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NorCal Night Riding Thread

3K views 48 replies 25 participants last post by  5k bike 50cent legs 
#1 · (Edited)
Planning to do a fair amount of night riding this fall/winter/spring. I love being in the woods at night, it's one of the things I miss most about hunting, being alone with my thoughts under the moonlight. Let's hear about your set up for night riding, where you ride (if legal), and general advice.

I'm going to upgrade my lights based on recommendations here and will post my final set up after.
 
#3 ·
Not many places in my neck of the woods to legally ride after sunset unfortunately. Only place legal (until 10:00PM) within “reasonable” driving distance is Pleasanton Ridge… but you have to keep your eyes peeled for the countless cows and skunks when bombing through there. The lighting setup I’ve used (haven’t ridden there since December 2016) is a cheapass Chinese made Magicshine clone (“clone” as in, will surely fail in time, as already has the included rechargeable battery pack). Seeing as I have made my own lights before, I’d estimate the lumenous output on this light on high to be over 1,000 lumens, but the beam pattern ain’t the greatest, but not bad for $25.00.
 
#4 ·
One handle bar light and at least one other light on the helmet.

The brighter you are, the more enjoyable your night ride experience.

Since they close mission peak after dark, i loss the last logical and easily reachable night spot. Ohlone side might still be open, need to confirm.
 
#6 ·
I'm going to start night riding soon too. There is a cool 21 mile out and back trail along a river (Tuolumne) than runs though my city (Modesto). Apparently part of the trail runs though a homeless camp, but I figure that will be a good spot for sprinting intervals, LOL! There's a group that rides every Tuesday around 6:30 PM.

Anyway, I'm told you need a wide angle bar light (~1500-2000 lumens) and a helmet spot light (~800-1000 lumens) if you're going to ride technical trails at speed.
 
#12 ·
Not you're typical setup but it meets my needs on many levels. Shutter Precision PD-8x dynamo disc through axle hub. Sinewave Beacon, 800 lumens with pass through USB charging for phones, cache batteries and such. Exposure Joystick with piggy back battery for helmet. I can ride as long as I want to, all night if needed and in the day charge the Joystick and back up battery for the next night.

The Beacon will also use a cutoff battery, which means you can use a cache battery and it will remain at full lumens even when you dip below 3 mph using the battery and then go back to full lumens and recharging the pass through battery when you get to about 7 mph. There is nothing you cant do with this setup, day or night. It's actually the same weight, if not less, than a comparable traditional lighting setup. Not even close price wise though.......
 
#13 ·
Not you're typical setup but it meets my needs on many levels. Shutter Precision PD-8x dynamo disc through axle hub. Sinewave Beacon, 800 lumens with pass through USB charging for phones, cache batteries and such. Exposure Joystick with piggy back battery for helmet. I can ride as long as I want to, all night if needed and in the day charge the Joystick and back up battery for the next night.

The Beacon will also use a cutoff battery, which means you can use a cache battery and it will remain at full lumens even when you dip below 3 mph using the battery and then go back to full lumens and recharging the pass through battery when you get to about 7 mph. There is nothing you cant do with this setup, day or night. It's actually the same weight, if not less, than a comparable traditional lighting setup. Not even close price wise though.......
This seems like the self-supported expedition setup to have.
 
#14 ·
You probably should have listed the places it is acutally legal to ride at night. I know Coe allows it, but I'm ain't going there alone at night. I see enough critters during the day there.
 
#15 ·
Night riding:

1. Lights: I have a bunch of Nightriders. One on the helmet, one on the bars is the normal approach. I haven’t tried two on the bars but that might be even better. An added benefit of multiple light sources is it adds depth to what you see. With only one light it’s harder to tell how big the rocks are.

2. Clear lenses for the glasses.

3. If you ride alone, always give someone your specific ride plan and stick to it. Group rides are obviously preferred.

4. China camp backside and EBRPD parks are good at night.

5. Watch out for skunks. For some reason they like to run along the trails and it can take a bit of gentle encouragement before they finally get out of the way. Around dusk, deer are a serious hazard. I’ve been buzzed and nearly hit by deer running straight downhill. They also tend to freeze in headlights (duh) and won’t leave until you yell.


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#31 ·
Night riding:

3. If you ride alone, always give someone your specific ride plan and stick to it. Group rides are obviously preferred.

5. Watch out for skunks. For some reason they like to run along the trails and it can take a bit of gentle encouragement before they finally get out of the way. Around dusk, deer are a serious hazard.
Great reminders!

Anyone in the 95018 area need a copilot, send a PM.
 
#21 ·
I feel faster in the dark. It's easier for me to stay focused at speed when I can only see what I need to.
Running a NR pro 1800 on the bars. Great light. I've had it for a number of years and it's always worked perfectly. Really good battery, cable, connectors, and head unit. Totally rainproof as well. The only thing I wish it had is a remote. I get going sometimes and forget to put it on high. Gotta slow way down to take a hand off the bar and press the button.
 
#22 ·
Lots of great info in the lights and night riding forum. I run a pair of Gloworm XS lights, on the bars with wide-spot-wide optics and the helmet with all spot, about 5000 lumens combined. The gloworms are nice because you can change out (like many others)the optics. They are both controlled via remotes (bluetooth for the helmet and wired for the bar) I usually run at a low setting and can quickly make it day when approaching areas where the 2-legged mammals are lurking. I have changed to a "neutral white" temp on the lights. I like what it does for my night vision better. I did own some Gemini lights, but had problems with them overheating and auto-dimming up here in extreme n.cal where it can be 95 at 10 at night(but that shouldn't be a problem in the winter) If you can, do spring for the remotes, its really nice.
 
#23 ·
I had an expensive NightRider for years but last year I got this in my stocking for Christmas and for under $20, I'll never go back. If you were riding on a multi day expedition in Wet conditions, you need a nice light. If you're riding for an hour in the Bay Area, then these are awesome. The light lasts about 2-3 hours on full power, plenty of time. I actually got a second one and wear one on my helmet and one on my handlebars. You can buy 10 of them if they break and still be half of a Nightrider light.

I normally get up early and ride up the hill at 5:30AM in the dark, watch the sunrise at the top and come down. Little kids at home, gotta ride when i can.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B008KXDO8Y/ref=sspa_dk_detail_0?psc=1&pd_rd_i=B008KXDO8Y
 

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#24 ·
You can ride in Marin Headlands at night. Start at Tennessee Valley Trailhead w/ 3 different trails to start your loop. Lots of climbing and descents with great views overlooking the Golden Gate Bridge if there's no fog. I ride at night there a few times a month year round. Not technical at all, mostly fire roads, but great to get a ride in at night....plus long climbs are so much easier in the dark. A bit of Singletrack climbing Green Gulch, or out Coastal Trail to GG bidge

Lights I use are Light & Motion Seca 2500 as headlamp, Niterider Pro 1500 on bars..an inexpensive but great alternative is the Bright Eyes 1600....$50 on amazon and almost as bright as the niterider.
 
#27 ·
In the South Bay and Peninsula, night riding is 99% ILLEGAL. And Midpen will hunt you down with $400 fines.

It is one of the greatest crimes against mountain bikers.

I have all my spots to ride. East Bay and Henry Coe are not really doable after work with all this traffic and time constraints. Most of us just want to pedal for an hour.

One is treated like a criminal and it gets old after a while.
 
#28 ·
In the South Bay and Peninsula, night riding is 99% ILLEGAL. And Midpen will hunt you down with $400 fines.

It is one of the greatest crimes against mountain bikers.

I have all my spots to ride. East Bay and Henry Coe are not really doable after work with all this traffic and time constraints. Most of us just want to pedal for an hour.

One is treated like a criminal and it gets old after a while.
Agreed. Since when is being in the woods at night a crime?
 
#33 ·
I prefer minimalist lights on the helmet to keep any extra strain due to weight off my neck and shoulders. I find it beneficial as well to have the majority of light emitted from the bar mounted light(s), as the trail texture/shadows are more visible than if relying solely on the helmet light. The Gemini Xera has been great thus far on rides that have been as long as 2 hours. I use it with the extra cable, so that I can keep the battery in my hip pack side pocket.

I have more lumen coming from the Serfas True 1400(?) mounted to the bar. I'll occasionally run both lamps on high when descending, but most often they're on low settings.

Of course when possible, I turn them all off and take a moment to look at the sky.

Nature Sun Atmosphere Astronomical object Atmospheric phenomenon
 
#46 ·
There are a lot of homeless in those woods. Although I see them often during the day, they never bother riders and are actually quite courteous, as well. Never seen them walking the trail at night. Just the random other rider from time time. Having said that, it's usually not a great idea to ride anywhere at night by yourself.
 
#43 ·
I love riding at night. Sadly it's been a couple of years since I've been out. My nephew and I used to go every Tuesday.
I use an Exposure reflex mk2 on the bars and a Diablo mk4 on my helmet. Awesome combination and no wires!
Just FYI, you might want to charge and "use" those lights periodically to keep the batteries fresh. I know my NiteRider light's manual says to top off the batteries once a month if they aren't being used.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
#47 ·
Did my first night ride last night on a river side trail in my town. It was actually pretty fun, but I admit the moving shadows scared the sh!!t out of me a few times.

After a while, I began to realize it probably isn't that smart to night ride alone.
 
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