MTB Night Lights - helmet mounting

[AUbicycles]

Typical lights for night riding usually suit handlebars.

On Johns Kali Amara Helmet review he had AyUps though with their own mounting bracket. (pic below)

Just wondering how others are mounting a light on their helmet? I have noticed some adapters that can be attached to provide a curved surface and mount. What about the battery pack - down your back and in a backpack... or on the helmet itself?

[AUbicycles]

Was out for a short stint tonight. I found a headmount for a camera with elastic straps that I chopped off, then with a few cableties had a lovely headmount.

I caught this on the camera - one of those noises of the dark decided to hop across. It is incredible how much the confident level goes up the more light and better spread you have. If I switch one light off, I automatically slow. That may sound obvious however was really noticeable.

[clackers]

Is that a photo of John standing on the lawn, pushed down into the grass by the weight of his helmet?

The Magicshine clones my wife and I use have their own helmet straps. The battery we put in either rackmount bag or backpack ... too heavy to add to everything else above the neck!

[AUbicycles]

I probably need a cable extension. Told John not to go on the grass when it was wet, now he knows why.

[ball bearing]

Exposure Diablo here. 107 grams self-contained - no cables.

[AUbicycles]

Thats a nice spotlight. Does come at a price. Are you helmet mounting... and what do you think of the mount?

[bychosis]

Home made. 2x$5 lights from the reject shop, some alum tube, two li-ion batteries from eBay, an hour in the shed and ... The light is bright, but not very focused so good for close by, but not so good at road speeds.

Cable ties are round one mount solution. Velcro and elastic are going to be round two.

[ball bearing]

Thats a nice spotlight. Does come at a price. Are you helmet mounting... and what do you think of the mount?

Wiggle had them at a special price a couple of weeks ago for just over $150. Still not cheap, but I'm hoping they are more reliable than the off-brand types.

The helmet mount is unique as it is screwed into place through a vent hole and works like a ball and socket. So far so good. I hardly know it's there. I bought the bar mount for use in flashing mode on my road bike. I hope I'm not blinding anyone. It is bright!

[trailgumby]

Managed to escapethe predations of Chris's carnivorous lawn, just in time for the Mont.

[trailgumby]

On the subject of helmet mounts, one of the main attractions for me of Ay-Ups is the low height of the mount.

Most of the MagicShine style lights stock mounts sit up way too high in my opinion. I have enough of a problem bashing my helmet on low branches around Manly Dam and other local trails, the extra height of these lights would be a concern. I'd be trying to do without the half-bar-cross-section mount and cable tying the unit directly to the helmet in about the same location as my Ay Ups in the above photos, so long as the aim could be set up correctly.

The other issue with having weight up too high is that over the rough stuff your helmet will want to "porpoise" on your head, fopping backwards and forwards and obstructing your vision usually at the worst possible moment. For that reason I don't use the camera helmet mounted off-road.

Hope you find these thoughts helpful.

[AUbicycles]

Very valid comments John... and a brilliant photo of you. You look like pro!

[trailgumby]

It's the BNA kit that does it!

[clackers]

It's fugly, but it works.

The other night my wife and I put the velcro attachment through the helmet airholes and straps, then rode some of the singletrack beside the Yarra at Heidelberg. It's great being able to see what to expect around the bend and the branches overhead while having the main light down in front of the wheel.

Wild animals we saw included tawny frogmouths, a wombat, a fox, and the soccer players still training at Bulleen.

[trailgumby]

That's exactly the hind of thing that a lot of folks had at the Mont. I''d like to get it lower to the helmet by a couple of centimetres.

The reason it sits so high is to allow the O-rings to wrap through underneath and secure the light. I think there are other ways of tackling the retention problem while still allowing a bit of tilt adjustment and keeping the o-ring system for the bars.

I love seeing wildlife on the trails. Wombats! Don't look too closely at their burrows while riding, you'll end up going for a visit! Target fixation

[Jean]

Home made. 2x$5 lights from the reject shop, some alum tube, two li-ion batteries from eBay, an hour in the shed and ... The light is bright, but not very focused so good for close by, but not so good at road speeds.

Cable ties are round one mount solution. Velcro and elastic are going to be round two.

Could you give us a better shot of your ghetto light mount? I'm using a couple of torches too, but want to make up a lower profile DIY mount and yours looks interesting.

Thanks if you can.

[bychosis]

I drilled a couple of holes in the torches and epoxied two alum bars through so I could keep the two torches pointed in the same direction, the epoxy is an extra, the holes were a touch small and the alum tube was a tight fit so it almost stayed there. The torches don't have any batteries in them anymore, hence the cables and battery pack on the back of the helmet. You can just make out the cable tie holding the alum tube into the helmet. There is also a bit of foam from a stubby holder underneath to help stop the lights slipping around, held onto the helmet with some double sided tape.

[AUbicycles]

My last tawny frogmouth was on my verandah - on the way out for a night MTB trip.

[lump_a_charcoal]

I am using the Exposure Joystick on my helmet - it is mounted slightly off centre, but is light, bright and holds on tight.

Coupled with the Exposure Maxx-d mk5, it is great!

[trailgumby]

My last tawny frogmouth was on my verandah - on the way out for a night MTB trip.

Riding a Specialized?

[Rob74]

Bang for Buck Led Lenser H7

Works for me

Rob