head lights

[JohnRedcoRn]

are those head torches that you can get from millets etc for walking / camping good enough for cycling use ?

and what about those ones you get in asda, wilkinsons, woolworths etc, the 'energizer' ones. can see how useful theyd be cleaning puppy poo off my patio in the dark but for cyclling ?

 

[Pottsy]

Nah, you want a Petzl like these:

http://www.gooutdoors.co.uk/petzl-products

Even the tiny E-Lite that I have is great.

Having said that I've never tried any of the others you've mentioned so feel free to ignore me.

 

[Lazy-Commuter]

Mrs-LC picked up a couple of the "Uni-Com" ones that Milletts were doing for a fiver if you spent more than £x the other week, intending for the Little-LCs to use them when we camp.

I use one for my trip home. It doesn't compete with the lights on the bike but I find it useful for the off-road bits where, for example, the path turns sharply .. I look "through" the bend and of course the lights on the bike don't really light up the bit round the corner until you turn the bars, but the head-torch gives just enough light to help you see where you're going. If that makes sense?

Plus, it was useful on the way home last week when the p******* fairy paid me a visit.

To conclude: the one I've got is not the brightest thing in the world, but is useful to supplement the lights on the bike. Plus, it's a wind-up job so no worries with batteries conking out on you.

 

[Chuffy]

Wot lazy Commuter said.
Any one of them will do, you just need extra visibility and some light for emergency situations. I'd be wary of the really powerful ones as your head will be at just the right height for dazzling other road users....

You should never use one as your only light though.

The other benefit is that you can clip a rear light to the back of the strap.

 

[longers]

I've got a couple of the cheap Energiser ones from the supermarket and have started wearing one for commuting. 2 in a pack for £2ish.

Next to no use for lighting the way but very good for illuminating things I want to look at eg unlocking sheds and locking up at work, would be good for when I have mechanical difficulties and I think it makes me slightly more noticeable to other road users. I like it .

 

[Plax]

I have a Petzl headtorch that I have strapped onto my helmet. This one in fact;
http://www.wiggle.co.uk/p/Cycle/7/Petzl_Micro_Head_Torch/5360007637/
You can adjust the angle & beam so I find it quite useful for seeing the cycle computer, unlocking the bike in the work shed, looking for monsters in hedges etc.
The Tikka is probably more compact & lighter (in fact I know it is as I've borrowed my dads last year), but this one suits my purpose fine. It's not too heavy.

I wouldn't really use it as the sole light, as I've found it a bit disorienting with the light bobbing about on the road (I've tried it once just on it's own as an experiment), but in an emergency it would make an adequate back up light plus handy for visits from the P fairy. The headstrap also allows for you to kind of loop it through your bars so you could in effect also strap it to the handlebars (or your bar bag) and use it as a light that way if push came to shove.