Riding into the Night: Hot Tips and Tricks
Here’s our top reasons, in no particular order, why you should give riding into the dark a go.
1. The world looks completely different after dark.
2. You’re (mostly) alone.
3. Your body and your brain will appreciate the fact you are burning calories in the great out-of-doors.
4. You’ll hone your skills on two-wheels.
5. The shopping.
“Riding with people you know will always keep you smiling no matter what the conditions,” said Mary Ann Beall, who loves a group night ride. Beall also recommend a great set of lights and suggests you start out riding trails you already know.
We also reached out to our dear friend Vincent Gest, owner and chief stoke master at JRA Bikes & Brew in Thousand Oaks, Ca. Gest is an avid rider and an enthusiastic advocate of all things after-dark and he brings the expert list for those looking to dive into the dark.
We have to admit we get a little nervous before our first night ride of the season. We struggled to figure out the proper tire pressure for the trail we chose and the conditions. We were stressing about so many things, including getting a flat deep into the park.
As we were gearing up, we remembered the biggest and most common mistake everyone sees among new night riders... not nearly enough light. All the experts are correct as far as we are concerned.. the more lumens, the better.
It's definitely true the more you see the better you will ride. Everything at night is just a little ... darker and it's the unknown obstacles which ultimately slow us down and freak us out. The quality of your lights and the ability to adjust those settings goes hand-in-hand with the progression you make on your bike at night.
Our local park closes at dark, but this wasn't going to stop us from getting in a little ride with our new lights. We set our lights on low and climbed into the park like a ninja. Apparently a ninja with absolutely no skills. It wasn't more than a couple of minute when we heard the Sheriff shouting over the loud speaker "the park is closed." Our night ride was over before it started. But at least the lights pointed the way back home.
And we almost forgot to remind you Kali makes an accessory mounting kit that will work with the Maya 3.0, Interceptor, Invader 1.0 and 2.0 as well as the Grit. Get it here.
