Just back in from the first real icy night ride for this winter. Full moon over clear skies with that special drumming sound coasting downhill over frozen peat. Only a midsummer sunset ride trumps it.
I just like winter riding in general. icy, dry and cold is ace.
Definitely. We get some of our fastest rides out in the deepest hardest frosts, preferably at night.
Love the frosty, clear nights. Don't love it when it chucks it down all evening and the ground is a bog.
Don't have the energy after working all day, cooking tea and looking after the kids 🙁
I've just been out locally for an hour just on some farm tracks with a few sprints up a steep hill and back round a few times, its brilliant out tonight.
Love the feeling in the throat when the cold hits when you are gasping for breath.
The moon was mint and I even slowed down and turned my lights off for a bit.
As good as summer ? Dunno I just love riding me bikes 😀
No way... Summer for me all the way.
I do enjoy the winter for dark evening rides , just adds somthing more fun to my local well ridden trails
And no dog walkers in the way.
I still prefer summer who does not but winter is fun in its own way
It's a bit sloppy and slower running all winter down here. But cornering is considerably more fun in winter. And the pub at the end is also good.
As long as the winter gloop doesn't last 18 months this year!!
I do like the challenge of winter riding, rather than just blasting everything in summer.
One of the pleasures of MTBing is seeing the seasons change on the same trail.
If it all stayed the same all year, it would be boring. Some places in the world are like that.
Still, could do with a longer summer, a nice quick colorful autumn, then straight into a calm freeze for winter. My least favorite is 2 degrees and wet / windy / muddy.
Yep, was out earlier/later/last night and turned off the light on the lanes, just beautiful
I've been loving my night rides this year, great fun but I'd much prefer mid summer riding in shorts n short sleeves when it gets dark after 10 but stays warm so you can sit outside the pub.
I don't have any lights and the one time i did go with I-Ache from here I was rubbish in the dark it was very strange... glad my job allows me to ride whenever i like really. going to drop my lad at Nursery then off for a gentle 10 miles round the park (ankle is still fudged)
Prefer winter riding in general, seem to be able to handle the bike better, and find it easier to regulate my temperature. Run pretty hot so get too hot in the summer.
Winter rocks!
i love nightridinganytime of the year but 2nd summer (winter) when its all frozen solid is best
Yup,it was nice out last night under that moon,and the sunrises up here the last few days have been fantastic .
Winter rides are ace when there's this at the halfway mark:
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Out tonight,hopefully with a little frozen ground instead of all the mud we normally get. First season of night riding for me.Try to do two night rides a week it's brilliant.Been working nights for the last few years so obviously no riding. Even the simple stuff is good, especially with a covering of leaves to hide things / spice things up. It's a must do with the price and quality of the Chinese lights( batteries and chargers aside)these days.For any night virgins,get out and enjoy.You won't regret it 
Once it's truly frozen it's ace, up till then it's a bit of a battle if I'm honest. I'm still out riding, but it's hard to truly "enjoy" the clag some times 🙂
rogerthecat - pub's for the end, hip flask for halfway 😉
Was out last night, sparkly in places, dry and crunchy, loved it.
@Woody2000 not round here, there's dry stone walls to keep you going n the right direction, like the inflatable buffers at Super Bowl.
Or just go to the pub at the end too!
I like the cold, crisp clear starry nights. Not quite so keen when we're riding in the dark against cold, driving rain, when your gloves and jacket have soaked through, and there's still an hour to go and your boots are full of cold stinky water!
Love cold and dry night rides, don't mind a bit of mud either, not so keen when it's pissing it down.
Trying to defrost in the bath, give me summer.
I've had some fantastic winter night rides. Clear skies. Cold, crisp over hard frozen ground. So these stick in your mind. Then you mentally romanticise them, and forget the reality. The reality of the last couple of winters being slogging through axle deep mud in driving rain. Which is shit!
Do like a cold dry night ride do have a slightly different winter route to summer as some bits of summer route turns into swamp during winter but dry out in summer 🙂
Oh yes, after musing about loosing my mojo to cycle solo these days I shot out to Hope last night and, as was for the OP, was bathed in full-moonlight, clear views - the moon on the Derwent was fantastic.
Not a sole/LED to be seen?
Had a really hairy moment when the lead came out of lamp descending Blackley Hey OMG 8O.
I simply can not wait until I can get out again - hello MOJO...
All seasons have their niche. Top of my list is midsummer evenings out till the last of the light. In shorts and short sleeves, mildly dehydrated and sweat and dust in your elbow creases.
Absolutely love winter night rides, they are just the best! 🙂
Frosty night rides are ace. Did a bivy ride on Friday, spent the evening talking cobblers under a moonlit sky and woke up to frozen water bottles. Superb.
I don't know how you can drink half way around a ride
I'd be staggering all over the place
I'm very much with tang on this. Winter can be really special with icing sugar frosts and solid sandpaper trails. Or crunchy snow. Autumn mornings with the leaves carpeting the trails. Summer evenings with minimal pre or post faffing and just riding until the light goes. Spring rides down chocolate coloured ribbons through bluebells. Even the occasional summer thunderstorm catching you unawares can be awe inspiring, and a little humbling. Especially if you feel the crackle in the air.
just been out for a walk round edge of town; not sure I'd be going far on a bike in that; baltic stiff wind, packed snow / pebbled partially melted snow == ripe for accidents 🙂
Not a big fan of sheet ice to be honest and the fear that it could be around the next corner takes the shine off things a bit. But other than that a crisp winter night ride can be fun.
Riding in the evening is my favourite time of day, prefer midsummer when I can leave the house at 8 and still get a long ride in and mid winter when there's no gloop.
No biking buddies for night riding at the moment though so not really been out this year which is upsetting but the 'what if' is a bit more serious when an off and busting something could be a big problem solo.