The Eye of Sauron
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.
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.
All of this talk about riding in the dark has me itchin’…to get up early as tomorrow & get in an hour of cross riding before sitting in the car to head north for some family turkey time.
Going to definitely be dark but now I’m excited to pull out my good headlight, which I haven’t used in a few weeks.
good recommendation on the Lezyne lite, heading there to check it out myself
i have built my own lights, bought cheap ones, and bought cheap ones, with the best one being the one I made myself. The kicker though is they all poop out and are less reliable than one deserves
so, its time to pony up
truth is, the light that matters the most to me is the one donned on the rear end so i don’t get slammed from behind
Heh, 3 rear lights, cars must think you’re an Unidentified Flandrian Object….
I run 2 x 1W on front and a Planetbike Superflash clone and 3 LED Cat eye out back. Be seen lights rather than seeing lights. The fronts are not good enough for 30kph plus at night with no street lights really. I also run one on steady and one on flash each end. especially after reading a report from some RAF pilot saying flashing is very good at getting attention in somenes peripheral vision. The Superflash is an awesome rear light, had people stop me on the commute and mention as much. Annoying to follow, but you want people to notice it so meh…
“Unidentified Flandrian Object” Excellent!
@Beers
UFO – fucking awesome.
On the back, I run the Planet X Superflash Stealth on Seizure, the Lezyne Microdrive Rear on steady, and a Planet X Spok Tail on flash on the helmet.
Definitely overkill, but I’m quite satisfied to continue looking ridiculous in one piece than sensible in several.
I have a bag full of those little Spok lights (both front and rear) which I keep in my daily toolkit from September to May as you never know when you might get into some weather or get delayed enough to enter into the dusk hours. They are so small and light, you hardly know they’re there and you can just chuck it on your bike if necessary.
As for the Lezyne stuff, I can’t comment on battery life yet, though they easily last my rides to and from work which are 90km in total. On the ride in, at this time of year, the ride is mostly in the light, but the ride home is all in the dark. They also all charge via USB so I can plug them into my computer at work to make sure they make it home with me if I wind up using them more than expected on the ride in.
@Al__S
Good stuff. I’ve had the same issue with pedestrians on the 200m of common-use trail I have to hit on the ride. And people walking dogs on or off-leash; they just appear out of nowhere, sometimes with a tether between the dog and person. You don’t have to be a visionary to imagine the scene of that one going wrong. The Super Drive on the helmet is great, though for looking about for stray objects and animals outside the cone of vision.
With how sensible much of your commentary is here, I have to say I’m absolutely shocked to hear you say there could be such a thing as overkill on a light or that they are rude unless you’re off-road. Sure, keep the lights pointed down as much as is reasonable soas not to blind your fellow cyclists and non-fellow motorists, but not only is a high powered light a sensible safety item, but absolutely necessary if you ride anywhere outside the well-lit city streets.
@Buck Rogers
Next time you’re on the Pavé, go ahead and close your eyes on one of the secteurs and tell me how it goes!
@MM
I’ve been riding that 90km commute (round trip) around the north end of Lake Washington between Seattle and Kirkland; its not exactly hilly, but there are several leg-shredders and one climb of a few hundred meteres and several km’s in length. The backpack with laptop and clothing certainly adds to the training, it also reminds you why it is exactly that cyclists like to keep their upper bodies night and light.
It will also coach out any component on the bike willing to make a sound.
Less of the lighting system tech fest and more of the cool night ride stories please!
Many years ago my friend Wheels and I were out for a post-work night ride on a beautiful still, crisp, full-moon winter’s night. We rode up the steep walking path through Central Park, then headed up Polhill on the road as a sea-mist crept in.
Suddenly, looming out of the murk, appeared a nervous-looking couple who muttered dark warnings at us about a pervert further up the hill dressed as a woman exposing himself to passersby…we proceeded at a slightly increased pace, but despite some odd rustlings and imagined movements we never did see him.
Just as those fears were subsiding we hit the first descent of the night. Still on the sealed road we hit high speed as tried to outpedal each other when, on a sharp left-hander, I saw a possum bolt from the bushes on my right arrowing towards my front wheel – I hit it hard in what looked and felt like the midriff and it rolled under my wheel before vectoring off left in exactly the same trajectory as it had started with, seemingly none the worse for wear. Of course all this happened in a second, just long enough for me to heading straight at the right-hand bank, which I only avoided smashing into by somehow pulling my foot out of the toe-clip (yes, it was that long ago!) and stabbing into the bank as I rapidly decelerated.
With my heart-rate up to maximum and the adrenaline pumping it didn’t take me long to catch up with a somewhat non-plussed Wheels, just as we began the main downhill of the night. For anyone who lives in Wellington, the Tip Track is both an infamous super-steep, loose rutted 20-40m climb and a legendary super-steep, loose rutted 10-15m downhill, depending on one’s directional choice and one’s skill and fitness.
Just as we hit the worst of the sketchy rubble and wheel-swallowing ruts of Satan my light (a BLT, for those of you must know such trivia) battery died in an utter instant. This also coincided with being completely in the lee of the moonlight, so it really couldn’t have been much darker. As I had been moving at some speed when the trail was illuminated, it was more by good luck than good management I managed to pull up to a stop just as my front wheel dropped over the edge of a black chasm. I literally sobbed with relief, I don’t mind admitting.
Wheels was so far ahead by now he had no idea what had happened to me, so I had to walk most of the rest of the way, apart from brief patches of moonlight, eventually catching up with the by now alarmed Wheels, who was starting to think I must have crashed somewhere up in the dark…the rest of the ride home on the road and footpath was fortunately uneventful, as I counted my blessings that none of the near-misses had had any injurious consequence…
Anyway, that was my first night ride of many, most of which were even relatively unperilous.
My dad sent me in to action with one of these on the lamp bracket on the front fork of my Raleigh Shadow in 1977. It was like cycling with a candle in a horn lamp. The battery (unrechargeable) theoretically lasted for 24 hours (well it only had to light a lamp with the intensity of those they used to use on telephone switchboards) but it would start to brown out after half an hour or so.
The rear right used big torch batteries that you couldn’t swap with the front and was equally useless.
Tweed and wool are not reflective at night and there are no reflective strips on brogues either.
At best they were warning lights because you could see fuck all even when they worked (which they often didn’t because the contacts would work loose or the bulb would expire). Once they’d gone out you had to try and fix them in the dark – hilarious.
Obviously they bounced off their mounts and self destructed when you went over cobbles too.
Two planet bike superflashes on the back for me–one red, the other clear–and a 1200 lumen magicshine mounted on the bars, and I’m good to go. That setup has lasted me two and a half years so far. I know the magicshines have had some issues, but apart from the battery pack needing replacement, mine has held up well. I strap some reflective velcro around my ankles, too, so that there’s some reflective movement in the headlights, as well (I know, rule violations galore).
My only close call in the dark was last year during gun-deer season, when a ten point buck flew out of nowhere less than five meters in front of me. I’ll never forget the sound of his hooves clacking on the pavement. I always thought it was odd how he just appeared going full speed from the roadside brush with nary a sound to warn me of his presence.
@the Engine
‘kin hell Engine, you must be even older than me, if that’s possible….
@frank the problem with people who run super-strength lights is that most of them definitely do not have them pointed down – and even then, they are still overly bright – messing with drivers’ vision (yes, 1000 lumens is way too bright – 300 is plenty, even on dark country roads) and completely fucking other riders’ ability to see anything other than a blinding light.
And don’t get me started on the arseholes who use flashers on the front. They are excellent for making on-coming riders see nothing but spots for the next few moments of their ride…
Your main problem at night is getting hit from behind, so light up the rear with as many as you want – but no need for something on the front that could spotlight a Lancaster bomber at 20,000 feet.
@Oli I kept waiting for a Wolfman to appear in this story…
@Marcus Serfas 75 lumens (mid-mode) has worked well for me. We ride a 4k circuit with some sprint points and one rider in particular has a light that is referred to as the Freight Train. He can never get the jump on us in a sprint, because he is signaling his approach from way back. Although I do agree that a piercing strong light is good for the rider’s safety.
@Marcus Serfas 150 lumens is what I realized I have been using. No battery source to mount. Rechargeable USB.
Frank, I just bought a lezyne micro for the front. Useful for the pre-dawn starts out here. I loves me a usb recharge, no cables.
@Oli
Oh the nicad batteries that went from 100% to zero in two seconds. Fantastic stuff.
Years back I somehow ended up a weekend arriving home by ferry which docked after dark. The good news was my ride home was also my commute road so I knew it completely. The sort of bad news was I had no light and it was a rural road. No street lamps, businesses and that night, no moon. So I bombed the 12km home by a bit of starlight and autopilot. If a car came I just pulled way off the road and then resumed. It was the best. Of course had a possum or rabid racoon been out I would have been doomed.
@unversio
Ha! I kept expecting him to say the pervert turned out to be @brett!
@Oli
Great story! My headlight in the 24 hour race was also nickel-cadmium and the battery was geting on in age. If memory serves, it was doing fine in tests and I even charged it all day, but its charge only lasted a moment and never dimmed, never flickered, just turned off.
Good times.
@Marcus
I suggest you fight the temptation to stare at the light, despite its hypnotic effect. You’re not a fucking deer, are you?
Go back to New Zealand.
By the way, you should also not stare at the sun for too long, in case no one has told you yet.
@The Oracle
We used to do a lot of lightless skiing on moonlight nights; there are few things as glorious as the bright bluish light of the moon on nordic ski trails at night.
The big shocker was the time I rounded a bend on a Northeast Minnesota trail to a moose standing in the middle of the trail, no doubt enjoying the same effect of the light.
Mooses (meese?) are fucking gigantic, by the by.
@Oli
Hit once. Wasn’t so bad. Managed not to fall over. Fucker made eye contact with me and didn’t stop though. I attempted to give chase but they sped way up so I couldn’t catch them. Not sure what I would have done had they stopped.
Oh, you wanted good stories!
Well, one time I was hill climbing after dark and passed some rule-defying wanker in a dotty jersey… wait wait, that’s not it either.
OK, for reals this time. This past summer I was out after work and decided to go ride some dirt and gravel in a “nature” area up on top of an extinct volcano on my road bike.
I was fucking around, taking landscape photos, not really paying attention that it was starting to get dark quickly. I then couldn’t figure out the right way to get down, as not all paths are bike-able without a mountain bike, and had to backtrack a few times.
So I finally wound up going down what was basically single-track on my road bike at dusk, without lights. Almost got bounced off a few times hitting ruts and crap I couldn’t see. But I made it back out the the road in one piece no worse for wear.
OK, that wasn’t such a great story either.
There was a brand new fairly rural rails-to-trails path out behind my college campus. It was a fun place to ride on a moonlight night, especially under the influence of certain chemicals. Don’t think I used a light, either.
@the Engine I had one of those for riding to school, “It was like cycling with a candle in a horn lamp. The battery (unrechargeable) theoretically lasted for 24 hours (well it only had to light a lamp with the intensity of those they used to use on telephone switchboards) but it would start to brown out after half an hour or so” -just the PERFECT description of their performance. On the back I had an oval Ever Ready thing that worked until you hit the first bump at which point it exploded into it’s composite bits, usually resulting in the need for vast amounts of parcel tape to hold it together from that point on.
I am still scarred by the hideous bolt mounting system I had on bikes in my youth, ugly, unsightly and you needed hands of Herculaes to undo the f–ker. I knew I’d made it when with profound relief the forks on my first half decent road bike were smooth and unblemished and unencumbered.
Riding at night story? Worst experience was riding over the top of a corona bottle some bogan twat had lobbed onto the cycle path the night before – shredded two brand new tyres instantly, resulting in me sliding and wobbling to rather inelegant and painful stop.
Pet hates? Current exercise clothing fascination with black – runners and walkers and dogs should be forced to carry lights when using shared use paths (much of my commute is on selfsame paths). Idiot cyclists with helmet lights, upward facing search lights on the handlebars – I mean come on, you can’t even see the path when it’s shining in my eyes.
Overall, though, I like cycling in the dark, it’s like therapy for the soul. The colder the better.
Ironman training makes the pre-dawn start compulsory. The satisfaction of getting 60k of 180+ done before the sun comes up makes these long rides seem easy on the guns of Navarone. The risk of potholes, niteclub refugees on the streets calling you ‘fucking Cadel yeah!’ and trucks/taxis can give it an edge though.
@frank by telling me to go back to New Zealand (a country I have never visited) are you trying to underhandedly call me Minion? If so, that really hurts.
@Marcus
Front flashers at night are pointless. For daytime commuting on narrow roads riding between traffic and parked cars I think they are life-savers. Instead of cheating right and making believe they haven’t seen you the cars stopped in traffic cheat left to give you a little room. Even the most obtuse parked driver looks up before he pulls out or opens the door and the flasher gets his attention. Why, I have even seen a teenage girl stop texting to look up and see what the flashing is all about.
@Marcus
Try not to get too turned on:
@Oli Well, I have always loved turning off the main road in winter on the dimly lit last leg home, and having the flasher on the front run in time with the pulse surging through my ears…
And there’s nothing like seing your forearms come up blue, and the moon shadow of you and the bike on a clear summers night either. I’m being followed by a moon shadow, mooon shadow moon shadow..
But then my night rides have never been as eventful as yours!
Frank you bring back favorite memories of night rides with 2 friends on the rural roads in the Hudson Valley. Usually early spring or late fall when there are no leaves on the trees and full moon means that lights are not only not nessesary but would limit and kill the utter beauty. No cars for 2-3 hours, light of the moon you can read a book by on great roads – it does not get much better!
Then there are the memories that @Engine lumbered me with… 4 years of a commute across Central London back in the day with lights that I remember were used just so I wouldn’t be stopped by the old Bill, thank heaven there were street lights, those things were just for show.
A last thought was this recent autumns Tuesday night group rides where the red flashy things were sprouting from seat posts like herpes sores the minute the sun was low. Man they are so bright that a few times in the pace line I thought I was going to grand mal seize.
@frank they look like they are Strong Wool Merinos. Kind of reluctant at first but they eventually really get going and really get into it.
Nothing like the Fonthill Merinos – they run for you as soon as they see the velcro gloves
Rolling on a downhill during the 24 Hours of Adrenalin in Canmore in ’04 and pop, all the light go out on my rented unit. I tried drafting a dude for some light, it was too…salvador dalish…
Never rent lights.
@frank
Scottish/NZealander porn? shudder….
@frank
Aah, New Zealand. Where men are men, and sheep are nervous…
@Giles
beauty
@The Pressure Look, I’ve never even dated a sheep, let alone had sex with one. These scurrilous rumours must cease.
Thanks for the article.
Commuting very early at the day means for me to use lights on my bike almost all over the year. For sure in the summer some flashlights are enough. But as soon the nights are longer I am in the need of “a full set” of light.
After two lights with batterypack which resulted in broken cables (=new battery pack) no matter how carefully I twisted them/not twisted them I switched over to the Supernova Airstream where the rechargeable battery is within the lamp. Okay, this one will never win a contest looking for longest duration. But for my needs of commuting (3-4 hours) it is just perfect. Since a couple of weeks I am also using the rearlight which gets the power from the headlight. Combined with some flashlights it guides me good through the darkness.
Have good and save rides in the dark!
@frank
In Scotland we prefer to have multiple hand holds just like on the bike…
@the Engine
The ladies at the top are for riding in a group with your friends or club while the lass in the second photo is for solo efforts against the clock or those Rule #42 defining moments when you are going to have to dip your mount of choice first and then make a quick exit afterwards.
Although I have never interfered with a sheep, I may indeed have been lurking in a dress on Oli’s night ride. Nothing sus.
Agree with Marcus, flashers on the front and too much lumenage is worse than not enough, it is distracting to drivers and can impair distance perception. 350 lumens is more than enough for a road bike. Same out back, super bright flashers can be almost blinding to drivers (not to mention riders when in a bunch)… we ride through winter at night on the road, and most of us run one up front and two out back max. I always have one of these mounted permanently now, un-noticeable and there if needed…
Riding singletrack at night is probably the most fun to be had on any bike anytime… but you’ll need some bigger lumenage for max effect. Though back in the early 90s we had some pretty basic set ups, which were state of the art back then… heavy bid on batteries and quick-fade halogen lamps. Then HiD came along and changed the game, and now the LED technology and tiny Li Ion batteries is so affordable that everyone can ride fast on trails without wearing a diaper.
Frank; a shock is on the back of the bike, a fork up front.
I’ve been night riding for years with a variety of light set ups. From home brew set ups that a good friend of mine used to make up through to AY-UPs, and then the latest Cree P7s. One things for sure, lights have come a long way in the last few years. And they’ve got (much)cheaper too!
We ride regularly through the winter over here in blighty, and tonight’s our regular weekly night ride.
@Frank
Here’s my thoughts on night riding. I posted this up last week. I’d echo your ‘cone of light’ thinking, i just called it something different.
http://www.shifnalcyclingsociety.co.uk/2012/11/riding-in-bubble.html
@Beers
I realize that this is a cycling site but your post brought back so many memories of nordic skiing at night under full moons when I was a teenager. Just an amazing feeling.
@the Engine
Does your MTB look like this?
@Oli
How many dates does it take before they give it up? You’ll have to relate it to high school dating for me, so I can understand. Pizza and sodas for a kiss, Olive Garden and a bottomless bowl of pasta for a feel under the shirt, and steal a bottle of wine for the whole enchilada?