Well, I guess we’re going for a night ride.
And that’s fine with me because mountain biking at night is downright magical.
Everything looks and feels different.
The cool air settles, and sometimes the fog moves in.
It’s like an adventure every time.
There are so many good things about riding at night that I struggle to find a reason
not to.
Except for bears, and mountain lions, and the increased chance of injury, and…well,
let’s just put those things aside.
Today I’m going to give you a whole list of legitimate advantages to night riding,
some of which even give it a leg up over day riding.
Starting with the fact that it helps you reclaim wasted time.
Assuming you work a full time job or go to school, your days off might be the only time
where there’s enough daylight to hit the trails.
With lights, you can start your ride as the sun sets, and continue for as long as you
see fit.
But ask a friend if they’d like to come with you, and it could be a tough sell.
They’ll give you the old “my lights aren’t charged” excuse, which usually reads as
“I’d rather sit in my house right now”.
My favorite excuse is “I have to get up for work in the morning”.
Yeah.
But you have time to rummage through the fridge until 10, Netflix until 12, and then watch
youtube videos in bed straight through the witching hour.
The truth is that many us of have more than enough time to go for a night ride and get
back home with time to spare.
Which brings me to the next advantage of night riding: It’s a natural filter which leaves
you with the hardest, bloodthirstiest friends you know.
Among those who say yes to your night ride invitations will be riders like Pat, who has
an unhealthy obsession with single speed hardtails.
And Jared, who continues to scare the balls out of me every time we ride.
And Kevin, who needs no introduction at this point.
You’re pretty much guaranteed a good time with a crew who’s down to night ride.
But lest you think riding at night is needlessly difficult.
Think again.
One of the best things about night riding is how much easier it makes climbing.
I’m not even kidding.
Long climbs are a mental game, and the trail ahead of you can have a negative psychological
effect on your morale.
At night, you can only see so far ahead, and that has a positive effect, at least on some
people.
I tend to run my lights on low while climbing for this reason and to save a little battery.
And with the many settings that today’s lights have, you can run them full blast for
the descent and ride more or less like you would during the day.
It’s amazing how well you can see the trail with a proper flood light, and actually you’ll
sometimes see things you didn’t notice in the sun.
Whoever abandoned this department store bike up on the ridge, is a dick.
Or, maybe their body is laying next to the bike.
Either way I’ll be back another day for trash cleanup.
As for our friends in the desert, night riding is a way of life.
With little tree cover and midsummer temperatures surpassing 110 degrees, it’s either night
ride, dawn patrol, or get cooked.
Here in the mountains of North Carolina, it can be in the 80’s during the day and drop
into the 60’s at night.
That’s as close to perfect riding weather as it gets, so depending on the season night
riding can be a reprieve from the heat of the day.
I know it’s only March, but it’ll be Summer in just a few months.
Unless of course, you live in the Southern Hemisphere, where Winter will soon be approaching.
As you experience fewer hours of daylight and the winter blues set in, keep your lights
charged.
The party doesn’t need to end when it gets dark at 4 o clock.
I also hear that winter fat biking is amazing at night.
So we’ve established that night riding helps you reclaim time you would have otherwise
wasted, enjoy the benefits of cooler weather, see the trail in a totally new way, and boost
your morale while climbing.
But there are other less obvious benefits to night riding.
Like the fact that you don’t have to worry about making it back to the trailhead before
dark.
It’s also nice to be able to change your clothes post ride under the shroud of darkness.
I don’t officially condone removing your shammy out in the open, but I didn’t see
it, and neither did anyone else.
And that’s another benefit of night riding: There’s generally less people around.
If you’re the social type this might be a negative, but for many of us it adds to
the sense of adventure.
Now that we’ve covered just a few of the reasons why night riding is so great, I’ll
leave you with some tips and considerations.
First of all, night riding isn’t allowed everywhere.
Particularly in state parks, the trailhead is sometimes considered closed after dark.
So do your research.
It’s a good idea to choose routes that avoid large amounts of wildlife to give them a chance
to do their thing at night.
Just your tire sounds and bright lights will usually be enough to warn wildlife off the
trail, but should you find yourself in the path of a bear, follow the same protocol as
you would during the day.
As for trails in urban areas, be respectful of your neighbors.
Hooting and hollering at 1 o clock in the morning is bad form, and doesn’t do anything
to help our case for more mountain bike trails.
Also, your night riding gear is kind of important, especially if you’re going really far or
staying out for a long time.
This is why you should always carry two lights for redundancy.
If one fails or runs out of battery, you can use the other one to get home.
Flood lights mount to your handlebars and “flood” the area in front of you with
light.
These will sometimes have an external battery for many hours of ride time even at the highest
setting.
Spot lights mount to your helmet and are usually self contained.
They create a focused beam wherever you’re looking, and help fill in the shadows cast
by the flood light by shining downwards.
When taking breaks, it’s good practice to not shine your headlamp directly in the face
of your companion.
And that’s another tip, always consider riding with others.
During the day you’re bound to encounter other people so riding alone isn’t as big
of a risk.
At night, be prepared to fend for yourself if you don’t have anyone with you.
Finally, plug in your lights as soon as you get home.
If someone invites you on a ride midday at work, you won’t be able to get home to start
charging them, and having a great set of lights will be pointless.
Riding during the day is pretty tough to beat.
You have scenery, vitamin D, and a perfect view of everything around you.
But I hope to have made a case for all the great benefits night riding has to offer.
If you want high end lights like the ones Jared and I were running I’ve included a
link in the description, but I will be purchasing a variety of mid level lights in the future
in the hopes that I can recommend some on a budget.
If you have any night riding experiences or tips you’d like to share, put them in the
comments below.
And if you have additional questions about night riding, you might find the answers you’re
looking for right here.
Thanks for riding with me today and I’ll see you next time.