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My first nite ride is tonite...

N8 v2.0

Not the sharpest tool in the shed
Oct 18, 2002
11,003
149
The Cleft of Venus
Got my battery charged, my bike on the my truck and I will be freezing my ass off shortly...

I hope my $80 light works as advertised, but I am taking a mag lite just in case!
 

narlus

Eastcoast Softcore
Staff member
Nov 7, 2001
24,658
63
behind the viewfinder
watch out for the chupracabras...they are in season now, and like to feast on pasty white dudes. let's hope that 29" bike accelerates fast enough to escape their fearsome claws.
 

Westy

the teste
Nov 22, 2002
54,227
20,006
Sleazattle
Definatley bring a backup light. If you end up having to ride with your Maglight a roll of electrical tape to mount the light on your handlebar is priceless. Have fun and be careful accelerating in corners you can't see around.
 

stinkyboy

Plastic Santa
Jan 6, 2005
15,187
1
¡Phoenix!
narlus said:
watch out for the chupracabras...they are in season now, and like to feast on pasty white dudes. let's hope that 29" bike accelerates fast enough to escape their fearsome claws.
Chupracabra translates to "goat sucker", and we all know that N8 is a sheep, so he'll be OK.
 

mcA896

Turbo Monkey
Aug 15, 2003
1,160
0
Cape Cod, MA
I went on my first night trail ride a week ago, about.

Everything seems different. In the day, you know what's around every turn and where every rock or root is, but at nigh, well you'll see for yourself.

I've always wanted to ride at a resort that has night DH. Like night skiing, where they turn on all the big lights, but in the summer with DH.
 

Slugman

Frankenbike
Apr 29, 2004
4,024
0
Miami, FL
mcA896 said:
I've always wanted to ride at a resort that has night DH. Like night skiing, where they turn on all the big lights, but in the summer with DH.
Not sure if they still do it... but Plattekill used to do a night ride.

However it is not light assisted... your lights (and the lights of those around you) are the only ones out there...

I poached a couple runs there one night... had to climb it to come down, but man was it a blast!!!

Lots fo fun.
 

Changleen

Paranoid Member
Jan 9, 2004
14,335
2,448
Hypernormality
I used to go nightriding without lights. After your eyes adapt to the dark properly (which does take a few minutes) it's actually pretty easy. It can be hard if there are artificial light sources around though, they tend to mess up your night vision.
 

OGRipper

back alley ripper
Feb 3, 2004
10,647
1,116
NORCAL is the hizzle
Changleen said:
I used to go nightriding without lights. After your eyes adapt to the dark properly (which does take a few minutes) it's actually pretty easy. It can be hard if there are artificial light sources around though, they tend to mess up your night vision.
Are you a cat or something? :) Although I often turn my light off on long, moonlit climbs and stuff (good way to save battery), there is no way I could ride the tight techy singletrack we always ride at night without lights. MAYBE when it's a full moon or close, but once you're in the trees it pretty much doesn't matter, it is pitch black, can't see a hand in front of your face.
 

Changleen

Paranoid Member
Jan 9, 2004
14,335
2,448
Hypernormality
OGRipper said:
Are you a cat or something? :) Although I often turn my light off on long, moonlit climbs and stuff (good way to save battery), there is no way I could ride the tight techy singletrack we always ride at night without lights. MAYBE when it's a full moon or close, but once you're in the trees it pretty much doesn't matter, it is pitch black, can't see a hand in front of your face.
I dunno. I guess the trails I rode weren't super technical, but I always found after a while I could see just fine, even in wooded or enclosed bits. There was this one footpath we used to ride which was almost pitch dark, but we all knew it pretty well from riding it in the day and it was pretty smooth. Again, once you stand somewhere which seems to be pitch dark for a minute or two, you find you can see pretty well after all.

I live in a city now, so urban night riding is a whole different thing. I definatly don't need lights now when it never even gets close to being really dark.
 

N8 v2.0

Not the sharpest tool in the shed
Oct 18, 2002
11,003
149
The Cleft of Venus
Oh man!!!! Was that a BLAST!!! :thumb:

I've ridden that trail so much during the day that I can almost ride it in my sleep... however, at night, it was a different place. Sometimes creepy... some of our trail reminded me of the Blair Witch Project....

Night riding here is not popular and there are only a handful of people who will even try to hit the trail in the dark. It was in the lower 50's when I hit the trail. This trail hasn't been seeing much use lately because of the deer hunting season so the fallen leaves did a great job hiding the trail. It was quiet and once the sun set the temp dropped to the 30's which is cold for here considering we were over 80 degrees on Sat.

I am going to ride every night after work now and hopefully will get some other local riders into night riding.

I did the 7 mile loop, then hit Starschmucks and then went home and ate some gumbo.
 

Westy

the teste
Nov 22, 2002
54,227
20,006
Sleazattle
I Are Baboon said:
I thought south of the Mason Dixon Line, the temperature never drops below 60 and the sun never stops shining.

:confused:
I thought that was California.

Every time I was out there this year it was either cold, raining or 110 degrees. The "natives" I worked with kept apologizing and telling me it was not normal.:rolleyes:
 

narlus

Eastcoast Softcore
Staff member
Nov 7, 2001
24,658
63
behind the viewfinder
OGRipper said:
Are you a cat or something? :) Although I often turn my light off on long, moonlit climbs and stuff (good way to save battery), there is no way I could ride the tight techy singletrack we always ride at night without lights. MAYBE when it's a full moon or close, but once you're in the trees it pretty much doesn't matter, it is pitch black, can't see a hand in front of your face.
:stupid:

the only time i've been able to navigate nightriding w/o lights was if there was a full moon and no tree cover (snow on the ground helped considerably too).

N8, weather.com tells me shreveport LA is 43F now...maybe 29" wheeled bikes also cause extreme localized cooling?
 

N8 v2.0

Not the sharpest tool in the shed
Oct 18, 2002
11,003
149
The Cleft of Venus
narlus said:
:stupid:

the only time i've been able to navigate nightriding w/o lights was if there was a full moon and no tree cover (snow on the ground helped considerably too).

N8, weather.com tells me shreveport LA is 43F now...maybe 29" wheeled bikes also cause extreme localized cooling?

In a way yes, yes they do. I was refering to the temp taking into account the wind-chill factor created by my 29er's acceleration.

:p
 
J

JRB

Guest
I had a bad ass 1 hour ride, and it is 45 now. It's been a while since I had a hoot night riding. Even thought the dog on the other side of the fence would get me. :eek:
 

narlus

Eastcoast Softcore
Staff member
Nov 7, 2001
24,658
63
behind the viewfinder
N8 said:
Not much longer than 45 min.
ok, yr blistering 9.3 mph pace was put into the calculation for windchill (sorry, i felt like geeking out tonight)

windchill calc

i tried putting 43F into the equation but it kept popping up a window which said:

Temperature is above 45 degrees F, it doesn't really matter. Click reset and try again!

well, obviously the site has a bug because i entered 43 but there you go.
 

N8 v2.0

Not the sharpest tool in the shed
Oct 18, 2002
11,003
149
The Cleft of Venus
splat said:
7 miles in 45 minurtes ? I guess its not very technical is it . :p
BTW what type of Light do you have ?
Nah.. not really technical but hella fun!

I have a CyGo bar mounted lite... about $80... I can see a need for a helmet mounted one though.
 

N8 v2.0

Not the sharpest tool in the shed
Oct 18, 2002
11,003
149
The Cleft of Venus
narlus said:
ok, yr blistering 9.3 mph pace was put into the calculation for windchill (sorry, i felt like geeking out tonight)

windchill calc

i tried putting 43F into the equation but it kept popping up a window which said:

Temperature is above 45 degrees F, it doesn't really matter. Click reset and try again!

well, obviously the site has a bug because i entered 43 but there you go.

You forgot to factor in the vortex created from the big wheels obviously.
 
J

JRB

Guest
BigMike said:
Ya know, until now, I didn't even know Nate actually rode a bike. I thought he was a news anchor in a third world country.


Glad you had fun though!
I was kind of hoping he wouldn't. :D
 
J

JRB

Guest
BigMike said:
Let me know next time you are having a parade, I'm gonna start holding in my piss starting now
Shouldn't he post this in the XC forum or something??? Talk about pissin' on parades.

BTW - note the :D captain personality. :mumble:
 
J

JRB

Guest
Changleen said:
Nah, That 29" vortex only sucks away all your cool, it doesn't make you cooler in any way whatsoever.
He's facked. :think: He never had any "cool" to lose.
 

Wumpus

makes avatars better
Dec 25, 2003
8,161
153
Six Shooter Junction
Westy said:
If you end up having to ride with your Maglight a roll of electrical tape to mount the light on your handlebar is priceless.
My first night ride was with a mini mag lite strapped to my helmet at Tyler State Park in the mid 90's. That was quite fun until everybody got spooked and quit. Bunch of weenies.