helmet light

G rock

after a bit of an incident earlier this week i'm considering getting a helmet light to use in addition to my handlebar mounted light (a phillips led, nice and bright) just to make myself that bit more noticeable (prob use it as a flasher)

had a look at the exposure ones but they're fairly pricey.

willing to spend 60-70, any thoughts?

Tonyandthewhale

I use a petzl head-torch thing, it's designed for caving and pot-holing so its very sturdy and well put together, the batteries last a good long time and it's very bright. I haven't tried wearing it while wearing a helmet, don't know how well that would work but if you can get it to fit or ditch the helmet at night then petzl are the way to go. 40 or 50e will get you a good one on wiggle although some of the smaller ones are only like 25e.

Undercover Elephant

Far be it from me to discourage extravagant spending on anything cycling-related, but have you considered spending €2 instead?

http://www.ebay.ie/itm/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=270752005561&ssPageName=ADME:L:OU:IE:1123

They're pretty limited, as you would expect, but do a job.

dited

Far from expensive enough, but how about this plus this?

kenmc

I use a Fenix LD10 and a lockblock on mine. Find it very useful in the dark, either to "spot" a driver coming out of a sideroad, or to bounce off an inside wingmirror to let a driver know you're there. Also useful to look down at your speedo and make sure you're going fast enough.
I have one of the Ultrafires also, but find that it's not as good as the fenix, it tends to turn itself off sometimes, think there's a connection issue in it.
Fenix for the win to be honest.

cdaly_

Same here. Using a Fenix TK11 in a lockblock. Good unlit road light too...

Dermot Illogical

I picked up one of these in a discount shop on Camden St today for €3. I'm sure it's quality, as you would expect from a product which is one whole euro more expensive than a pack of 18 flavoured prophylactics or a box of nurofen. Can't go wrong really..

Ray Palmer

I got these and they light up the road around me and mean cars coming from the side can see you too.

http://www.ebay.ie/itm/250880928217

On a side note I read research before that says flashing lights can make you less visible and more dificult to judge the distance you are from a driver. Something to do with the way the brain is wired and how drivers are bombarded by flashing light as they drive by stationary objects which they zone out.

studiorat

I use one of these :
http://www.dealextreme.com/p/universal-adjustable-bicycle-mount-for-flashlights-2cm-4cm-diameter-31871
With one of these:
http://www.dealextreme.com/p/aurora-ak-p7-4-ha-iii-ssc-p7-c-5-mode-900-lumen-led-flashlight-1-18650-15740
for mountain biking in the dark!!!

Very useful, too bright for the road at full power...

Very useful to! It has head mounts and handlebar mounts, 35 quids.

The only issue I'd have is it took them about a 28 days to arrive...

langdang

studiorat wrote: »

Very useful, too bright for the road at full power...

Very useful to! It has head mounts and handlebar mounts, 35 quids.

The only issue I'd have is it took them about a 28 days to arrive...

That's for nothing! If the fast strobe is half as obnoxious as my epilepsy-inducing magicshine then there's no way you won't be seen with one of them.

G rock

great options, thanks all!

as much as the inner miser in me would love to rely on the pound shop jobbies i can see me going through them at the rate of knots.

those deal extreme magicshines look great too but i have read that some of them can be fairly blinding to oncoming traffic (although maybe that's a good thing....)

looks like the fenix could win out, i was aware of them before now but didn't realise they could be helmet mounted.

i suppose that as a backup light the ld10 would more than suffice? or should i just go all out and go for the well regarded (and boards favourite) tk11?

the tk11 takes a single 18650 which is an advantage.

@cdaly, do you find it weighing down your noggin at all?

langdang

G rock wrote: »

those deal extreme magicshines look great too but i have read that some of them can be fairly blinding to oncoming traffic (although maybe that's a good thing....)

Ya, I was only joking about using the strobe by the way

cdaly_

G rock wrote: »

looks like the fenix could win out, i was aware of them before now but didn't realise they could be helmet mounted.

i suppose that as a backup light the ld10 would more than suffice? or should i just go all out and go for the well regarded (and boards favourite) tk11?

the tk11 takes a single 18650 which is an advantage.

@cdaly, do you find it weighing down your noggin at all?

Yep, there's a good bit of extra weight and it tends to rotate the helmet forward a bit. I end up tightening up the straps (which is probably no bad thing). I guess I get used to the weight over the first dark month but it's definitely a pleasure when the helmet gets lighter again in the springtime...

G rock

Will look into those over the next day or two. Photonshop is the place to go isn't it?

thanks all!

Leonid

These are really good. http://www.alpkit.com/shop/cart.php?target=product&product_id=16345&category_id=253

back light too!

These are really good but more expensive http://www.zebralight.com/

mbiking123

what about

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=47006

only €16.23 and free delivery

G rock

@ken and cdaly, is it the twofish lockblock you're using on helmet?

kenmc

yes

G rock

thanks

just couldn't see it being recommended as a helmet mount

kincsem

Reflective tape sheet.
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=23568

coolbeans

I find this excellent. It's VERY bright for it's size and perfectly suited to commuting and even lighting up dark rural roads if you're caught short. You definitely won't be wanting for attention from other road users. Lifetime warranty, and USB charging makes it a very good option.

cdaly_

G rock wrote: »

@ken and cdaly, is it the twofish lockblock you're using on helmet?

Yep. It's not super though it is secure. I have the lanyard of the Fenix routed down into the helmet to get the light pointing the way I want it to.

Undercover Elephant

coolbeans wrote: »

I find this excellent. It's VERY bright for it's size and perfectly suited to commuting and even lighting up dark rural roads if you're caught short. You definitely won't be wanting for attention from other road users. Lifetime warranty, and USB charging makes it a very good option.

+1 on the Blackburn Flea. I have it as my main light. Seem to be a couple of probs with the chargers, but once you get one that works, you're golden.

G rock

Have just pulled trigger on the fenix tk11 and added some 18650s and a charger. Was swayed by its good rep and the fact that it'll be a great second light to have.

Hope it doesn't feel too heavy when it's mounted on helmet!

Thanks for all the recommendations

Dermot Illogical

RT66 wrote: »

I picked up one of these in a discount shop on Camden St today for €3. I'm sure it's quality, as you would expect from a product which is one whole euro more expensive than a pack of 18 flavoured prophylactics or a box of nurofen. Can't go wrong really..

Actually...it turns out it's not so bad after all. I've used it the last few nights on unlit roads and it's seriously outperformed a BBB light which cost 8 times as much. I'm not so sure it's as waterproof as it claims to be, so I'll probably use some self amalgamating tape on the joins before I take it out in really foul conditions. But for anyone looking for cheap 'n' cheerful, check out your nearest pound shop.

robinph

Saw an interesting method of using lights for cycling yesterday. Light on the handlebars pointing forwards and another less powerful one on the helmet. But the thing that far and away made this person most visible was that they had a second light on the handlebars that was pointed back at themselves so lighting up their body and whatever yellow/ reflectiveness they were wearing.

The lights on your bike are never going to make you stand out in a sea of car headlamps, but by actually lighting up his body himself he was suddenly the most visible thing and you're not relying on the cars headlights happening to light you up.

kenmc

robinph wrote: »

but by actually lighting up his body himself he was suddenly the most visible thing and you're not relying on the cars headlights happening to light you up.

Pah. Jens would've just poured petrol over himself, set it on fire and cycled fast enough to stay cool.

souter

coolbeans wrote: »

I find this excellent. It's VERY bright for it's size and perfectly suited to commuting and even lighting up dark rural roads if you're caught short. You definitely won't be wanting for attention from other road users. Lifetime warranty, and USB charging makes it a very good option.

Can you mount it on your helmet?

Piercemeear

Bit off-topic, but is there such a thing as trouser clips with lights in them? I roll up my jeans a lot but I'd be just as happy to strap on a trouser clip. If it had lights embedded I can imagine it would be very good at drawing the eye.

I've seen the reflective ones which are quite good.

blorg

G rock wrote: »

thanks

just couldn't see it being recommended as a helmet mount

There are two models of LockBlock. One has the ends rotated 90 degrees and is designed for bars. The other has the ends in line and works better on most helmets. Think of which way you want the torch to point. Also, Deal Extreme have knockoffs of the LockBlock which are identical at a lower price.

The TK11 feels fine on a helmet, I used one on the bars + one on the helmet.

cdaly_

Piercemeear wrote:

Bit off-topic, but is there such a thing as trouser clips with lights in them?

Lidl/Aldi occasionally do a velcro reflective strap with embedded lights. You could use that as trouser clip.

Piercemeear

cdaly_ wrote: »

Lidl/Aldi occasionally do a velcro reflective strap with embedded lights. You could use that as trouser clip.

That sounds perfect. I don't recall seeing those in recent offers. Having a search on google now but it's difficult to get the terminology right.

Kintarō Hattori

Piercemeear wrote: »

That sounds perfect. I don't recall seeing those in recent offers. Having a search on google now but it's difficult to get the terminology right.

You can pick them up on sites like eBay or DealExtreme.

Piercemeear

Kintarō Hattori wrote: »

You can pick them up on sites like eBay or DealExtreme.

Cool, here are some. Dog collars might work.

Kintarō Hattori

Piercemeear wrote: »

Cool, here are some. Dog collars might work.

http://www.dealextreme.com/p/4-led-red-flashing-light-reflective-bracelet-leg-strap-band-2-piece-pack-1-cr2032-52850

Even cheaper and it includes free delivery. :pac: