[PCinSC]

I'm looking at getting couple of lights for night riding, one handlebar mount and one helmet mount. What's the typical "heaviest" weight headlight you'd be willing to comfortably mount on a helmet? I'm looking at lights by Lezyne (1300 and 1000) and Nightrider (1200,1000, 900) and want to get the most output I can on both the bar and head.

Thoughts on helmet light weight?

 

[wayold]

I am an older guy with cervical disc problems - so weight on the helmet is a big deal for me. For this reason I strongly prefer helmet lights with an external battery (that I put in a small backpack or hydration pack). Having that cord dangling around is an annoyance sometimes, but it's worth it for me if I can avoid some neck pain. As far as numbers go, I like to keep the weight of a light on my helmet under about 80-90g (and the weight of my helmet without the light under 250g - so I ride with lightweight road helmets). Lots of 1-2 emitter helmet lights satisfy this. Currently I like the little MJ-900 series lights form Magicshine, but again, lots of 1-2 emitter light heads are under 90g.

If you want to go self-contained the weight goes up quite a bit. Outbound Lighting have done very well in keeping the weight of their Hangover helmet light down to 100g. It's not as powerful as some of the light heads with separate batteries, but it puts out a nice beam pattern and lots of folks really like it. Other than that most of the self-contained lights I see seem either to weigh in the 140g plus range or else have pretty low power. Pick your poison.

 

[Bacon Fat]

I tried a Niterider 1800 on my helmet for a bit last night. You can feel the weight and when the trails gets rough it bounces around too much. The Niterider micro 850 and the newer 950 are about as heavy as I want to go. But I usually use a battery pack light to reduce weight even further.

 

[mtnbikerva1]

Lupine Piko, or Blika is LIGHT and great light. Blika is more versatile.
I also hate heavy weight on the helmet.

 

[Bassmantweed]

The nightrider pro race 2200 does a good job for me. It’s not cheap but I’m a big believer in buying the right tool the 1st time. Coupled with the outbound trail light on the bars it might as well be daylight. I normally ride for about 2.5 hours and both have plenty of shine on them when I get back to the truck but I run the helmet on low most of the time just to fill in where the outbound does not shine. I have forgotten my helmet light a few times and honestly the outbound does such a good job it’s not a huge deal.

 

[barelfly]

I ride with an Outbound Lighting Hangover helmet light. Love it combined with the Evo handlebar light. But the Hangover isn’t bad - I can feel it to start, but then I forget it’s there. OL’s website says the light/mount is 125g total.

I really like it, and the customer service is top notch. They have been very helpful in getting the right helmet mount, answering questions and even sent me an extra bar mount so I can have one for my MTB and gravel.

hope that helps.

 

[Danhikeski]

I use a Bright Eyes 1200 lumen on my bars and a 1600 on helmet. They both have external battery packs, I could get a “Y” adapter and run both off one battery if I wanted. They lasted for over 3hrs @15 degrees f… they would of gone longer if I needed them. Like others have said I like the external packs, they make a larger one, too. Plenty of light! They also came with a bonus tail (red) light. There are coupon codes to bring the price of both to about $100.
disclaimer: I do not work for them nor receive anymore than what I have purchased or what they give from emails, in the form of discounts and news of sales. Anyone can sign up for these emails, no purchase required.

 

[127.0.0.1]

87 grams.
light and 18650 cell combined

zl h600w-mkII, III, or IV

 

[Flyer]

I generally run a Lupine Pinko and sometimes a Lupine Tesla on the helmet. I absolutely do not want anything heavier. I think the Pinko lamp head is 60ish grams and the Tesla around 80 grams.

 

[CrozCountry]

Mostly depends on how well the helmet sits and if it moves around. I have a tight fitting helmet, and use Bontrager ION which is 147g (without mount). Make sure when you get a weight report to know if the reported weight is with or without the mount.
ION is a sick light. They have insane runtime. Far more than Trek claims.

 

[Laupe]

I use a 1000 lumen magicshine light on my helmet, mounted with batteries on the back of the helmet.

It weighs 190g and i have a really light road helmet 215g (i know, but i race xc), so the total weight is mangable.

 

[MRMOLE]

I'm looking at getting couple of lights for night riding, one handlebar mount and one helmet mount. What's the typical "heaviest" weight headlight you'd be willing to comfortably mount on a helmet? I'm looking at lights by Lezyne (1300 and 1000) and Nightrider (1200,1000, 900) and want to get the most output I can on both the bar and head.

Thoughts on helmet light weight?

Lots of good suggestions here of setups that work well for other people but which one's right for your situation? Narrowing down the variables by giving us more information about your likes and usage conditions will help in figuring out which lights will be most appropriate. Do you have a budget and if so approx. how much do you want to spend? Self-contained or separate lighthead and battery? Are you an aggressive rider or just a trail rider or endurance racer? How long do your typical rides last? Are your typical trails open and fast or tight/technical/overgrown? Max weight can vary quite a bit depending on how well your helmet fits, how close to the helmet shell the light is mounted, general light setup (self-contained/lighthead and battery on helmet/lighthead only on helmet tethered to battery in pack). Feel free to add anything else you think might help.
Mole

 

[Cleared2land]

Gloworm XS on the helmet with an X2 on bars 6800 Li-battery in pack and on down tube. I've tried self contained lights on helmet and prefer less weight on the helmet.

 

[gdb85]

^^^I second the Gloworm light. Best lights I ever used.

 

[iliketexmex]

+1 the idea of an external battery. With a separate battery the light's weight is negligible. The other bonus is that you can ride in extreme cold without concerns of battery life (since you can tuck the battery in a warm pocket.

 

[Rod]

I'm also a fan of an external battery pack. It stays warm in the winter so it doesn't die as fast, can swap batteries if needed, and there's less weight on the helmet. Different lenses work for your unique needs as well.

 

[PCinSC]

Thanks for all the replies. To answer a few questions.

Budget is in the $100-150 per light. I know this knocks out some of the great light suggestions I got above.

I'd prefer all in one unit. I don't want to deal with a cord leading to a separate battery unit.

I'll be using the lights for nighttime trail riding, mostly familiar trails, some small drops/jumps. No extended high speed downhilling.

Rides will be anywhere from 1-3 hours. I notice many models have maximum output for only an hour or hour and a half. Some even less. I'm looking to find the best compromise between output, run time, weight and price.

For example, I really like the features and cost balance of the Lezyne Macro Drive 1300XXL. But I fear it is too heavy a light for helmet mounting.

Additional thoughts are welcome.

 

[Bacon Fat]

I wouldn't use the Lezyne on my helmet. Too heavy, and if you have a Mips helmet, it will move around a lot.

If you want a self contained. I would use this on the helmet

Lumina™ Micro 900 Bike Headlight

Looking for our best selling Lumina™ series bike headlight in a smaller and lighter package? Look no further than our Micro 900. NiteRider® makes this headlight USB rechargeable for convenient on-the-go charging. Another feature of note on the 900, Intellicharge™, which reduces your charge time...

www.niterider.com

And this on the bars, When the trail is tight and twisty, I run the it on medium. I use low on the climbs

Lumina™ Dual 1800 Front Bike Light

Its dual LED set-up puts out enough light at 1800 lumens to be more than capable navigating the toughest off-road terrain, while being nimble and versatile enough to tackle those long and arduous paved commutes. Note: The NiteRider® Lumina™ 1800 Dual is shipped from the factory in Lock Out Mode...

www.niterider.com

If you need 2-3hrs, you really are going to need an external battery.

 

[Cleared2land]

^^^^
Interesting personal choices for highest intensity location.
I much prefer the highest intensity light on my helmet and the lower lumen light on my bars.

The OP's budget will have a definite impact on available light lumens and duration.

 

[Bacon Fat]

^^^^
Interesting personal choices for highest intensity location.
I much prefer the highest intensity light on my helmet and the lower lumen light on my bars.

The OP's budget will have a definite impact on available light lumens and duration.

My local trails are very twisty. So on the one or two straights, I like more shadow detail that the bar light provides. In the twisties, I don't need to light up 50 yards where I am looking because the trail is constantly turning in 5-10 yards, I'll keep the bar light at a lower setting. Flood lights work best on the trails I usually ride. On faster trails with less twisty, constant turns and fewer trees, I use a 3000 lumen light on my helmet.

I think where and how you ride make a big difference in what works best.