Helmet lights - what do you use for night time winter riding?

[Rob Rides EMTB]

So I have the Halfords 1600 lumen light that @Gary recommended for the bars. Got it last year and it seems really good.

I’d like a helmet mounted light to go with it. Not crazy money, just a good bang for buck one will do.

What do you recommend?

 

[Funkeydunk]

So I have the Halfords 1600 lumen light that @Gary recommended for the bars. Got it last year and it seems really good.

I’d like a helmet mounted light to go with it. Not crazy money, just a good bang for buck one will do.

What do you recommend?

So I use an exposure joystick, it’s light enough to it doesn’t hurt your neck. Battery life can be tricky, I have to manage mine a little to get two hours riding. I paid a boy £120. Hope this helps.

 

[Rusty]

Gloworm X2 the past few years.

 

[davarello]

I'd second the Gloworm X-2, great build quality and smart optics with both spot and wide beam that you can combine as you like.

 

[Mike Hampson]

Depends on what you call stupid money ? I run a Exposure Diablo with a support Cell and I can't fault it (apart from being a little pricey). On the Bar I run a Exposure Six Pack and to be honest thats overkill but give's me a masive burn time at more reasonable light levels or 3hrs at max burn.

 

[ccrdave]

this is very good but a bit pricy
Exposure Joystick MK14 Helmet Light £148.49

 

[Maxb]

I use solar storm x2 they are really cheap and very bright mine is mounted to a GoPro mount you can buy 3D printed mounts that screw into the bottom of the light which allow it to connect to the go pro mount.
The only problem with the cheaper lights is the battery packs are not the best I can get about 1 hr 20min from mine so will take a spare battery for longer rides.

 

[RedTed]

OK it's not a dedicated helmet light but this is what I use. It's a Zebralight headtorch fastened to my lid with a Twofish Lockblock. I guess you could easily use an in line Lockblock for a conventional torch.

Pro's
900+ lumens
Neutral tint
Lightweight and compact
Can carry spare batteries
Easily adjustable position
Can use as a conventional head torch
Sturdy

Con's
Lockblock can dig into your head
Separate 18650's required plus charger

Would I get this set up over a dedicated bike helmet light? Quite possibly but that's just me. ZL's are a great piece of kit.

 

[s90gav]

I run a Hope R4+ on my bars and a Hope R4 on my helmet with a 3D printed adaptor to use the GoPro mount on my Bell Helmet

 

[Pabs]

At £15.99 this is the best Bang for Buck I'd say.

Yup, cheap Cree job. I had one of these for about 4 to 5 years. Same original battery and it lasts around 1.5 to 2 hours in its high setting. I'd still have it if I hadn't forgotten to unstrap it from a tree on the side of Coniston water!

That advert says its rated for 6000 lumens but I would take that with a pinch of salt, I've seen the same light advertised as 5000 and other ratings too. Either way, if anything its too bright rather than not bright enough.

I'm going to click buy on another. I'm not local to Coniston, if anyone is close I'd happily give up the location of my old one (as best I can) to someone who'd be willing to post up their honest review......no charger there though!

 

[Jdog]

I run a Hope R4+ on my bars and a Hope R4 on my helmet with a 3D printed adaptor to use the GoPro mount on my Bell Helmet

I'll second this, I have two hope R4+ lights, one on my bars and one on my Bell sixer helmet as it comes with a GoPro mount that I got adapted to take my light.

 

[Bomble]

I use the exposure joystick on helmet with Halfords 1600 on bars. It’s a great setup and the joystick is powerful enough to be used on the bars in case of mishaps/forgotten lights.

 

[kafkastan]

I use solar storm x2 they are really cheap and very bright mine is mounted to a GoPro mount you can buy 3D printed mounts that screw into the bottom of the light which allow it to connect to the go pro mount.

+1 on the Solar Storm X2. I persisted with two lights for a while after I got the X2, but then my (much more expensive) bar light died on a ride and I realised it was pretty much redundant. I retired my bar light that day and haven't used one since (off-road).

I also adapted mine for a GoPro mount, but I used one of the random no-idea-what-this-is-for bits that come in those generic "573-in-one action camera" kits.

Pretty sure it was this bit ...

 

[kafkastan]

Sixteen quid!

Sorry, totally talking to myself here, but I've just looked up the Solar Storm on eBay and it's only sixteen quid. I've no idea what I paid, but I'm pretty sure I've had mine for at least five years. I haven't used for a while now - as I'm currently under-employed and have been venturing out in daytime - but it certainly served me well for ages.

 

[kafkastan]

And while we're on the topic of helmet lights, and I appear to be randomly wibbling on, I'd like to share my top tip for training the cable for lights with external battery packs to the back of your helmet. After much experimentation with various clips, cable ties, etc., I finally stumbled upon the perfect solution ...

2mm bungee cord! Easy to tie around vents, taut enough to be unlikely to snag on anything, snaps if snagged badly, and flexible enough to lift to work the cable though.

 

[kafkastan]

2mm bungee cord!

Yep, still talking to myself here. Last thing, 2mm bungee cord is also the best replacement I've found for when that sag-measuring ring goes AWOL from the fork.

Right, I think it's my bedtime. I have no more wisdom to give.

 

[Rusty]

Called .... Tidy Race Setup.

 

[HORSPWR]

This is my pick for helmet mounted, excellent light output and great run time, configurable and has a wireless bar mount remote.

Duo 1500 Lumens

 

[Beezerk]

Niterider Lumina with a helmet mount as extra. USB charge so no battery to lug around, brilliant.

 

[Rich-EMTB-UK]

Hope R2 on the helmet and R4 on the bars. Night becomes day perfect off road.

 

[iainc]

2020 Exposure Joystick on helmet and Maxx D on the bars. A great setup and I’ve used this for years, I update the lights every 18 months while they still have decent residuals

 

[StuR]

Been using these for 6 yrs - Luv em !
Lots of options
Single lamps or kits available
Pricing isn't too bad
Direct from Australia , had them in 5 days

Lighting Kits - Ay Up Lighting Systems

 

[kafkastan]

Called .... Tidy Race Setup.

Very tidy indeed. Though personally, having once been yanked backwards off my bike by my helmet light snagging on a branch - a decidedly unpleasant way to dismount a bike, I can assure you - I since mount my helmet light as low on the brow as possible and carry the battery in my backpack.

 

[aarfeldt]

I use Exposure Joystick MK12 on the helmet.
Was on sale at Wiggle at 99£.
Robust, solid make, good quality, will go for +2 hours)

 

[Zoot Allures]

Exposure Diablo on helmet
Exposure Maxx D on bars

Do quite a bit of riding under lights and have used this set-up for the last 3 winters. Works great for me.

Personally, I like having the light and battery as one unit rather than rigging up cabling and carrying separate batteries. Each to their own

 

[Telemarker]

Halfords 1600 on bars and Halfords 1000 on helmet
Did have a tiny 300lumen light on helmet, super light weight but more lumens were needed

 

[GrahamPaul]

Cateye Volt 800 on the helmet. Hope R8+ on the bars.
Anything green or brown around here has sharp thorns - decent lights are a must.

 

[Rusty]

Been using these for 6 yrs - Luv em !
Lots of options
Single lamps or kits available
Pricing isn't too bad
Direct from Australia , had them in 5 days

Lighting Kits - Ay Up Lighting Systems

Ran AyUps for years when I was doing a lot of day/night racing. Awesome kit but were getting up in price when I needed replacements.

 

[Gary]

Halfords 1600 on bars and Halfords 1000 on helmet

They weigh the same. so you might as well run a 1600 on your lid

I occasionally helmet mount my bikehut 1600 with the bike hut (gopro) helmet mount accessory but actually have a spare lid with a solar storm x2 mounted to the front and a custom made high capacity 2 cell 18250 Li ion pack mounted to the back of the helmet. runs of full (7-800lumens?) for a few hours

I also have a 3200lumen bar monted lights. The bikehut light is so good I rarely ever use them though

 

[Zimmerframe]

When will it stop .. it's electric bikes, electric lights .. you boys need to man up a bit, now when I was a lad ....

Which reminds me of an old joke ..

At the National Art Gallery in Dublin, a husband and wife were staring at a portrait that had them completely confused. The painting depicted three black men totally naked, sitting on a bench.

Two of the figures had black penises, but the one in the middle had a pink penis. The curator of the gallery realised that they were having trouble interpreting the painting and offered his personal assessment.

He went on for over half an hour explaining how it depicted the sexual emasculation of African Americans in a predominately white patriarchal society . "In fact", he pointed out, "some serious critics believe that the pink penis also reflects the cultural and sociological oppression experienced by gay men in contemporary society".

After the curator left, an Irishman approached the couple and said, "Would you like to know what the painting is really about?"

"Now why would you claim to be more of an expert than the curator of the gallery", asked the couple?

"Because I am the artist, who painted the picture", he replied, "In fact, there are no African Americans depicted at all"

"They're just three Irish coal miners. The guy in the middle went home for lunch."

 

[mtbross]

So I have the Halfords 1600 lumen light that @Gary recommended for the bars. Got it last year and it seems really good.

I’d like a helmet mounted light to go with it. Not crazy money, just a good bang for buck one will do.

What do you recommend?

Light & Motion Trail 1000 FC. Love it for helmet. Also works great on the bars on my road bike at night. And great flashlight too. I use MagicShine Eagle M2 on bars for mtb. Trail 1000 FC - Light & Motion