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With the diminishing daylight hours I find myself debating wether I will try riding at night this year. Last year I felt that I was too new at the sport to risk riding at night. Since I am a avid hunter and most of my days have to be devoted to work it leaves Saturdays for most of my hunting plus the few vacation days that I get to save for this sport. This only leaves me with nights and Sunday afternoons. So, I have decided to brave it this year and get a light. I believe that I will start out on game land at night riding the fire roads until I get comfortable with riding at night. Then start to venture onto some single tracks.
I would love to hear some experiences and any tips that you guys want to give on riding in the dark.
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Well I got my light in and tried it out last night. The light is a Dinotte 200L. I will right a review on it after I get a few rides in. My first ride last night consist of farming roads on my land and my neighbors. I have the light mounted on my helmet since my friends have said that is the best way to keep the light pointed the same way you are looking. the light worked great on these roads and I rode for about 20 minutes then decided to hit a couple of my sons dirt bike trails. Man this is a new type of riding. things come up on you quick and your response times are shortened considerably. Right now the main beam of the light hits the ground about ten feet in front of the bike. I don’t know if this is the optimum distance or not but I plan on doing more test rides this week at home before I venture out on to some of the local trails. Does anyone on this forum do any night riding? Any tips would be appreciated.
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Sounds like a blast, send pics
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Get two sets of lights. One or two for your handlebar, focused 5-7ft in front of your bike (so you don’t get the "trip-the-light-fantastic swing effect), and a helmet mounted light. Helmet lights are getting pretty cheap, and there’s some that can even be modded to strap onto a hydro-pack shoulder or chest strap. That way you can double up. I look something like a Baja trophy truck coming down the trail at night, you just can’t have enough illumination. 😉 😀
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Have done a fair amount of night riding the last couple of years. I’d much prefer to ride in the day, but there’s only so much day in the fall and winter. I started with a Niterider Rat 2.0 Halogen light. It is inexpensive (by bike light standards). Turns out it is a great light to come out of the woods with when it’s getting dark, but not powerful enough to go into the woods in the dark. After a few mishaps in the woods hitting things I normally would have seen in the day, I made the plunge on a more expensive HID light (NiteRider Storm). It’s plenty powerful by itself, but I did have it disconnect on me in total darkness one time. Freaky. Now I use both, one on my helmet and one on the bike. I concur with Bombadier, you can’t have too much light. I ride trails at night, but nothing too technical or remote. I also let someone know where I am riding. A cold night in the woods would be – ah bad.
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I went for a ride lasy night on my punishing climb ride. This is on a fire road that goes up No Business Mountain in Critz, VA about 3 miles from my house. I have not been able to ride this trail since spring because my access through VA Tech land has been block by downed trees from a wind storm in the late spring. The trees have been cleared now but the fire road has been washed out and the rocks and ruts are a nightmare. I should not have tried this for my first night ride away from the house. The first half of the climb was without the light and was ok but a hard technical challenge. Once it got dark I was having to unclip very often because of rocks and ruts that would just stop my bike. Once at the top I rode across the top of the mountain and it was great. I came back to the same road for my decent back to my truck. It was a white knuckle ride to say the least. Had my heart rate going faster than the climb itself. This was a very good workout hill for me but now it is very treacherous. The actual climb is .9miles and climbs 785. This is a 16.5% average grade. Its all climbing with no breaks what so ever. With the rocks and ruts added in I was dead tired when I got back to the truck. I won’t be doing this hill in the dark again unless the ATV’s smooth it back out.
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Has anyone ever hit a deer or been ran into by one on a mountain bike? I had one pass right in front of me last night. I missed it by maybe five feet. Had to finally wash my shorts.
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I have ridden at night in the past, I enjoyed it a lot more when I was riding with my buddies (lights behind you, and lights in front). I also have seen some Possums and Coons when I rode at night (that was pretty cool). All in all I liked it. Kinda like to buy me a new setup after reading the postings here.
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I recently purchased a Light & Motion Solo Logic lamp, and I’m loving riding at night. It’s really fun. I briefly chased a deer down some single track near home in October.
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My interest in night riding with lights has peaked finally.When I first got a mountain bike several years ago I was working in vail colorado so the first riding i did was to ride to the top of vail mountain with a co worker that already had a mountain bike and could already climb.One night we took off after work and rode to the top of vail mountain by switch back.Man,was that cool to get to the top and look over the back side into the back bowls of vail.There was one problem though,the sun was setting and were still at the tip top of the mountain.Gotta tell ya,that mountain is pitch black and cold when that sun goes down.gym shorts,t-shirt,NO lights.Cant tell you what its like riding blind.we were litterally following the top edge line of the trees trying to stay on the switch back road.could litterally not see the road,or the ruts,or the small boulders along the road,fallen trees in one case.Not fun to trip over somthing in the pitch dark for a solid 2 hours and not know what the hell your doing.So I think that I have finallly gotten over the idea that night riding is worthless and would love to know what the affordable lights are so I can get a helmet light and a handle bar mount light.
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I took the plunge ($) this year to pick up lights and commit to some night rides. I REI’d it for lights, so odds are there are cheaper avenues to locate the lights I got:
Nite Rider SolMate, $179 (an LED that I mount on my helmet, four hours run time, no settings options, it is either on or off)
Cygolite Dualcross, $149 (dual bulb/beam LED mounted on the bars, four to nine hour runtime depending on the settings, has a multitude of settings and light strengths – low, med low, med high, high)As has been said before, the more light the better, and with these lights (and the bar mounted light on high) it is like a little bit of daylight in front of you. Have only been on one night ride so far, but it was nice. My buddy tried to mount flashlights to his bar ends, which is as funny as it sounds and got the same expected results. We ended up riding CHIPS style and sticking to the fire roads so he could benefit from riding side by side and stay upright. He since went on the IR with a broken leg (not from riding), so I have resisted the urge to solo it at night (proof I may not actually be a complete idiot).
The ride at night is sweet. It would be crazy with a whole group of riders and the motivation of pints to follow.
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"ralliart419" wrote
I recently purchased a Light & Motion Solo Logic lamp, and I’m loving riding at night. It’s really fun. I briefly chased a deer down some single track near home in October.
I just got this. I like the two mounts, too. One for the commuter and one for the helmet for single track riding. Have not tried it yet on account of the weather. I am sure you have better riding conditions up in VT right now. Down by the coast, any white stuff we have right now is frozen solid and most of its gone, except in the shady parts which makes for very interesting riding.
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Good story on your first Vail night ride Steve 32300. My first year of night riding I did a solo ride in a remote area near home on Patterson Mountain. As I was coming off the ridge my light battery started dying bit by bit. By the time I got to the bottom where the Forest Service road is, the light went completely out. 😮 I rode back the last 2 miles to my truck by braile. I counted my lucky stars that the light got me out to the road where the margin for error is better. It was pitch black that night and stumbling off a rocky ridge in total darkness is not my idea of a good time. Riding alone in a remote area at night with just 1 light in cold weather. You learn by your mistakes (hopefully). Now, I always use 2 lights and keep a cheap extra in my Camelback. More light is better. Ride with a partner when I can and stay away from remote areas at night. Having a cellphone is good too.
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Here’s a great night riding story for all of you.
I was out night riding with my dog a few years ago in early fall. It was a full moon that night so I was periodically shutting my light off to save some battery time. I slowed down and was getting ready for the last climb back to the parking lot when my dog took off into the woods after something. I stopped and I could hear a lot of leaves getting rustled around and something other than my dog running through the woods.
I clicked my light back on, but couldn’t really see much through the trees on what was running or where it was going. Anyway, I didn’t think much of it and just stopped and waited for the dog. He came running back to me within a minute or two with something in his mouth. I couldn’t see what he had at first, but as he circled me a couple of times it sort of looked like a shirt or something.
Finally after I offered him his last treat he came over to me with a pair of very nice lacy panties in his mouth. Now I didn’t actually pick these things up and examine them, but other than some dog slobber, they looked to be pretty clean and like they hadn’t been there for very long.
Apparently I must have interrupted this couple mid way through their moment of bliss and my dog chased them away before they could finish getting dressed. I guess that’s just one more thing that I never expected to see while on a bike.
That would actually make for a pretty interesting book as I’m sure everyone has came across some unusual activities while riding.
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I have been night riding for a couple of years, mainly in Wisconsin. I use two lights, both Nite Rider Trail Rats. Having two lights at the same time is nice, and the redundancy is great when one decides it doesn’t want to work anymore. The Trail Rats aren’t the brightest, (10 watts, no adjustment) but are fairly inexpensive as lights go.
As far as chasing/running into animals, a buddy of mine chased a skunk one night that we encountered on the trail. Fortunately, all it did was run away.
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I believe that I would have waited the skunk out until it got clear of me before moving on. My dog chases those thing and comes home stinking and looks at us like we are crazy when we wont pet her. I would hate to have that smell on me. It stays on my dog for days. But she doesn’t bath that often either.
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Here is a light combo from Blackburn that I found on JensonUSA for $99.
It has two lights (wide-beam & spot-beam).[url:1ey9lnr0]http://www.jensonusa.com/store/product/LS503A00-Blackburn+System+X6.aspx[/url:1ey9lnr0]
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Well,at least I have one light for now.I purchased a Night Rider Solmate and I mount it on my helmet.I really like it even though I’ve only been on one night ride with it at mathew/winter park.I’ve been dying to ride at night because it’s so hot and dry here in colorado and the night air really makes for a comfy cruise down the trail.Can’t wait to get the other light for my handlbars even though the one on my helmet does a pretty darn good job.
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What is the most you will pay for a light for your mountain bike??I have the solmate and it work’s pretty good,although I want to get the best light I can for my handle bar’s without over buying.I’m kinda stuck between willing to pay up to $400 and geting what will make me happy.I’ve looked around and kind of want to make the handle bar mount light a night rider also but am willing to buy into another brand if it make’s more sense to do so.So if you use another brand that is priced right more so than the night rider series,please post up,I appreciate it.
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I tried night riding once, I borrowed a light from my brother and off I went through the woods. It was a 3 mile ride in at dusk, then the ride back, I was 1/2 mile in and encountered probably 100 bats, one hit my helmet and I freaked. Off came the helmet to see if it was in a vent hole, it was not but my night riding ended. I saw some house lights through the woods so I dragged my bike down a banking, across a stream, and up through somebodies back yard.
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I ride to work a couple of times a week, I have to leave the house at 4 a.m. I went to wal-mart and bought a bell headlight and tail light for $14.95
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"steve32300" wrote
What is the most you will pay for a light for your mountain bike??
Our lights we use for cave diving (21w HID’s) cost us roughly $1500 a piece. I do wish they could handle being burned outside of the water and that they could handle the bumpy terrain but they can’t so a new option is needed. Our back-up lights (LED) are close to the brightness of a 10w HID (close to 500 lumens) and I’m thinking would make a great light for riding with at night.
Soon as the broke arm heals I’m going to order up some more delrin and try and turn a few out in the machine shop and see how they do. I’ll certinly keep you guys posted as they should be way cheaper to make than those being sold commercially.
On a side note, nite rider attempts to make it in the dive industry but most talk trash about their lights – not sure how they are on land but underwater, there are a lot better alternatives. I’m thinking an LED photon torpedo mod’ed for bike use would be kick ass.
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I just went on my first night ride last night (10/9/08) and it was a complete and absolute blast! I went a few guys who had quite a bit experience doing it (which I would recommend if you’ve never done it before). I had a single but very good lamp fixed to the top of my helmet, which worked like a charm. We did a 12 mile figure eight on Green Mountain here in Denver. I definitely have plans on doing again!
It’s like a roller coaster except that you are in complete control for better or worse 😮 -
Riding at night is a whole new ballgame, with such a small window of focus when compared to riding in the light. I just found what looks like regularly scheduled night rides on a weeknight here in my area. I need to hit the trails and get back some endurance before joining that ride. This time of year is always a little tough – the long summer light is all but gone, with little time to fit in a ride after work. Time to charge my lights.
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Fire roads are great for nightriding, not very technical, and a larger margin for error. I only ride singletrack at night that I am very familiar with, and I would avoid anything too technical. I look forward to riding with a group at night, as I have only ridden solo or with one other bike. The more people, the better chance they’ll find my body.
The first to find the body should get the bike. 😀Part of it lies in the intensity of lighting, whether it be a high end light, or multiple light sources. I have a two beam light on the bars, and a single light on the helmet. Works great, and lets me see what is lurking trailside while still keeping the track in front of me lit. I have yet to see the trail lined with bikini clad models out on a night run…..one day.
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Knowing the layout of a trail does help when riding it at night but you still get suprised when you first start riding at night because every trail seems like a new trail. The experiences you encounter are totally different and it makes the trail seem new to you. Night riding is the most exhillerating type of riding that I do and it is best this time of year until around the end of December and thats when I lay off riding for a couple of months. Our club rides two night rides a week on Mondays and Thursdays at the local trails in Danville VA. These trail are tight, twisty, rooty (in Sections), rocky areas, steeps climbs and just about anything else you can think of and the riding at night is great. If you are new to riding at night I would definately recomend not venturing out alone until you were comfortable. Do some fire roads ate first but if you are comfortable on single track during the day then you will be zipping through the woods after a couple of boring rides on fire roads. Now this is just the opinion of someone that lives in an area that most of the single track trails are in very densely wooded areas and is very comfortable in that enviroment so please ride at your on comfort level when riding at night and do not let more experienced riders force you to ride at there speed. If they get ahead and know that you are knew then more than likely they will stop and give you a chance to catch up from time to time.
Thank the LORD for great bikes, lights, and eastern single track.
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Hey Mongoose, I believe if I lived in your neck of the woods that I would be more worried about wrecking and landing right at the mouth of an alligator than I would be about hitting a tree. What say you?
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I use two high power LED lights on the bar and a separate LED light on the helmet….They work well…The helmet is enough to go alone but i use the bike lights for a safer ride at higher speeds.
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