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Gonna buy one light which one?
Decent headlight bob on!
If only one? headlight every time.
Go for the cheap Chinese ones and get both.
If I had to go with one I'd go for a wide-angle bar mounted one.
If just one bar light.
Hate riding with just a helmet light
But it's very personal
Go for the cheap Chinese ones and get both.
+1
helmet light will let you see exactly what you want to see when you want /need to. But 2 lights is better.
AS above, both, but if just one then helmet. Bar mount can work well especially with a good wide light but then along comes a jump or a dropoff (or a manual) and all it's lighting up is the moon. It's not ideal.
On the other hand, helmet light alone can give you depth pereption issues because the light's so close to your eyes, you get no useful shadows. Also if it's rainy or misty or even dusty you get unbelievable glare, with modern superbright lights it's like having your head in a lightbulb.
(riding with just one light isn't just not ideal, it also gets a bit fraught if you break a light)
Both if you can, helmet as a priority, if you go for bar only you will see why at the first corner.
I run with my helmet one and battery mounted on the lid at 275g it's hardly noticeable and always where you need it. Bar light gives a general flood and helps with shadows and interesting holes that can be hidden with 1 light.
If only one then it has to be bar, but with a good spread. I rode without a head light for years and didn't die.
If you are head only and get caught in rain/mist/fog, you'll be off and walking.
But as said - at £25 each you may as well get both. They compliment each other
Seconded the post about shadows. Wth the light so close to your eyes you get very little definition of the terrain ahead whereas with the light on the bars you get shadows, which is much better.
I've found that only having a bar light means that if you have any over the bar incidents you'll be flying into total darkness!
First night rides ever for me this week having bought a light. First night tried it just on the bars and noticed where it left gaps in vision ahead so next night I moved to my helmet.... Although I'll be getting a second light! Having it only on my helmet was preferable.
I prefer helmet mounted but it can be a pain in heavy fog, drizzle, falling snow.
Slight sidetrack - what is the cheapo light with the widest spread of light? I have an XML T6 which is excellent in terms of the amount of light and distance thrown but tends to be a bit of a spotlight so would like a wider spread for the bars and keep the existing one for the helmet.
2 is best.
If one, then very bright headlight. You look where you want to go, and it's not great looking into darkness, while your bar light points straight ahead.