Mounting Lights On Handlebars
A handlebar mounted lamp will light in the direction of the handlebars. So in order to see left you would have to turn your handlebars towards the left and vice versa. This really is of course not pretty practical. Ordinarily you turn your head before you turn your handlebars when checking the trail ahead. Also - you can not really see left or right from the trail like... if there's a suspicious noise coming from the bushes :) or something like that.
But however a handlebar mounted lamp is much more practical mainly because it is on the bike instead of on your head.
Mounting Lights On Helmets
When you mount the lamp on your helmet the light will often follow your head. Wherever you look the light will follow. An additional great thing is added height. A lamp on a helmet will throw the light on the trail ahead from a higher point which means much less shadows. However it is sort of impractical simply because it tends to make your helmet heavier and you will need a cable connecting the lamp and also the batteries to be hidden somewhere on you. The best thing is to use a backpack so the batteries are inside the backpack and there is only minimal distance from the helmet to the batteries.
What kind of Bike Lights Should You Get And Where To Place Them?
1. Best Case Scenario - Spot Light On Helmet, Flood Light On Handlebars
For those who have enough cash and you don't mind carrying two lamps then get one powerful spot light and one strong flood light. Then place the flood light on the handlebars and spot light on your helmet.
Spot light on your helmet signifies that the strong beam of light will normally follow your head so it'll be right in front of one's eyes at all times. This way you will not have trouble with sharper borders of the spot light - should you look from a bright spot into a darker region you can be blinded for a while, like stepping inside from strong sun. But if the bright spot is constantly in front of you you do not have to...actually you can not look away.
Flood light on handlebars will provide you with wonderful width of viewing field, spot light on helmet will offer you the distance and will follow your head - this mixture permits you to ride anything you'd normally ride through the day - even very quick descents.
2. Strong Flood Light On Handlebars Only
This really is IMHO the second best thing when the flood light is strong. In case you are only going to acquire one lamp then get a strong flood light and put it on your handlebars. Flood light does not have a bright spot in the middle that would disturb your eyes. It'll evenly light a wide region in front of one's bike which also consists of corners. It ought to be strong so it has enough distance. This kind of setup is ok for everything however the fastest descents. If you're going actually quick you are going to require some extra distance from a spot lamp.
3. Spot Light On Your Helmet
Since spot lights provide you with more distance they don't need to be so powerful to light the trail far ahead. Less power equals lower value, so this is the least expensive mountainbikelight setup of all 3. Bright spot will follow your head so it will not bother you but you'll miss the wide angle of the flood light. Nonetheless even this is fairly alright for most of the XC night riding.
A handlebar mounted lamp will light in the direction of the handlebars. So in order to see left you would have to turn your handlebars towards the left and vice versa. This really is of course not pretty practical. Ordinarily you turn your head before you turn your handlebars when checking the trail ahead. Also - you can not really see left or right from the trail like... if there's a suspicious noise coming from the bushes :) or something like that.
But however a handlebar mounted lamp is much more practical mainly because it is on the bike instead of on your head.
Mounting Lights On Helmets
When you mount the lamp on your helmet the light will often follow your head. Wherever you look the light will follow. An additional great thing is added height. A lamp on a helmet will throw the light on the trail ahead from a higher point which means much less shadows. However it is sort of impractical simply because it tends to make your helmet heavier and you will need a cable connecting the lamp and also the batteries to be hidden somewhere on you. The best thing is to use a backpack so the batteries are inside the backpack and there is only minimal distance from the helmet to the batteries.
What kind of Bike Lights Should You Get And Where To Place Them?
1. Best Case Scenario - Spot Light On Helmet, Flood Light On Handlebars
For those who have enough cash and you don't mind carrying two lamps then get one powerful spot light and one strong flood light. Then place the flood light on the handlebars and spot light on your helmet.
Spot light on your helmet signifies that the strong beam of light will normally follow your head so it'll be right in front of one's eyes at all times. This way you will not have trouble with sharper borders of the spot light - should you look from a bright spot into a darker region you can be blinded for a while, like stepping inside from strong sun. But if the bright spot is constantly in front of you you do not have to...actually you can not look away.
Flood light on handlebars will provide you with wonderful width of viewing field, spot light on helmet will offer you the distance and will follow your head - this mixture permits you to ride anything you'd normally ride through the day - even very quick descents.
2. Strong Flood Light On Handlebars Only
This really is IMHO the second best thing when the flood light is strong. In case you are only going to acquire one lamp then get a strong flood light and put it on your handlebars. Flood light does not have a bright spot in the middle that would disturb your eyes. It'll evenly light a wide region in front of one's bike which also consists of corners. It ought to be strong so it has enough distance. This kind of setup is ok for everything however the fastest descents. If you're going actually quick you are going to require some extra distance from a spot lamp.
3. Spot Light On Your Helmet
Since spot lights provide you with more distance they don't need to be so powerful to light the trail far ahead. Less power equals lower value, so this is the least expensive mountainbikelight setup of all 3. Bright spot will follow your head so it will not bother you but you'll miss the wide angle of the flood light. Nonetheless even this is fairly alright for most of the XC night riding.
About the Author:
The author has dedicated a site that would serve as a guide to extreme sports. Click mountainbiking bike light setup for tips, videos, and facts about these extreme sports and equipment. Excited? Click flood light vs. spot light - which one is better for mountainbiking? for more.
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