[Closed] Minor rant - show some respect to fellow riders at night.

+1

your trails are too busy.

I think the same courtesy needs to be extended to all trail users ... lights are insanely bright these days.

Agreed.

Also, if in a group, when you stop for a chat turn your helmet light off, especially if you're going to look at the person you're talking to.

It's when you stop and talk to someone and they have this 3000 lumen laser pointing into your face.

MY SKIN IS BURNING! WHY DO YOU CONTINUE TO SHINE THAT THING AT ME!!?

I stopped and turned my lights off to let a party of scouts on a night hike walk past without getting dazzled/inconvenienced.

One of them wasn't looking where he was going, walked into me and knocked me off my bike.

The way that the leader said 'Oh, Darryl' led me to believe it wasn't the first time he'd let the group down doing somethign daft.

Except motorists, fed up being blinded by clowns who fail to dip their headlights. They usually get my head torch lighting up the interior of the car for that.

It's not night riding anymore - it's localised daylight. What happened to riding on basic lights and feeling petrified at 15mph heading into a tiny pool of light? )

"When I were a lad we rode with ever-ready torch-light things in t'woods, the owl's eyes put out more light etc etc"

(tbh I didn't get on with night riding much until lights got half-decent, but even so my single bar light on low seems to be ok most of the ride, until someone fires up a search and rescue beam behind me)

It must be said that whilst on the road there ought to be consideration shown to car drivers as well.

your trails are too busy.

[i]your trails are too busy.[/i]

Er, so you only have to show some courtesy if there are [i]lots[/i] of other people around? Hmmm

BlobOnAStick - Member

It must be said that whilst on the road there ought to be consideration shown to car drivers as well.

Er, so you only have to show some courtesy if there are lots of other people around? Hmmm

no i mean if i go for a night ride i wont see anyone else out...

[quote=bigyinn ]Except motorists, fed up being blinded by clowns who fail to dip their headlights. They usually get my head torch lighting up the interior of the car for that.
Yep. There's nothing that makes me feel safer than having a couple of tons of metalwork heading towards me with a driver who can't see where he's going.

+1

When I dip my single light it's a sort of hint. 1000 lumens on bars and head does look like overkill.

I've been night riding with some roadies from my club, this is their first time and they seem happy to hoon all over the place with 240 lumen Joysticks. Ignorance is bliss.

Sounds like a lot of you need brighter lights 😀

Er, so you only have to show some courtesy if there are lots of other people around? Hmmm

what Nicko means, is that the footpaths around his end of sheffield are even quiet in the daytime, in summer, at the weekend, when it's national 'go for a walk' day...

what Nicko means, is that the footpaths around his end of sheffield are even quiet in the daytime, in summer, at the weekend, when it's national 'go for a walk' day...

yeh i think that's what i mean. ride somewhere quieter? less infuriating lights in face that way!

[i]no i mean if i go for a night ride i wont see anyone else out...[/i]

Ever? Got your own private trail centre or something?

Forget it, I just thought that was a pretty stupid comment.

These hugely bright lights are also dangerous to car drivers if they are dazzles and far to bright .I see no need for 2000+lumen lights and ride perfectly well off road with a tenth of that .Is it just I`ve got brighter lights than you willy waving?

We need more lasers on the trails.
You know to kill other riders off..
Or a stick in the spokes..
Or a hedgehog smack about the head..
Horse Poo thrown at them..
Wee in their shoes..
Then the trails become yours.

There’s your solution right there.

[quote=Edric 64 ].Is it just I`ve got brighter lights than you willy waving?
Part of the problem is when folk you are riding with have much brighter lights than you. It means you end up riding in a shadow.

Ever? Got your own private trail centre or something?

hmm no not really - just never really see anyone out... i once bumped into three lads that were riding dh, but that's about it.

we're talking about a nationally-known woodland as well. famed for bicycle usage.

seen quite a few doggers in my time mind!

[i]ride perfectly well off road with a tenth of that .Is it just I`ve got brighter lights than you willy waving?[/i]

it depends how you view night riding.

if it's an exercise in navigation/riding/not falling off with minimal illumination then fewer lumens the better.

if it's 'I'm riding at night 'cos otherwise I wouldn't get to ride at all but I don't want to compromise [i]how[/i] I ride just 'cos it's dark' then the more lumens the better.

horses for course, innit.

Ever?

Rarely

Is it just I`ve got brighter lights than you willy waving?

i'd say that '[i]i can ride by the glow of a light fag[/i]' attitude is a bit more willy waving...

Agreed OP, there's nothing worse than someone stopping for chat and burning out your retinas.

So how bright is too bright? I used to think my halogen lumicycles were brilliant until they got replaced with some LED action. My current (4-5 year old) lights give me a combined 1200 lumens at max output which is loads. I'm sure something brighter would be even better.

BUT, at what point does the edge get totally removed from night riding and you might as well just go out in the day? As already mentioned, the biggest draw for me to night riding (other than it was the only time I could go) was that it was completely different to riding in daylight. Speed and poor vision made it incredibly scarey. If you can see for hundreds of feet in any direction now, what's the point?!

It has become an arms race with the brightness of lights. They now far exceed what is needed for a night ride. Maybe there should be retro night rides where you rock up with some old halogens and ride for the fun of it.

This thread has inspired me to try dangling a 2000 lumen lamp from the end of my winky next ride.

If you can see for hundreds of feet in any direction now, what's the point?!

Because if you ride most nights it's quite convenient. I appreciate for many a night ride is a special thing, but if you're riding 5 days a week, it's just a ride, but with less light.

If you can see for hundreds of feet in any direction now, what's the point?!

for six months of the year, on the occasions I get spare time to go riding, its dark.

You don't HAVE to look right into their lights, just look to the side, it isn't a problem.

for six months of the year, on the occasions I get spare time to go riding, its dark

I ride with a bar light which has 3,000 lumen max output but I actually ride with it set to around 500 - 900 for most things.

My problem is that other riders MUST be able to see me and I can see them from quite a distance.
it cant come as a surprise when we ride towards each other, i turn my light away,turn it down or cover with my hand. i expect the other person to do the same.

lately, if the other rider continues to burn my eyes out at 70 yards I give maximum 3,000 lumen and leave it on in the hope they cop on.

childish,yes

I do this anyway and I find it odd that other people don't.

I prefer to night ride on my own as I find other peoples lights a distraction.

Interesting discussion, especially how lights are so bright it defeats the point of night riding. I started with a modified roadie designed BLT light set "back in the day", a major upgrade from Duracell lamps. We used to ride to the middle of the woods, then "go dark" and let our eyes adjust. That was fun, I think we would do about 5mph, scared witless but giggling like a loon. Made all the "tame" trails suddenly very tricky. Then eventually people joined us with lighthouse lights on their bikes. Other than the issue of it creating a shadow that you ended up riding in when they were behind you, it also creates more shadows on the trail, flattens everything as it seems to bleach the ground with bright white unrelenting light. I don't do night riding these days, family and work commitments mean I don't "have to" ride at night off road. In a way I'm glad as it started as something a bit "niche" now everyone sells 'em and they have become a status thing when you can buy a front light for the same price as a complete bike or a very good pair of suspension forks.

So - on the side of never enough lumens, but showing some respect to fellow citizens, pedestrians, walkers, soldiers, dogs, doggers by dousing or dipping lights.

As to the willy waving thing - more light in the right place lets you ride closer to the speed you would in the day light. If you ride by candle light you just won't go very quickly. Unless of course you just ride slowly all the time in which case you can probably get buy with those old Ever Ready jobbies from the 1970's.

What lights are people actually running?

Personally I run Four4th Holy Moses on the bars and a Four4th Genesis 3 spot on the helmet for plenty of light down the trail.

So - on the side of never enough lumens, but showing some respect to fellow citizens, pedestrians, walkers, soldiers, dogs, doggers by dousing or dipping lights.

As to the willy waving thing - more light in the right place lets you ride closer to the speed you would in the day light. If you ride by candle light you just won't go very quickly. Unless of course you just ride slowly all the time in which case you can probably get buy with those old Ever Ready jobbies from the 1970's.

What lights are people actually running?

Personally I run Four4th Holy Moses on the bars and a Four4th Genesis 3 spot on the helmet for plenty of light down the trail.

Interesting discussion, especially how lights are so bright it defeats the point of night riding.

Or some people have busy lives and night riding is the only opportunity they have to get out on their bikes?

That said, I do turn my light down and angle it down when riding on the road.

Interesting discussion, especially how lights are so bright it defeats the point of night riding.

that's an interesting perspective. i consider night riding to be a necessity rather than a vocational activity.

if i want to ride in winter during the week, it will be dark. and by winter i mean october to april ish...

When I was a regular winter commuter, a good chunk of my journey was on unlit roads. i always dipped for cars and most dipped for me - except bloody 4x4s..!

Anyway, it's better when the moon's out and you don't need lights....

Another button/lever on my bars alongside my fork lockout lever, rear shock travel adjustment/lockout lever, dropper post button, brake levers,gear shifters.....I now need a dim dip button for my lights. Problem is I've no space left on my bars for the fekking light!!

i consider night riding to be a necessity rather than a vocational activity.

Even if night riding is a necessity, why not see it as an opportunity to experience a different kind of ride? For me part of the thrill of night riding is that the trail takes on a completely different persona, if I want to ride faster then I have to hope my reaction time is good enough to overcome obstacles that I would see in broad daylight. Lighting up the trail as if it's the middle of summer takes that away (IMO).

In the same vein I'd rather not ride in the mud but since I can't make the trails dry out I see the gloop as a training aid - it helps to build stamina and improve my bike handling so I'm faster in the summer.

There's no right or wrong, so long as you're out on your bike it's all good, but personally I don't understand the never ending quest for brighter and brighter lights. And I LOVE buying stuff!

indeed. my light is from 2008, and in those days they didnt even state no. of lumens...

eat more carrots

indeed. my light is from 2008, and in those days they didnt even state no. of lumens...

I think that is much of the problem - we've very quickly gone from lights being an unhappy compromise between brightness and runtime, to being able to buy lights that are at least as annoying, if not quite as blinding, as undipped car lights that will run for half the night. I think many people simply don't realise what it's like to be on the receiving end.

I dug out my old Cateye Double Shot the other day.

Its outshone by a silly little AAA torch I bought for a fiver.

Pretty amazing how quickly light technology has moved on.

I dip my main light riding on the road and tend to turn my helmet light off.

Completely agree, but if someone in a car insists on trying to blind me, then they get it back at them!

It's all well and good until you approach a car being driven by a moth.

Sometimes when you go night riding, it's because you want to ride in the dark.
Sometimes when you go night riding, it's because you want to ride and it's dark.

Anyone who doesn't see the distinction will probably not understand why some people like bright lights and some people like dark lights.

some people like dark lights.

awesome phrase

[img] [/img]

black light's even better

My ninja edit fu is weak today 🙁