[Closed] Starting night riding - advice welcome

I've done the torch thing with heavy duty plastic velcro type stuff & zip ties. Worked fine, but not too reliable in the wet.

On or off road? I've been super impressed with my 30 quid Evolvas light from Amazon. It's my first foray into night riding as well, and it's been a blast (MTB) I do think I need a helmet light as well, I'm trying to find one to double as a bar light for my commuter to stop the constant swapping!

I've one of these for sale it of any use - https://www.mtbbatteries.co.uk/mountain-bike-lights/lumen800/ I'm having a clear out of all my "spare" lights.

Could do it for £35 posted

Have a look for Solar Storm or Nestling led bike lights.
In your price range and run time.

I'd get a brighter helmet lamp personally for off-road. 900-1000lumens is really about the minimum that's useful on singletrack.

Bar lights are useful as they create shadows which show up texture on the ground, drops, rocks etc whereas helmet lights make everything look flat.

Buying cheap ones can be a lottery though, there are as many fakes of even the cheap lights (solarstorm etc) which just stick any old recycled laptop batteries in the pack and last for as little as 10 minutes or just catch fire when you charge them!

If you can stretch the budget (quite) a bit then https://www.mtbbatteries.co.uk are really good value for money with UK backup.

If not, I've ordered this brand from this website before ( https://www.gearbest.com/bicycling-gear/pp_180805.html) and it's been great, the batteries are panasonic cells inside so pretty much the best you can get. Obviously, no guarantee they're still as good but mine is good value and unlike most Chinese lights the lumen numbers are accurate (a lot will say silly numbers like 5000 lumens and only manage 500 in reality).

Thanks so much for all the recommendations - in the end I ordered one of these to see if it will go on the helmet https://www.ribblecycles.co.uk/ribble-front-light/#pid=40693

Hopefully it will complement what I have below and give me 700L for 2 hours

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Looks fine to me. When I started night riding I did it solo but found if I started with quite simple, very familiar loops it made it much easier to head out. Also starting in the light and having it get dark around me eased me in, rather than heading out in the pitch black right off the bat.

Haven't done it for ages but when I did it regular I think there was a point where preferred night rides to normal ones.

Do it after dark

Don't listen to podcasts about Sasquatch or alien abductions before you go out on your own

Looks fine to me. When I started night riding I did it solo but found if I started with quite simple, very familiar loops it made it much easier to head out. Also starting in the light and having it get dark around me eased me in, rather than heading out in the pitch black right off the bat.

Haven't done it for ages but when I did it regular I think there was a point where preferred night rides to normal ones.

Thanks Duggan - it's 3 of us - I wouldn't ride on my own anymore, particularly at night - one of us got a serious concussion recently and he was glad he wasn't on his own as there would have been no-one around for a long time. Much worse at night in the woods I imagine.

I guess when it's 3 of you with similar light set up, there must be a lighting overlap or at least some energy saving to be had ?

tizzzzle - Member
Don't listen to podcasts about Sasquatch or alien abductions before you go out on your own

That made me laugh - one of us actually looks like the Yeti and the other like an Alien anyway.

I ride with around 2,200 lumens in total ..night becomes day !
I started off with a bar mount only albeit a good one ( MaxxD)..but realised that when I also got a helmet mounted light that this was the most important of the two ..and it's also the brightest .
Bar mounts shine only where the bars are pointing while the helmet light shines where you are looking ...
Also be aware unless your lights are the brightest in your group put a bit of space between yourselves when you are riding as if your mate is too close behind you all you will see is a dead spot in front of you with your own shadow in it ...
Night riding is completely different to riding through the day ..much more exciting as everything seems so much faster..even at lower speeds .
I mourn the fact that for the last 2-3 years we have done very little riding in the dark ..but for about 5 years we were out every Wednesday night through the winter whatever the weather threw at us ..really hope you take to it ..its literally brilliant ..

That's the plan hodgynd - I want it to be a set day no ifs no buts. If we get 2 years of it I'll be happy - let alone 5 !

2200 sounds brilliant but sadly I'll have to make do with 700 although I could briefly peak at 1000 for a little while I guess.

We'll start where we know the trails indeed and probably while there is still daylight. Whiteways for those who ride there, in Sussex.

Best advice I can give is to enjoy it!
So, every so often, stop.
Turn all of your lights off and let your eyes adjust for a bit.
If you are away from town lights, (lucky enough to be away from town lights), and it's a clear night, just look up ...

Night time is magical to be out.

Good point OCB - there will be very little urban light pollution and you make a good point - it's something I always taught my kids. Looking at a nice night sky makes you humble !

Light advice. Get a bar light and a helmet light if you can. More floody on the bars, more spotty on the lid. I've got a mtbbatteries lumenator and a solar storm cheapo. Both have been brilliant, but the lumenator is a nicer tone of light and doesn't have such defined 'rings'.

Practical advice. Try to find a group riding near you. I used to go out on my own and still do occasionally, but it's much nicer in a group and you get to go for a pint afterwards. I can also vouch that laying on the ground with suspected broken ribs, on your own at 10pm on a Sunday night is not ideal.

If you do ride in a group, brightest lights at the front, otherwise everyone rides in their own shadow.

Actually, scrub this, watch this vid. Really good practical advice, although some of it is for longer rides in bigger terrain.

I particularly like the tool bag bit - pissing around trying to find stuff in a pack is virtually guaranteed to have you leave something on the ground when you pack up and ride off.

in before the dog soldiers pic

Oh, if you do go cheap and cheerful on the lights, have a look at how well insulated the battery is. You'll probably find it isn't and so just get a roll of leccy tape and wrap it up like a hostage.

Go on your tod now and again, it's awesome.

When you are in complete darkness and an owl swoops in front of your head light it is terrifying.

However, shining a torch on some doggers is more scary.

Don't be the slowest in your group. You don't have to outrun whatever is chasing you, just one of your mates.

I usually ride solo - lying in the middle of the forest having clipped and tree and winded myself, lying on the ground assessing the damage and thinking "no one knows where I am!" I agree that 1,000 lumens is really needed if trying to ride at pace on singletrack - 700 OK for open trails and doubletrack.

400 lumens is enough, that used to be the norm. It's fine solo. The trouble is if you ride in a group where everyone has way brighter lights than you then you spend all your time in shadow. So if your in a group, try it, but you will probably want more.

I prefer the dimensional "stereo" effect of two bar mounted lights

400 lumens is enough, that used to be the norm. It's fine solo. The trouble is if you ride in a group where everyone has way brighter lights than you then you spend all your time in shadow. So if your in a group, try it, but you will probably want more.

This is most of the reason I've got ~4500lumens, on my own I can get away with just the helmet light on medium, but in a group, the guys with four4th lights just obliterate you into a shadow with double that! http://four4th.co.uk

As above, lighting is an arms race.

Despite what people say about it 'flattening' the terrain, I use just a helmet-mounted (using sticky-backed velcro) Solarstorm X2 with a better 6-cell battery pack (the original 4 cell pack was garbage).
It might sound obvious, but helmet lights illuminate where you are looking and bar lights only illuminate where your bars are pointing. On twisty trails, the helmet light is far more useful.

I've used it in woods and on rocky, technical gritstone trails and not felt hindered.

I previously used a generic DX/"magicshine" lamp which I bought years ago and has now been relegated to bar-mounted commuting duties -The 4-cell battery pack that came with that was excellent, and is still going.

Hip flask is mandatory for night rides
Oh and some sort of rear light
But ideally one that can be dimmed/ easily turned off when off road- nothing more annoying than riding behind a blinding red light on what would otherwise be cracking singletrack

Also, bring rockets at Halloween to fire out of seat tube from a hill top !

I use just a helmet-mounted (using sticky-backed velcro) Solarstorm X2

Cheers. Would you post a pic of that set up please ?

Get a spare battery for one of them? I normally turn one of my 2 lights off or onto low for the easy climbs etc.
Make sure you have a good rear red light if you do any road stuff.

Mcnultycop with his owl comment reminded me of a night ride where we were on a naughty section next to the North Tyne River approaching a house so being as quiet as possible when a heron which we disturbed flapped the top of my mates helmet while trying to escape from its tree roost ..probably the funniest thing I've ever seen while riding 😆
Watch out for low flying herons!

I have a couple of the solarstorm battery cases with which you put in your own sourced batteries (Xtar, panasonic etc). These work the best and can either be charged in the case or by a smart charger. I use the smart charger every so often to ensure the cells are 'balanced' - i.e. they have the same charge.

The brightest flood I have is a Solarstorm XT40, but it does burn through the batteries at full power. The standard Solarstorm 2x lights are fine, but my favourite is a Yinding 2xU2 - tiny lamp but outputs a really good spread of light with good distance. I've also got a C&B Seen City Slicker - uses self contained panasonic batteries. Despite them saying it's not suitable for off road due to weight, they are fine as it uses a Hope clamp. A wrap of tape round the bars and the light doesn't move, even on rough terrain. Run time is impressive on high.

I've found that the lights that use a collimator lens rather than a standard reflector give the best light spread.

@nickfrog
I us d the torch you posted in one of the early posts
I bout an exspossure torch mount that clips the torch and attached to my GoPro lid mount
And bought two cheap lamps and a 6cell uk battery from MTB batteries plus charger
Bought splitter cable and run both lamps at same time
Plenty light for steep tight twisty through the trees trails

Best advice I can give is to enjoy it!
So, every so often, stop.
Turn all of your lights off and let your eyes adjust for a bit.

This ^^^^^ Also don't go overboard with the lumens,it's supposed to be a night ride! 🙂 On a full moon try easier stuff with no lights or minimal light.
As has been mentioned night riding is quite magical,I just wish I had the opportunity to do more of it!

My c and b seen lights have been reliable for the last 3 years paired with a torch off eBay .

My c and b seen lights have been reliable for the last 3 years paired with a torch off eBay .

I'd also recommend them, but mine are very spotty even with the diffuser. I pair them with an old Hope R4 on the bars.

You WILL see and hear weird things but normally the panting of the huge beast that's following you turns out to be your pack moving around as you pedal, and the glowing eyes moving towards you are cattle. Normally.

Night riding is brilliant fun. My advice is, if you can only get 1 light then get a helmet light of at least 800 lumens and if you're going on your own stay off the technical trails and just go on an XC route that you have done before.

if you're in a group then definitely do the technical trails, the adrenaline shakes at the bottom of the hill are lovely

I haven't been for one evening ride this year, or any year in fact, and not needed lights. It's an all year requirement. In lighter months I can start without them, but always need them to finish

Just buy some lights strap them to your bike a go for it. I used to ride offroad with a 10watt spot and 2.5 flood with a lead acid battery. Didnt die, had fun.

Whiteways is good at night, a good mix of open trails and tree covered single-track where a helmet mounted light makes a huge difference.
Nothing too technical to worry about.

anagallis_arvensis - Member
Just buy some lights strap them to your bike a go for it. I used to ride offroad with a 10watt spot and 2.5 flood with a lead acid battery. Didnt die, had fun.

Yes, but let's be honest, actually being able to see where you're going is better 🙂 I put mine back on for a laugh a few years ago, they really are rubbish!

I used to ride offroad with a 10watt spot and 2.5 flood with a lead acid battery. Didnt die, had fun.

I had those (or similar). When the moon was full it was more effective to turn those crappy lights off and use moonlight. 🙂

i don't think you need big lumens to have a good night ride. i have a 300 lumen bar light and a similar helmet light, sometimes i use one or other and sometimes both. when using both you get a nice 3D effect for more technical stuff . there is a 2 mile riverside path which is nothing much in daylight, however at night it is totally absorbing. pick the wrong side of the wrong tree and you're in the river etc. we have 2 forest parks where there is a good 2 hours hard riding. As someone above said, even on terrible weather, once out on the bike, the fun is great, you always come back buzzing

Yes, but let's be honest, actually being able to see where you're going is better

But then its just like riding during the day but in the dark.
Just means you go a bit slower but its no less fun. You dont need to spend hundreds of quid just get some lights you can afford and go for it. Problems only arise when you have a 10watt smart and some ****er behind you has a Cateye Stadium!!

anagallis_arvensis - Member
Just buy some lights strap them to your bike a go for it. I used to ride offroad with a 10watt spot and 2.5 flood with a lead acid battery. Didnt die, had fun.

Yes I could have just bought the first light I came across and I am sure I wouldn't have died - but I might as well get the right lights first and only buy once. This thread has helped achieve that hopefully. The difference in cost between entry level lights and what I chose is tiny.

The 3 of us are going to run the same set up actually and we'll experiment on Friday night. Will report back... if I am still alive.

Night riding is ace.

https://www.mtbbatteries.co.uk/ is ace. If you get lost on the website (it's a bit hit and miss) give them/him a call - well helpful.

I agree bazillion lumens is not necessary. Decent battery life is important as is lifetime (charge-deplete-charge etc) once you know you're into it.

Like lots have already side night riding is a fantastic experience.

Certainly agree with the comments about starting off somewhere familiar.

It might be also worthwhile agreeing with your mates that when off road to ride with a bit more of a gap than usual to avoid riding in the shadow of the light behind. It's a bit of a personal thing, but I also prefer rear reds to be off when off road.

But then its just like riding during the day but in the dark.
Just means you go a bit slower but its no less fun. You dont need to spend hundreds of quid just get some lights you can afford and go for it. Problems only arise when you have a 10watt smart and some **** behind you has a Cateye Stadium!!

True, but my 2700lumen bar light cost less than my old Smart's did, and lasts about 5x longer. IIRC the smarts would do a 2 hour ride, if you turned the 10W off when it wasn't needed and used [s]the 2.4W[/s] [b]the force[/b][i].

I used to ride with someone who had those stadiums, in the days before easy access to cheap LED lights it was like someone turning upto a gunfight with a thermonuclear warhead 😆

Plenty of other places to cut spending on night riding, go singlespeed, go rigid.

Generally run my lights on the lowest setting, despite having a about 2500 on full whack. Flip them to medium for the quicker runs and when it's slightly more technical, but very very rarely on high or turbo

I like the night time aspect of night riding, trying to make it light riding in the daylight seems a bit counter-intuitive

It's also surprisingly how little light you need to ride

Have fun, and remember there's nothing in the woods at night that isn't there during the day. It's just that at night it's awake. And hungry.

Have fun, and remember there's nothing in the woods at night that isn't there during the day. It's just that at night it's awake. And hungry.

D'oh! I predicted post 6 for this comment.

Is it too early to start praying for a couple of proper cold snaps this winter?

Night riding is ace, but riding crunchy freeze-dried trails with a million fairy lights from the frost is really quite magical - not that it happened at all last winter. 🙁

Night riding in real frost or snow is something else - a bit like being in space!

danny, I remember a week in Jan this year when I rode pretty much every day. Everything was frozen dry and fast as heck, it felt rude to not got out!

Have fun, and remember there's nothing in the woods at night that isn't there during the day. It's just that at night it's awake. And hungry.
D'oh! I predicted post 6 for this comment.

nedrapier - Member

danny, I remember a week in Jan this year when I rode pretty much every day. Everything was frozen dry and fast as heck, it felt rude to not got out!

Posted 9 minutes ago # Report-Post

Where are you based?

I am in a moderately hilly bit of the mudlands - some nice bits involving woodland, quarries and the odd bit of open country. The ground didn't freeze properly at all last winter - there were one or two hoar frosts, but that was it.

We've already hit the time of year when my beard comes back soaked after a night ride due to the cool air. It's winter when it actually freezes 🙂

It's also surprisingly how little light you need to ride

I started night riding around 2005 and light technology was at best....limited! However riding by myself it seemed fine at the time, eventually buying a Hope Vision 4 in 2008, which was like turning night into day, but now its de rigueur to have one on the lid too, which is great for the fast twisty, undulating stuff. (still got the Vision 4 on the bars tho)

Surrey Hills dannyh. Middle of the Jan, it was below freezing for a week or more. Lakes froze up enough to walk on them.

Oh I remember the upgraded to 2x 10w lead acid halogens followed by the early lumicycles (which were comparatively adequate).
Decent bar and helmet setup these days runs for a long long time and as long as things don't get too misty you can ride anything you would on the day 🙂

^^^ those club Wednesday rides with the lead acids were character forming though, weren't they ? 😀

I remember my old BLT lights with a piddly 5w halogen and a big water bottle battery.

Just been out on a quick 16 miler - tracks, farm lanes, old railway and back via the canal.

Always keep an eye out for stupid dog walkers in the middle of nowhere, a big dark coloured dog is hard to see.

Fairly busy with random pedestrians tonight and a group of 4 MTB'ers with equally powerful lights - I dipped mine and pulled over to let them pass on the tow path. Animals, 2 rats, a badger and a load of bats tonight - might have been explained by the abundance of insects in my light beams.

Just get out there, the darker the lanes/tracks the better.

Watch out for badgers. Even a helmet mounted light won't help when they attack from the side.

Go for a pint and chips afterwards. That's the most important part.

I won't comment on what specific lights as I run a Maxx-d and that's out of your budget.

I used to run (a long time ago) a cateye triple shot which was probably about 300 or so lumens at best.

That's enough to go carefully exploring at night but once the speed goes up it feels inadequate fairly quickly.

Helmet + bar with wider beam on the bar is best ime.

Attitude is important, pegging the pace back a bit helps at first as do familiar / easily navigable trails and a willingness to know when to rein it in a bit or cut short if it's not going well.

I get the piddle ripped out of me for my heavy camelback but I've not once had to walk back to the pub. Walking back on your own to the car when it's hissing down, dark and cold for the sake of a second spare tube or a chain tool is crap (at least that's what I've heard!).

From sunny day to flipping cold evening can catch you out. It's just heading towards that point in the year so have a jacket or extra light layer.

I love night riding and occasionally I'll pop out on my own but it's more fun in a group.

The only other thing I'd say is if you are all new to it, keep each other in sight especially if one or more or of you doesn't know the terrain/route well. It will make you all feel more comfortable.

Pub, chips or kebab after.

no matter how much light you have you can still get lost in dense trees.
was doeing a bit of exploring last winter and the path just disapered, spent about half an hour battling trees trying to find it again before i gave up and got my phone out to see where to go. strava upload showed i'd been going in circles and doing figue of eights and hardly actually got anywhere.

@bigfoot that's a good point.

It's worth having a fully charged smartphone on you because at least you can use Google maps or whatever to find a general direction or road if you really do get disoriented.

10watt spot and 2.5 flood with a lead acid battery...

I just had a 10-watt with an adjustable beam. I think the battery weighed a kilogram and the light lasted 90-minutes as long as it wasn't too cold. 🙂

As others have said, it matters if your mates have far better lights than you. Otherwise how much light you have just affects your speed.

Bigfoot does make a good point, and obviously any navigation is more difficult, familiar trails will look different...

But then its just like riding during the day but in the dark.
Just means you go a bit slower but its no less fun. You dont need to spend hundreds of quid just get some lights you can afford and go for it. Problems only arise when you have a 10watt smart and some **** behind you has a Cateye Stadium!!

Cateye stadium? There's a blast from the past!.

I like riding as fast as I normally do in the day on a night ride, one particular local run has a couple of gaps that I wouldn't make pootling along with a low light.

Good advice on the benefits of bar lights against head lights. I've wanted to buy some lights for this Winter and was going to go for some fancy bar lights I saw on chain reaction like the KNOGG or the well received Hope tech ones.

I'll have to rethink this purchase now, as it makes more sense to go with head lights.

Do you really need both sets, and light up half the county?

You don't [i]need[/i] both sets, if I only had one if would be a helmet light, but combined with a bar light is better. Also means you have a spare if one packs in.

No need for it to be a super bright mental battery packed type, an exposure joystick packs enough punch for most folks needs.

You don't need both sets, if I only had one if would be a helmet light, but combined with a bar light is better. Also means you have a spare if one packs in.

Couple of these
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/321380802075 one bar one helmet (or get the 3 led version for bars)

And replace the batteries with these
https://www.bikelightsuk.com/batteries/magicshine_mj6038_4400_mah_standard_battery_P604.html

And get a charger from there too. Will do the job nicely. I used the batteries they came with for a winter with no issues but after reading about a few issues I replaced them just to be safe.

I just got 2 sets of evolva X5 from amazon - one for the bars and one for the helmet. Didn't want to drop decent cash just to try out night riding.

They're pretty good. Controls are a bit annoying, and batteries might not be the best quality - I wouldn't leave them charging in my house unattended. But I can ride, full speed for 5 or 6 hours with them.

Recommend as a cheap option!

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Evolva-Future-Technology-Runtime-Original/dp/B015FFO5DM

Yup, I've got one of those Evolvas as a bar light for my first foray into night riding. It's great! Super bright, last for yonks.

Probably a daft question, but when people helmet mount them, are you sticking the battery pack on the helmet as well? Or in a backpack?

I tried both - prefer the battery in the backpack. Bit awkward getting the backpack on and off without yanking the cable, but better than the alternative.

I was impressed with the amount of cables, tie downs, straps and cable management stuff came with them. The bar mount works well - ill be getting a gopro/tripod attachment so I can mount the helmet light a little better.

I started night riding around 2005 and light technology was at best....limited!

However, shining a torch on some doggers is more scary.

Ready to go. Total budget £52 for a total 700 Lumens / 2 hours or peak at 1000 lumens for short bursts.

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