Bike Lights: 1 or 2?

[Danimal]

Ok so I bought a helmet light for the upcoming fall night rides. My question is do I really need a handlebar mount light as well or will the helmet light suffice?

[bakkeb]

Its nice to have both. I've ridden with just a helmet light and it was fine. I also rode with just a handlebar light and felt that I needed a helmet light.:etard:

[gopherhockey]

Ok so I bought a helmet light for the upcoming fall night rides. My question is do I really need a handlebar mount light as well or will the helmet light suffice?

Two is best no matter which way you cut it... but one will be just fine if 2 isn't in the budget.

I'd go for one high quality HID light vs. two cheaper non-HID types. Don't mix HID with non-HID if at all possible - the white and yellow beams are hard to mix well.

I ran 3 HIDs once last year in an attempt to keep up with Bob. 3 really didn't give much of a return... <SIGH>It looked cool though.

I'm happy spring and summer is on the way. People scared to ride below 50 degrees can now preare to ride. I will still count the days until fall night riding though... its by far the best time of year for riding. All this spring and summer riding is just training and preparation for the fall. ;) Summer night riding is tough to pull off due to the trail closings...

[jzipfel]

Ok so I bought a helmet light for the upcoming fall night rides. My question is do I really need a handlebar mount light as well or will the helmet light suffice?


Most people will agree that two is better than one. More than anything it seems to be the weird shadows that one light can give off. The secodn light coming at a different angle seems to help a lot. That being said, I have done many 24 hour races solo with just one HID and worked fine. Would I have liked a second, sure, but cost kept me away.

I have recently gone LED though and if you are interested I have a NiteRider Sotrm with two batteries (flat pak and bottle type) that I will probably sell if you are interested.

[stoneage]

Most people will agree that two is better than one.
I always ran two, with a little brighter, narrower spot on the head. I just bought a couple of Light and Motion ArcLion and I don't think I will need more than a head mount because the beam is so smooth.

[gopherhockey]

I always ran two, with a little brighter, narrower spot on the head. I just bought a couple of Light and Motion ArcLion and I don't think I will need more than a head mount because the beam is so smooth.

I'm torn between Light & Motion and Niterider.

I like how the L&M mounts to a helmet etc. I don't like the beam compared to the niterider. I like the even flood of the niterider. The L&M has a flood but a very bright center spot that I don't care for - I think it makes me focus too much on a small section of trail.

Niterider need to improve their helmet mounting point and also their cold weather balast reliability.

[stoneage]

I'm torn between Light & Motion and Niterider.

I like how the L&M mounts to a helmet etc. I don't like the beam compared to the niterider. I like the even flood of the niterider. The L&M has a flood but a very bright center spot that I don't care for - I think it makes me focus too much on a small section of trail.

Niterider need to improve their helmet mounting point and also their cold weather balast reliability.
I haven't seen the new NiteRiders, but I know that the L&M is pretty smooth with the center spot that you mentioned. I like it. NR irritated me a few years back by not warranting a battery that reversed polarity because their charger malfunctioned. We'll replace the charger, but not the battery it pooched. WTF?

[bikeoutback]

Its nice to have both. I've ridden with just a helmet light and it was fine. I also rode with just a handlebar light and felt that I needed a helmet light.:etard:
I felt the same as this. I started with a homebrew handlebar mount at Leb and it worked but I felt the same thing, needed a bit more, going around corners was the weirdest part cause you pretty much ride blind for a second it seems just before the corner. Then I built a homebrew helmet light and love it. It's nice to have light where I'm looking, if I had to choose to ride with just one it would be the helmet light 100% which I do for riding around town but for the trail I'll always have both from now on. I guess I'd go with what you can afford. I think I did it backwards by going handlebar first then helmet, I think your much better off with a helmet light, kinda goes back to the bike will go where your eyes go and a helmet light allows you to see where your eyes go.

[Ish]

I'm torn between Light & Motion and Niterider.

I like how the L&M mounts to a helmet etc. I don't like the beam compared to the niterider. I like the even flood of the niterider. The L&M has a flood but a very bright center spot that I don't care for - I think it makes me focus too much on a small section of trail.

Niterider need to improve their helmet mounting point and also their cold weather balast reliability.

I agree with John on all points. The helmet mount for the nightrider is too far forward and doesn't balance on your head. I moved it to the bar and put a L&M on the helmet. Much better placement, but I don't really care for the focused center bright spot either. I was a little disapointed as I had heard from many that the L&M is the shiznit.

[jjrsds]

I still can't bring myself to go HID. Way to much money for a system you can't change a bulb on, might not restart when you want it to and the darn blue light. Still using halogens, 3hr 40 min. with a 12 watt bulb and usually use a bar and helmet light, one with spot, one with flood. Pushing almost 4 years on one of them and still hits max run time and I use it to commute. Using Jet lites, not that they are inexpensive any more either, but when I bought mine I was able to get a bar and helmet for less than the price of a HID.

HID is great for adventure racers and 24 hour events where longer run times are needed and I would go HID if I raced these events more than once or twice a year.

For the ultimate one light setup follow the paths.:D

http://gretnabikes.com/lupine_edison10_hid.asp

JJ

[Nita]

We have Night Riders, the old ones (Digital Headtrip and Night Owl) which are halogens and replaced the batteries with a homebrew set-up. I think we are down to $12 a ride :) , should be paid for soon. But I would rather have two lights also, it reduces shadows.

[Tetreves]

I still can't bring myself to go HID. Way to much money for a system you can't change a bulb on, might not restart when you want it to and the darn blue light. Still using halogens, 3hr 40 min. with a 12 watt bulb and usually use a bar and helmet light, one with spot, one with flood. Pushing almost 4 years on one of them and still hits max run time and I use it to commute. Using Jet lites, not that they are inexpensive any more either, but when I bought mine I was able to get a bar and helmet for less than the price of a HID.

HID is great for adventure racers and 24 hour events where longer run times are needed and I would go HID if I raced these events more than once or twice a year.

For the ultimate one light setup follow the paths.:D

http://gretnabikes.com/lupine_edison10_hid.asp

JJ

Ditto. I have a Jetlite that's almost 3 years old now. It's great for the cost.

If I wanted to step it up a notch I'd go with the L&M. I don't like the tiny dot, but I LOVE how smooth and even the rest of the beam is. If you can ignore the pinpoint dot, the rest of the beam is ideal. You get a lot more peripheral vision out of it, and allows you to focus more on the entire trail, not just what's right in front of you.

I'd also look at the Jetlite HID... I havn't seen the beam pattern, but it seems a good value.

If I was made of money, I'd buy the Lupine... I've seen one used exactly once. It was great.

[mara]

The helmet mount for the nightrider is too far forward and doesn't balance on your head.

NiteRider came out with a new helmet mount maybe last fall that goes on the top, not front of your helmet. It is a lot more comfortable to ride with.

[gopherhockey]

I still can't bring myself to go HID. Way to much money for a system you can't change a bulb on, might not restart when you want it to

Just so nobody gets too overly concerned - I've had my two storm HIDs for about 4 years now. I replaced the balast on one last year (during the off-season) that was not starting up quickly in sub-zero, but other than that I've never had a problem... and during the winter months I use the s#$()* out of them. They have been neglected, charged improperly, dropped, left to rattle around with other bike parts... still going strong. Going on the 2nd year with the L&M - same deal, no issues. That one starts at will and never even teases me that it might not start.

I think the Niterider older models had some flaws in their balasts or something. It seems common, but once replaced I have never had a problem.