Trails: Night Riding at SIUE

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.

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.

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.