First night ride - tyres that go bump in the night

Stuck with the long nights after the black evenings and dusk in the
afternoon, tonight was a clear overhead full moon. I use this
opportunity to dig out a rather inadequate 3 LED head-torch and try a
circuit of my beginners paradise, Norbury Park, at night. I've lost
count how many pleasure rides of this circuit that I've done, will my
knowledge of the path textures be enough to compensate for the
darkness?

As I drive along the empty roads I thought, would I really be alone? I
was doubted dramatically thanks to having to perform an emergency
brake-stop for some trotting deer that crossed the road without
looking, thirty seconds before I get to the car park.

After arriving at the car park I switch off the car's bright headlights
and notice that the overhead moon illuminates very high wispy clouds,
it isn't long before my eyes adjust to the brilliant light. I don't
need to click on my headlight yet, except for the very end of getting
ready to make sure that nothing is left behind, before I check my watch
at 21:49, freemount and ride off.

My headlight doesn't seem to add much detail to the moonlit tarmac
road. As I take things for granted my suddenly strengthening legs tell
me I've ridden through something soft and mulchy, quite alarming
considering that although no horses should be about at this time, there
is the usual significant evidence that there has been. About half a
minute later it seems to happen again, so I dismount and point my head
and the torch toward the tyre. There's no green on it, so I look at
this recent obstacle. Fortunately it's no solid equestrian exhaust, but
simply a pile of loose tiny stones caked together in dampness caused by
the recent gales and rain.

As I ride along I enter some slight tree cover, the shadows in the
moonlight cast an illusion of black and white stripes across the road,
like I'm riding along a giant barcode. My headlight fills in the black
stripes but doesn't add any brightness to where the moonlight can still
peer through the trees. A few more damp stone patches and my leg
muscles suddenly tell me I've ridden over a bump in the road that's
pushed up by a big tree root, which I swear I didn't notice in the
faint light.

I reach the first of three lone cottages at the end of the road. I see
colour for the first time as the conservatory at the back of the
cottage are lit up yellow-like, to add to the tiny blue-ish tinge of my
LED patch of light. As I veer to the right across the uneven driveway I
tilt my head so the light attached to it can confirm the wooden barrier
is closed. I ride around it and a sudden increase in rolling resistance
causes a surprise UPD. I look back at where it happened and I see
general mud churn caused by horse hoofs and bicycle tyres.

Just after the barrier I remount and attempt to power up the short
hill, but somehow the rough track causes another UPD. Two remount
attempts and I'm back on again, having difficulty choosing which side
of the path being the smoothest. Nothing feels smooth to me on this
short uphill, but eventually I get to the top. The sky seems to have
changed colour from deep blue to orange-ish, but noticing that subtlety
is not the reason why I fail to see more mud churn and only finding out
about it by having the wheel stopping and me running forwards off the
muni again.

As I turn around to retrieve it a sudden flutter of wings beats from
one of the trees. I push the muni through the first mud section and I'm
about to remount for the second mud section, except the apparently
black featureless ground has a barely noticable patch exactly the same
orange colour as the sky. It's a puddle, and stepping through it my
footsteps change from tapping, to squiding and then to splashing. I
have to step up onto the hardened sloped mud and balance on my feet,
dragging the muni tyre through the mudbath. The thorny bushes on the
edge of the track do their best to entangle me by gripping my polyester
jersey, but eventually I stumble through.

I'm back on for about a mile of drier, but still uneven path below some
tree cover that's enough to block out the moonlight. There are
occasional sludgy mud bits here and there, which despite my tiny patch
of light I simply do not see, only knowing about them after my legs
have torqued through. It seems my tiny light is making the path appear
to be two dimensional, seeing what's there but virtually no feedback as
to whether things are up or down. A couple more UPDs are a result from
this invisible third dimension, and several more times I hear sudden
flutters of wings as I ride along.

After a while I reach the stony root section and prepare to stand on
the pedals slightly, but an unseen depression blocked by a stone exit
catapults me away from the uni. In less than two seconds I take two
grand strides before crashing downwards onto my knee-pads and rolling
over onto my back with my legs in the air. As I recover I notice some
drops of water on my jersey sleeves, has my Camelbak started leaking?
In positioning for the remount my headlight illumates the occasional
drop of drizzle falling from the sky. Taking a sip from the mouthpiece
isn't pleasant, as some grit suddenly manifests in my teeth afterward,
I wipe the mouthpiece against my jersey.

I finally remount and try my best to avoid stones that look loose, but
a rooty UPD and my confidence plummets. I take the saddle in my hand
and push the thing past the semi-technical downhill towards the second
wooden barrier at the T junction. As I prepare to remount, the sound of
squishing and the slight feeling of sticky ground from my boots forces
me to change my mind and walk a few metres past the tractor tyred
churned junction onto the right bend before getting back on. The
drizzle has stopped; it's not going to rain after all.

*end of part one*


--
gkmac
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I love night rides! But my light is only 2 leds so I can't go far
also why diden't you shorten it down?


--
thejdw

Which idot said extreem unicycling was for clowns?
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gkmac wrote:
... it was my first ever night ride with a piddly 3 LED head-torch.
Despite the familiarity of the route there were at least ten UPDs on a
circuit that usually only has one or two, with gradients that either
tire me or plummet my confidence, leaving me feel somewhat clumsy. I
don't think there'll be another night ride by me just yet, at least not
until either the conditions dry up a bit, or I get some more powerful
lighting.

Very nice writeup.

I've done a bunch of nighttime muni rides, and it always feels freaky
and acid-trippy. And that's with a pretty good light. When you're
deep in the woods, with only a small circle of light, it can be very
disorienting and even quite spooky. Combine that with the vertigo
caused by 2 dimensional vision and that strangeness of reacting to
changes in terrain only by feel and night Muni becomes entertaining, to
say the least.


--
steveyo

steveyo

...like having your own personal rollercoaster...
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Nice writeup Gavin, it reminds me that I really need to get out and do
some more night muni. My lights are getting plenty of use at the
moment, but it's all commuting on my bike (still fun, but not in the
same league as muni!).


--
domesticated ape
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I also enjoy night riding. I have done quite a bit through city parks
and reasonably smooth bike paths, but recently have been venturing off
into the dirt. I enjoy the extra challenge and the alternate view it
gives you of the same terrain.

Here's a 'light'
(http://www.unicyclist.com/forums/showthread.php?t=53268) that I've
found works well, and the lower mounting shows the trail features
better than a head lamp.

Cheers,
Aaron


--
aneedles

Just because you can, doesn't mean you should.
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Nice night write up.

I have been riding in the dark almost every evening since it got dark
so early cos it's either that or only ride at the weekend if the
weather's nice. I ride on the streets though. I'm too scared to even
ride on the prom in the dark.

I find that I'm slower in the night. I'm more nervous but am less
concerned about each lump and bump. Navigate with my ears and the
bottom of my feet rather than my eyes. It's kind of fun but I miss the
light.


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cathwood

Cathy
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Buy this, ten of your fine English pounds, enough light to night ride
with, way way more than your 3 led torch will have.

http://tinyurl.com/ylqeh9

That plus a battery charger and some aa rechargeables and you're sorted
for about 1.5 hours of decent light, plus ages on get you back home
mode.

It isn't nearly as bright as my very expensive bike lights, but it's
just about good enough for night muni and only a tenner, what could go
wrong.

I mounted it gaffa taped to the top of my helmet, and it was fine, even
when I crashed hard. An alternative would be to use velcro tapes, then
you wouldn't have hassle when removing it.

Joe


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joemarshall

my pics http://gallery.unicyclist.com/albuq44
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The next step by the way is night coker/schlumpf riding. I've been out
loads on the schlumpf recently, there's nothing more fun than going
15mph in the dark, not knowing what you're coming to next! Good lights
help for that though.

Joe


--
joemarshall

my pics http://gallery.unicyclist.com/albuq44
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