Night Riding

[Daddy X]

I want to do some night riding at the River Bottoms but have a few questions. Does the trail officially close at a certain time and do they gate and lock the lots, either Lyndale or the 169 spots?? Just wondering, don't want to get out there and run into any problems.

Thanks

[KleinCrazy]

River is open 24/7 except when WET!!!!

enjoy!!

I alwayys try and get a big group together for a Halloween ride on the river.

Look forward for it.

James

[cheese4brains]

This is somewhat related ...

I'm also looking to ride the river bottoms at night, but I need to purchase a decent light that is bright enough and will last long enough for a 2-3 hour ride. I'll read the MTBReview on the different lights, but I'd be interested in hearing if anyone has a light that they're happy with.

[Daddy X]

I have a Nite Rider light, I believe the model is Night Owl? It works just fine, lasts about 2 hours. I also want to get one of their newer digital units. That way I can have one on my handlebar and one on my helmet.

I would suggest watching e bay, the have a lot of brand new lights for sale. You will also find other off brands that are much cheaper. I am almost tempted to give them a shot, if they are crap I am not out a whole lot of money.

[TML]

Brian,

Night riding is a blast. If you're looking to get a light, I would get a helmet mount one first, for sure. Then, if and when, you have the money for a second one, supplement the helmet light with a bar mounted one.

For the price I guess performance bike's ViewPoint lights are pretty good. At least some magazine editors gave them good marks. I dont know first hand though.

I have a dual beam Cygolite night explorer helmet mount and it's pretty nice except I'd like to get a NiMh battery upgrade. Much lighter than the Pb acid one that I currently have. It's about the cheapest 20w light that you can find though.

[mtnbykr]

"performance bike's ViewPoint lights are pretty good"

these light are made by marwi [www.marwiusa.com (http://www.marwiusa.com [url)]which your lbs can buy thru qbp.

i've been using marwi lights for over 5 years w/ no problems. they have a good selection of bulbs, beams, battery's & wattage.

k

[ryno lite]

I agree, night riding is awesome! One of my favorite parts of fall/early winter. I have a Niterider HID for the helmet and one for bike mount. I love it. Niterider says it goes 4 hours but many reviews say it will go 4.5 hours. I don't know, never ridden at night much longer than 2 hours. They are really bright, making riding a blast and make animal spotting a breeze. They are a lot of fun! Had nothing but good luck with it the two seasons I have owned it. The only disadvantage is the price. They will give you sticker shock!

[cheese4brains]

Thanks for the advice! Viewpoint/Marwi definately looks promising, and I'm sure that Niterider is worth the premium. I'll check out the local bike shops to see what they have. I'll probably get the itch come fall when the days get shorter.

The river bottoms are convenient for me (Shakopee). Are there any other areas that are open/good for night riding?

Thanks! :)

[ryno lite]

I hit Lebanon a lot in addition to the River Bottoms. Lebanon closes at 10pm but no problem getting a ride in before 10 once the sun goes down later in the fall. Leb is fun at night but if you like nature, the quantity of animals you see at night at the river bottoms is pretty wild. Just don't know if I'll be riding xx loop at Leb after dark though. The rest is easy at night, but I'm no good at the xx in the middle of the day!

[ryno lite]

It seems like I only ride Leb and river bottoms at night. I guess I'm wondering, along with Brian, what other places people ride at night and what they think of them. I'd love to hear some reviews of other night riding hotspots!

[jjrsds]

I bought a helmet mount JET LITE earlier this summer to go with my very old (10 years, with new batteries) vista bar mount lite. I bought the 13.2 volt system and had them put in the optional 20 watt bulb and I get run time of about 2 hrs and 10 minutes. If you stay with the standard 15 watt bulb you get 3hr 20 or so. I like my light. I think the nightrider digital pro comes with a helmet or bar mount and you can run the light at three settings as well.

[Sully]

A bunch of us rode Hillside park all last fall at nite. It was such a long fall without snow. I have a Turbocat helmet mount I use, very awesome light. I just picked up a Nite rider trail rat for the bars. Can't wait for the 24 hours of Afton!!!!!!!:)

[aliensporebomb]

Rode the river bottoms about two and a half
years ago with some local guys who were
members of mtbr.com/passion board and
they had so many lights I didn't need to
bring any (not that I had any at the time).

But what I remember about it was that it
was a lot of fun, your awareness of terrain
is totally different at night, your hearing
sharpens and you probably fall a lot more.

I'm definetely going to get lights for this fall
since I'm on a newer bike this time out.