Today the Brown Truck Of Happiness brought me a NiteRider Pro 1200 light system, so I charged it up, and after work I cruised south on the highway, then cut off into the trails for about an hour. It was raining lightly when I left, and getting a bit heavier, plus I had the heavy bike with a load onboard, so it was a bit subdued. But whatever, I got a 17-mile ride in.

1200, good lord thats a lot of lumens.. you're not invited to my night ride!

You are invited on the Butler rides any time. All flamethrowers welcome - - helps fill the holes us lesser-lit and unlit poachers need :D.

Does one have to wear welders goggles to safely operate such a system? :p

What day/time do you guys ride, and where do you usually ride at? I like riding with others, sometimes it's hard to get motivated when I have to ride solo.

Hehe, just get some 40-year-old eyeballs and it won't seem so bright any more, I fear ;)

Rhetorical question: How on earth can there ever be 'too much' light for a night ride?

Mech, we should be starting up in earnest with Daylight Savings in effect next week (a smattering of the group made some early forays already). The group ride is always Wed. nights, meeting at the Butler parking lot by about 6. Often the ride sets out from there either up over or around Five Mile and dropping over through Indian Trail and over to Riverside.

As it gets into summer, we branch out more: sometimes reconveningting at the Ezzy parking lot to do Beacon, sometimes meeting at Lemon Dr. to do more extensive Riverside and/or Indian Canyon or Deep Creek, sometimes meeting at the Browne's Add. Rosauers to do the S. Hill Bluff. Always a good idea to call the shop earlier in the day (or PM me, although I'm not always in the know) to find out for sure. It's a bit loose and fluid sometimes just where we may end up.

Rides range from a cadre of 8-10 die-hards early and late season to 30+ and a wide mix of abilities in the warm summer evenings. Those become a little more start-and-stop to round up people at trail intersections and such; if it gets too much that way, we often break it up into a couple groups so the more experienced riders can go out and keep some speed.

You are always more than welcome. I'll PM you my contact info.

I'm going to answer anyways!

As long as the uber-bright light guy(mechBgon hehe) is out front all is good, but the problem is that when you have a nuclear explosion occurring behind you it "washes out" your dinky 400lumen light. Usually in the worst way because the shadow that is cast by said light is right on your line. Thus we have ourselves an arms race!

^^ If you're looking where you're supposed to the shadow won't matter. Bring on the light!

Cool, thanks for the info :)

Today I took out Reflecto-Bike and rode to Riverside, did a slow-ish lap of the 24-hour course with a couple guys, then rode from Riverside to the South Hill and hit the bluff, then onto Highway 195 back to town. That was a good calorie-burner, 47 miles. Alas, I have no pizza, or it would be baking right now :(

Attachment 141456

Some guy actually *had* a nuclear fusion light on the ride today, and you're right, it totally washes out even my Pro 1200. Fortunately, it was mounted real high up so my shadow wasn't being projected in front of me, and it lit everything up real good :)

But seriously, I understand your point and when I'm on a group ride, I usually don't ride right on peoples' wheel like some of the young'uns do. Part of the reason is so I can see what I'm about to run over, and to allow recovery time if they bobble. But it also reduces the shadow effect a lot.

Sheesh if I put all three of my candles on the handlebars I would maybe have 500 lumens. I'm so ashamed.

Dang them nasty north winds. Chilly out there the last two days. Been so windy we got white caps on the swimming pool.

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/f.../3-14-10_2.png

Bluff. Stumpjumper hardtail. 23 miles. 4860ft climbing.

Oh, and

Chocolate milk. Hot shower. Baked chicken, spinach salad, Internet ;)

Awesome ride in Pisgah today with the Girlscout and Hambone. Did Bennet Gap in the rain, super sketch in places. Slick,rooty, rocky....just like Pisgah should be. Good times.

Mech, that's an awesome map. Is that an online service or a standalone program? I don't have a bike specific GPS, but I might throw my car GPS in my backpack sometime to get some maps.

That's the demo version of TopoFusion, which has no time limit, so give it a try :) I'm using a borrowed GPS for the weekend, and I just plug it in, start the TopoFusion software, click GPS and load up the track. Then I can pick from various types of maps (satellite, topographical, etc) and hit the 3D button to switch from an overhead view to the 3D view. This is cool, now I really want a GPS of my own :)

Haven't rode in two days. Due to rain/sick. Feel great now, so I am going to go out Monday.

trails have been closed for a loooong time.
first good trail ride in a while!
dry as a bone...so stoked to be out again.
http://hphotos-snc3.fbcdn.net/hs443...._1379493_n.jpg

:lol: our trails won't be dry 'til June.

Just ate crap in the worst way. Running out of gears smokin' fast, over the bars onto my helmet and shoulder. Whithout that lid I would be on my way to the ER for sure. Nothing broken,just feels like I have been beaten with a ball bat. one of the hardest licks I have ever taken and not blacked out. Right wrist is sore,left shoulder is still numb, left side of my forehead is scraped up and my left knee is already blue and red.......good times.

Whoa. Glad you're (more or less) OK, 66.

Went out to Beacon yesterday for most of the day. My "pusher-upper" muscles are all beat. Got a lot of good practice runs down in preparation for next weekend's first race of the season. Even boosted the road gap - - numerous times - - for the very first time there. Sscyco and his son came in the afternoon and got some more runs in with them. Good times. Bring on the race season.

for race season you need a race bike. Where are the pictures of this new beast?

Trusty old Blindside for one more race I'm afraid. Yeti is supposed to ship within the next couple weeks I'm told.

Here's a good view of the gap. It's totally forgiving if you don't make it all the way out to the downslope but is sooooo fun and butter-smooth when landed right (not me in the pic):

http://is.pinkbike.com//photo/4067/pbpic4067196.jpg

Here is my son hitting it a year ago - I hit a couple times yesterday - following Doug once when we blazed the entire run.
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_haCltcUpKTI/S1...0/100_0084.JPG

nice, looks fun. bring some of that action down to texas.

Yeah!!!!!!!!!!

Beacon Hill. Reflecto-Bike. Had a good XC-ish ride, starting with the fading daylight and ending in full night-ride mode.