Night riding...who is into it?

[rideit]

I used to be into it years ago. But wasn't for a long time. I just got two new Magicshine lights, ten times the light, 1/5th the cost.

Fucking amazing.

So much fun.

Spooky, too.

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[skiergirl]

Super into it. Mostly a winter thing here (peninsula south of San Francisco). Many evening rambles that wrap up at 1 am that include some tequila, some Google Sky Map, and really great times.

Hide n' Seek with the rangers...

I have an older NiteRider halogen. Will pick up a Magicshine at some point.

[rideit]

Heh...I first really got into it in Marin in the early nineties. We used red filters, and people whose brakes squealed were ditched...It was also tons of fun on the trails above Brentwood, outrunning freaking helicopters...

[pogs4ever]

i used to love it in Demo Forrest in southbay, ripping through the woods at night is hella fun. i loved being ready to jump off the side of the fire road and hiding in the bushes at any sight of headlights.

i usually go on full moon night rides. climb completely by moonlight soundtracked by the howls of coyotes. pretty fun.

[mtnjam]

Super fun to do around here in the fall. Sagebrush shadows and the shining eyes of critters makes it pretty fun and there's usually nobody out except them. I feel like I'm riding just as fast in that tunnel of halogen powered light, but I know I'm not. "Dude, how fast was I going? Ummm...you were parked on the median"

[BushwackerinPA]

I ride once or twice a week into the night.

I use dueling Niterider MOAB 8 hours of battery life at full power. Pretty awesome set up. Use it for 12/24 hour events as well.

[Shredhead]

More of a winter thing for me. It's light 5am till 9pm right now.
If it ain't light out, I'm probably asleep.

[rideit]

More of a winter thing for me. It's light 5am till 9pm right now.
If it ain't light out, I'm probably asleep.

That's how I used to be...but since having a kid, I know I have from 9-11:30 free, so that's how I get my daily fix in if I can't ride during the day. It's also the BEST after a scorcher of a day...but these days it's downright chilly!

[lph]

bought a good light 2 years ago. never did it. maybe i will try it tonight. been ridiculously hot here, hi 80's!!! Don't want to go during the day.

[donutlynx]

Love riding at nite. My setup is either one or two MiNewts. One on the bars and one on the helmet, or just one on the helmet.

Do it more in the Fall/Winter, but late summer nites are fun too.

Can get a little scary when doing cyclocross intensity work w/ four or more...nothing like riding a wheel at 35 mph in the dark, in the rain, on cindered duotrack, two abreast. Good stuff.

[Arty50]

bought a good light 2 years ago. never did it. maybe i will try it tonight. been ridiculously hot here, hi 80's!!! Don't want to go during the day.

Jebus Harold Christopher!!! Corral is friggen' sweet at night!!!

As for the temp thing...it's 100 down here today...

[orlowskij]

I need to get a light soon. It will be 95 with 50% humidity for my after work ride today. I saw a group headed out at dusk as I was coming back yesterday and was extremely jealous.

[VTskibum]

Mostly winter time and 24hour racing, although my MTB team hosts an XC Race at night. 1st one was last year, it was incredibly fun. This years is next weekend.

[jetski]

I'm super into it and have a good crew as well. Last year we pulled an all nighter on the shortest night of the year. We rode all night with a vehicle parked half way for snacks and coffee. We finished beside a river at around 6, drank a few beers while watching folks bike to work then we hit a breakfast joint and consumed stupid amounts of greasy breakfast food. Sleept till noon then felt weird all day! My buddies were away this year so I did it solo. Freaky... I brought tunes and basically tripped balls all night till the sun came up.
We see different wildlife too like hundreds of toads in certain places and bats who love picking of moths out of our lights as we climb. Had one bounce of my helmet resulting in me screaming like a little girl. It might have been a bird but either way quite startling.

When I'm done I have tunnel vision for an hour when I close my eyes I can still see my light beam.
Man I love riding at night.

[nihiles]

night riding is the best part of 24 hour racing.

well that and how easily you can get freaked out after half a day in the saddle, dark all around, brain fried... i like shutting off my light when im far out and feeling the dark just press up against you. you keep waiting for your eyes to adjust and they never do (except they have its just that fucking dark).

[brannen]

how many lumens are considered good enough to ride by? looking at buying a headlamp with 130 and handlebar mounted light with 130. good enough?

[rideit]

Brannen, everything has changed. The new lights are TONS more powerful, have longer run times, are vastly lighter, and are HUGELY cheaper.
Check these out, they are serious, serious lights for not a lot of scratch. IMO, better than $400+ nightrider's from a few years ago.
I am running the 900 on my helmet, and (soon) the 1400 on my bars.
http://www.geomangear.com/

[brannen]

thanks, i was just on the geomangear site. it would actually be cheaper for me to get that light then the other 2, sweet.

[creaky fossil]

Night riding kicks ass.

I have way more fun when I have the 2-light setup, one on my handlebar and one on my helmet. Better depth perception.

I'm using old-school bulb lights from Light & Motion... Solo Logic and Solo Cabeza Logic models from around 2001 or so.

Full moon rides are good too. I still have flashbacks from riding Flying Monkey at 2 AM with no lights, just the full moon.

[SkiJunky05]

i love night riding and, I agree, best part of 24 hour races! Andrew uses our lights to ride home from work late night too.
makes your everyday trail a little more fun....
we don't have to deal with the heat issues here (39 degrees this morning) but if I lived in a hot place I would ride at night more regularly
My nite-rider has never worked well. It failed EVERY night lap that I did at 24 hours of moab 2 yrs in a row, but the last time we did 24 hours princeton tech hooked us up with new lights and they have been great.
those mgicshines look really light and small though. Plus I like the name

[babybear]

^^oops- I meant that to be from me not andrew. we switched computers!

[ticketchecker]

it's an essential piece of gear when daylight savings time hits. might be time to upgrade to the magicshine, me likey.

[Jer]

I used to ride at night tons.

I also used to build at night tons. See my criminal record.

I never heard of those Magicshine lights until now - are they actually that good?

[buttahflake]

my crew takes the breakaway reflectors they use when they pave roads. you know before the lines get painted. we use them on trees about two feet off the ground. when your light catches the reflectors on twisty fast single track, it's wicked cool. also we use them on our bridge work, so fun. thanks for the heads up on the Magicshine. i'm going to grab the 900.

[Clownshoe]

my crew takes the breakaway reflectors they use when they pave roads. you know before the lines get painted. we use them on trees about two feet off the ground. when your light catches the reflectors on twisty fast single track, it's wicked cool. also we use them on our bridge work, so fun

I love this idea!