My Helmet Light Is Too Bright - Possible?
 

I am a big believer in helmet mounted light. For the last few years I've used an old Petzl caving light, tied to my helmet. It uses 3 AA batteries and can be switched between LED flood and incandescent directional. I've been happy with it except that it is really only a "to be seen" light. Way too weak to actually illuminate the road.

So I bought a cheap generic Cree XML T6 light and rechargeable battery, mounted them on my helmet, and WOAH this thing is very bright! In fact, I'm worried that it is TOO bright. When I brush the helmet light over a car's windshield, I want the driver to notice me, not to be blinded or want to chase me down and run me over. But, at the same time, I'd like to be able to look at a pothole in the dark and rain and actually see a pothole.

What do you do about this? Keep the helmet light aimed so low that you have to crick your neck way back if you do want to shine the light horizontally? Figure drivers deal with much brighter lights all the time, even if they aren't usually aimed right at other drivers? Keep the helmet light switched off until you really really need it?

I currently only have one light. I've used it on the helmet and the bars- I prefer the bars, while others will argue a solo light set up is best on the head. Anyway, I'd turn the head mounted beam to as low as you needed to see by.

You could just put the Cree light on the bars and keep using your old Petzl on your helmet.

Does your light have different modes?
I switch from steady high to strobe to steady low
depending on the situation at hand.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gGpBHbEYqeo&feature=plcp

Never mind. I think I like the over bright headlamp after all.

This morning at 5:30 AM a guy in a SUV swerved at me and cut me close while honking. I think he didn't like me being in the right hand lane, of a four lane bridge, with he and I the only vehicles within 3 blocks either way, and me going >25 mph.

I caught up to him at the stop light and he started cussing me out for being in the lane. I pulled up right next to him, aiming my light directly in his eyes from about 4 feet away. He continued cussing but couldn't look at me. The light is concentrated and bright, maybe 600 lumens. Then he drove off.

(In fairness, I may be more attentive from now on about staying in the bike lane too. I like to sprint as hard as I can up the bridge approach, and at that hour I haven't thought it was too important to stay precisely in the bike lane for the 400 m of that sprint, since there is no problem for anyone to pass in the other lane. Since I round the entry corner faster than cars do, I usually pull away from any car for the first 100 m then they pass me at 200 m.)

Oh, I have a NiteRider on the handlebar, in addition to the helmet light.

Whoa boy, I like your style!! :thumb: :beer:

I run a heavy on my helmet and also and two heavies up front. One day, I am on a dual lane road, and I am taking the full lane. Not getting there where the park cars can open a door on me, or allow another car to squeeze in my lane. Low and behold here comes the woman driver and passes me within inches. The light catches her. I run up to her, and I said "you see how close you were when you passed me?".. She replied, "Did I hit you did I?".. I turned red, then blue, then red again, and not the helmet light, but I had a triple cree on the front along with another 26650 light. Switched on and banged her good with those lights, she was already stopped, she took her hands off the wheel to escape that burner.. :)...

Note: However, though both of us reacted in the same way, I must say, we were both wrong.. :( But, at that moment, the rage was there when she quipped in a nastyazz tone, "I didn't hit ya did I".. I let the rage take over. Which is big time wrong!!

The light I blasted in her face, the triple on the left.. ;)
http://www.cehoward.net/beam16.jpg


And my big baby helmet light..IMO, you can't go too bright on the bicycle. Unless you are on the bike trail or MUP..

This is on my helmet. She will throw a beam that will knock you down, not only that, the on my helmet, a 26650 too, rivals the triple cree!! ;)

Glad you joined the "Big Lum Club"... :thumb: :beer:

http://www.cehoward.net/helmetj56.jpg

Nice! Got a Cygolite turbo Xtra 740 on helmet. I love how on flash it really gets drivers attention!! I get a lot of "hey *******!" from some people, but whatever :D

I have a Cygolite Mitycross 480 on my helmet, it's aimed a bit low but not real low. I use it to flash in car windows too to make sure they see me, I don't care what they think! I think they would think really bad if they pulled out and hit me, so thinking about hurting someone or killing someone the rest of their lives vs getting a beam shot in the eyes, I think the beam shot in the eyes is the lesser of two evils. I don't flash drivers eyes if their in the opposite lane, there's no reason to, but if their at an intersection and I don't have a stop then I'm going to make sure they see me so they don't pull out into the intersection.

After riding with this light, I realize also that it is quite a narrow beam. If I'm not specifically aiming at someone, they won't get much dazzle.

Yep, so one technique if it's a see me light instead of a light to help you see better, is to have a diffuser on the lens (or hopefully molded in). I use one light with a clear lens and a narrow diffusion pattern to assit my night vision, and a second one with a broader diffusion angle and a sort of orange peel texture molded into the lens as a see me. Neither is helmet mounted, so I have to be careful about the alignment, but both are generally pointed down and to the right a little bit. My rule of thumb on lighting is I need to be able to see an obstruction 4 seconds ahead of me in the dark when it's raining moderately. I observe good avoidance reaction from motorists wishing to merge into my lane or to turn into my lane.

:thumb: :thumb: :thumb:

Each and every time we ride, we are not riding by ourselves. We have our WHOLE FAMILY RIDING WITH US!! They deserve all the protection we can muster and at our disposal! :beer: