Obviously when its dark it isn't very easy to see where you are going. (statement of the year that! ;-) )
I really wanna do some night time off roading and need some illumination. IThe normal approach to this is usually a kick ass set of lights for the bike. However one obvious flaw for this is that the light only looks where the bike is looking, so I was considering the possibility of using a headtorch.
Anybody got any experience of these? A mountaineering flatmate suggest Petzyl lights as being good, but I am not sure if it will work in combo with my helmet. Might be able to put it underneath or round the outside but it would need to be stable.
I'm being daft thinking of using a headtorch, let me know what you think folks.....
"davebee" <[email hidden]> wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]...
Quoted message said:
I'm being daft thinking of using a headtorch, let me know what you think folks.....
I recently started riding off-road in the dark and manage without a head torch, however the concensus is that they'd probably be beneficial. If you go ahead (no pun intended) let us know your opinion. -- Pete /Playtime.html"]http:[email hidden]/Playtime.html
Obviously when its dark it isn't very easy to see where you are going. (statement of the year that! ;-) )
I really wanna do some night time off roading and need some illumination. IThe normal approach to this is usually a kick ass set of lights for the bike. However one obvious flaw for this is that the light only looks where the bike is looking, so I was considering the possibility of using a headtorch.
Anybody got any experience of these? A mountaineering flatmate suggest Petzyl lights as being good, but I am not sure if it will work in combo with my helmet. Might be able to put it underneath or round the outside but it would need to be stable.
I'm being daft thinking of using a headtorch, let me know what you think folks.....
A helmet mount is available for Lumicycle lights. You can have a bike and head light on one battery this way.
I'm being daft thinking of using a headtorch, let me know what you think folks.....
Ideally, you want one of each (head mount and handlebar mount), both to see where you are going (head) and to get a bit of shadow around obstacles (handlebar). But many people use just one or the other. I'm not sure which single choice is best - and have not regretted for one minute buying three batteries, two helmet-mounted lights, three handlebar-mounted lights and a charger from Lumicycle a couple of years ago (to equip my wife and myself for both on- and off-road cycling).
Anybody got any experience of these? A mountaineering flatmate suggest Petzyl [sic]lights as being good,
I've had a Petzl since 1989, when a colleague suggested it to deal with the problem of being unable to read the fingerposts on country roads. Does the job well, though it eats battery horribly compared to modern lights and I don't use it much nowadays.
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but I am not sure if it will work in combo with my helmet.
Can't help you there. But these lights are made primarily for cavers, and cavers wear helmets (and - with their exposure to a bump to the head - have far better cause to do so than cyclists).
Anybody got any experience of these? A mountaineering flatmate suggest Petzyl lights as being good, but I am not sure if it will work in combo with my helmet. Might be able to put it underneath or round the outside but it would need to be stable.
Splendid things. I have a helmet dedicated to the headtorch, a few zip ties and it's very stable. I converted mine to a battery pack in my pocket and a 5.2V halogen bulb. Lots of light and a burn time of well over an hour (I don't use it going along roads/forest roads so a ride can last longer than an hour). If doing the job now I would look at Nimh batteries. The AA Nimh I have in a digital camera are almost the same energy capacity as the C cells in my battery pack on the Petzyl; but much smaller and half the price.
"Vince" <[email hidden]> wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]...
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(Nick Kew) said:
I've had a Petzl since 1989...
Can't help you there. But these lights are made primarily for cavers...
Is night caving a new fad then? Can't say it's something that's I've ever heard of before.
From what I've heard, it's more likely than day caving to be carried out in the nude...
(there may be beer involved somewhere along the line)
As a caver and cyclist, I can say that both types of light are fairly non-interchangable. Caving lamps have recently gone thru a quantum leap towards NiMh Halogens with led back-up systems. I still use the traditional lead acid lamp which is unsuitable for caving, let alone cycling, but lasts all day. The helmet fitting is also usually unsuitable for a cycle helmet unless you use the elastic headband variety with some cable ties if using a helmet. Also most caving set ups are in the £100- 200 price band so a lot to pay out for something you may not like. At the bottom end; Petzl Duo or Zoom will do the job but eat batteries. try Caving Supplies or Field and Trek on the web. You could also experiment with Cateye halogens and a waist mounted lead acid battery. Have fun. ps night caving is very common, much more fun than night cycling ;-)
[email hidden] (MartinM) wrote in :"]news:[email hidden]:
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night caving is very common,
Sorry for asking the bloody obvious question, but as it's so damned dark in a cave, is it any different than day caving? (other than you don't have to skive off work to do the former?
My only experience of caves have been the likes of Stump Cross, Cheddar and Yallingup. All these are definitely "tourist" level caves.
"Graeme" <[email hidden]> wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]...
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[email hidden] (MartinM) wrote in :"]news:[email hidden]:
Quoted message said:
night caving is very common,
Sorry for asking the bloody obvious question, but as it's so damned dark
in
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a cave, is it any different than day caving? (other than you don't have to skive off work to do the former?
(apaart from beer-driven trips) day caving has the advantage that you can find the cave. This time of year you'll normally come out at night, but getting back is normally easier. And the downside of night caving is that you miss the pubs being open.
Anybody got any experience of these? A mountaineering flatmate suggest Petzyl lights as being good, but I am not sure if it will work in combo with my helmet. Might be able to put it underneath or round the outside but it would need to be stable.
I have a petzl Duobelt held onto my helmet by bendable clips (sold by Petzl for use with their "Meteor" helmet. It's very stable, and the light can be detached if necessary.
"Graeme" <[email hidden]> wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]...
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[email hidden] (MartinM) wrote in :"]news:[email hidden]:
Quoted message said:
night caving is very common,
Sorry for asking the bloody obvious question, but as it's so damned dark
in
Quoted message said:
a cave, is it any different than day caving? (other than you don't have to skive off work to do the former?
(apaart from beer-driven trips) day caving has the advantage that you can find the cave. This time of year you'll normally come out at night, but getting back is normally easier. And the downside of night caving is that you miss the pubs being open.
Caves have pubs in, and they are free, why do you think we do it? :-)
"MartinM" <[email hidden]> wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]...
news:<[email hidden]>...
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"Graeme" <[email hidden]> wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]...
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[email hidden] (MartinM) wrote in :"]news:[email hidden]:
> night caving is very common,
Sorry for asking the bloody obvious question, but as it's so damned
dark
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Quoted message said:
in
Quoted message said:
a cave, is it any different than day caving? (other than you don't
have to
Quoted message said:
Quoted message said:
Quoted message said:
skive off work to do the former?
(apaart from beer-driven trips) day caving has the advantage that you
can
Quoted message said:
Quoted message said:
find the cave. This time of year you'll normally come out at night, but getting back is normally easier. And the downside of night caving is
that
Quoted message said:
Quoted message said:
you miss the pubs being open.
Caves have pubs in, and they are free, why do you think we do it? :-)
Yes, and they run with hot tea too. It's a bit of a bugger keeping the various streams separate, but it mostly seems to work.
(ah, just checked wcms. Most of my caving was slightly different to yours - although slightly strangely when I finally moved to the Dales I seemed to give it up! Maybe the lack of the 200 mile drive meant I no longer felt obliged to go underground)
"MartinM" <[email hidden]> wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]...
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news:<[email hidden]>...
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"Graeme" <[email hidden]> wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]... > [email hidden] (MartinM) wrote in :"]news:[email hidden]: > > > night caving is very common, > > Sorry for asking the bloody obvious question, but as it's so damned
dark in
Quoted message said:
Quoted message said:
> a cave, is it any different than day caving? (other than you don't
have to
Quoted message said:
Quoted message said:
> skive off work to do the former?
(apaart from beer-driven trips) day caving has the advantage that you
can
Quoted message said:
Quoted message said:
find the cave. This time of year you'll normally come out at night, but getting back is normally easier. And the downside of night caving is
that
Quoted message said:
Quoted message said:
you miss the pubs being open.
Caves have pubs in, and they are free, why do you think we do it? :-)
Yes, and they run with hot tea too. It's a bit of a bugger keeping the various streams separate, but it mostly seems to work.
(ah, just checked wcms. Most of my caving was slightly different to yours - although slightly strangely when I finally moved to the Dales I seemed to give it up! Maybe the lack of the 200 mile drive meant I no longer felt obliged to go underground)
wcms is only different because we don't have any real caves down here. I've certainly done lots of driving up to the Dales/Derbyshire/Mensips/Wales in my yoof. Now if I want the real caving experience I just sit in a cold bath in full of broken rocks in the dark wearing a pair of too small jeans and a t shirt and get my wife to come in now and then and pour a bucket of muddy water over me ;-)
