Well the long winter nights are not so far away now I guess, so I’m contemplating adding a helmet mounted light (for the first time). Don’t much fancy being tethered to my backpack, but don’t fancy a big heavy lump on top of my helmet (quiet at the back) either.

Used my Ay ups with batter in pocket bag and lid. Light enough that lamp and battery are lighter than some lamps.

small and self contained – Joystick or one of the many cheap eastern copies will do the trick. They are so light weight you shouldn’t even know it’s there

Your backpack is on your back, your back is connected to your shoulders, your shoulders are connected to your neck, you neck is connected to your head, your helmet is on your head.

Now hear the word of the lord!!

Dem lights, Dem lights , Dem Helmet Lights!!!

Seriously its not an issue, stick the battery in your back pack.

Only time you need to worry about it is if you take you back pack off

Thanks. Joystick seems to be down on power compared with some cheap copies, although I’ve now idea how reliable or important the power number is in practice.

Diablo has more power but only a 1h run time unless I fiddle around with using a lower power setting on climbs etc, which I’d probably forget to do.

I used to ride with a P7 DX torch on my bonse, but simply it’s significant weight to add to your helmet, and it’s not like there loads to em. So though I haven’t tried an exposure, I can’t see them being much lighter. Head units allow you to run a much brighter torch and an extension lead to you backpack is hardly an inconvenience.
Well unless you don’t connect it straight away, go to do it, hear crackling when do..so give the cable a whip to clear the water and catch your nipple with the end… damn that stung last night!
The battery packs aren’t even all that big either.

The Solarstorm X2 unit being touted as this year best DX/chinese buy are really small but Smudges Luminator and the Gloworm unit’s are tiny & bloody bright. A small unit like this and an extension are brilliant helmet lights.

I’d recommend running some sort of guide on the back of your helmet to make the cable run straight down to your pack.

Have you got a pocket?

Your backpack is on your back

No always it’s not. Fixing punctures, stopping to admire the stars, even just getting it on in the first place sounds like a faff. But I’ve never tried so could be totally overestimating the hassle.

You could put the battery in a jersey pocket.

on the power front, some of the lights make high lumens claims which don’t translate into useful light. I have the current Mk7 ? Joystick, and a MaxxD on the bars, and they go well together, with the bar light being floody and the helmet one more of a spot in the direction you are looking. Some of the Chinese ones are similarly lightweight and good beam.

I used to use Ayup’s but got fed up with the faff of cable and battery in pack. Most of our riding group are using self contained helmet lights in conjunction with main bar light now, probable 1/3 Joysticks and 2/3 cheap versions

Your backpack is on your back

No always it’s not. Fixing punctures, stopping to admire the stars, even just getting it on in the first place sounds like a faff. But I’ve never tried so could be totally overestimating the hassle.

thats so true…
ride since years with an old lupine wilma and battery bottle in my backpack..
still forget to disconnect now and then…
otherwise..if it is really cold..the abyss of the backpack is a good place for batteries…

Thanks. I do wonder how useful these lumen ratings are. The last time I bought bike lights (a lumicycle HID that won’t die) it was clear that the lens was every bit as important as the power. You can get away with a lot less power as long as you put all the light where you want it. But maybe the powers are just so high now that nobody cares any more.

The MaxxD/Joystick combo does seem popular and removes the need for any cables, but is a lot more expensive than most of the other options.

I use a Lupine Piko with the battery strapped of the helmet.

It’s the best solution I’ve found, it’s very light and balanced, is in line with your eyes but doesn’t raise the height of your helmet.

I found a wire into a pack a right pain – either you had too much wire out th epack and it caught on stuff or it was so short you’d pull your head back if you tried to take the pack off for a mechanical etc.

Evans are selling the slightly older piko’s ‘cheap’ at the moment.

Your backpack is on your back
No always it’s not. Fixing punctures, stopping to admire the stars, even just getting it on in the first place sounds like a faff.

It is a faff getting it on esp when combined with a drinks tube. Also when you take the pack off and forget it’s attached to your head.

The last couple of years I’ve put it all on my lid I think trail-style helmets carry the weight better and batteries are lighter anyway so the weight is not so much of an issue as it used to be.

I have a 501b XM-L2 torch… it would be great to have something smaller and lighter, but these are only £8. Next year’s upgrade to whatever is newer and better will likely be another £10 if it’s worth upgrading.

Have your cake and eat it – Diablo on the helmet with the back up battery in another exposure mount on the back of the helmet.