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MountainBikeReview.com's Forum Archives - - Passion -
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1st Night Ride, started in the grey, er, gray, dusk.... (19 posts)
|  1st Night Ride, started in the grey, er, gray, dusk.... | JimC.
Sep 6, 2002 12:27 PM | | Only 2 of us showed up for the 1st night ride of the year. K'Endo sez he was there, but I dunno, I dunno, Ken. What planet were you on?
We started up Fromme at dusk, the smell of fall vegetation all around us. After a quick climb to the top of Espresso, we took a 45 minute break to put on the 50+lb of armor we now use, had a drink of H²O, and off we went.
Alan cleared the whole 1st section and as it was out 1st ride, forgot where we were. From down below I hear: "hey, I'm at the bottom". That 1st part is a connection of roots and steps and corners and stuff you gotta pay attention to. Or else.
We both were able to ride extremely well, the soil was like the Wal*Mart art dept: TACKY. Ahahahahah, I crack me up.
Anyhoo, there are a few ladders and ramps of fairly narrow gauge, and for the 1st time, I got over all of them, sans damage, as did Alan. We stopped a few times, and the silence of the deep forest is truly a blessing.. no city noise last night, not a hint of machines and men. Just us idiots in the woods.
We got thru way too fast, the ride was one of those when you just want to do it all again, it was superb.
Then we had to pack it up and head home, K'Endo checked in this a.m. Sez he was there. Right, Dewd. Hehehe.
Here's the one part we didn't ride; we looked and hey, damage hurts and healing takes time.
I LOVE this time of year, not too hot, and night riding simply is the very very best. I gots me some new passion!
Cheers, Jim |
| What a dark post Jim | mudferret*
Sep 6, 2002 12:46 PM | | Get it, dark?? I dig that photo, there's something about a fog in the background that always adds to a photo. Night riding sounds like a blast, I still haven't done a full blown night ride, maybe it's because I'm too bloody cheap to buy a light set. But then again what's the point, come June 21st in the NWT you can ride till 1 am under a light sky! Not quite the same though, I think I'll buy that lightset.
rdm |
| dork? oh... dArk, *whew* | JimC.
Sep 6, 2002 1:06 PM | | getcher self a good light setup, you will wonder why you didn't before, mind you, sunset at 3 a.m. might put a damper on that expenditure. Jim |
| How long's your season up there? | AlanB
Sep 6, 2002 1:35 PM | | Down here on the shore we ride all year and you NEED lights for the Thursday night bike rides in the winter. Either that or a white cane.
Last night was sooo sweet partially because everyone and their dog have been out on the mountain the last few months. It was a joy just to enjoy the solitude on the mountain. It's amazing the difference one week plus an hour later start time can make.
Night rides are also cool because your points of reference are completely different. I've found myself stopping and realizing I just came down an extremely steep pitch without even noticing it. That's probably why we had such a great time on the skinny stuff. The stellar trail conditions probably helped as well.
Break out the bucks for those lights. You'll find a whole new riding experience at night. Just make sure you have a backup plan for when, not if, the lights fail. Riding with a buddy is a good idea. So is a spare light suitable for hiking out. |
| I heard 1 month construction, 2 mos. bad skidooing, | JimC.
Sep 6, 2002 1:46 PM | | the rest is winter. Mudferret is filling his jeans with diamonds, though, not a *total* waste of time I guess. Jim :o\ |
| Boooo!! | mudferret*
Sep 6, 2002 2:06 PM | | I can think of better hiding places than my jeans!! Yeeeouch!
rdm<---had to sign a consent to ahem...probe certain hiding areas... when I worked for a different diamond company |
| Oh ya, then there's the low dose x-rays... | mudferret*
Sep 6, 2002 2:20 PM | | ...diamonds fluoresce and will show up no matter where you stuff 'em. When I was working for another company (rhymes with The Beers) I learned that %50 of their staff is security!!
rdm |
| That's a good question | mudferret*
Sep 6, 2002 2:14 PM | | I relocate there in October. I'll assume that with the latitude I can add a month of winter type conditions onto either end of the season. Soooo, my guesstimate would be June-September of good riding with wet riding before, and flippin' cold riding afterwards!!;-) Thankfully, it's smack dab in Canadian shield territory so I don't have to worry about the rocks drying out. The Ride Guide did a show on Wade Simmons in Yellowknife, I believe it was shot in July, trails looked dry and it was pretty toasty.
As for the lights, I will indeed pick up a set, I can only imagine what you've described.
rdm<---on the verge of a new frontier |
| Snow's no reason to stop riding | AlanB
Sep 6, 2002 4:47 PM | | Just look at the grin on this moron.
Fat tires help in the snow and snowmobile tracks make decent trails. You'll get good use out of your lights.
Alan |
| Snow can make more terrain rideable, too. | AK Ken
Sep 6, 2002 7:10 PM | | Don't know what the vegetation and soil is like around Yellowknife, but winter opens many new avenues of travel here. We're about the same latitude as Mudferret's new home (64 degrees north), and ride 12 months a year.
Most summer rides involve swamps or muck of some sort, so freezeup is welcome. Once the trails are snowcovered and packed by dog teams even clydesdales can stay on top. Snowmachines don't make as good a trail unless the snow is really warm, which isn't usually our situation. Snowmobiles heavies footprint is the skis, so the hardest part of the trail is the VERY outside edge, and that can be iffy. The dog teams beat down the center of the trail with each individual paw, making a firmer packed surface with a little more leeway toward the edges.
Once the rivers are frozen it REALLY opens access to new areas, too. Throw on the studs and go for miles.
I usually stop riding at minus 20 degrees F, but have ridden to 40 or so below. Mostly just to say I did, though; can't say it was much fun.
"Riding season" is what you want it to be.
Ken |
| what a cool picture.... | Gnarly1
Sep 6, 2002 1:01 PM | | ...you live in a magical place, JimC... |
| kudos to Pat T from WA | JimC.
Sep 6, 2002 1:04 PM | | yep, it's cool here, but we have no Vortex or nuthin'. You would have loved the ride, it was special. Kinda like how I want to be in Sedona when I'm riding in the wet snow & rain in about a month or 2.
Howzit going? Jim |
| Huh? Waddid I dew? | Pat T.®
Sep 7, 2002 7:10 AM | | Kudos? Yup had one fer brekky.....on my way to werk :o( |
| isn't... | Tiny Tank
Sep 6, 2002 4:50 PM | | the planet a magical place..??
tt\ |
| yes, it is..... | Gnarly1
Sep 7, 2002 8:07 PM | | :-) |
| Rode Espresso exactly one week ago... | Darius
Sep 6, 2002 2:11 PM | | ...and had it all to myself on a sunny afternoon. Sadly, after breaking ribs in July, I lost my mojo and walked stuff I knew I could ride, including the easy ladder bridge at the entrance (easy but a bad place to go down on your ribs). You shame me by cleaning everything -- at night! |
| rode 7th | Brodiegrrl
Sep 6, 2002 4:01 PM | | in daylight,
Just me and Maureen, we hooked up with a french canadian guy who was breathing hard on my tail!
I was home by the time you started riding!
I love semi-retirement! |
| I got a girlfriend... | Tiny Tank
Sep 6, 2002 4:52 PM | | who's off for a while who's hitching to go ride out your way. Do you want to play tour guide for a week or so?
Let me know.
Annie<--wish she could go
tt\ |
| LOL....that was so misleading....... | Pat T.®
Sep 7, 2002 11:37 AM | | I shoulda known better....................... |
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