Helmet mounted night light questions

erick.thompson (at) gmail said:

I need some help on a recommendation for a bike light.

I bought a NiteRider metal halide helmet light and rear LED blinker set
a while ago. There's plenty of power for pitch black trails. You have
to be careful not to shine the headlight directly at car drivers faces
when you stop at intersections. The light is more intense than most
modern car high-beams. I carry the battery (rechargeable) inside my
parka during the winter. It's a great system... you see everything and
everybody sees you. Not cheap though.

Will

I've heard about the NiteRider. I like that idea of the metal halide
(it's my not so inner geek), but I've heard that replacement bulbs can
be an issue. Have you used the NiteRider in rainy/wet weather? I'd hate
for a pricey system to die in the mist...

Thanks,
Erick

erick.thompson (at) gmail said:

I've heard about the NiteRider. I like that idea of the metal halide
(it's my not so inner geek), but I've heard that replacement bulbs can
be an issue. Have you used the NiteRider in rainy/wet weather? I'd hate
for a pricey system to die in the mist...

Thanks,
Erick

NiteRider specifically says this of its "Storm" model HID bike light:

"Although water resistant, the system you have purchased is NOT a
waterproof system. If you intend to dive or use it for water
activities, you should purchase a NiteRider dive light."

I have to figure that the implication here is rainy-weather rides: ok;
scuba diving: not so much.

One way to be absolutely sure ... same manufacturer:

http://www.niteriderdive.com/
--
Live simply so that others may simply live

Is the Storm you are referring to the FireStorm? It's $450... I knew
they were spendy, but damn!

Any thoughts a slightly cheaper brand/model? And by slightly, I mean in
~200 range. I didn't want to go higher then that, if possible.

Thanks,
Erick

erick.thompson (at) gmail said:

Hello,

I need some help on a recommendation for a bike light.

Just for information, the CatEye EL400 is on the low end of the spectrum
in terms of price and performance. This is all my LBS stocked. There
does not seem to be all that much to choose from if you need a helmet
mount (or in my case the handlebars are bigger than normal).

I took a look at the CatEye website. Most of the units seem to use
incandescent bulbs, which I want to avoid as they just don't put out
enough light for me.

I use a LED headlamp for mountaineering, but my thought about using a
LED for bike riding is that is doesn't seem to throw the light very
far. Have you used LEDs? What do you think?

Thanks,
Erick

erick.thompson (at) gmail said:

Is the Storm you are referring to the FireStorm? It's $450... I knew
they were spendy, but damn!

Any thoughts a slightly cheaper brand/model? And by slightly, I mean in
~200 range. I didn't want to go higher then that, if possible.

I'm presuming that the Firestorm is the new version of the older
Storm.

As for the recommendations, I'm hoping somebody else can chime in
here. When I bought, I shot the economic wad and bought the best
light I could find. I got 15-yr financing on it, but have never been
sorry.

I might look into something like this guy, for a hundred bucks:

http://snipurl.com/j1b6

I think CygoLites can be helmet adapted, too.

http://www.cygolite.com/light/products/20HelmetKits.htm
--
Live simply so that others may simply live

I've never heard of CygoLite. Is it a decent brand?

None of the models on their website indicate an all weather design, but
maybe I'll stop by my local REI and I can take a look at how water
proof they look. I quite like the lower prices.

Thanks,
Erick

erick.thompson (at) gmail said:

I took a look at the CatEye website. Most of the units seem to use
incandescent bulbs, which I want to avoid as they just don't put out
enough light for me.

I use a LED headlamp for mountaineering, but my thought about using a
LED for bike riding is that is doesn't seem to throw the light very
far. Have you used LEDs? What do you think?

Thanks,
Erick

I agree on the incandescent bulbs. LED is really what I want, so I am
also in the market.

Performance Bike carries the Night Rider Head Trip Plus
http://www.performancebike.com/shop/profile.cfm?SKU=20726&estore_ID=483

This fits your needs and wallet.

"erick.thompson (at) gmail" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Hello,

I need some help on a recommendation for a bike light.

A touch of background... I've been biking for a few years (5), mostly
on the weekends and evenings. It's great, so I decided to start biking
to and from work. In the summer it was perfect, but now winter has
arrived. To make matters worse, I'm in Seattle, so it gets dark early.
I ride from the U district to Mercer Island, so it's a mix of city
street and bike trails. The city streets are quite well lit, but the
trails are completely dark.

I picked up a cheap-o light (basic flashlight bulb) just to get a feel
for riding with a light. After spending a bit of time with that, I
realize that I need a helmet mounted light, as I want to be able to
track around turns, and check for oncoming bikes/people where the trail
merges, etc. Are there any lights with battery packs that are
integrated or can strap to my back? I don't like the idea of loose
power cords dangling.

It rains quite a bit here in Seattle, so I want something that is at
least water resistant. Are most good quality lights decent as far as
this?

It also seems to me that some lights would work better in the rain, as
far as color/temp. Any thoughts?

If anyone has a specific brand/model, please let me know!

Thanks, and happy riding!

Erick

Will said:

erick.thompson (at) gmail said:

I need some help on a recommendation for a bike light.

I bought a NiteRider metal halide helmet light and rear LED blinker set
a while ago. There's plenty of power for pitch black trails. You have
to be careful not to shine the headlight directly at car drivers faces
when you stop at intersections.

And other cyclists. I also cycle in Seattle, and I get cranky when
the asshats with the Megawatt head-mounted lights look *directly*
*at* *my* *face* as we pass each other.

I've cycled all over the U district, and I commute year round from Seattle
to Bellevue. You really don't need the head mounted light, even on the
trails. Most of them do receive quite a bit illumination from the road
since they parallel it. If you do feel you still need it, one of the
lower wattage systems will probably be more than sufficient if you use
it in addition to a regular headlight.

The worst part I ride is the swampy bit between the Mercer bridge and Lake
Washington way. It's very dark, usually colder than the surrounding
area, and is the first area to freeze and last to thaw. Even with all
that I haven't had illumination problems.

--
Dane Buson - z u v e m b i @ u n i x b i g o t s . o r g
Nezvannyi gost'--khuzhe tatarina.
[An uninvited guest is worse than the Mongol invasion]
-- Russian proverb

The biggest problem that I have is the stretch from where I-90 enters
Mercer Island until the end of Mercer Island. It's very dark, and
doesn't run along the road for quite a bit. I would like to be able to
take the trail that runs along the waterfront, but the light isn't very
good.

As for lights, do you think that the high powered light should be
mounted, with a lower watt helmet mounted one?

Erick

Check out the Light and Motion lights (www.bikelights.com). I have the
Solo Logic mv and have been quite pleased with it for night road rides.
It has three power settings so you can trade off battery life for
brightness on the fly. It includes both helmet and handlebar mounts.
The turbo charger is really nice, as the battery can be partially
charged and discharged or left plugged in following charging with no
harm to the battery. The battery is small enough to go in a jersey
pocket easily and comes with a removable velcro strap for attachment to
the top tube. Light output satisfies me, but I haven't used any
comparable lights. I think L&M sells through Performance, Nashbar, REI
and others.

I should disclose that I work down the street from Light and Motion and
used to know a couple of guys who worked there. Their lights are very
popular in among local cyclists.

erick.thompson (at) gmail said:

I took a look at the CatEye website. Most of the units seem to use
incandescent bulbs, which I want to avoid as they just don't put out
enough light for me.

I use a LED headlamp for mountaineering, but my thought about using a
LED for bike riding is that is doesn't seem to throw the light very
far. Have you used LEDs? What do you think?

Thanks,
Erick

Check out the Cateye EL500.

Indiana Mike

In article <[email hidden]>,

erick.thompson (at) gmail said:

The biggest problem that I have is the stretch from where I-90 enters
Mercer Island until the end of Mercer Island. It's very dark, and
doesn't run along the road for quite a bit. I would like to be able to
take the trail that runs along the waterfront, but the light isn't very
good.

As for lights, do you think that the high powered light should be
mounted, with a lower watt helmet mounted one?

I think you'll find lights to see the road by, work
better when mounted lower than head/helmet height.

Personally I think even on the handlebar is too high.
Lights mounted lower cast longer beams with longer
spots on the road, with better shadowing to reveal
depths of potholes, etc -- it gives road surface
irregularities more of a 3-D appearance than obtained
by rabbit punching on them with a beam from higher up.
There's a reason why car headlights are mounted where
they are, rather than way up on the roof.

Helmet mounted lights are really more for wending one's
way around higher-up stuff like low hanging branches.

cheers,
Tom

--
-- Nothing is safe from me.
Above address is just a spam midden.
I'm really at: tkeats [curlicue] vcn [point] bc [point] ca

On Tue, 25 Oct 2005 15:21:17 -0500, catzz66 <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

erick.thompson (at) gmail said:

I took a look at the CatEye website. Most of the units seem to use
incandescent bulbs, which I want to avoid as they just don't put out
enough light for me.

I use a LED headlamp for mountaineering, but my thought about using a
LED for bike riding is that is doesn't seem to throw the light very
far. Have you used LEDs? What do you think?

Thanks,
Erick

I agree on the incandescent bulbs. LED is really what I want, so I am
also in the market.

Performance Bicycle has a Cateye EL500 / TL-LD170 combo on sale for
$39.99. The EL 500 is a 1000 candlepower LED headlilght and the
taillight is a 3 LED one.

I use a pair of EL 500's on my Tour Easy and they throw a good light
through my tinted fairing.

Indiana Mike

http://www.performancebike.com/shop/profile_combo.cfm?SKU=19628&estore_ID=&subcategory_ID=&CFID=20914973&CFTOKEN=49900823

Tom Keats said:

In article <[email hidden]>,

erick.thompson (at) gmail said:

The biggest problem that I have is the stretch from where I-90 enters
Mercer Island until the end of Mercer Island. It's very dark, and
doesn't run along the road for quite a bit. I would like to be able to
take the trail that runs along the waterfront, but the light isn't very
good.

As for lights, do you think that the high powered light should be
mounted, with a lower watt helmet mounted one?

I think you'll find lights to see the road by, work
better when mounted lower than head/helmet height.

Personally I think even on the handlebar is too high.
Lights mounted lower cast longer beams with longer
spots on the road, with better shadowing to reveal
depths of potholes, etc -- it gives road surface
irregularities more of a 3-D appearance than obtained
by rabbit punching on them with a beam from higher up.
There's a reason why car headlights are mounted where
they are, rather than way up on the roof.

Helmet mounted lights are really more for wending one's
way around higher-up stuff like low hanging branches.

So maybe the best bike light setup would be a small light at bar level
to catch higher up items like reflective signs, and to provide
visibility to others and a powerful fork mounted light to see road
details with.....

One issue, MTB type forks are quite large diameter, so finding a large
enough bracket might be the tricky part.....

W

"Dane Buson" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Will said:

erick.thompson (at) gmail said:

I need some help on a recommendation for a bike light.

I bought a NiteRider metal halide helmet light and rear LED blinker set
a while ago. There's plenty of power for pitch black trails. You have
to be careful not to shine the headlight directly at car drivers faces
when you stop at intersections.

And other cyclists. I also cycle in Seattle, and I get cranky when
the asshats with the Megawatt head-mounted lights look *directly*
*at* *my* *face* as we pass each other.

Let me just underscore Dane's complaint here with my own. I HATE IT when
people shine their extremely bright lights (typically helmet mounts) right
in my face on the I-90 trail. I am then completely dazzled and can't see a
thing. God forbid a stealth pedestrian (you know, black clothes, walking
down the middle of the trail) should happen to be walking along the trail
after such an encounter.

Quoted message said:

I've cycled all over the U district, and I commute year round from Seattle
to Bellevue. You really don't need the head mounted light, even on the
trails.

I somewhat disgree with this for the Mercer Island lid section of the I-90
trail. It is *dark* on that thing, there's lots of wet, slippery leaves this
time of year. I nearly went down last year with my opticube as my only
illumination. However, you can take the street route alternate to the lid
and there will be sufficient street lighting.

I just did the run yesterday up from downtown to the UW because I had a
meeting out in Maple Leaf in the evening. I agree, you don't need any fancy
lighting system for the U district, either -- it's very well lit from just
street lights. As an aside, I'll mention I stopped in at Recycled Cycles
while I was out there and ransacked their free, junky reflector box for a
couple of decent reflectors for my back rack. Now I've got a strip of
reflector tape on the fender, the LED blinkie, and some reflectors -- I
finally feel set for the winter season.

As for illumination, I've been pretty happy thus far with the hub generator
and the opticube as back-up. The opticube alone last year was fine except as
noted above on certain I-90 trail sections. I don't know if a real spendy
light is necessary -- and getting something especially waterproof certainly
isn't -- I have never heard of people here having problems with lighting
because of rain.

--
Warm Regards,

Claire Petersky
Personal page: http://www.geocities.com/cpetersky/
See the books I've set free at: http://bookcrossing.com/referral/Cpetersky

"erick.thompson (at) gmail" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

To make matters worse, I'm in Seattle, so it gets dark early.
I ride from the U district to Mercer Island, so it's a mix of city
street and bike trails.

You also might want to check out the local commuter board at:
http://www.cascade.org/Community/forum/categories.cfm?catid=6 It's a good
spot to ask for localized information.

--
Warm Regards,

Claire Petersky
Personal page: http://www.geocities.com/cpetersky/
See the books I've set free at:
http://bookcrossing.com/referral/Cpetersky