View Poll Results: Where's your headlamp mounted on your commuter bike?
Voters: 66. You may not vote on this poll
Headlamps: Bike mounted vs. Helmet mounted?
05-01-12, 08:17 AM
#26
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Another vote for both.
I have a generator light on my front rack and a 110 Lumen headlamp on my helmet. I usually don't use the helmet light until I get into the heavy traffic.
I also have a 200 lumen flashlight on my belt that can be pressed into service as a riding light. It also comes in handy at other times as well.
I have a generator light on my front rack and a 110 Lumen headlamp on my helmet. I usually don't use the helmet light until I get into the heavy traffic.
I also have a 200 lumen flashlight on my belt that can be pressed into service as a riding light. It also comes in handy at other times as well.
05-01-12, 09:04 AM
#27
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Plan Epsilon Around Lake Michigan in the era of Covid
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Gold Fever Three days of dirt in Colorado
Pokin' around the Poconos A cold ride around Lake Erie
Dinosaurs in Colorado A mountain bike guide to the Purgatory Canyon dinosaur trackway
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Picking the Scablands. Washington and Oregon, 2005. Pie and spiders on the Columbia River!
05-01-12, 11:29 AM
#29
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One of these on my handlebars (600 lumens, or less when not set at max intensity)
https://www.bikelights.com/stella600.html
One of these on my helmet (110 lumens, or less when not set at max intensity)
https://www.bikelights.com/vis360.html
Pretty much all the lighting I need, although I do want to get another blinkie for my seat post. The one I have now is pretty dim.
https://www.bikelights.com/stella600.html
One of these on my helmet (110 lumens, or less when not set at max intensity)
https://www.bikelights.com/vis360.html
Pretty much all the lighting I need, although I do want to get another blinkie for my seat post. The one I have now is pretty dim.
05-01-12, 01:21 PM
#30
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Try one on your helmet. It works better than fine.
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Plan Epsilon Around Lake Michigan in the era of Covid
Old School…When It Wasn’t Ancient bikepacking
Gold Fever Three days of dirt in Colorado
Pokin' around the Poconos A cold ride around Lake Erie
Dinosaurs in Colorado A mountain bike guide to the Purgatory Canyon dinosaur trackway
Solo Without Pie. The search for pie in the Midwest.
Picking the Scablands. Washington and Oregon, 2005. Pie and spiders on the Columbia River!
Stuart Black
Plan Epsilon Around Lake Michigan in the era of Covid
Old School…When It Wasn’t Ancient bikepacking
Gold Fever Three days of dirt in Colorado
Pokin' around the Poconos A cold ride around Lake Erie
Dinosaurs in Colorado A mountain bike guide to the Purgatory Canyon dinosaur trackway
Solo Without Pie. The search for pie in the Midwest.
Picking the Scablands. Washington and Oregon, 2005. Pie and spiders on the Columbia River!
05-01-12, 03:37 PM
#31
Banned
I prefer the rain cover on my head
helmet light Or rain cover, not both at the same time.
none made that way
and blinding someone you look at is not helpful.
Dynohub and wired lights , German sourced so they don't blink.
helmet light Or rain cover, not both at the same time.
none made that way
and blinding someone you look at is not helpful.
Dynohub and wired lights , German sourced so they don't blink.
Last edited by fietsbob; 05-01-12 at 05:39 PM.
05-01-12, 05:35 PM
#32
Senior Member
Both. Helmet is often set to blink. I have another s'pot (hole) light on my right fork. I actually prefer the strobe-like effect of the blink. It doesn't give me so much tunnel vision. I can still see beyond the margins of the beam pretty well.
05-01-12, 05:46 PM
#33
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I haven't seen any that allow for the use of both at once either. But since I wear a ball cap under the helmet, with the hood from my rain jacket sandwiched between them, it doesn't matter.
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05-01-12, 07:41 PM
#34
Senior Member
Also a helmet mounted light makes it a lot easier to fix a flat in the dark
05-02-12, 10:01 AM
#35
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05-02-12, 10:06 AM
#36
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Both.
05-02-12, 12:06 PM
#38
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Depends on what type of rain cover you have. If it is a Shower pass helmet one, just cut a small slit and it works great. You could also wear it on your head under helmet. Just some options.
05-02-12, 12:55 PM
#39
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As they say, once you have a helmet light AND a handlebar light, you won't go back. The advantage is double the wattage and you point the light where you want it. Car not "seeing" you? Well, just stare at them and they will.
05-08-12, 11:38 PM
#41
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I selected "other" as I use both a handlebar mounted light (blinking 1.7w flash light) and a helmet light (solid on, 1/2 watt). I like to still have a forward facing light while I am turning my head looking around, or purposefully aiming the helmet light at a car approaching from the side, there are still other cars coming at me from the front.
The helmet light has at least saved me from having to come to a screeching halt several times, if not worse, when someone approached from a side street and didn't seem to see me. I also like how the helmet light raises my visibility in traffic and with parked cars all around since it is mounted so high up, cars pulling out of parking lots or side streets see me a lot sooner than they would with a just a bar mounted light that would be hidden behind the parked cars.
Both are AA powered, running on rechargeable batteries. I'm toying with upgrading to a 3 watt flashlight on the helmet come winter to help illuminate the road at speed.
The days got longer before I successfully* set up another light mounted lower to illuminate the potholes and horrible road conditions here. I expect to add that come Fall if I can find somewhere to mount it that I'm happy with.
*rack/pannier interference sadly
The helmet light has at least saved me from having to come to a screeching halt several times, if not worse, when someone approached from a side street and didn't seem to see me. I also like how the helmet light raises my visibility in traffic and with parked cars all around since it is mounted so high up, cars pulling out of parking lots or side streets see me a lot sooner than they would with a just a bar mounted light that would be hidden behind the parked cars.
Both are AA powered, running on rechargeable batteries. I'm toying with upgrading to a 3 watt flashlight on the helmet come winter to help illuminate the road at speed.
The days got longer before I successfully* set up another light mounted lower to illuminate the potholes and horrible road conditions here. I expect to add that come Fall if I can find somewhere to mount it that I'm happy with.
*rack/pannier interference sadly
Last edited by Medic Zero; 05-09-12 at 12:34 AM.
05-10-12, 12:39 AM
#42
Senior Member
For commuting, I use either. One bike has them on the bars, the other I use a helmet mounted. Riding on roads and gravel MUTs just require light to be thrown ahead.
Riding on my mountain bike on singletrack is a different story. In that case I use both - handlebar mounted AND helmet mounted. The bar mount projects light in front of the bike while the helmet mount can traverse the trail and provide the necessary depth of field.
Riding on my mountain bike on singletrack is a different story. In that case I use both - handlebar mounted AND helmet mounted. The bar mount projects light in front of the bike while the helmet mount can traverse the trail and provide the necessary depth of field.
05-10-12, 10:42 AM
#43
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Magicshine 1600 on the bars and 900 on helmet, now that it is getting lighter earlier in the morning. During the dark months I add two more to the bars: Magicshine 1400 and L&M Arc Li-Ion, with two DiNottes on the Nitto rack under the handlebar bag to fill the shadow caused by the bag.
05-11-12, 10:47 AM
#44
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3 headlights, fork crown (generator), handlebar, and helmet. Handlebar & helmet are lithium cell battery powered. Why have only one headlight?
05-11-12, 11:21 AM
#45
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Lots of people do both. I think most who do both put the bigger light on the bars. Some say that the reason for the helmet mounted light is to flash drivers who appear about to do something stupid.
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05-11-12, 02:57 PM
#46
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The Magicshine 900 I have on my helmet has an attention grabbing "psychostrobe" mode that flashes at about 20 Hz. Drivers don't pull out in front of me as readily as they used to. It's quite effective during the day. In the dark I run it on the highest constant setting.
05-11-12, 06:56 PM
#47
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Handlebar mount for me. I ride mostly on MUP so it works. I've considered adding a helmet mount but my current set up works great.
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