Night riding. Epic.

My_Teenage_Self

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I'm a little ashamed to say, but I only popped my night-ride cherry a few weeks ago. :oops:

Honestly, I'm a fair weather rider. My commute is much too far to ride, and I just dontlike riding in the rain, combined with a busy weekend schedule, for far too many years I've only ever ridden during spring, summer and autumn, and had a few months off bike each year. My missus was getting sick of me moping so threw a headtorch at me and told me to get out of the house. Loved. It.

I'm now managing to get a few hours in during the week, and loving it. I could do with some better lights (I'm making do with a torch strapped to my handlebars and my ratty old headtorch).

Sooooo... Any recommendations for enjoying my night rides any more? And to anyone that hasn't tried it yet - do it, you might like it :xmas-wink:
 
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On road I would just say you need a headlamp with a good spread of light, so you can see across as well as down the road.

Offroad you need to be able to see the trail as fast as you ride. For Mayhem and other night rides I have three lights. One has a diffuser lens which spreads light across the path, I have one spotlight on the bars aimed about 10 to 15 yards ahead, maybe more, it is hard to tell at night and another spotlight on my helmet aimed at exactly the same place. This means that the head mounted spot looks where I am looking and the bar spot where I am going, the diffuse light then shows the trail detail immediately in front of me.

I ride at night pretty much anywhere I would ride during the day, but it is amazing some of the things you come across in the woods at night. :shock: :oops: :facepalm:
 
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I quite like it too. Better with someone else though, just in case. Going out on Wednesday night, as it happens. For around four hours, part of a group ride.

As Neil said, you don't need so much for the road, a Cree T6 is fine on it's own, on the bars.

Off road I mainly only use a helmet mounted one except for fast/tricky sections. When the bar mounted one comes on too.
Expensive, but an Exposure Diablo is what I use for the helmet one. Loads of settings, good idea of battery life, and not heavy.

Mike
 
Typically I do a 45 mile off road night ride each week - half if it alone. I run a Fluxient light with a little Cateye as a spare 'get home' light just in case. I prefer not to ride on the brightest setting as it wrecks my dark adaption and I lose peripheral vision. If it's a full moon then I can ride the moorland stretches with the lights off - provided I'm dark adapted.

I especially like being in the woods alone - lots of wildlife: this past month plenty of deer (Roe and Fallow, including a rather grumpy Fallow stag - it's the rutting season), badger, foxes, Tawny and Barn owls.
I've done it so long that I'm never bothered being alone in the woods - I also bivvy out occasionally - but I know that it's not for everyone.
 
Same, I need some good lights. I have some basic jobbies but they don’t do much for me.
I’m drawn to the hope jobbies but at ~£50 a pop I don’t know if they are just flash or actually good - views?
Other recommendations welcome, there’s still time to write my letter to Santa!
 
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