Flying at night?
 

Is it just me? When I'm out riding at night I feel like I go so much faster.
There must be some facts out there about this phenomenon. Whatever the
explanation may be I love the feeling...and no I don't drink or drug. :D

I dunno why it is but I've noticed the same thing when I run in the dark

Night riding is a blast!

I do ride around town without a light sometimes, but I usually use a Jet H.I.D. light...basically a stadium light on my head.

Probably due to a lack of visual/spatial input. But I love riding at night after it has cooled down after a hot day, you can feel the cool spots and warm spots as you fly through.

Aaron:)

So true, gotta try to keep the mouth closed though, (bugs)....

Why? Free protein. Chase with a swig of water, and it's a performance enhancing substance. :innocent:

I think it's simply the lack of visibility, you're flying past light sources instead of being in sunlight. I know I feel like I'm hauling in low light because I have crap night vision.

The absence of light lessens the force of gravity ever so slightly. :innocent:

hehe...almost did that yesterday. I managed to spit it out though (I know a waste of good protein with all of those hungry people in...whereever they are today...:o )

Just be sure to always wear white...

I'm thinking the molecular structure of the air is less dense, which allows one to pass through quicker with less resistance due to the cooling temperature. Of course this is conjecture on my part since I don't have statistics to back it up... ;)

Wat!?!?

Everyone knows you achieve maximum nighttime velocity when you wear all black and a cape.

Ah--- but as air cools it becomes more dense. This is why pilots love really cold mornings to take off with a fully loaded 747. That big baby has so much more "lift."

This phenomenon actually is dependent upon geographical location.

Since you are in Maine, and closer to the north pole :rolleyes: you don't receive as much sunlight per year. ;) Added to this is all that foggy moisture laden air blowing off the Atlantic which makes the sun seem to rise later or set earlier. Since you live in such a "dark" place, ;););) you subconsciously are trying to flee the darkness, and winter, and overcast skies, and fog, and roads that really don't let you travel easily from here to there. :roflmao2:

So it is just your mind playing tricks on you making you feel as if you are riding faster after dark--- because you want the sun to hurry up and finally rise in the morning! :innocent: And you seem to bike more slowly in the daylight--- because you don't want the sun to go down! :eek:

pastorbobnlnh,

I can see why you'd think that way, but we are not Alaska by any means :lol:
Up there in the clouds where you are on the other hand, the thin air does tend to rob
the brain of needed oxygen, which would cause a delusional, if not irrational sense of
being. That being said, the White Mountains are one of the most beautiful places on earth,
peace! :D

And here I was thinking it's just because most of the cars are off the road, which allows me to reach my goals of moving faster than 20 mph!

East Hill

You just might want to talk to Tom Stormcrowe about Fast Night Riding.

When I was in high school in DC a buddy and I used to go riding through Rock Creek Park on my yellow Raleigh Record, mostly on roads that were closed at night. No lights on the bikes, no street lights, tearing down those hills that I knew by heart and passing through all those hot spots and cool spots that develop in the evening. What a blast!

Then one day at school a girl was talking bout what she and her friends did last night, which involved driving a car over those same closed roads, with no lights on. They'd motor to the top of a hill, kill the engine, and coast down in perfect dark silence... the driver demonstrating you don't need without power steering after all, what a man.

I never did that again.

i really enjoy riding at nights , all the city bikers / Commuters have gone to bed . more freedom on the roads/paths and i do feel like i go faster at night as well .
//T

Didn't your mother used to tell you? When riding at night, always wear white!

I'm with East Hill on this - provided it's dry with fewer cars & pedestrians I have the opportunity to ride faster. It's also cooler in the summer!

Exactly.

I love doing this too. When I'm at my place in Michigan, there are almost no streetlights and all traffic low speed. I love riding in the cover of daarkness up there and whoshing past people. Then they say, "What was that?" I tend to get high-beams in my face a lot though. I guess because they can't see me.

it might have something to do with less reference points and you only see the things that are closer to you or in your sphere of vision. I would imagine this would make you feel faster like looking at closer things look faster than further

I used to commute through downtown Seattle at 3 am going roughly north to south. Nothing felt faster than hitting all the lights on 2nd ave at 0300!

This commute put me on the road with lots of 'interesting' folk. One night, these nice ladies rolled down their window and inquired if I'd care for a throw with the two of them ($). When I told them, "Rider married, carries no cash" they offered to race me for the privilege.:D

I love riding at night. I always ride the Nishiki Competition, so that if I hit a pothole and bust up a wheel or something it isn't such a tragedy. One thing about riding around her at night is I seem to be a lightning rod for loudmouth jerks in cars that think they are funny. Screamers, threats, etc., and I am not blocking their way in the least. That never happens in the daytime.