dwrudy

Any advice on headlamps for brevets? I use 2 Cateye Opticubes on my bar and am looking for a headlamp to get a bit more light.

CliftonGK1

It all depends on what kind of distances you're looking to cover. Are you sticking more to rides which you can finish in a single day (400km) and you need a few hours of pre-dawn/post-sunset lighting? A battery-powered light like the DiNotte 400L will provide a good amount of light, and you can carry a spare battery pack (they're not that heavy) to extend your runtime.
Do you need all-night multi-night lighting? Consider going with a dynohub system and an LED light like the B&M IQ-Fly or Supernova E3. No batteries to worry about. Just be sure to have a small helmet mounted light for map reading or emergency repairs, because after a few minutes of stoppage time the standlight on dyno-driven lamps will dim out.

mattm

for a recent 400k i just taped my LED light (a cateye something or other) to my helmet. worked decently.

all i really needed it for was to read my cuesheet, and my watch.

bobbycorno

I'm using a Petzl Tikka Plus, hooked to my helmet with a SWIX velcro ski strap (thru the front vents). 20+ hour runtime on 3 AAA batteries, 3 brightness levels and "blink" mode (great in traffic). It's not bright enough to use as a headlight, but for reading the speedo and cue sheet, it's just right. For something brighter, look at the Princeton Tec series.

SP

ConstantRider

I like the Princeton Tec EOS.

Cave

Watch out for too much weight on the helmet. I use a Fenix L2DCE on my helmet commuting, but that isn't more than 90min at a time. I notice it after a while, wouldn't want it there all night I don't think. It does help a lot with lighting, though - can read the speedo, can look to the side.

The cateyes aren't very bright. If you want enough light to ride by, you probably need something brighter. For 8 hrs though you won't find much that will last, unless you are happy to change batteries, or use a dynamo light.

The electronics forum has lots of threads on this. If you go with batteries rather than a dynamo light, don't feel you need bike-specific lights; much more value using one or two high-powered torches running of AAs (so you can easily find replacements) eg. the Fenix mentioned above. You would, however, need a few changes of batteries to get through the night (lasts about 2 hours on highest setting).

I guess I'm saying, if you want more light you might be better off changing your whole system rather than just adding a headlight.

CliftonGK1

That's why I use the Petzl Tikka hiker's light. I took the elastic strap off of it and zip tied it to my helmet through the front vents. It's incredibly lightweight, and offers up enough light to read maps/computer/fix a flat tire, etc.

Richard Cranium

Yeah, I am asking the same question.

If you want to spend the dough, I guess there's plenty of lights, I'm asking about a light I can control, like an eye glass mount, or I'm thinkin' a flashlight strapped to the back of my hand.

I want something I can aim at the eyes of an oncoming driver, or a sign post 30 degrees off the roadway. But something I could control easily - to last all night, if I need it.

bmike

danolite.
really lite on the head. batts go in the pocket.

zoste

I love that picture, Mike

bmike

tx!

thebulls

I've used the NiteHawk Emitter for the last couple of years, mounted on my helmet as an auxiliary light (for lighting up the road and corners and the side of the road or pointing at cars that won't dim there lights, or whatever; it is _way_ too bright to aim at a cue sheet without blinding yourself). It is a 1-watt Luxeon LED that is somewhat less bright than a Schmidt-hub-driven E6. It lasts pretty-close to its rated 8 hours. The "Digital Emitter" versions had a shorter time-rating so didn't seem as useful. But NiteHawks (www.nite-hawk.com) seem overly pricey for what you get, when you compare with the EOS. Though much less overly pricey than other fancy LED-based systems.

Richard Cranium

I went to a Target and bought an "energizer" brand led light with a head strap. I haven't rigged for use with a helmet, but I imagine you can get way with just "strapping" it on.

Anyway, for $20 you can't go wrong, the silly thing is brighter than my Cateye lights, and has enough light "spill" to let me read my computer...... My light problems are solved......

bmike

Also a fan of the Petzl e+light.