Night riding a blast? I'm not convinced yet

Klaas Bil said:

Do I need better equipment, espscially brighter?
Can I improve on lamp placement, e.g. on the frame?
Do I need to get used to it?
Do I need to accept much lower 'dexterity' on the uni?

Klaas Bil - Newsgroup Addict

Yes, No, Maybe, Depends.

A brighter light definitely helps. I'd say if you're as blind as me- a
minimum 20W Halogen for non-technical MUni, and for
misty/shadowy/techincal stuff, you need 35W. A wide angle beam helps
too- no point trying to follow this bright dot in front of you- you
want to see everything.

It's not so much a case of having less dexterity, but being able to
adjust to the occasional unexpected bump. So stay relaxed, have your
seat slightly lower, and have your hands on the handle at all times.

--
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It's a while since I rode in the dark, but I used to enjoy it.

There are two approaches: make it light, or enjoy the experince of
riding in the dark.

The "make it light" approach would involve powerful halogen lights.
These would tend to wash out some of the detail o fthe ground ahead of
you, but at least you'd have a good general view of the hazards ahead.
People who do 24-hour races use this approach.

For me, the "enjoy the experience of riding in the dark" approach is
more fun. This involves a small LED head torch, and possibly a
hand-held Mini Maglite or similar. I ride more slowly, using my
limited illumination to warn me of major hazards, and relying on feel
and reflex to deal with minor bumps and changes in the surface. (A
good practice is to ride across uneven ground or deep grass with your
eyes shut. As long as there are no hazards you should be able to do
this for long distances at a steady speed.)

So, either try to treat night riding as just like daytime riding, in
which case get better lights, or treat it as a new experience, ride
more slowly, and enjoy the peace and solitude.

One of my nicest riding experiences: cruising back towards my parked
car along a country lane in the Vale of Belvoir, perched high on my
Coker, able to see over the hedges. To one side, the last dying rays
of the sun gilding the clouds on the horizon, to the other side, only
dark silhouettes, and around me, almost complete silence except for the
faint buzzing of the tyre on the tarmac.

--
Mikefule

dit dit diddle iddle dit dit... BANG! ow ow ow! that nasty
unincyclinge man has deaded me! naughty unincyclinge man!
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i've done a 24 hour mtn bike race on a muni. i zip tied 2 mini mag
lights to my helmet and held in my free arm a backpacking headlamp. all
this would have been fine for jogging through the woods, sadly it left
me with far too little detail to make good time on my night laps. you
need a really bright halogen based headlamp. i'd recommend spending at
least $200 if you plan on going offroad in the dark. i've ridden on a
fairly well lit college campus and had no problems not running any of
my own lights, but then again it's all smooth and pretty easy even it
isn't semi-dark.

--
markf

stuck in iowa and unemployed.
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I converted a D-Cell Maglite into a 12 volt 20 watt halogen helmet mount
for less than $50 total, including the price of the light. I
originally built it for my mountain bike. It throws a huge amount of
light out. On a dark back road i can nod my head and cars switch from
high to low beams. Hitting jumps on the trails was thrilling as all
getout.

With MUni speeds being slower I'd guess that modifying it to a 6 volt
10 watt setup may work ok and allow you to shave a few lbs. off the
battery weight.

'Here's the link' (http://www.trappersplace.com/maglite/) on how to do
it yourself and a pic. of the finished product. I use mini-bungee
straps to afix it to my center vent.

[image:
http://www.trappersplace.com/maglite/sideshot1.jpg]

--
Trapper
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"Mikefule" <[email hidden]> wrote in
message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

(A

Quoted message said:

good practice is to ride across uneven ground or deep grass with your
eyes shut. As long as there are no hazards you should be able to do
this for long distances at a steady speed.)

Now there is an interesting idea that I might just be daft enough to try. I
have managed grass at night without other than background light but to ride
completely blind is going to be quite a giant leap for me. Relying
completely on feel for balance. First dry night, local park, and get the
ambulance ready ;-)

Nao
--
The human race is a species that is so incredibly intelligent that it can
invent Gods to explain anything it does not understand. .

Trapper said:

I converted a D-Cell Maglite into a 12 volt 20 watt halogen helmet mount

Thanks for the link, I like that setup. Don't know when I would have
time to make something like it though. Question: doesn't it run too
hot?

I also liked Mikefule's approach of just riding in the dark. That's
sort of what I did already, except that I didn't bring the right
attitude to appreciate it. It's a mindset thing, and would cost no
additional money or time. Worth a second try.

Klaas Bil - Newsgroup Addict
--
"dit dit diddle diddle dit dit did-it, dit dit diddle diddle dit dit did-it, *dit* diddle dit dit *dit* diddle dit dit, diddle-diddle-diddle-diddle-dit dit diddle diddle dit dit did-it,... - Spudman"

Yeah, riding in the dark is a lot about using leg feel rather than your
eyes to take you over obstacles. You also can't choose pedal position
on obstacles. It's worth practicing things like riding over obstacles
in many different pedal positions if you can be bothered. The best
daytime practice for night riding though is to load up on sugar and
find a trail that you can ride, but only just, and ride it absolutely
as fast as you can pedal. Riding really fast uses similar skills of
feeling obstacles with your legs because you don't spot them.

I use a 12W halogen bulb for most riding, with a 20w for really tricky
stuff. This lets you ride super fast and ride proper trails at night,
but still isn't anywhere as near as daylight. Compared to your light,
it has a 4Ah battery pack, which is probably at least 4 times as much
as your AA batteries and the equivalent of 13 batteries and lasts just
under 4 hours on 12W.

Joe

--
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Fencers sometimes practise moves with their eyes closed. This trains
them to react to tiny changes of pressure on the blade as their
opponent prepares for an attack. Fencers also learn to react to the
feedback through their hands as they take control of an opponent's
blade with their own, and their opponent either pushes back or yields.
This is referred to as "sentiment de fer" which might translate nicely
if slightly inaccurately as "the feel of the steel".

In the same way, a unicyclist should respond to the "feel of the wheel"
- the information coming up through the uni through the various points
of contact: the pedals, the saddle, the inside of the thighs (if
standing up to pedal) and the front of the saddle/handle. Hold the
handle lightly - don't even grip it - and you will know what the wheel
is doing under you.

As with fencing, you use your eyes to see the big picture, and your
"sentiment" to deal with the small picture.

So, night riding, you can emphasise the small picture by riding slowly,
avoid big obstacles, and rely on the "feel of the wheel" to deal with
minor humps and bumps and changes in surface. It's fun, and it will
make you a better rider.

--
Mikefule

dit dit diddle iddle dit dit... BANG! ow ow ow! that nasty
unincyclinge man has deaded me! naughty unincyclinge man!
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