Night vision or a mountain bike?

[CountryBoy19]

riding trails in the night is usually crazy fun!

Not recommended with a monocular night-vision rig as depth-perception is severely impacted. Light would be the best for night-time trail riding. No reason/need to be discreet and no reason to see further than a good light will shine so I don't see night-vision offering much advantage on that one...

I do have to agree with the poster that said being in shape is a key to surviving if SHTF is your concern. IMHO, it's more key than night-vision, but at the same time, bike riding isn't the only way to get in shape. I can understand your dilemma. Is such an expensive bike necessary for what you want to do? Can you get away with a cheaper, used bike AND night-vision? You should be able to find a verified good used PVS-14 gen III for just over $2k.

 

[mikefraz]

There are mountains in Indiana? I have a 21 speed full suspension bike that you could have for cheap (cheap bike). You could get your exercise on it and still get the night vision too.

I guess I should have said “trail bike” instead of mountain biking if you want to split hairs. But I think I might have given the wrong impression. I already own a bike. It’s just more of a road bike than a full suspension mountain bike. I’m aware I could go to Walmart and buy a $200 bike, but I liken that to saying you could buy cheap gen 1 NV compared to gen 3. It’s the same difference with mountain bikes.

 

[mikefraz]

Not recommended with a monocular night-vision rig as depth-perception is severely impacted. Light would be the best for night-time trail riding. No reason/need to be discreet and no reason to see further than a good light will shine so I don't see night-vision offering much advantage on that one...

I do have to agree with the poster that said being in shape is a key to surviving if SHTF is your concern. IMHO, it's more key than night-vision, but at the same time, bike riding isn't the only way to get in shape. I can understand your dilemma. Is such an expensive bike necessary for what you want to do? Can you get away with a cheaper, used bike AND night-vision? You should be able to find a verified good used PVS-14 gen III for just over $2k.

That thought has also occurred to me. Like I said above, the quality difference between a Walmart bike and a $3000 bike is almost as obvious as the difference in gen 3 vs gen 1 for night vision.

 

[seedubs1]

My advice.....Go with the MTN bike. But if this is your first MTN bike, don't drop 3 grand on it. Get a good FS or hardtail 29er for Indiana. You can get a really solid last years model or used bike for around $1k. Use it for a season or two and see if MTN biking is your thing. If it is, consider upgrading. But I wouldn't ever recommend a person just getting started in MTN biking to drop $3k on a bike unless they just have money falling out their ass. Chances are, you won't stick with it, you'll crash hard and not want to keep riding trails, or you might even figure out that you don't really like the bike you bought and want something different. Kind of like new shooters buying a $3k AR.....start with a Colt 6920 and figure it out before you drop big cash on crap you don't need or something just flat out wrong.

 

[Vigilant]

That’s what I’m afraid of. I don’t really have that many opportunities to shoot at night currently, so I feel like it’s something that would be a novelty, but I novelty I’d love to have, especially since I already have some of the supporting equipment.



I feel like it would be easier to justify the bike. I also live a stones throw away from a state park that has bike trails, which means I’d no doubt use the bike more.


There’s just something about being a night wizard though that keeps drawing me back in.

Whats keeping you from night hiking the very same state park? Go night vision, and buy a cheaper bicycle, you don’t NEED a $3K bike to ride trails, but in order to shoot at night you NEED NV. Buy a $500 mountain bike, and $2500 NV system, that way, you get BOTH! And can ride those trails at night like a BOSS!

 

[SamTrammell]

Very few mountains in Indiana, it is dark almost every night however.

 

[seedubs1]

We actually have some nationally renowned trails in IN.

Very few mountains in Indiana, it is dark almost every night however.

 

[JollyMon]

My answer maybe biased

 

[mikefraz]

My answer maybe biased

So you’re voting for the mountain bike then?

 

[MCgrease08]

I'm a big cost per use guy, so I am always looking for quality items that will last a long time and that I can use everyday.

Personally I could eventually see getting my cost down to pennies per use with a $3k mountain bike. With NV, it would probably hover around a few hundred dollars.

But that's just me.

 

[mikefraz]

I'm a big cost per use guy, so I am always looking for quality items that will last a long time and that I can use everyday.

Personally I could eventually see getting my cost down to pennies per use with a $3k mountain bike. With NV, it would probably hover around a few hundred dollars.

But that's just me.

And night vision is actually coming down in cost for decent gen 3, so in theory, waiting to buy NVGs later could actually save me money. My inner 12 year old is telling me to go with the night vision, but the justification part of my brain is saying the bike would be more beneficial/practical.

 

[ChristianPatriot]

Drift trike. Thank me later.

 

[nascarfantoo]

Personally I would go for the bike. Something I (personally) would use more. After a couple health issues, staying in shape is a lot more important to me. Now if I was retired I try to find a way to get both.

 

[Vigilant]

Screw the bike, NVG’s and ruck marching will keep you in all the shape you need. This is play money, biking is work! Work money for work things, play money for play things!

 

[JollyMon]

You can buy a used gen 3 pvs14 for 1500.... my road bike cost 1900.... I use both equally. I like both equally. I prefer self preservation over gadgets. I thing with night vision, I have spent countless hours having fun, but countless thousands more on “accessories “ that I “needed”