Mountain Biking at Night

With winter and a severe lack of daylight upon us, your riding opportunities can seem pretty limited.  Before you decide to spend the rest of winter zoned out playing marathon sessions of Playstation and eating Fritos with your lame, non-riding buddies, get yourself a light system and get into the action. It's night riding season!

There is no other type of riding that compares to the surreal experience you get from slicing through the trees and over river crossings in the dark. Trails once familiar, now pose unknown challenges around every corner.

Riding at night can seem a little intimidating to solo riders that haven't ventured into the forest after dark. Luckily there are plenty of fun group night rides to participate in.


Group night rides are challenging and require a little bit more preparation than your usual daytime romp in the park.

Showing up prepared and being aware of a few things can help you have a stress free and kick ass night ride.

Of course making sure your light systems batteries are charged and you are wearing the proper clothing for a winter ride goes with out saying so, you might want to check with your mommy on that one :-)

Make sure your pre-ride maintenance has been done before ride time. IE, check tire pressure, lube chain etc.  I try to do all this before I leave the garage. It is no fun fiddling with bike prep in the dark while your riding buddies are geared up and considering leaving your unprepared ass behind. Plus this frees up time to make fun of the guy with the white styrofoam helmet.

In addition to my normal bike lighting system, I always carry a headband hiking light as a back up in case I have any problems with my primary system.  This also comes in very handy when you are gearing up before a ride. It's much easier to use the hiking lamp for putting on wheels and getting your gear out of the vehicle than a cumbersome helmet mounted light and battery pack.

 After you are geared up,  take a few moments to ride the bike around the parking lot checking the brakes, shifters and overall feel of the bike, to make sure you haven't overlooked anything.  Nothing takes the fun out of a group ride quicker than having to stop the whole gang because some newb had to stop and tweak his widgets.

Staging your position before the group rolls out can also make a group ride flow better. Night rides tend to keep moving as opposed to making frequent stops.  Fast riders who know the trail should make sure they are the first ones into the woods.  If you don't plan on hammering near the front or you are unfamiliar with the trail, you should be riding out near the end of the pack. 

If you find yourself with a rider right on your back wheel, it is common courtesy to ask that rider if he wants to pass. If he does,  look for the first spot wide enough to pull off and announce your intention before you do.

What happens is you might not even notice it at first, but sometime into your ride all your other senses become more acute. It's like your body's mechanism of adjusting to that environment. It's a feel. I can feel the terrain and position myself on my bike. I ride sometimes without my light, kind of to challenge myself and see how far I can go!

Riding at night requires special attention. Things can get chaotic in a hurry when you have a bunch of hammerheads buzzing each others tires with limited visibility. In daylight, you can usually see around the rider in front of you and plan ahead for turns and obstacles . At night, when you are right on somebody's butt and they crash, all you are going to see is the blur of their jersey as you tumble over them and onto that jagged rock garden that took them out in the first place.

When you are following another rider try to avoid focusing your headlights directly on the lead riders back or helmet. This usually causes the lead rider to see his own shadow, making it hard for them to see using their own lights. Giving extra space and pointing your lights either down or slightly to the side makes it easier for you and them to see the trail.

Blinded by the light...Whenever you are using head mounted lights avoid pointing your lights directly at at the face of other riders, especially when you encounter oncoming riders on the trail. As acourtesy, you should turn off all your lights at rest stops. This not only saves your batteries, It helps other riders eyes stay adjusted and it keeps you from being an annoying goober.

All that's left is for you to find  the next night ride in your area put down the X-Box and go get ya some!