# Tandem Night Riding



## Team Fubar Rider (Sep 3, 2003)

The tandem forum has been stale for a few days, so I thought I'd throw one out there. 

Anyone doing any night riding on their tandems? My son (7 years old) and I did our first off-road night ride last week. We tackled our local singletrack at M-Hill. Climbed to the top, did a loop around the top, then dropped down a newly cut trail on the "backside" then looped back around to the truck. He absolutely loved it!

If anyone is doing any night riding, are you giving your stoker a light for their helmet? I run a helmet and a bar light, but I also fashioned a Petzel head lamp on my son's helmet so he could kind of see what was going on and not be scared of what's out there.


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## ds2199 (Sep 16, 2008)

Yes - we night ride on the tandem. We rode two nights this week. 

I run both bar and helmet mount lights. Most of the time I have a flash light that my stoker uses when she needs to see what's goin on, but I need to set her up with something on her helmet.

Having a good set of lights is key. :thumbsup:


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## Team Fubar Rider (Sep 3, 2003)

I have great lights (used for 24 hour racing) so for the front end of the bike, we're lit up very well. 

The little Petzel light was perfect as when it was on it isn't bright enough to distract me, but bright enough for my son to be able to see some stuff along the trail.


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## ds2199 (Sep 16, 2008)

How did you attach the Petzl light to his helmet? Does the elastic band work around his helmet?


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## Team Fubar Rider (Sep 3, 2003)

Yeah, opened the strap up (so I won't over stretch it) and put it around the helmet. Put a zip-tie on the front to secure the light itself from slipping up while riding.


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## Fleas (Jan 19, 2006)

This almost doesn't count, but my 3 yr. old got her last ride ever in the baby seat - on the tandem - in the dark. As the sun was going down I gave her a flashlight to hang around her neck and she thought night riding was the coolest thing ever. My wife was still at work so it was just me and the youngster.

The next thing will be with the trail-a-bike (scored one for $30!)... I can put lights all over that thing.

From a light performance aspect, I need a helmet mount light to shine closer to the front wheel and in those sharp turns. The big light on the bars is great for generally straight trails, but is always shining off into the forest if there are a lot of turns.

-F

PS - my wife has joked (I think) that she rides with her eyes closed, so getting her a light is low priority.


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## Team Fubar Rider (Sep 3, 2003)

In addition to the turning aspect of the "handlebar only" light set up is your depth perception. A light on the bars only will cause even the smallest trail obstacles look huge (because of the angle the light/shadows are cast). A helmet only light tends to wash any shadows out, making the biggest trail obstacles look small, again due to the angle the light/shadows are cast, or aren't in this case. Having both balances stuff out and makes it so you don't think a 6" drop is a chasm or a chasm is a 6" drop.

Cool about you and your child. We're planting the seeds for the future of mountain biking!


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## Fleas (Jan 19, 2006)

Team Fubar Rider said:


> In addition to the turning aspect of the "handlebar only" light set up is your depth perception. A light on the bars only will cause even the smallest trail obstacles look huge (because of the angle the light/shadows are cast). A helmet only light tends to wash any shadows out, making the biggest trail obstacles look small, again due to the angle the light/shadows are cast, or aren't in this case. Having both balances stuff out and makes it so you don't think a 6" drop is a chasm or a chasm is a 6" drop.
> 
> Cool about you and your child. We're planting the seeds for the future of mountain biking!


So true.

and so true:
With my old Vista-Lite set-up on my single I had one on the bars for long range (spot light) and one on the side of the head tube for close-in (flood light) - that was good for even really fast, tech. descents.

-F


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