While the sun may be moving north, adding minutes of light almost daily, weeknight mountain bike rides are still a while away. Unless you have a night-riding setup. “I would liken [night mountain biking] to full moon powder skiing—fun for a different set of reasons than the same activity during daylight hours,” says Dillon Osleger, the executive director of the Sage Trail Alliance in Santa Barbara, CA, and an occasional winter evening mountain biker. In order to view the video, please allow Manage Cookies
Making the transition to night riding is not hard, says Osleger. The only additional gear are lights. Any trail works, but with less peripheral and long-range vision, expect to go slower in technical terrain and on descents. And, with fewer people out there and generally colder temperatures, being prepared for mechanicals and injuries is even more important than during the day.
Why Cedar City, Utah Should Be on Your Mountain Biking Bucket List
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The benefits to pushing through the instinct to stay inside after dark go beyond exercise and fresh air, says Alex MacKay, a recreational mountain biker in B.C. who started night riding last fall. “The darkness makes familiar trails feel new,” he says. “It pushes your bike handling skills, you get out when you wouldn’t normally, and it’s just really fun.”
9 Ways Mountain Biking Became More Accessible This Decade
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Here’s what you need to get started:
Courtesy Image Lights Go with a two light set up with a total of 2,000 lumens or more. A good combo is the Light & Motion Seca Comp 1500 (1500 lumens) on the handlebar to light up the trail and a Vis 360 Pro (600 lumens) on the helmet to shine around corners and spotlight details. The Vis’s amber side lights and a tail light add safety for riding on the road to and from the trailhead. [$160, $130; lightandmotion.com] Get it
Courtesy Image Tool Keeping the tool system simple helps with headlamp fixes. We like the one-piece, 18-tool Topeak TUBI 18. It can manage most minor repair jobs, except a broken chain. And among the Allen keys and hexes is everything to seal a tubeless tire puncture, from an air stop to plugs and a knife. [$45; topeak.com] Get it
Danny MacAskill’s Insane MTB Descent on The Slabs Would Make a Grown Man Cry
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Courtesy Image First Aid All you need to add to Adventure Medical Kits Ultralight/Watertight .5 Medical Kit is a reflective space blanket. Packed into the waterproof storage bag are all the accessories needed to deal with wounds, injuries, burns, blisters and bugs. [$19; adventuremedicalkits.com] Get it
Courtesy Image Navigation The familiar can get confusing in the dark, so bring a charged phone with the Trailforks app downloaded. Even without a cell signal, the app uses the phone’s GPS to plot your position in real time within the trail network. Because getting lost sucks. Getting lost in the dark is even worse. [Free; trailforks.com] Get it
For access to exclusive gear videos, celebrity interviews, and more, subscribe on YouTube!
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While the sun may be moving north, adding minutes of light almost daily, weeknight mountain bike rides are still a while away. Unless you have a night-riding setup.
“I would liken [night mountain biking] to full moon powder skiing—fun for a different set of reasons than the same activity during daylight hours,” says Dillon Osleger, the executive director of the Sage Trail Alliance in Santa Barbara, CA, and an occasional winter evening mountain biker.
In order to view the video, please allow Manage Cookies
Making the transition to night riding is not hard, says Osleger. The only additional gear are lights. Any trail works, but with less peripheral and long-range vision, expect to go slower in technical terrain and on descents. And, with fewer people out there and generally colder temperatures, being prepared for mechanicals and injuries is even more important than during the day.
Why Cedar City, Utah Should Be on Your Mountain Biking Bucket List
Read article
The benefits to pushing through the instinct to stay inside after dark go beyond exercise and fresh air, says Alex MacKay, a recreational mountain biker in B.C. who started night riding last fall.
Why Cedar City, Utah Should Be on Your Mountain Biking Bucket List
Read article
Why Cedar City, Utah Should Be on Your Mountain Biking Bucket List
“The darkness makes familiar trails feel new,” he says. “It pushes your bike handling skills, you get out when you wouldn’t normally, and it’s just really fun.”
9 Ways Mountain Biking Became More Accessible This Decade
Read article
9 Ways Mountain Biking Became More Accessible This Decade
Read article
9 Ways Mountain Biking Became More Accessible This Decade
Here’s what you need to get started:
Lights
Go with a two light set up with a total of 2,000 lumens or more. A good combo is the Light & Motion Seca Comp 1500 (1500 lumens) on the handlebar to light up the trail and a Vis 360 Pro (600 lumens) on the helmet to shine around corners and spotlight details. The Vis’s amber side lights and a tail light add safety for riding on the road to and from the trailhead. [$160, $130; lightandmotion.com]
Tool
Keeping the tool system simple helps with headlamp fixes. We like the one-piece, 18-tool Topeak TUBI 18. It can manage most minor repair jobs, except a broken chain. And among the Allen keys and hexes is everything to seal a tubeless tire puncture, from an air stop to plugs and a knife. [$45; topeak.com]
Danny MacAskill’s Insane MTB Descent on The Slabs Would Make a Grown Man Cry
Read article
Danny MacAskill’s Insane MTB Descent on The Slabs Would Make a Grown Man Cry
Read article
Danny MacAskill’s Insane MTB Descent on The Slabs Would Make a Grown Man Cry
First Aid
All you need to add to Adventure Medical Kits Ultralight/Watertight .5 Medical Kit is a reflective space blanket. Packed into the waterproof storage bag are all the accessories needed to deal with wounds, injuries, burns, blisters and bugs. [$19; adventuremedicalkits.com]
Navigation
The familiar can get confusing in the dark, so bring a charged phone with the Trailforks app downloaded. Even without a cell signal, the app uses the phone’s GPS to plot your position in real time within the trail network. Because getting lost sucks. Getting lost in the dark is even worse. [Free; trailforks.com]
For access to exclusive gear videos, celebrity interviews, and more, subscribe on YouTube!
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Surly Releases Preamble: New All-steel 'Pavement Bike'
Enjoy Gorgeous Picture With This LG CineBeam Portable Projector
Kick Back With The RENPHO Foot Massager During Downtime
Keep Your Food Fresh With This Food Storage Containers Set
Fix Home Problems Yourself With This Cartman 148Piece Tool Set
Dream Garage: The Car and Truck Auctions We'd Bid on Right Now
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The MJ5: Tony Hawk on His Favorite Gear, Why He Always Carries His Board, and More
Here's the Difference Between Bourbon and Whiskey
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The MJ5: Tony Hawk on His Favorite Gear, Why He Always Carries His Board, and More
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