have massive lights, turn yours off on the slow fire road climbs, use their juice I do it and it works

boristhespie

Don't sh1t it. As in, get spooked. What will all those axe murderer, aliens, wild beasts, zombies, vampires and werewolfs out there.

turnerjohn

not with big as lights enjoy !

Boy Lard

I found my self not exactly crashing, but cornering badly the other night and realise I was looking where my light was shining rather than spotting the exit of the corners properly. Shadows play tricks on you in the dark, a little tree root can look like a big drop, and also the other way round. After a few rides it will all just feel normal though.

scale20

boristhespie wrote:

Don't sh1t it. As in, get spooked. What will all those axe murderer, aliens, wild beasts, zombies, vampires and werewolfs out there.

Dont be last man, they will pick you off without your mates knowing

RandG

scale20 wrote:

boristhespie wrote:

Dont be last man, they will pick you off without your mates knowing

That made me laugh out loud.

Was out tonight, four of us, it's totally different to going alone. If alone, I suggest you ride hardish, that way Mr Bogeyman will be out of breathe by the time he catches you. :shock:

scale20

I'm still yet to get my first night ride of this year in, Hoping this weekend will sort that, will be on my own though

LJ.

Watch out for doggers at Cannock, it's a bit of a hotspot apparently

Long_Time_Lurker

If you are on your own, make sure that someone knows where you are and the route you will be taking.

declan1

A front light might help you.

dmorton

If you're using just one light have it on your helmet not bars. Your bars don't always point where your heading next.... :shock:

Having a secondary one on the bars can be good too though

Neal_

prawny

When you going Stanny? I ride the dog a lot in the dark, not done the monkey much though.

Just take it steady, as long as the weather is ok, you'll probably see a few others about.

dmorton

Also just remembered, isn't it the tradition to ride the dog/monkey backwards at night..... or is that only on Tuesdays :? ?

bartimaeus

First time out? Id stick to a route you know well, take it steady, and if possible go with a mate for company... that way you can focus on having some fun, and on the unique atmosphere of riding.

Once you are used to riding at night you will be less worried about taking a wrong turn, having to fix a puncture in the dark or maybe having a spill because you misjudged something... I still stick to familiar trails if I'm on my own at night, but I'm happy to go exploring with some company.

But avoid mist and fog at night... it is no fun.

loftyborofan

have fun relax and go with someone or make sure some knows when your heading off and when you should be back, have a charged up mobile close.

lostboysaint

Lots has been covered in here already but the key things are:

1. Head light, not bar light if you've only got one.
2. Good layers, 'cos if you do stop you'll get f**king cold f**king quickly!
3. Concentrate - keep you eyes up the trail, don't get stuck just looking at your front wheel
4. Relax. So many good riders struggle at night because they tense up because they've not done no. 3 very well and confuse concentration with having a grip of death on the bike. Let the bike do it's stuff as you would (should!) normally and use your concentration and vision up the trail to help you manage the whole ride much more easily.

I remember my first winter season riding. I was positively embarrassed by how poor my riding was the first few week, then one of the guys said "what's happened to you? You've lost your flow. Relax, get your head and your light up and ride the trail like you would normally." From then on my riding improved significantly because you learn to read the trail so much better because there are absolutely no distractions from the surrounding terrain! (Can be scary when you go back and ride some of it in the daytime and see all the stuff that you couldn't see in the dark!!).

prawny

Bartimaeus wrote:

But avoid mist and fog at night... it is no fun.

God yeah, I generally go out early mornings at the weekend and the other week it was proper thick fog once you got onto the chase, I had to turn my helmet light off a few times as the beam was just lighting up the fog in front of my face. Took me an extra 15 minutes to do the dog, no fun at all.

paulneenan76

Prepare your pack better than you normally do to cover more difficult conditions. Changing a tube is easy but puncture repair is a pain in the dark, biting wind, rain, snow and -7.
Definitely take more layers for warmth and dryness. You can't put on what you havnt packed.
Let the bike do the work, head up and look ahead. The lights on bars are fine if they are good but adding a head torch gives you extra vision - but don't go too over the top with Lumens. Night riding builds your skills so don't try and recreate daylight or you won't get the benefit.

Most important - beer tokens. Why ride out at night, getting on the trails, seeing the nocturnal animals, having a laugh with mates, if you don't stop for a nice pint in a nice pub with a nice fire and a welcoming landlord!!

bartimaeus

paulneenan76 wrote:

stop for a nice pint in a nice pub with a nice fire and a welcoming landlord!!

+ 1 pint and wasabi nuts

fent

paulneenan76 wrote:

Prepare your pack better than you normally do to cover more difficult conditions. Changing a tube is easy but puncture repair is a pain in the dark, biting wind, rain, snow and -7.
Definitely take more layers for warmth and dryness. You can't put on what you havnt packed.

^This is essential,

Cannock is a shortish ride but not if you come off / have mechanical issues. The list below is based on my experience which I now consider essentials. I have found out the hard way from not having some of these on my first night ride.

my kit includes
3 spare tubes + pump
warm layers
waterproof
spare torch / light
decent pack of tools
food and drink
phone with GPS
basic first aid kit
If you don't know the area then a map so you can locate the nearest road access to you in emergencies (yes this sounds ott but believe me it can be priceless)


plus, in the car
waterproofs / warm jacket
flask of hot drink
more food


I have learnt my lesson from not having some of the above which i won't do again. I now find that knowing I am more prepared increases my confidence and I enjoy it more.

Have fun