Light for Mtn bike: bar or helmet

[hooverone]

If you were to go trail riding on somewhat technical trail would one be better off with bar or helmet mount and is the Night Rider classic plenty or are the hid's like the Night Rider blow torch much better.

This would be used for night riding some trails need 2 hrs of runtime, I do not need it for 24 hr racing.

Jim

[vandeda]

Personally I would go with a helmet light. That way ... I can look around at the features. With a handlebar light, wherever the handlebars are pointed is where the light is shining ... and that may not be where you're trying to look if you're scoping out a good line. Or even worse, preparing for a fast corner coming up where your light is pointed in the woods with the handlebar light, but you can look ahead with the helmet light.

So personally I'd start with the helmet light.

Dan

[Ray]

I agree with Dan. The conventional wisdom is to use both, but assuming you're only going to buy one light, I'd go for the helmet too. Too many tight corners in the woods where you really need to be looking somewhere other than where the bars are pointing.

-Ray

[Tom]

On the MTB I have to think the helmet mount's the way to go.

Bar mount is great on the road bike.

HID is just great. I can see as far as I ever need to on the road. I'll comfortably go 35 down a hill, I don't care if there are cars on the road with me or not. I'd definitely like that much light in the woods.

[ClutchCargo]

I agree with Dan. The conventional wisdom is to use both, but assuming you're only going to buy one light, I'd go for the helmet too. Too many tight corners in the woods where you really need to be looking somewhere other than where the bars are pointing.

-Ray

both is best, but a single light on the helmet works well too, especially if you're riding moslty single track and not bombing down the fire road at 40 mph. don't need to go whole hog with the HID unless the cash outlay isn't much of an issue (they ARE nice). but I would urge you to look at Light and Motion (Cabeza Logic) or maybe JET lights (Phantom) before the Niterider. they're just a better product for the money, I think. lots of good reviews at mtbr.com.

happy trails!

[Gat64]

You want a light that can mount on both. Helmet mount is best in good conditions but not in the rain. In the rain, you want to mount the light on the handlbars. If you have the helmet light in the rain, the light is reflected in the rain droplets and is very diffecult to see the trail.

Good luck.

[LONE RIDER]

My buddies and do about 2 night rides a week during DST (or is it standard time, anyway when its dark at 5:00). We ride on CA single track - basically hard packed dirt with a lot of fist to head size rocks. No trees to speak of but plenty of head high brush. We all use bar lights are our first choice because 1) the helmet lights are a hassle to set up and route the cables. 2) you really need to leave the mount on the helmet so you do not have to fiddle with it each time you ride (I have a seperate mtn helmet so no big deal there) and 3) we have found that for our riding it is important to see the shadows of the rocks and ruts and the lower mounted bar light does this better than the high mounted helmet light. Like when you are skiing in the late afternoon - the light is muted and you can't see the shadows from the bumps, you actually hit bumps on what you would swear was a flat surface. The helment lights do help when rounding corners as you can see a little more of the trail not directly in the bar beam but we have found that this is really only important on switchbacks. We also feel the HID helps in this regard because of its wider beam pattern it helps see "around" the corner better. Ditto the comments other light manufacturers like Light and Motion and Jet. None of us has the new series of nite rider yet but I can say the head assy on my NR Digital Pro has never given me problems - rain or shine. Still have the same bulbs and I probable have 150 or more rides on it. When I go new I will go HID because of its wider beam pattern. Hope this helps and does not confuse. :cool:

[loctite]

Personally I would go with a helmet light. That way ... I can look around at the features. With a handlebar light, wherever the handlebars are pointed is where the light is shining ... and that may not be where you're trying to look if you're scoping out a good line. Or even worse, preparing for a fast corner coming up where your light is pointed in the woods with the handlebar light, but you can look ahead with the helmet light.

So personally I'd start with the helmet light.

Dan

I concur...

[Dr. Doofus]

the helmet light will make you look cool like those sewer guys in Delicatessen, which was a cool movie with a chimp that may or may not have had any contact with the jerk, but the babe was hot even though her dad ate people

[spiderman]

stem-mounted lighting system
besides the expensive one made by hope...
i've gone through several bar mounted lights
that break on the swivel after about three months of use.