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| Night riding! |
Well, for the last few weeks I've been riding the local trails at night. Yes, that means in the dark, which requires very bright lights. I already had a nice light, but the battery had died a few years ago, so I thought about buying a new system. However, after looking into the price for a new system and comparing that to the cost of a new battery from Batteries Plus, I opted for the least expensive option: buying a new battery. It was only about $60 for the new Ni-Cd rechargable battery to be built up, compared to well over twice that for a new system. And, I was able to keep using the light I already had, which still works great.
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| Night riding makes mountain biking a bit more difficult; familiar trails become strange, easy trails become more difficult. |
So, anyway, I've been enjoying riding every wednesday night. It is quite a bit of fun riding through a twisty, technical trail only seeing a few feet in front of you. The light is 15 watts, which is really bright, about as bright as a big, police-issue, Maglite. Very bright. But, it still is not like riding during the day. You lose a lot of your perception. I am riding with other folks that know the trails really well, which is a plus, because it feels like Blair Witch to me... that is, I'd get really lost. I have ridden the trails before, but they are totally different at night.
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| Night Riding: more smiles per mile |
It has been fun riding at night, though. Interesting following people through the woods, with everyone's individual light collectively illuminating the trail. As I stop and take a break, I notice a few riders catching up, and because the night hides most details, all you can see is their lights zig-zaging through the woods. Quite a sight.
