Just me and my tumbleweed pal tomorrow then, eh?

Actually, it's not even a real tumbleweed - it's an imaginary tumbleweed  

can anyone help me please, i am thinking of getting a light for commuting duties that i can mount on my helmet but as i dont commute by bike all the time or a consistant amount i dont really want to pay a lot for it. i only seem to be riding in about once a week or less maybe depending on work load/type.

I have come up with some options:

• Alpkit Gamma 1w LED head torch bodged in someway to the helmet (£25 inc batteries)
• Fenix L2D lights with helmet mount (£60 ish inc batteries)
• Hope Vision Single LED (£90 ish inc batteries)
• Joystick Maxx (£145 ich)

As you can see the price varies a lot and i know the Hope and Joystick could be used off road too. Will the 1w Gamma be enough to be seen on the road?  My reason for helmet mounted light is so that i can be seen over the top of cars. Should i forget the helmet light all together and just fit 10 flashing LEDs to the bars/stem/headtube/forks?

Thoughts please....

Ta

If your route is lit, what about a Cateye HL EL410? It is pretty bright in flashing mode and can be seen from the side too. You can mount it on a helmet too. About £25.

I always had a light on the bars as well as a helmet light - it might show up better in rear view/wing mirrors. Again, one of the cheapish cateye leds would do.

I also used a set of red leds that fitted to the back of my helmet, £15 from Leisure lakes

http://www.leisurelakesbikes.com/product/buschandmullertopfirelight.aspx?&id=3731

(the linky thing isn't working at the moment). It's a very visible position for a set of flashing leds. 

One of the guys I work with has just bought a Fenix L2D  from Ebay for £30 - looks very good for the money.

well most of the route is lit but sometimes in the summer i come off the road and go along the river for a section (which is part of the Sustrans route 6) and then through a park so if i carry on doing that in the dark at that point in the route, being able to see is probably more important than being seen, i guess.

Chris, someone said to me that the fenix can have a very directional beam, would you agree with that? maybe compared to a joystick for example?

I only looked at it in daylight, but it definitely seemed to be quite a narrow spot rather than a flood. The joystick is also quite a narrow beam, ideal for use as a helmet light. The Fenix is 180 lumens compared to the Joystick at 240. 

I used the Joystick on its own last night when riding with the Hayfield lot, and it is adequate, but you do have to slow down a bit on anything technical. So I'd expect the Fenix to be useable as a helmet light on its own, but would slow you down on anything fast or techy.

I've used the original joystick as a helmet light for racing, riding and commuting.  It's ok as a 2nd light but for all I'd have another light if where you are isn't lit. 

Amy's just posted this up on Shecycles for the salford nocturne  .  I can't go but thought some of you might be interested.

We're planning to go, but are in Harrogate during the day, so it depends on getting away from there at the right time.

Go Rich....

Macs, I disagree with everyone about the lights. Regardless of whether the road is lit or not or indeed dark or daylight, get the brightest light you can get and keep it on all the time.

The more you make yourself noticed, the safer you will be.

I run my Ayup's all the time when I'm commuting. They are just as effective during the day as they are at night as I sometimes see car drivers trying to block the light with their hands.

Be seen, it makes sense. 

Hmmmm.  Reclining chair and dressing gown.....

Not wanting to be controversial Wayne, but having so much light that car drivers are blinded by the glare is counter productive?  If they can't see, they might hit you anyway?

I realise that being seen when commuting is a big thing, but how many of us wear any reflective Hi-Viz when on the road?  I don't.  Surely if being seen is priority, then lights aren't the main form of defence.

I have my reflective camo helmet   I'll put my front light on in the morning if it's misty (as you would car lights) and my back lights if it's raining or gloomy, but dazzling car drivers won't work, it just makes them hate cyclists even more.  Although I do quite like wearing the joystick on my helmet for pointing it at their car whilst they are waiting at junctions as a preventative i.e. to stop them pulling out on me.  If it's dark I'll wear a jacket with reflective on, and for duskish something fluoro.  But tbh, some people don't even see other cars and they're a lot bigger, so there's always going to be muppets that don't see you what ever you do.

I think the pain in your legs when you've not been running for a while is quite nice - tight calves, sore quads, tight stomach, general feeling of tiredness.....or does that make me a bit weird.....wish i could go running...give it a few weeks.

There was some research done with motorcycles which basically showed that the problem isn't always that cars don't see you, they don't view you as a threat to their safety - the researchers did the same journey multiple times first on a normal motorcycle, no lights on, then with a motorcycle with headlights on, then finally on a bike dressed up to look like a police bike and recorded how many times cars pulled out / obstructed them. The first two made little difference, but as soon as drivers thought the bike was the fuzz, they suddenly stopped pulling out... Go figure.

It's also worth bearing in mind that there's some research suggesting that even though car drivers are more likely to spot bright lights, they have more difficultly judging the speed of a lit two wheeler, so they may see you then pull out anyway. I just assume that drivers haven't seen me and are about to do the most stupid thing possible, just like riding a motorcycle in fact.

Or you could disguise your bike as a police motorcycle. Or a lorry. I suspect that statistically cars are less likely to pull out in front of a lorry than a bicycle.

Anyway... that trail Gavin was talking about has been fairly well mullered by the weather. Lots of weird sacking-type stuff exposed and some interesting bedrock steps appearing. Maybe it'll stop raining some time