Supplementary lights for night rides.

[Camrider]

Hoping to do my 1st 300km and 400km Audax rides later this year, which will obviously involve some night riding. Both my bikes are equipped with hub generators powering front and back B&B LEDs, giving plenty of illumination for dark lanes. What I don't currently have however are lights for illuminated route sheets or anything suitable for carrying out night time repairs.

Ideally I would like something that can perform both those functions and provide back-up if the main lights fail. Does anyone have any recommendations?

 

[stevevw]

I carry a head torch for for any repairs in the dark. No reason you could not wear one all night for reading the route sheet.

 

[Alun]

+1 for a head torch. Petzl zipka is a lightweight one.
These make good back up lights http://www.decathlon.co.uk/vi00-ultra-rear-bike-light-id_8187577.html

 

[Wobblers]

A lot of audaxers swear by head torches - the Alpkit one gets good reviews and is cheap (though I've not got it myself). A cheap Smart light will be more than sufficient for the rear: I use them on the FNRttC, the batteries last ages and they've not let me down yet.

 

[Camrider]

Thanks for that guys, the Petzl zipka looks like it might fit the bill provided it is usable with a helmet. There seems to be lots of very cheap and very expensive solutions but not too much between those extremes.

 

[PpPete]

I have a Petzl Myo and excellent light though it is, it doesnt sit well on the helmet.​

 

[zigzag]

head torch is useful if a rider uses routesheet for navigation - to read the directions in the dark and to illuminate road signs. with gps head torch is not necessary. i've used head torch few times in the past, but now i see it as just another thing to carry/care about.

 

[Amanda P]

It's worth paying a bit for a headtorch - lots of the cheap ones are very cheap - floppy plastic cases, tinfoil for conductors and battery clips, inefficient circuitry. Better ones last much, much better, are more reliable and (and this is important) have some switch arrangement that'll stop them switching themselves on in your pocket.

There's nothing more frustrating than getting out your headtorch to fix a puncture only to find it's been illuminating your back pocket all day and is now flashing feebly like ET on his last legs.

 

[Tynan]

I tried a head torch on the last DD

I mounted it to illuminate the gps, I barely used it, although the 1W light would clearly have been excellent as a head torch it was too bloody low, for the gps, to use as head torch, but I will next time

I think for a route sheet there's a good argument for a dedicated illuminated route sheet holder, if you're going to work from a route sheet

 

[LouiseL]

I use a Petzl tikka head torch. You can angle the light down so it hits your routesheet automatically in your normal riding position so you don't have to try and "aim " the beam at it in the dark. There is a helmet mount sold separately which consists of a small plastic disc which sticks to the front of your helmet and the headtorch(minus the headband) slots onto this. You don't know the mount is there( it is a permanent fixture on my helmet) and the headtorch itself can be attached and detached from the helmet in seconds.
If you are using a headtorch to illuminate a GPS screen as opposed to using the backlight so as to save battery you will struggle to read it because of the reflective nature of the screen. Much better to use the backlight and buy an additional power source to boost the battery life.

 

[Camrider]

I've seen the helmet mount but Its made for nice smooth helmets so I don't think it could fix to mine too easily.

 

[Arjimlad]

I use an Alpkit head-torch, which sits happily underneath the cycle helmet and casts a decent beam on the road ahead on its brightest setting. Amazing value and good quality.

 

[Camrider]

In the end I got a Petzl Tikka XP 2, I've go it to fit my helmet by making a couple of clips to stop the light sliding up the front of the helmet. Crude way to mount something but it seems pretty stable.