[Closed] Night rides solo - do you lose the fear with time?

🙄

Just remember, the lunatic axeman won't be able to get you if you don't drop below 20mph. His mate 'Big Buggering Barry' might be able to knock you off though. Remember, wear many layers - this will delay the inevitable penetration.

Can I be the first?

MTFU!

No. THEY will get you at some point. You have been warned.

MTFU!

I've only ever ridden at night solo, it's brilliant.

It's so irrational. Who the heck is going to be about at night in the cold and rain waiting for you.
It's just like daytime only not as bright.
Nothing wrong with solo nightrides, and chances are you'll see other bikers anyway.

When I take the dog up the woods it used to be quite eerie, now I have fun with the black lab scaring the mountain bikers i quite enjoy the nightime walks.

Last week two of us were on a ride in the middle of the woods when I took a corner to be met by 2 huge 'F Off' Dobermans. Fair near cacked myself! Luckily the owner was there and the dogs & owner were all really nice. Have no idea how he was finding his way round though - pitch black without the lights in there and he didn't even have a torch

Just remember, there's nothing out in the woods at night that's not there in the daytime.

(Although at night it's awake... and it's hungry.)

😉

In the woods you are the deadliest predator, on the road its a valium addled housewive in a Rav 4.

I've seen more riders on my off road commute home since the clocks went back than before. Dark is the new light.

If thers more than one of you out at night...thats considered to be dogging, not riding. Solo is the only way (especially if you have no friends!

Nope, just when you think you're comfortable with it something happens to scare you witless.

My most recent example was seeing 2 red lights in the distance which [i]appeared[/i] to illuminate a fellow biker. Carrying on down the trail the lights seemed to stay the same distance away from me regardless, very odd, so I decided on a different route.

Only when driving home did I realise it would have been the radio tower in Swinley.....oops.

PS almost forgot, all part of the fun though 🙂

You get over it

Some people are frightened of the dark and others aren't.

In the daytime riding in the woods, you can't see about 510000000 KM^2 of the earth's surface. At night time, you can't see about 510000000.001 KM^2. That's um, about 2e-12 change in what you can't see. -Does that help?

Climbing up onto the moors in the middle of nowhere, at night, in fog.
Reach a gate, open it and go through, carry on riding for a couple of hundred metres.

Hear the gate open again.....

I have never been so scared in all my life. I reckon I broke a few world records caning it back to civilization.

put on some tunes

man up mate. its the uk. the scariest thing you'll meet is doggers.

lol @ Samuri

Stay on the path. Whatever you do.

[img] [/img]

I night ride at least once a week and almost exclusively alone. And, "Yes", I do very-very-very occassionaly get that irrational feeling that makes you pedal extra fast to get away from the spellhound that is not, and never was, there.

In truth you will almost certainly be the most dangerous creature out in the woods at that time of night.

...................the only real danger is our own stupidity, so take it a little easier and you should be ok.

Badger interfaces are quite common, because they are not the most perceptive or fearful of creatures so they don't bother doing anything to evade you until the last minute. But as long as you are leaving yourself that extra per cent safety margin you should be alright.

It is also makes good sense to restrict night riding to trails you know.

There are some odd things out there at odd times though...........

Pretty much the responses I expected. That's it then, I'm going to MTFU just to spite you. I may well take my mastiff with me for moral support.

New thread - what is the best head torch mount for a Neo mastiff x American bulldog?

I wouldn't be afraid of rabid dogs and madmen, but I will pass on this story of my mate's solo night ride up Cwmcarn a couple of days ago...
Took his single speed up for the first time, and had trouble with the chain coming off on the steeper bits, so after hitting his balls on the stem for the 3rd time, he took to the road. Back on the track (after the concrete slope) his chain gets caught up and completely wedged between the front sprocket and the frame, and wont budge. So, he abandons ride, gets back to the road and free wheels down. Going pretty fast, decides his light should be on full, instead of low, so cycles the switch though flashing, then off, then... shit it won't come back on again! Pitch black, going about 25mph, panics, slams on the front brake with one hand in the bars, and goes straight over the front wheel. Returns to the car battered and bruised. Moral of the story, apart from don't be a tit and slam your front break on with one hand, is solo night riding can be hazardous if things go wrong!

I suggest you watch this ...

[img] [/img]

Best Head mount for Neo masiff x American Bulldog 😯 A Bolt Gun tro the head, sounds like an utterly dangourous and unpredictable dog to be out running around the woods at night.

I also find I start imagining things if I go night riding on my own and I get a very strange feeling as I enter the woods and darkness encloses me.

However thats why I like it ! Bit like combining the best bits of going to a scary movie + riding !

The only advice I can give you is go to a man made forest like Swinley. Theres something about the regularity of the trees and the straight lines of the fireroads that means I dont feel scared there.

Its only in really natural spooky forests I get the feeling also maybe do a few night rides in the summer at some point. Again if its very hot you tend to feel more brave.

510000000 KM^2

[pedantic]
whats a Kelvin Mega Squared?
[/pedantic]

put on some tunes

Yea, just make sure you'r ipod doesn't contain any silver bullet before you put it on shuffle!

I was once chased by a large pack of angry wolves on a foggy night ride. I was doing about 300rpm on my singlespeed to get away.

-When I came to a dead-end and was forced to turn around I discovered that they were actually 3 Jack Russells.

The route I'm planning is quite familiar, but it is tight twisty singletrack where the correct way isn't always clear.

On a serious note how good are dogs eye sight at night? I don't want my poor pooch walking into anything.

The scariest thing I have heard is a load of rutting stags in the middle of the forest in Sweden.

neo x ab? pics

your dog will have no problems seeing in the dark (or protecting you from the squirrels)

i turned up at glentress once and did the usual red/blue route on my tod as was let down by some mates....very scary in bits! it was also windy which didnt help the strange noises..

got a right scare the other week when a young deer jumped out on my commute home(country lanes) he ran in front of me for about 100 meters not sure where to go..probaably scared of the wolves...

I was lucky enough to meet a man lying down in the dark in camouflage gear beside his staffie one night in the woods. Took careful note of his reg for future reference - there was only one car in the car park...
It's good fun. And the more powerful your lights, the less powerful the heebie-jeebies.

I've always fancied opting out of a group night ride one week and going to the woods where my mates will be riding. I reckon a few well positioned nooses, strange stick arrangements, lights and me in a wolf mask would be brilliant.

🙂

NOT being alone on a night ride would take all the fun away imo. Charge your phone, charge your light, bring all the spares and tools you'll need and above all MTFU 😀

Nothing compares to making it home from a good night ride, makes you feel so alive!

btw - Snowy night rides don't count - too much light

What fear?

That's exactly what I was going to say Goan. I find it very hard to believe there are grown adults scared of the dark. Wet lettuces.

Kev

My lights went one night while riding Llandegla. I was bringing up the rear (as per) on the last section in the woods. It was so dark I couldn't see my feet. I stood there for what seemed like an eternity (probably 5 minutes) waiting for the lads to realise that I was missing and come and get me.

While waiting, I was listening to the rustling trees and literally bricking it!!!! All I could think about was the Blair Witch.

Lesson: If your riding on your own, take some back up lights

No. THEY will get you at some point. You have been warned.

What Peter means is that [b]he[/b] will get you 🙁 Think Pulp Fiction...

Solo night riding is fun and letting your imagination run wild is all part of that fun.
The one drawback for me is that it is a dangerous sport and if you have a big off with no one to help you then you could be lying there all night waiting for help (or bleeding to death of course!). When i crashed and broke my collarbone and dislocated my elbow i would have struggled to get my phone out my pack as it was hugely painful and i was down to one arm - luckily i crashed in front of a laughing couple instead. They stopped laughing when they noticed my elbow sticking up through my forearm!!! It'd be best to let someone know where you are riding and roughly what time you'll be back so they can raise the alarm if you don't show up.

Sapcemonkey, I watched dog soldiers. I though it was good. The next day day though my 2 friends had left me behind in the dark and a dog started barking the other side of the hedge and I just heard it running through the leaves. I was expecting an owner's voice to shout out but it didn't, so I did get out of the saddle for a extra spurt, half expecting some sharp teeth in my ankle. It did make my heart beat a bit faster I can tell you :oops:. Turns out it was a guard dog for some stables. Scariest thing now are suicidal rabits ut the odd barn owl flying inches past your head does make you jump. 😆

What fear?

Without wishing to appear excessively testosterone ridden like Goan here, I'm never really had an issue with riding in the dark either. Just becuase the big light in the sky isn't about, dosn't change owt else. Nice to see the badgers out though.

I do think it is rather amusing to hear that you've gone out in the woods [i]with a light[/i] and you're still scared! Mind you, I did grow up walking through the woods as a means of getting from A to B - and still do. No torches for me. But I do know where I'm going though.

I regularly ride solo at night and it sh*ts me up almost everytime. Sometimes it might be for a minute or so if I see or hear something strange, other times I could spend the entire ride - 1 or 2 hours - bricking it. But its all good fun and when you get in to work next day and sit in front of that computer you know why you do it.

Definitely take back-up lights, phone and let someone know where you are going.

Weirdest thing I've seen is being on the south downs at around 11pm and seeing a silhouette of a man coming up the trail towards me. As I got near him he turned away and hid his face. I have never ridden so fast in my life.

The strangest thing I heard from some mates is when they were in Stanmer Park and came round a corner to find a guy in a ninja outfit standing in the middle of the trail. He jumped out the way and then ran next to them down the trail and then disappeared.

Don't stop being afraid... that's when [i]they [/i]get you. 😉

You were riding at night, presumably with a silly bright mtb light, and some poor person shielded their eyes when they got near you. Hmm. I wonder why they did that?

Could it be that they preferred shielding their eyes to losing their night vision for the next 15 minutes?

it's the occaisional reported sightings of large black cats (i.e panther) in the Downs that always get my mind wandering.

pic's of the doggers please 🙄

It's when you ride down deliverance and hear banjoes at the bottom that you need to start to worry. How are you at squealing like a hog boy?

spend a couple of nights riding in the company of muntjacs with a badly wounded hare in your camelbak, that should toughen you up a bit.

My commute involves around 12 miles of riding across a moor in the pitch black. I was a wee bit freaked out the first few times but really enjoy the darkness now.

I always have my ipod in so can't hear rustling in the undergrowth anyway.

Although last week something touched my right shoulder which made my heart race a bit. I have no idea what it could have been but something touched me in the darkness.

glenp - i probably didn't explain myself very well but the covering of the face was different to the standard shielding the eyes. Hard to explain but felt weird. Seen plenty of walkers cover their eyes but this was different. Spooked me anyway.

Plus of course you're miles from anywhere at 11pm at night in total darkness.

To all those scoffing at the idea of being "scared", firstly it's relative, I don't think any of us are saying we're genuinely in fear of our lives. On edge is probably a better description.

I tend to night ride in Swinley Forest, which is near Bracknell......now if you've seen the general popoulation of Bracknell you'd understand why the odd noise / experience here and there can be slightly disconcerting!

Like most on here I get freaked occasionally but there's usually an explanation, and then once your skin stops prickling with the adrenaline you can laugh on it.

I got big freaked one time though. Was riding through a dense forested area after a wet spell, with standing water on the ground, and the lights reflected off the puddle at the perfect angle to just catch and light a bit of low wispy mist hanging under the overhanging branches. And I could have sworn it was a proper phantom, like the ones at the end of Indiana Jones.

About ten years ago I was riding through some scrub land at about 00.30 on my commute home. It was midwinter and -5C. The nearest house was about two miles away. I came round a tight corner to find this little old man in the centre of the path. He was wearing a cap and an old tweed suit. It was "oh shit have I just gone through a time warp" type clothing. He looked as surprised as me and we exchanged greetings. I asked him if he was ok and he politely said he was fine, then he walked off purposefully into the darkness.

It is good to wonder why sometimes?

Another time on an early commute into work I found fresh human footprints in the fresh fall of snow that had only just started. It was on the same ridge of hills but a few miles west and a mile or so from any house. At 04.30? What was that all about?

The fear is with me until I get through the first bit of woodland single track on my regular night loop, once it’s out of the way and I’ve not been bludgeoned to death by a nutter I think it’s OK to unwind…

I did have an Owl fly through my light beam the other day, now that scared the shit out of me….

A funny thing the dark.... I have no problems riding through any of the local woods/moors at night....except for Esholt Woods. For some reason I'm always on the edge of sprinting from something. Not a clue what or why but it never changes.

Matthew

I made an effort to overcome fear of the dark indoors when I was 14. And I've done some gentle night-time hill walking and loved it. But I set off riding and everything is cool until there is some slight unexpected noise and panic immediately kicks-in.

There's a ruined lodge in the Mendip Lodge woods that has a partially collapsed basement that you can easily crawl into (and we do). On one outing I suggested my burly, macho mate crawl in there. He approached the black hole with his torch but suddenly got gripped and couldn't do it.

It's feels like something primal, something about the darkness and the woods closing in...

They're coppicing our local woods at the moment. Freaked me out the first time I saw strange lights in the woods, and then found that they were charcoal fires burning. Still find them quite eerie though.

Weirdest experience was a few weeks back. Came caning around a blind corner and had to slam on the anchors as a tramp (complete with manky dog on string) had set up camp in the middle of the trail. He had a little fire and a brew on and everything. He looked like he'd been on the mushrooms so think I scared him more than he scared me. Wished him a cheery good evening and sped on my way.

Ride alone in the woods a couple of evenings a week and have never been spooked. Not because I'm super brave, it's just I never really thought about it. Didn't realise there might be wierd stuff out there. So - thanks for that. Not looking forward to my ride tonight as much as usual...

Sorry....another weird thing I've noticed lately is that there still seem to be loads of bats around. Isn't it a bit late in the year for them to be flitting around?

Not for vampire bats from Transylvania.....

I suppose alot depend's on where you grew up, i have lived in a rural area all my life so the dark doesn't bother me but if you grew up in a city your out your comfort zone a little and the mind may wander? I enjoy night riding on my tod, last week i switched my light's off just to see how quickly my eye's adjusted and after around 5 minute's all was well but even up here you do see some odd stuff.... 😯 😆

These folk that get scared in the dark - have you ever wild-camped?

These folk that get scared in the dark - have you ever wild-camped?

A lot, which is maybe why I don't get too scared in the woods. Used to work as a forest ranger and teach wild camping/bushcraft, so I kind of like the woods. I've still had the occasional [i]'what the fuggin ell was that'[/i] moment, which can be a little nerve wrecking when you know most of the sounds the woods [i]should[/i] make at night.

"These folk that get scared in the dark - have you ever wild-camped?"

Yeah up in the Highlands, Lakes and Snowdonia some years back - absolutely love it. Not in the woods though.

Something about Winter Hill near Rivi that sometimes gets to me. I particularly remember getting the heebie jeebie's big time on the moor. Fog was down, difficult to see through the beam of the light and I got a puncture. Whilst fixing it, I would put money on hearing voices spilling over the moor from a direction where no path is. Not an ordinary conversation either, just random shouts. If I'm honest is scared the bejesus out of me to the point of abandoning the ride and getting of the hill as quick as possible.

Samuri... love that story. I;d shit myself in that situation too.

oh, and about 3 weeks ago, came across a nutter on the mast road on winter hill, just behind 2 lads. He was just stood at the side of the road in ordinary street clothes, as soon as my beam caught him, he raised a phone to his ear and started screaming down it. Had to ride right past him.

flippinheckler - in reference to my dog being dangerous and unpredictable, utter rubbish. I'm yet to come accross anyone who doesn't find her adorable, particularly grannies with terriers. No such thing as bad breeds, although those Akita's...

Wild camping's fine

Walking in the dark's fine

But on a bike, its like sensory deprivation, there's no sound other than wind noise, tires and breathing. And you cant look backwards properly, just glance over your shoulder.

Went for a cheeky spin last night on some paths near the M4, just enough mist to obscure the limits of my lights, and unfamiliar tracks, I was absolutely bricking myself!

I refer you to a previous post of mine

bigsi - Member
Did one night ride solo last year. Came to a gate in a fence which divides 2 fields with nothing but a heard of sheep for company, unclipped and went through it making sure it was shut properly, got 20 seconds down the path and heard the gate slam shut................

Never again

Hope that helps 😉