[Closed] Night riding- I just don't get it

[i]hora - Member
Is it just me?
[/i]

More than likely, yes. Yes it is...

Go Bowling then.

Theres' plenty of us that love night riding, so I wouldn't worry.

Given the choice Id rather be out in the light, but other than having to fiddle with lights, I dint see negatives to night riding.

Not a fan of night riding I'm not fond of all the faff that goes with it but sometimes it's the only choice.

Can't say I've ever felt compelled to wait until nightfall during the summer just so's I can go out in the dark 😕

However going night riding does nothing for me at all. I'd rather go ten pin bowling or karting than night ride.

Do you actually like riding your bike or do you just like looking at the view whilst sitting on your bike?

If you have decent lights it's just the same as riding in the day except it means you can go on evening rides all year round.

Best thing about night riding is that you can be certain that you won't meet some family on a dawdle.

I only ever meet other mtbers on night rides and you can see them coming 'cos they have lights.

You can hammer down stuff with only the fear of running into the back of a badly lit cow to slow you down.

I like going out early morning riding. Went out at 5am. Hour in the dark with it getting progressively lighter then beautiful sunrise and quiet trails.

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Can't say I've ever felt compelled to wait until nightfall during the summer just so's I can go out in the dark

Thats me too.

If you have decent lights it's just the same as riding in the day except it means you can go on evening rides all year round.

In the dark/dank wet and cold pitch black winters evening?

Do you actually like riding your bike or do you just like looking at the view whilst sitting on your bike?

I love riding my bike.

[s]Night[/s] riding- I just don't get it

FTFY

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I absolutely love it. There is something special about hammering along singletrack in the dark, knowing no-one else is around. I also find myself a lot more focused at night, presumably due to not being able to see stuff for miles around.

Binners, you're older and thinner than I thought.

For several months of the year it's night riding or nothing, I'll take night riding. I'm so used to it now, I don't even think of it as night riding, just 'riding'. It's only when someone actually says, "you're going on a bike ride, now?" that I actually think about it.

Night riding at endurance events like the Bontrager 24/12 is brilliant, just as good as the day.

GEDA I love early am rides where you get to see the sunrise. Start your first climb in pitch black- no need for lights and watch it get progressively sunnier- ready for your ride.

Heres one from a 5am start I did last Summer

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Fans of night riding- what do you like about it?

It lets me ride my bike when I want to, even if the sun's not in the sky? Seems obvious but it's true...

I could ride during the day, but sadly I have to work for a living which takes up 5/7 days...

I love night riding agreed it is an extra faff but the only way I can get out riding in the week.
Where as during the day you can look down the track and anticipate your line, at night that is reduced by how far you can see, giving you less time to react. Which in some perverse way I feel it can make you a better rider as you sometimes end up riding lines that you would normally not ride, during the day as you would avoid parts.
Also been out over Salisbury Plain on the bike at night on a clear night and it is stunning, especially when you know you are probably the only ones out for miles 😀

You get to see all the awesomeness that shines above you and you can go to the pub after. You get to see all kinds of wildlife, just the other night we saw an owl (flying away), a fox, chased a badger down the lane and a toad/frog right in the way. Also, I've got no choice, weekends are for family so in the week the little one goes down at 7 and I'm out the door by half past.

Oh sweet baby Jesus and the cuddly little blessed orphans and their pet baby robins, I agree with Hora [b]*sobs*[/b]

Do you actually like riding your bike or do you just like looking at the view whilst sitting on your bike?

Without the latter, I enjoy the former much less.

Weirdly, I quite like roadbiking at night.

In the dark/dank wet and cold pitch black winters evening?

So what, I'm riding my bike, not trying to read a novel by a campfire. Soft northerners... 😛

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I love it not just because of the riding, but the world doesn't look like this in daylight (the view looking towards manchester from the trig point at Windy Hill, if you're interested). Theres something so rewarding about some of the amazing sights you see at night, that you can be pretty sure about 99.9999% of the countries population will never see, because they're watching coronation street instead

I'd rather go ten pin bowling or karting than night ride.

When was the last time you did either of those things in an evening after work? What you actually mean, is 'I'd rather sit in front of the telly, scratching my arse and farting, while posting crap on internet forums.

I'm out tonight if you fancy opening your blinkered eyes up a bit. Or is Corrie on? 😛

It's nice and quiet, there are no herds of dopey walkers to dodge. The road sections tend to be a bit less busy too. I rode to Scarborough overnight in January and between 11pm and 4am I think we saw fewer than ten cars. We had entire A-roads completely to ourselves for miles and miles, that was grand.

There are some pretty amazing things that you'll only ever see on night rides. One night last year we rode up onto the tops above a cloud inversion, all the streetlights were hidden in the clouds and the stars were incredibly clear, there were no cars for miles around so we switched our lights off and rode along in the starlight. I've ridden alongside an owl, it just flapped along staring at me for ages, presumably wondering what the **** I was supposed to be. Hauling myself up Helvellyn in a gale and then watching the clouds suddenly clear to reveal the Milky Way was impressive. Seeing the dawn come up over the hills after an early start is pretty ace too.

I do really miss riding in sunshine by the end of winter though, that's for sure.

its riding a bike. makes no difference if its day or night, its all good fun. Faff- what faff? Charging some batteries before a ride?

I'd rather go ten pin bowling

I'm out tonight if you fancy opening your blinkered eyes up a bit

Its dusk at 6.30pm so at the moment I'm gardening/DIY. Definitely a few weeks though.

I have an understanding/agreement- I get up at the crack of dawn at weekends, ride both days and back before 12. That means post-work I get to spend it with hora junior (and the rest of the weekend). When its lighter I'll be able to get a ride in mid week too once hora jnr is in bed.

What would I do if I couldn't ride one or more days at the weekend? Roadride I guess but its not about that really, I just don't get night riding. I've done it. Its just meh to me I guess.

It's nice and quiet, there are no herds of dopey walkers to dodge

On some of my weekends rides I can see just 2 riders or even no one at all. not even walkers. I have the pick of carparking yet on my return to my car people are crawling around looking for spaces.

lack of dogs/walkers/chavs/numpties, love the night sounds owls
and the like ... perfect riding time 🙂

Not a fan of night riding I'm not fond of all the faff that goes with it but sometimes it's the only choice.

Can't say I've ever felt compelled to wait until nightfall during the summer just so's I can go out in the dark

This.

I am addicted to mountain biking. If I didn’t go night riding I would have to ride less, and that just isn’t an option, plus I love riding in the dark with just a beam of light showing the way. Jumps look bigger, familiar trails feel different, and I love being on a solo ride and sometimes being the only person for miles around…..just me and the bike, and the scary monsters lurking behind the trees of course. A cold wet muddy night ride during the winter is still time well spent on the bike, and I’d rather be doing that than 10 pin bowling. Sometimes it can be difficult to motivate myself in the depths of winter, when it’s cold, wet and muddy, but I never ever regret it once I’m out.

[i]On some of my weekends rides I can see just 2 riders or even no one at all. not even walkers. I have the pick of carparking yet on my return to my car people are crawling around looking for spaces. [/i]

you don't live darn sarf, though.

My 'night rides' are currently starting at 5.30pm after doing an early shift at work, then about an hours commute through parks, paths, tracks some roads to my local 'proper' trails...then an hour actually doing night riding/mtbing in the dark with hills and rocks and stuff before another hour commuting back the same way home.

It really doesn't seem like a big deal as I'm leaving in the light and it then just gets slowly dark around you.

It's really not that different to any other bike ride in the day.

Lights off during full moon climbs, owls, bats, badgers, beer. Did I mention beer?

I've seen things you people wouldn't believe. Attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion. I've watched C-beams glitter in the dark near the Tannhauser Gate. All those moments will be lost in time, like tears in rain. Time to die.

All experienced during a STW night ride of course

[s]Night[/s] riding- I just don't get it

All riding is riding, whatever the source of light, sun or battery. Away back to your bowling.

The only night riding I do is out of necessity. I basically try to bike everywhere that I can and often in the evening I end up biking in the dark. It's not bad or anything, but I don't exactly get a 'thrill' out of it. Mainly because I'm just trying to get home.

There are some pretty amazing things that you'll only ever see on night rides. One night last year we rode up onto the tops above a cloud inversion, all the streetlights were hidden in the clouds and the stars were incredibly clear, there were no cars for miles around so we switched our lights off and rode along in the starlight.

mintimperial - was that last January by any chance? We had exactly that experience out on a night ride about then. It was incredible. A really other-worldly experience. Difficult to find the words to explain how breath-taking it was. And like I said in my earlier post - how many people will ever see anything like that? Hardly anyone, I'd imagine. 2 of the lads were out for their first ever night ride that night. Needless to say, they've been out every week ever since

you don't live darn sarf, though.

Peaks

and there are more doggers to scare / surprise / blind with multiple 2000lumen torches at night time, which is always fun 😆

Dusk riding's the best- start out in daylight, ride through a sunset, keep going til you can't see and only once you've almost killed yourself do you reach for the lights, lovely.

I do 2 sorts of night riding- the "of necessity" type, where I really want to do a day ride but can't, hence a bazillion lumens to make it as un-nighty as possible.

And the "this is cool and different" sort which I do less often but still enjoy. Innerleithen's night enduro and dh races being perfect examples, how daft is that?

I don't get every weekend off work and mid week I'm limited to riding on my own. Being a vivacious, gregarious and outgoing social butterfly I like riding with mates.

And I don't like being a billy no mates in the pub.

hora, I'm gutted that you don't like night riding. Cheers for sharing though

im looking forward to this!

http://www.qecptrailcollective.co.uk/2014/03/qecp-day-night-enduro-goes-live-15th-march-at-0800/

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I've been night riding largely for fitness reasons. I don't want to find myself in the middle of summer feeling unfit having only done one ride a week. Plus, I'm not a massive fan of very hot weather. During the summer anything above 22 degrees is getting too hot for me, waiting until the evening and into the night is more enjoyable from a temperature point of view.

Making it less of a faff is important. I've got a single cree torch mounted on my bars with a couple of spare batteries in my pocket. No messing with wires on helmets flapping about or finding somewhere to mount a battery pack. One torch, one mount, dead easy. Sure it's not as good as other setups but I prefer the simplicity.

It's all biking at the end of the day.

Most night ride because there is no alternative. Everyone would rather ride the same trails on a sunny warm summer day.

I enjoy those times at night as it makes the samey easy trails fun and different. Bloody looking forward to having the opportunity to razz the samey easy trails in actual real daylight tomorrow though

I don't ride off road on my own.

But first night ride of the year last night. Chose a route with dry trails, cold clear night, mist rising off the canals, catching up with mates as we rode, perfect.

Even Ilkeston looked good. From a distance. In the dark.

Annoyed with myself for sacking off the post ride pint as I picked up a puncture a couple of miles from home. But I slept better without the beer, and saved the cost of a couple of new inner tubes.....

I like it, partialy because it's a bit different. You set off and your brains telling you "this isn't natural, WTF are you doing?". But mainly because it's just riding. In the summer it's easy enough to finish work and go for a ride at 6:30-7:00 and finish before it gets dark, by mid September that's not really possible, so you addapt and get some lights and carry on as usual.

4 milestones in my year, commuting home without lights in March and the first 'night' ride without lights, then the reverse in winter.

All my riding is done early morning/evening so in the winter I do a lot of riding in the dark, I'd rather it were light but it's ok.

I prefer the dark in the morning rather than the evening, just in case of accident or total light failure, but that's because I'm usually on my own. If I've got someone to ride with night rides are fun, if I haven't I usually get scared and take a shortcut home.

5am rides look great. I'll not be getting out of bed that early though.

I used to ride offroad at night with two of the front version of these.
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They were shit.
The only advantage they gave you was you couldnt actually see what you were riding down, so you just stayed loose and went with the flow.

I have fond memories riding mugdock at night in the snow with them.

Now I have some decent lights its pretty damn good, certainly not limiting. Its cool to ride in the moonlight with your breath floating in the air, clear stars above.
It can be a bit shit in the middle of winter, but at the moment its great!

Isnt this the same argument as "Why go riding in the wet"?
Sometimes there is no alternative.
I like biking, I go biking.