Things i like about riding at night....(join in)



Mr. Beanz

Well-Known Member
Aug 18, 2015
2,372
1,693
113
1) I have shorts with a good comfy chamois that seemed to wear thin before the chamois life was up. I can wear these shorts at night since I wear tights over them so nobody has to see my crack ha ha! More use out of a pair of shorts that would otherwise be tossed in the trash if I only rode in daylight.



2) Air is crisp, cool, and refreshing!



3) I feel like I am well seen by drivers having 2 rear blinkies (one on helmet, one on seatpost), 2 headlights, and tri color ankle bands that I think really help as far as being seen from the side.



4) I can tell when cars are coming up behind me. Kind of a comfortable feeling knowing how far they are behind you judging them by their lights.



5) Low traffic once above Baseline. Traffic really thins out and there are only very few traveling the road at night.



6) Very quiet. Only one or two people at the parks vs 50 screaming kids when it's daylight ha ha!



7) Flying down Euclid at 30 MPH, cars see my bright lights and actually wait for long periods of time to let me pass. Not sure if they have a hard time judging just how far I am and my speed, maybe not knowing what kind of vehicle is approaching, they seem to wait for me to go by. I always wave as a thank you. Versus the day time drivers that see you coming but figure they can beat you crossing before you arrive. I think the lights throw them off so they wait longer which is a big plus for my safety.



8) For my own entertainment, I like to mess with the heads of the people walking on the sidewalks ha ha! In some areas it is very dark and because it is quiet, I don't think most of the walkers out there hear of expect me as I come up behind them. So when I see one, I like to sway my handlebars so that my lights sway back and forth across their backs. They seem to get very uneasy as if they think someone is running up behind them with a light. Some seem to tense up like they're expecting to get whacked with a stick or something ha ha! I think they're relieved to discover it's just a bike coming up behind them. I did it once on accident and saw the reaction so now I do it on purpose just to mess with their heads ha ha! Just a little something to get my head off the climbing he he he!

9) Because I ride up into the foothills, there are plenty of mansions and huge houses with some nice setups. I can see inside some of the big windows and wow, sweet homes. Nice views on night rides. Reminds me of how poor I really am though ha ha!
 
  • Like
Reactions: tdcadillac
LOL, that first paragraph was funny.

Odd that your shorts wear out before the padding does, for over 40 years I've been riding and countless shorts the padding has always wore out before the shorts were worn through...unless I crashed and scrapped the fabric all up of course. The padding is a lot like tennis shoe padding, it eventually becomes compressed and no longer is able to function as padding and thus and no longer is effective and has to be tossed unless you want to keep it for short rides.

All the reasons you mentioned for riding at night is the same reasons I like riding at night.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Mr. Beanz
The worn shorts is odd. I have several others that wear as you mention, chamois first. Not sure what happened to these Pearl Izumi shorts. Had a quarter size thin spot right on the crack one morning. A week later it was the size of a baseball. :-O
 
The worn shorts is odd. I have several others that wear as you mention, chamois first. Not sure what happened to these Pearl Izumi shorts. Had a quarter size thin spot right on the crack one morning. A week later it was the size of a baseball. :-O

I'm thinking you probably caught the fabric on the nose of your saddle and it weakened the fabric so that over time as you wore it it simply got worse till one day there was a hole.

There is another option but for the sake of decency I won't mention it...ekk!! just kidding of course.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Mr. Beanz
I'm thinking you probably caught the fabric on the nose of your saddle and it weakened the fabric so that over time as you wore it it simply got worse till one day there was a hole.

There is another option but for the sake of decency I won't mention it...ekk!! just kidding of course.

I noticed that today. Mike asked if I had just gotten new shorts. Yes, 3 pair!

As I was remounting my bike, I felt the nose poke me right at the point where my other shorts started to wear. Now I know I have to make a conscious effort to go over and above the saddle. Getting poked in the ass can be expensive! :D
 
I noticed that today. Mike asked if I had just gotten new shorts. Yes, 3 pair!

As I was remounting my bike, I felt the nose poke me right at the point where my other shorts started to wear. Now I know I have to make a conscious effort to go over and above the saddle. Getting poked in the ass can be expensive! :D

LOL, yes and you should probably stay away from that kind of thing that could cause that kind of expense!

You should be leaning the bike over so you can mount it easier then left your self up and onto the saddle by using putting a foot onto a pedal. The other possiblity too is that the shorts don't quite fit right, if they're too large in the wrong area they will bag there and lead to getting caught on the nose of the saddle as you try to mount, this could be due to the wrong size of a short that isn't really made real well for your anatomy. Anyway, just make a conscious effort to not to that.
 
1) I have shorts with a good comfy chamois that seemed to wear thin before the chamois life was up. I can wear these shorts at night since I wear tights over them so nobody has to see my crack ha ha! More use out of a pair of shorts that would otherwise be tossed in the trash if I only rode in daylight.



2) Air is crisp, cool, and refreshing!



3) I feel like I am well seen by drivers having 2 rear blinkies (one on helmet, one on seatpost), 2 headlights, and tri color ankle bands that I think really help as far as being seen from the side.



4) I can tell when cars are coming up behind me. Kind of a comfortable feeling knowing how far they are behind you judging them by their lights.



5) Low traffic once above Baseline. Traffic really thins out and there are only very few traveling the road at night.



6) Very quiet. Only one or two people at the parks vs 50 screaming kids when it's daylight ha ha!



7) Flying down Euclid at 30 MPH, cars see my bright lights and actually wait for long periods of time to let me pass. Not sure if they have a hard time judging just how far I am and my speed, maybe not knowing what kind of vehicle is approaching, they seem to wait for me to go by. I always wave as a thank you. Versus the day time drivers that see you coming but figure they can beat you crossing before you arrive. I think the lights throw them off so they wait longer which is a big plus for my safety.



8) For my own entertainment, I like to mess with the heads of the people walking on the sidewalks ha ha! In some areas it is very dark and because it is quiet, I don't think most of the walkers out there hear of expect me as I come up behind them. So when I see one, I like to sway my handlebars so that my lights sway back and forth across their backs. They seem to get very uneasy as if they think someone is running up behind them with a light. Some seem to tense up like they're expecting to get whacked with a stick or something ha ha! I think they're relieved to discover it's just a bike coming up behind them. I did it once on accident and saw the reaction so now I do it on purpose just to mess with their heads ha ha! Just a little something to get my head off the climbing he he he!

9) Because I ride up into the foothills, there are plenty of mansions and huge houses with some nice setups. I can see inside some of the big windows and wow, sweet homes. Nice views on night rides. Reminds me of how poor I really am though ha ha!

1) They aren't seeing your crack because the shorts are see-through.

2) Not for the man behind you in the paceline.

3) Big trucks and SUV's give you plenty of room but the jackass behind them is weaving from side to side to see around them.

4) You can tell they are coming but you can't tell how many and if you have to make a left turn you can bet that the line will be a half mile long.

5) You sure as hell don't like in the San Francisco bay area. Speeders talking on cell phones bumper to bumper 24 hours a day.

6) There are no screaming kids in the parks here. They are all screaming drug addicts crying for another fix.

7) As I'm crossing a street with a green light a person will come flying up to the intersection and make a right turn in front of me without even slowing up. I'll have to slam on the brakes to miss running into the giant SUV. In front of a cop who will have no reaction.

8) The night-time pedestrians here are probably packing. You don't want to upset them.

9) You don't want to ride in the rich areas here. Nighttime is when the criminals come out and attempt to highjack anyone in those areas.
 
Riding at night is one of my favorite past time hobbies. It's so freeing being out there alone. Sometimes you see people walking and you realize that there's a different world for people who stay up at night. It's also cold and refreshing.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Mr. Beanz
What I like the most about riding a bike at night is that there are less vehicles and people in the street. It is very quiet to the point where it is as if you are free to ride anywhere, go everywhere. You don't have to share your way with other cars and the wind during at night calms my soul.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Mr. Beanz
I really hate humid and at night it's less humid, well in our country. I love feeling the cool breeze touching my skin while I'm riding. I love how it is dark and silent. It calms me every time. Because I don't get to see those loud wannabe gangsters staring at me and judging me. Now, this is weird but I also the feeling of my adrenaline rushing through my veins whenever I feel like someone is following me when I'm biking at night.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Mr. Beanz
What I like riding in the night are the girls who are also riding in the night and offcourse the bars which opens only at night.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Mr. Beanz
There is a difference here in the sense that I ride early hours of the morning and feel okay with that. The night here is always busy coupled with the fact that the road is not that smooth, so I prefer to ride in the morning.

Reading the way you made your points on why you ride in the night, I would have taken such decision, if I was to be in your shoe as well, but for some circumstances, I wouldn't take that option while in my country.
 
Yeah, the cold weather during the night is enough of a plus for me, but nowadays most of my friends are also more available at night so it's a much better experience biking with other people you know.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Mr. Beanz
I like riding at night for a fact that there's less traffic. The atmosphere is calm and quiet. There is less noise and more of a relaxation. It's a better way to create inner peace which calms the soul.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Mr. Beanz
I think for me less pollution, traffic, and It's cold. The only problem for me are dogs. there're so many dogs in the street, some irresponsible owners allowed them to run freely at night.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Mr. Beanz