Helmet light recommendation?
 

Hi all. I just bought a Specialized Tricross and due to the brake levers on the handlebars do not have room for a handlebar mounted headlight. I'm sure I will figure out something eventually but for now am wondering about helmet mounted lights? Can anyone recommend a good one or have any experiences they can share with helmet mounted lights?

Helmet lights are great, check out the electronic section for some specifics.

I've attached fenix olights using the twofish lockblock mounted to a giro hex helmet. It was lightweight and barely noticed it. I've never ridden with a bigger flashlight mounted to it, but it should work.

I use a Cygolight MityCross 350
http://www.cygolite.com/products/index.html
For me it was worth the cost. Bought it at REI.
I get 2+ hrs full burn time. Ample for my pre dawn and and late night commute.
No issues. If anything the Velcro straps could be longer. They are just long enough for my helmet.

Shawn

I got a Light & Motion Vis 360 earlier this month. Best rig yet on the market, IMO. Light, bright, good run times.
http://www.bikelights.com/vis360.html

I have threaded the elastic to a headlamp through the vent holes of my helmet and then put the lamp back on. Bought at Home Depot for the amazing price of 3 for 8.00. They are bright and easy to change batteries in and light enough to not be a burden to my neck.
You could even mount two on the same elastic for brighter light.

Having your main light on the helmet isn't the best setup. Consider mounting the main light on the fork blade or fork crown instead. The lower you mount the light, the better it does at forming shadows, which help you discern pot holes, rocks, and other obstacles.

That said, for (secondary) helmet lights, I like Princeton Tec's EOS.

Hmmm..thanks for the info guys. I like the idea of mounting a light lower on the bike and then having another on the helmet.

Lights on the helmet and bars (or lower in your case) is a great combo.

I use the Cygolite Expilion 250, which is bright and comes with a helmet mount. The supplied mount is nice because you can easily remove the light for daytime riding and is adjustable up and down depending on oncoming traffic. At 130g, it's almost unnoticeable, runs 3 hours on high, and has a nice beam pattern.

http://www.rei.com/product/807968

The reviews on the REI website are a little misleading with respect to the mount. It is tight at first, but with use, works much more easily. I think many gave up too quickly, and should have used it for longer.

S Mini 350 manufactor rated lumens on helmet for dirt trail. 3 hrs runtime on single 18650. Two of these will be as bright as a MS900 light. Otherwise a MG P Rocket XPG 450 manufactor rated lumen also from shining beam. If you want pure throw and can bear the weight, than a MG X Thrower SST 50 manufactor rated 800 lumen.

That being said, all light mention takes 18650 battery and some folks are not comfy using those cells. However they are great for their selection and price.

If you're going to be riding primarily on pavement, I recommend a light with a focused beam such as the ones offered by Busch & Muller.

My main light (B&M IQ Cyo R) mounted on the fork crown:
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1386/...2ca48d60_z.jpg

Secondary light (Planet Bike 2W Blaze) mounted on front low-riders:
http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5002/...bc6473a906.jpg

Although my main light is dynohub powered, a battery-powered version is also available (B&M Ixon IQ). The above combo puts the light exactly where I need it, and because I run the 2W Blaze on "low," the batteries last a very long time. I use the helmet-mounted EOS when I know I'll need to read a lot of street signs, etc.

On my commuter, the helmet light is just an auxiliary light -- the bike's got a dynohub and front & rear lights. I haven't yet put a headlight on the road bike (I put cross levers on it like your Tricross has), so the new helmet light is serving as the lone headlight.

One way to mount a light to the bars, depending on how much room you've got by the levers, would be an auxiliary mounting bar. Supernova has one (it's the first that popped into my head -- http://www.supernova-lights.com/en/t.../mounting.html ), but there are a bunch of other brands that sell them, too.

How closely are the interrupter levers mounted to the stem? My commuter has interrupters and there is plenty of room for a light on each side of the stem. Alternative might be to see if you could unwrap the bars a bit, shorten the housing between brake levers and interrupters then slide the interrupters a bit further from the stem to open up some real estate for lights.

Awesome! I'm liking this set up. BarracksSSI I have pretty much decided that I don't even want to try to mount a light on my handlebars. I also have a airzound horn I need to make room for.

I run two minewt minis, one on the bars and one on the helmet.They are not heavy and throw a good beam, The new ones are 150W and are now cordless. The helmet one is great for getting the drivers attention. About $ 100 each.

I've quit using my headlight, but I may go back to it. It sounds ghetto, but the best mount I found was to wrap the flashlight with velcro and put a strip on the helmet. You can just grab it and jank it off or stick it back on while riding. The industrial strength stuff is plenty strong - kept it tight and snug to the helmet with out it bobbling around.

Nice light for the $$ I'm running a Dinotte 400 on the helmet, and another on the bars but a lot more bulk and certainly more $... albeit more lumens. But I really like the visibility factor of yours for a helmet light.

If his Specialized is anything like the one I have here the interrupters are mounted on the bar at the stem, taking up that inch or so of bar real estate that makes mounting a light easy.

My helmet light is my main light. If something goes wrong with my helmet light, I'll swap it for the handlebar light in a heart beat. Having two lights is always a good idea, however.

On mounting, I've tried the low mount like MileHighMark suggest and never liked the results. Shadows are too elongated with a low mount light for my tastes. Off-road, those shadows hide all kinds of stuff that I'd rather not run into. Try carrying a flashlight at knee level to see what it looks like.

Many lights have helmet mount options. The Magicshine comes with a helmet mount and it's a good light. Unfortunately, Geoman is not selling them right now because of battery issues. The Gemini Titan is a bit more expensive than the Magicshine but it doesn't look too bad.

There are other ways of mounting to the bars, too. The Minoura Space Grip can be mounted to the bars and moved around so that it doesn't interfere with the interrupter levers. Here's what it looks like

http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r...e/IMG_0171.jpg

Paul's Components makes a top cap replacement that has a light mount on it. Not cheap and it looks dorky but it would get the job done.

I use a Fenix LD20 on my helmet, but it's really more of a backup or secondary light. It's actually bright enough to use by itself, but may not provide enough lumens for some. The nice thing about helmet lights is that you can look at drivers pulling out from side streets, parking lots, etc., and freeze them in their tracks. However, they are not as effective at lighting up the road ahead, IMHO.

I just ordered a Light & Motion Stella 300, which can be mounted on helmet or handlebar. That would be a good option to consider because they are high quality, relatively light weight, provide good mounting options and recharge relatively quick. If you shop around, you can find excellent prices.

To the OP:

If you do consider a helmet-mounted light, try to find the lightest (weight) one. I barely notice the added weight of my EOS, but definitely notice the extra weight when I use my Dinotte or Amoeba.

That Minoura space grip might do the trick. Thanks! Based on responses here I think I want a headlamp light and another light..either with the space grip or lower down on the front of the bike.

Yes, it really gets driver's attention. Its also good when you want to look at something off to the side, just dont use it on group rides ;)

Rain makes putting a cover over the helmet or your light, a choice .

I mount Ay-Up lights (http://www.ayup-lights.com/) to my helmet, and love them. They comes with a long cable so I can put the battery in my pocket, so there is very little additional weight on my head. Easy to put on and off, bright, and light. Not cheap though.

This reminds me that there are times when you really don't want to use a bright helmet light, such as in snow, fog or rain. The light reflecting back into your eyes greatly reduces visibility. You want to get a light that allows mounting to the helmet or the handlebars. The Cygolite Expilion 250 comes with both mounts. If the helmet light is not very bright, then this is probably not an issue.

The advantage of having a helmet light is so that you can see when you have to turn. You look where you are going before you turn your bars. More of an issue off road.