I like to separate the arms race of lumens and reflective area on my night rides. They are slower, tend to last longer if I'm not on a to-bed schedule for early wake up. Not so concerning after this weekend. I was at the dog park with my pup and before I really took note of the sunset. 64° was headed for the 40°s under the clear skies and I was in shorts, T-shirt and a shell.
I've reported on night rides around here before, where there are definitely two cultures of dark riding. One that starts around the corner from my house has been more of a Dirty Dozen Bike Race <https://youtu.be/Mb6KnHV7Tqc> training ride and has been running three sadomasochistic hours and thirty miles weekly. The other began with my friend and me after the regular riding season meeting at that coffee shop ended in October. We meander, we invite new to the dark riders, we go places the high tempo riders skip for better paces and miles while they train for the Dirty Dozen bike Race originated by ultra rider Danny Chew. They all tend to be on their road racing bikes with battery lights. I have evolved (over 25? years) to dyno hubs, wired LED head and taillights, carrying a rechargeable set to back others up in case of a fail. Don't like phantom bikes around me unless we're clustering around a rider who's batteries died. A few of us continue into the bad weather, be it wet or cold. It adds to the challenging character of night riding. Headlights redefine a place you ride in the daylight, focussing on what's important and redefining all else. I like to include photo stops, curious passageways, local sights and surprising connections. Food and drink often involved. Too hard for new initiates to dark riding to grasp the fast cool of darkness mentioned by Denis in NC and adequately provide for full spectrum physical output so we try not to get too sweat soaked at any point although everyone's experience (effort/perspiration) will vary on any given hill so accommodation is my byword. I like to have a big enough bag on my bike to carry extra layers ("normalizing" items for a restaurant) and a lock for stops. I commute year round and my days begin and end with my rides before sunrise and after sunset for all but about three months and a week or so of the year. I pedal each leg allowing myself to be amazed and let some wonderment into my head. One neighborhood on my route has made quite a resurgence in the fifteen years I've been pedaling through it. Businesses have anchored, people have reason to be there and a core of artisans have been promoting a "First Fridays" evening sidewalk festival for years now with businesses open sidestreets marketplaces sprouted for the night adding to the resident restaurants, coffee shops, a tea house and microbrewery. Takes all the stress from work out of my head or clears it to begin another day. >From rides past: Tuesday Night Ride <https://photos.app.goo.gl/DouQYdAJaD4zs14c7> Another Tuesday Night Ride <https://goo.gl/photos/9okrqUcHNFjbav3v7> Tuesday Night "Dark Roast" Ride <https://goo.gl/photos/fAUubQnPP6xCMZCc9> Burritos and Bikes Night Ride <https://photos.app.goo.gl/BWDuBPNrr78aa1ox6> Andy Cheatham Pittsburgh On Monday, November 8, 2021 at 6:57:10 PM UTC-5 Adam wrote: > I tried to post this yesterday, but it doesn't seem to have popped up. > > It's the time of year for riding at night. (??) I'd like to hear other > folks' strategies and recommendations for fun rides at night. > > My rides at night have mostly been 15-20 mile road rides, fairly fast. The > main problem I've had is relaxing, especially at higher speeds with the > reduced visibility. I've been curious about trail riding but haven't tried > it. > > thoughts? I'm not buying dynamos right now, but have adequate lights, > backups, vest, etc. I'm mostly looking for ride ideas, things not to do, > things that are more fun than they sound, etc. > > Thanks > > Adam > > > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/396098be-f8d9-4608-ba05-db27f9014141n%40googlegroups.com.
