Aside from wheels staying in one piece and the frame holding together, the thing we take most for granted when riding a bike is how our bodies instinctively respond to and absorb bumps. The human body is, in fact, an incredible shock-absorber; our arms and legs are capable of flexing and shifting in ways that no mechanical suspension is capable of and reacts at near-instantaneous speed to the intelligence streaming in from the ocular system. Remove the power of sight from the equation and the effect is staggering.
My first encounter with night riding was during a 24-hour mountainbike race in Minnesota. Until that race, I had taken care to always ride during the day, partly because I couldn’t afford a reasonable headlight and partly because I could always arrange my training to take place during daylight. A 24-hour race, however, held distinct implications for nighttime riding.
I never bothered practicing riding at night, and I didn’t bother with buying a proper headlamp. Instead, I recommissioned my semi-reliable headlight which I used for nordic ski training in the dark winter months. The week before had also seen the decommissioning of my first-generation Rock Shox which had always graced the front-end of my beloved Schwinn mountainbike, made of what I assume were sand-filled tubes. I didn’t maintain the shock the way a shock should be maintained, and with its death came the rebirth of the fixed fork that had originally steered the machine.
I don’t need to go into detail on the race, but suffice to say that my headlamp stopped functioning within minutes on the first nighttime lap and that I rode the remainder of the race by the light of the moon and my insufficient instincts. Climbing was unpleasant, flats were uncomfortable, and descents were a blend of suicide and anarchy. Each bump the front wheel found blew through my unprepared arms and cascaded through my body, usually focussed on the saddle which ungracefully found its way to my crotch whether I was sitting on it at the time or not.
With this induction into the dark art of night riding, it has been something I’ve typically done with some reluctance. In other words, I’ve avoided it like the plague. Living in Seattle and having the privilege of a fulltime job does have certain ramifications on riding in daylight hours in Winter; namely that it isn’t possible. With the introduction of a good headlight comes the surreal solidarity of riding cocooned in a cone of light. The shorted line of sight together with the elimination of one’s peripheral vision has an inexplicable calming effect despite the sense that you can’t properly judge the bumps in the road as your headlight briefly illuminates them, and that every puddle looks like a small lake whose depth cannot be judged until you’re on top of it.
I’ve ridden with a Mammut Zoom headlamp and a Lezyne Super Drive, both of which served the purpose of making nighttime riding slightly less terrifying. But with my new 45km commute, I moved to the Lezyne Mega Drive, which is basically a car headlight refactored to fit on a handlebar. I heard that the lights in small villages dim when I turn it to full power and I’ve noticed that deer come running towards it when I ride by with the mistaken belief that it signals the arrival of a deity.
Never one for half-measures, I still mount the Super Drive on the helmet and the Mega Drive on the bars; its like riding with the Eye of Sauron on your bike. Oh, and I have three different red flashers on the back of the bike and another white flasher on the front. You know, just in case.
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Haha!!! Well said Frank! Big 10-4 on all of it, especially the second-guessing water depth.
Riding at night does several things.
If commuting, it makes you strong like bull.
If for training benefit, it surely beats the hell out of the infernal trainer/rollers. Plus, if your loop is hilly, the darkness hides what's coming next. If you cannot see the climb, is it really that long, and/or steep?
If for fun, with a group, it does much to relieve stress and lighten spirits.
It also makes one mentally strong, as focus must be maintained at all times. Dangers WILL jump out of the dark and bite you squarely on the backside.
I've ridden at night for years, and will continue to do so, simply because the Department of Child Protective Services would frown upon me leaving the kids alone in the house while I go out in the sunshine!
night riding is true solitude. when off the illuminated city streets and out where one is engulfed in blackness, its possible to be both completely calm yet nervous as fuck. probably one of my favorite rides
Ha! Great post. I have yet to ride at night. Having run during the dead of night many times and experienced that, I can only imagine what it must be like on a bike.
Sure you're not talking about the pave' from last spring here: "Each bump the front wheel found blew through my unprepared arms and cascaded through my body, usually focussed on the saddle which ungracefully found its way to my crotch whether I was sitting on it at the time or not."
Sweet as! I've kitted myself & the bikes pretty well so I'm pretty much just riding & letting the Budgetatus have a good long rest. But, I'm always, always in the market for new lights. Love 'em! Rear, front, helmet, always looking for an improvement, a better mounting mechanism, etc. Paired with some reflection on a gilet or a jacket I actually feel pretty safe most nights.
One of my favorite things about night riding is being in the woods and being able to see quite well straight ahead...and then hearing something off on my periphery and turning to check it out, only to see a black abyss. It's both fun and scary to completely lose the ability to see when you hear a scurrying, cooing or screeching and turn to investigate.
Can't wait to investigate these Lezyne lights. And three tail lights? Sheeeit, I thought I was overkilling it with just two. No way! Lighting the way, Frank! A beacon to all Followers.
Back in the XC days I used to work until 2300. Sometimes I would get off work, home around 2345 and go up to the British Properties, alone, at night with lights and go for a burn in Brother's Creek. Brother's Creek is considered 'easy' for the North Shore, especially for us XC riders. It was a blast, I loved it. Cool summer nights, scary shadows, scared animals and tranquility like none other. I'd always carry a small Mag light in my pocket for when I crashed or shit went sideways. The lights would always disconnect after a crash and shit got dark in a hurry. I used to ride with BLT lights, named after the Boulders, Logs, and Trees trail over on Cypress.
XC at night is one thing, but riding Fromme at night on a a 15" hardtail, armour, 6" fork and flat pedals is another. Those easy pecker poles and ladder bridges take on a whole new meaning when all you can see is darkness on each side. Turn your helmet and all you see are the sticks ready to impale and eviscerate you should a tumble occur. The heavily logged Fromme is freaking scary at night too, really ominous looking.
I don't really ride at night anymore, except for my 3km commute on bike paths. Part of me misses it, part of me doesn't. It's just a whole bunch of other gear to buy, maintain, keep charged, worry about, and try not to burn yourself on.
Having been the test dummy 3 times for the front collision durability of cars over the last 33 years of commuting it has always been in the dark and the light was mounted on the bike. I found that after I mounted it on my helmet I can light up the inside of the car and make sure they see me. Way better now with the awareness and even better in Portland where I spend a lot of time.
Great article Frank! I have not ridden in darkness for years, mainly because although I am happy to light myself up like a Christmas Tree for visibility, I just have not found a light that makes me feel OK riding. Something about the greyness of LED light really leaves me feeling cold and nervous. I have an old Niterider Trailrat but at about 100 lumens these days it is just not good enough and the lead acid battery is really on its last legs.
I have been eyeing up the Megadrive lustfully but didn't want to smash the wallet to bits without having seen a trusted review on them. Your words here mean I may well have to stick it on the Christmas List! Thanks...
Commuting lights are something I don't dare skimp on- because after all the alternative is going slower, and who wants to go slow, especially on the way home from work? Part of my commute is a car free tarmac trail- shared use with pedestrians, no segregation. Fine in daylight. But it has no street lighting, and tall trees help reduce ambient light. Many of the pedestrians are sensible, and wear a bit of hi-vis, or even go as far as to light up- I've seen some with a red on their bag and shining a white forward. Some however reckon that dark jeans and a black wool coat are a great move. Then there's the lightless, reflectorless cyclists dressed similarly pootling along, often on the wrong side... I've got the Super Drive, and back it up with a decent Cateye, but even still I've had several occasions to thank myself for making sure my brakes are always in good order.
However, there's a bit of an etiquette issue- even with the Super Drive aimed as low as I dare (I am after all most interested in range! I've seen riders coming the other way (the route is busy but narrow) recoiling slightly. If the really bad bits were street lit (they're actually well inside Cambridge!) and everyone else (pedestrians and cyclists) was sensibly attired and lit (in the case of cyclists), I could dim the lights (which are also needed for the open road sections), but for my own safety I need the brightness. That Mega Drive might be a bit much though
But the others still have worse etiquette- unless you're off-road, headlights are just rude. The only way you can possibly angle them such that you're not shining them straight at the eye of other riders (especially anyone in the drops) it needs to be basically aimed at your front wheel.
With the rear lights, we were discussing this one recently on a Cambridge mailing list- consensus opinion at the end was to always have at least one of the rears steady, and I have to agree- having at least one steady light makes it much easier to judge closing distances. With three on the back, you can surely afford the batteries to keep one on steady?
I've been using a couple of these for the last few years. It's taken a bit of time to get the mounting right so they don't bounce around too much but now I've got it just about right. One on constant full power and the other flashing is enough to ensure that motorists know your there and gives you more than enough to see every detail on the road ahead even at 40kph or more. They don't last forever but they're cheap enough to replace every other year and the batteries are so cheap you can chuck a couple of spares in your jersey for longer rides.
Downhill mountain biking is a bit of a hoot in the dark - you really do need to know the route though.