Who's riding at night?

Discussion in 'General Discussion' started by mtbMike, Nov 7, 2018.


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  1. mtbMike

    mtbMike iMTB Rockstah

    Location:
    PRESCOTT!!!
    Name:
    Mike
    Current Bike:
    Ibis HD5, Ripley & Mojo 4
    OK, now that daylight savings time has kicked in, who has those lights charged up and is still getting out on the dirt? @pperrelle and I are riding straight from his house into Calavera twice a week. It's no Downieville but the ever-changing landscape at night keeps things interesting.
     
  2. evdog

    evdog iMTB Rockstah

    Location:
    San diego
    Name:
    Evan S
    Rode LPQ last night. I night ride year round. Great way to beat the heat in summer too. Awesome sunsets are a bonus.
     
  3. Runs with Scissors

    Runs with Scissors iMTB Hooligan

    Location:
    West Anaheim
    Name:
    Mark Whitaker
    Current Bike:
    Giant XTC with pedals
    Night FLoops are da bomb!!:thumbsup:
     
    Stkx66, Oaken, mike and 7 others like this.
  4. pdqmach26

    pdqmach26 Member

    Name:
    Bob
    Luge-old camp last night. SC Dog Park tonight. Night riding is fun!!!
     
  5. CBone

    CBone iMTB Rockstah

    Location:
    Antelope Valley
    Name:
    Tucker
    Current Bike:
    Intense Primer
    We
    We ride our P-12 trails at night - in the winter. It gets below freezing regularly December-February. A little chilly to start but warms up after the climbing begins. Slap some Chinese lights from Amazon on the bars, layer up and we are good to go.
     
  6. Derek13

    Derek13 Well-Known Member

    Location:
    Costa Mesa
    Name:
    Derek Smith
    Current Bike:
    SC Hightower
    Aliso. Couple Rock-It loops and Lynx in dark. Lynx fast in dark with crap light is a little hairy.
     
  7. Mikie

    Mikie Admin/iMTB Hooligan

    Location:
    NW Arkansas
    Name:
    Mikie Watson
    Current Bike:
    Ibis DV9 / SC Hightower
    Ditto!
    P12 night rides are fun!
     
  8. Faust29

    Faust29 Moderator

    Location:
    irgendwo
    Name:
    B. Bunny
    Current Bike:
    I gots some bikes.
    Maple to Motorway most Wednesday nights... Just got back! Tonight we introduced @Stkx66 to the loop. :thumbsup:

    Some weeks we might mix it up and do Old Camp and Luge, but that tends to be more crowded. STT can look like the 405 at night. The Motorway loop is usually empty...
     
    mike, Old&InTheWay, Mikie and 5 others like this.
  9. mtnbikej

    mtnbikej J-Zilla

    Location:
    Orange
    Name:
    J
    Current Bike:
    SC Chameleon SS, SC Hightower

    You are aware that OC Parks close at Sunset. Don't be that guy.
     
    JordanHMay, Rumpled, Redman and 9 others like this.
  10. Derek13

    Derek13 Well-Known Member

    Location:
    Costa Mesa
    Name:
    Derek Smith
    Current Bike:
    SC Hightower
    Only had to turn light on for last run. Decided against one more in complete darkness. I’m good with OC Parks and follow all their rules. I’ve been informed that just after dark is ok as long as you’re not still out late into night.
     
    Cyclotourist, mike, Faust29 and 5 others like this.
  11. konakc

    konakc iMTB Rockstah

    Name:
    kc
    Floop at night is always alright.
    except when you run into hobos...
     
  12. Sidewalk

    Sidewalk iMTB Rockstah

    Location:
    The road is where I call home
    Name:
    Josh
    Current Bike:
    N+1
    Every Thursday on MTB. Every Tuesday on road.
     
  13. mtnbikej

    mtnbikej J-Zilla

    Location:
    Orange
    Name:
    J
    Current Bike:
    SC Chameleon SS, SC Hightower
    Well technically, every Weds. and Thurs. like clockwork.

    Then early early starts on Saturday or Sunday could be classified as a night ride.
     
  14. Faust29

    Faust29 Moderator

    Location:
    irgendwo
    Name:
    B. Bunny
    Current Bike:
    I gots some bikes.
    Aren’t the powers that be watching the site now?

    Edit: nevermind... just saw your second post. :thumbsup:
     
  15. mike

    mike iMTB Hooligan

    Location:
    Western US
    Name:
    Mike O
    Current Bike:
    HT, FS
    Intentional night missions...I'd be more into it if I was was 9-5 guy. But short days and big aspirations equal dark riding inevitably, so yes, I keep some lights charged. :sneaky:
     
  16. mtnbikej

    mtnbikej J-Zilla

    Location:
    Orange
    Name:
    J
    Current Bike:
    SC Chameleon SS, SC Hightower

    Many places I enjoy more at night than during the daylight.
     
  17. Cyclotourist

    Cyclotourist iMTB Hooligan

    Location:
    Redlands
    Name:
    David
    Current Bike:
    Don't fence me in!
  18. mtnbikej

    mtnbikej J-Zilla

    Location:
    Orange
    Name:
    J
    Current Bike:
    SC Chameleon SS, SC Hightower

    Biggest difference between those models is max Lumens. More Lumens, shorter burn times....generally.

    I recently picked up a Lumina 900(a few years old) and at 900 lumens burn time is supposed to be 45 mins. I have run it on low for hours. This is an issue moreso with all in one lights. Lights with external batteries generally have longer burn times at higher lumens.

    Just depends on what you wanna risenin the dark, and how long.
     
  19. Cyclotourist

    Cyclotourist iMTB Hooligan

    Location:
    Redlands
    Name:
    David
    Current Bike:
    Don't fence me in!
    Thanks. For me it's not so much night rides, just afternoon rides that go into the dark. Finishing off before going home, or riding streets back home.
     
  20. Runs with Scissors

    Runs with Scissors iMTB Hooligan

    Location:
    West Anaheim
    Name:
    Mark Whitaker
    Current Bike:
    Giant XTC with pedals
    I have a NR Lumina 750. 3 brightness levels plus strobe feature.

    I"ve run it 3 consecutive days (6 commutes over an hour each) on mostly strobe with steady low on the riverbed. I particularly like the strobe because it's annoying as hell and therefore great on the road.

    Steady low power is supposed to be 6 hours or more. I've never had it go out on me.

    I may still get run over but they can't say they didn't know I was there.
     
  21. mtnbikej

    mtnbikej J-Zilla

    Location:
    Orange
    Name:
    J
    Current Bike:
    SC Chameleon SS, SC Hightower
    Yeah, I had a Ranger tell me they give a 15-20 grace period after sunset. But I find that if you don’t have a light, they are a bit more flexible. Show up blasting a light, they may not be as accepting.
     
  22. mtbMike

    mtbMike iMTB Rockstah

    Location:
    PRESCOTT!!!
    Name:
    Mike
    Current Bike:
    Ibis HD5, Ripley & Mojo 4
    Let me state up front that I recently bought "nice" bike lights this year because I wanted to get away from lights where I needed battery packs connected to my lights with cords. I bought an Exposure 'Diablo' ($241 from Europe) for my helmet which I love so far and a Cygolite 600 for my handlebars. It's throws out some light and lasts just fine at full power for out 90 minute'ish rides but it's nothing special. Then again it was only $60. I think I'm going to look for something brighter in the near future.

    However, the cheapo Chinese Magicshine and Magicshine copies/ripoff lights I bought 7-8 years ago are still going strong to this day and shine as bright as ever. The $50 handlebar light throws out 3 times the light as the modern Cygolite I just bought. The bad part the cables and battery packs. They are a PITA to deal with vs the new cordless stuff. For all I know, Magicshine may have some nice cordless stuff too. I should look into that when I get back from Cabo.
     
  23. Cyclotourist

    Cyclotourist iMTB Hooligan

    Location:
    Redlands
    Name:
    David
    Current Bike:
    Don't fence me in!
    Magicshine is a great name!
     
    mountaingirl sara, Redman and Faust29 like this.
  24. Faust29

    Faust29 Moderator

    Location:
    irgendwo
    Name:
    B. Bunny
    Current Bike:
    I gots some bikes.
    If you're not really worried about the light lasting for hours, one of the rechargeable units makes sense. I have two (one is in Oregon...) of the Cycle Torch Shark lights from Amazon. China Cheapies... They're a couple years old, but are still bright and hold a charge. For $39 it was worth it. Now that our Motorway loops are upwards of 3 hours in the dark, I use that one to climb. On low power it lasted the entire loop last night. :thumbsup:

    I turned on the Brighteyes 1600 for our jaunt across Main Divide and for the Motorway descent... @Sidewalk recommended Brighteyes awhile back, and I've been very happy with it. Running it on high on the kitchen counter gave somewhere in the neighborhood of 7 hours run time. More than enough... The battery pack has two velcro straps, and takes literally, less than a minute to secure to the top tube.
     
  25. doublewide

    doublewide iMTB Rockstah

    Name:
    Mark
    Current Bike:
    Santa Cruz Tallcan
    Did you get the Coon Hunting light, the Predator Hunting light or the Deer Tracking light??
     
  26. Cornholio

    Cornholio iMTB Rockstah

    Location:
    CA
    Name:
    B
    Current Bike:
    Huffy
    I have lights, I use them as flashlights most of the time but I swear I’m going night riding this year. Finally got several days lined up to ride so my legs will be back soon.

    Pretty sure I have a NR 900 and I also have a magicshine knockoff from Amazon. The $6 light I bought for Counting Coup is a decent emergency light too.
     
  27. Cyclotourist

    Cyclotourist iMTB Hooligan

    Location:
    Redlands
    Name:
    David
    Current Bike:
    Don't fence me in!
    Thanks! The 1600 is a good deal, but the 1200 is ridiculously cheap: https://www.amazon.com/d/B018U5Y0SE/
     
  28. Faust29

    Faust29 Moderator

    Location:
    irgendwo
    Name:
    B. Bunny
    Current Bike:
    I gots some bikes.
    It looks like the battery pack is different on that one. Mine is enclosed in a canvas pack, and has Velcro loop straps. Not a big difference...

    I may pick one up... one light is enough for Motorway, because I know it. If I were to venture elsewhere, I’d probably want two lights.
     
  29. mtbMike

    mtbMike iMTB Rockstah

    Location:
    PRESCOTT!!!
    Name:
    Mike
    Current Bike:
    Ibis HD5, Ripley & Mojo 4
    I know it's no big deal in China and I couldn't care less but that is a straight up blatant rip-off of the original Magicshine design. Keep in mind that in the past, some of these cheaper batteries have literally caught fire while charging and burned some kitchens down. Many people resorted to charging them in the garage while contained in an old school metal coffee can.

    All this talk reminded me that I need to charge my lights for ton lights ride.
     
  30. Cyclotourist

    Cyclotourist iMTB Hooligan

    Location:
    Redlands
    Name:
    David
    Current Bike:
    Don't fence me in!
    So it can keep you warm at night as well as providing light... win-win!
     
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As a former Amazon Associate I continue to get screwed trying to stay qualified as an Amazon Affiliate. So I quit!


Want to donate to imtbtrails?