The winter evenings set in early enough to spoil those sunset mountain rides, but don’t put your bike away just yet. With the nightfall comes a whole new adventure to be had on two wheels – night riding.

For most people who are limited by their working hours, once the autumn comes the opportunity to ride in the week takes a swift nose-dive off a cliff. So, unless you’re happy to only riding your bike just on weekends, or spending your evening on a turbo trainer at home, then you should really give night riding a go.

While it sounds a little scary and maybe even intimidating, all you really need is a good pair of bike lights to squash those fears, and get going. Mountain bike lights are a lot more powerful than road cycling lights, so you need to make sure you have the right kind. Lucky for you, we’ve done most of the hard work with our MTB light buying guide, which you can read here.

Along with your normal riding attire, bike and lights, we have some top tips to help get you off to a flying night-time ride.

Light Up

A good set of bike lights aren’t as heavy and as bulky as you may think. Modern technology has enabled the production of lightweight, convenient and reliable illumination that emits incredible shining power.

Review: Exposure Maxx-D MK8  and Joystick MK10 Lights

The brightness, weight and designs will vary a lot between brand, and budget. Some devices are a single unit with an integrated battery whereas others have a battery you carry on your bike, or in your pocket.

Many riders will opt for having two lights. One mounted to the handlebars which tend to be brighter and heavier, and another mounted to the top of the helmet which will be smaller and lighter – ideal for illuminating the path your eyes are following (i.e around corners).