Looking for good helmet-mount headlamp for randonneuring/ultra racing
 

What helmet lights do people use out there? I want to have a better light for the longer brevets and PBP 2023. For years I've just taken a sort of cheap Black Diamond brand headlamp off of it's elastic headband and strapped it to my bike helmet. This works for dealing with mechanical issues in the dark and checking a cue sheet. But it's never really bright enough for reading street signs or looking through tight corners, looking off to the side, etc. I have a SP dynamo hub and Edelux lamp mounted to my front rack on my bike so plenty of light on the road. I'm just curious what supplemental lamps people use on their helmets for looking outside of the fixed beam of the rack mounted light. Any stats like how long it holds a charge and how bright it is are appreciated. But I can also look those details up if you provide the make and model of the light you use.

Thanks.

I've got an older Cygolite that I've used for commuting and longer brevets, with a helmet mount. My dyno lights are fine for most rural riding, and I can turn it on steady or flashing to see street signs coming up to a turn or in towns. I mention Cygolite because they'll sell you a spare battery (or two) to get you through a second (or third) night.

If you're sure you can get a full charge at each overnight, I suspect most any modern light will do. Just run it on low power, or shut it off until you need it.

I have a cygolite Metro I use for a helmet light.

I'm using zebralights. Self contained, easy to mount and aim, very broad range of brightnesses.

For hillier rides where I want a really bright helmet light for downhills I use an 18650 light, but for flatter rides an AA light is fine. Carry spare batteries as needed. I don't think I've ever really needed to change batteries on a ride.

https://www.zebralight.com/H53c-LE-N...amp_p_244.html
https://www.zebralight.com/H600c-Mk-...amp_p_235.html

This might be a bit off topic, but I like a headlamp that uses one AA cell for camping because my GPS and PFD lights also use AA batteries. And was getting ready for a trip about a month ago, found that my AA headlamp no longer functioned.

To replace it I bought a ThruNite on Amazon. For camping, very happy. It has a very dim mode or a very bright mode or anywhere in between. But it has a beam like you would want for camping, not a spot beam that would light up a non-reflective street sign at a distance.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01FCV32SI

If you want super bright, it can take a Li Ion battery, but the battery life would be quite short. And if you went that route, you would need a separate charger for your Li Ion battery(s).

I am not sure how well it would attach to a helmet, perhaps a DIY bracket would be better than the stock holder that is designed for your forehead.

I will be using that light starting tonight, won't be checking this site for over a week so if you have questions, reply will be delayed.

Please don’t use a helmet light when there are others around you, you’ll be blinding them in the worst way possible.

That's not true at all about helmet lights, they have on/off switches for a reason. Also, I have always had helmet lights where I could easily point them down. I look at my cue sheet all the time and I'm not sure how you would do that without a helmet light. They are otherwise very useful while riding at night. I have never been blinded by a randonneur with a helmet light, I guess we're generally a thoughtful bunch. I'm sure there are exceptions.

[QUOTE=gyorpb;22666014]Please don’t use a helmet light when there are others around you, you’ll be blinding them in the worst way possible.[/]
good point. I’ve been on the receiving end of other’s headlights in a group and it’s irritating. It’s not typically necessary when riding in a pack. I have been in enough situations on brevets and solo rides where I’m on my own or with one other rider and need some extra light so that’s what I’m after.

My experience is bikepacking, commuting, 4am joy rides, etc. for what it's worth.


I really like my Light and Motion Vis 360 Pro though I do wish it used a USB-C connector rather than the Micro-USB. I find that the advertised light output and battery runtime are not as optimistic as the claims of other manufacturers. The helmet mounting system it good, the light adjusts for angle and holds adjustment, the separate battery provides some balance, and head/tail modes are easily selected on the fly. I find a helmet-mounted headlight to be super handy for getting the attention of distracted drivers in broad daylight as well.


The Fenix BC21R/BC26R are popular on bike and helmet with the bikepacking crowd due to large capacity field-replacable batteries.

For someone with a lot of money and support or strong legs to carry a spare battery, the 1200k brevet solution is a Lupine Sl AX or Supernova B54 mini, both of which have a dipped StVZO low beam but it also has a high beam at the push of a button. So, you can read signs or avoid hitting a curb when cornering.

A strong helmet light powered on in a pack ain't right. On a 400k this year, there was over 300 turns on the cuesheet. Turning a headlight on and off seems problematic but I don't know. That ride was my first brevet with a StVZO beam and possibly my last.

I ordered a Nitecore NU35 (still waiting for delivery though). After some research I ordered the Nitecore nu35 hybrid light over other lights. It works with built in battery plus AAA batteries and it is USB -C chargeable, plus it would work with the power bank. It will also lasts the entire PBP ride without recharging. I love the red night light option to see the cockpit during the ride. I use the white flood light when I need to do some repairs or get stuff out of my bags. Also red light does not blind other riders, so I do not keep turning the light on/off. Red light also easier on the eyes at night.

https://flashlight.nitecore.com/product/nu35