[Closed] Best helmet mount lights?

I'm hoping everyone says Diablo as I'm nearly buying one. Just find it difficult to spend that much money on a torch. (It won't even be my money! )

Aldi with my patented custom ubertech control stealth mounting system (a Biro and two rubber bands). Only works if you have a central vent channel but it really does work

Does it need to be "all-in-one", then pick an Exposure light that matches your needs/budget,... if not, any light with an extension cable (battery in your bag or back pocket) should match your requirement, I'd suggest a Gloworm lights or MTB Batteries unit to fit you budget

Doesn't have to be all in one, however for a helmet light I'm not sure which is best?

I have tried most of the Exposure ones and have settled on Joysticks as my choice. For a 2-3 hr ride they offer a great combination of output and light weight. A Diablo is brighter for short periods. but I can feel the weight of it.

I don't believe there a "best", just lots of good unit (ok and bad, but we'll ignore the cheap nasty ones) which you need to decide works for you. Personally I've dropped out of the lumen wars, as my two 'old' lights now just produce more glare on full, than provide more light to see by. I like the dual light setups, but depending on your bar light, you may want to add to this, or just provide enough light to see where you helmet light is pointing (a single lamp setup would suffice). As mentioned above, I rate gloworm lights kit (An x2 or even an X1 would be great but the XS3 would be getting too big), but am also happy to recommend MTB Batteries slight cheaper (& not quite a good a beam spread IMO), but very worthy kit

Diablo just works. Zero faff, great beam, logical controls, great mount. I pair mine with a Maxx-D on the bars. It's a Mk3 so I think that's late 2011. Been using it for almost daily commuting and weekly night rides since then.

I've been using Ay-Up lights for a while now and although I'm looking at a new light for the bars I'll be keeping the Ay-Up for the helmet. Lightweight and low profile make it ideal for helmet use.

Fluxient 1xU2 is excellent - highly recommend

Diablo here. Excellent light but to be honest I rarely use it on full power, very rarely in fact. Usually used on the 3/10 hour mode, sometimes on the 2/6. But my main riding isn't techy. I also put the red eye micro on it

Don't notice the weight at all, I'm used to riding with a helmet light.

Great light for bikepacking or day trips that might get extended as it's small enough to carry easily but powerful enough to ride normally with

My commuting lid has a Lezyne Macro Duo on, great for commuting and if I didn't have one of these I'd probably put the Diablo on there

Joystick is great paired with a Maxx-D on bars. I'm sure Diablo is a good option too, but not used one.

I tried a few options recently and ended up with an Exposure Axis Mk4. Not as powerful as the Diablo but noticeably smaller and lighter and better batttery life on full power. Full power handy for tight singlerack stuff and I run it alongside a Gemini Titan barlight which is just silly on full power!

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Whats everyone think to the exposure helmet mounts? Do they stay where you've aimed them? Are they even adjustable?

Got a diablo on the helmet, its very good, mounts easily and securely with that wee ball/socket thingy you can see above. Yes, adjustable easily on the move, but unless clonked heavily on a branch, won't move by mistake.

However, its not massively better than a wee LED torch and a couple of spare 18650 batteries from Deal Extreme, which I mount with a velcro ski strap. thats been on my commuting helmet for 7 years and refuses to die 🙂

pays yer money, takes yer choice

[hijack] Anybody use just a helmet light. I'm thinking of getting a Diablo for the Lid and losing the bar light [hijack over]

diabolo with a 6-pack on the bars here.
excellent kit.
helmet mount works very well indeed.

i wouldn't ride with just a lid light through choice. the light source results in a flattening out of features on the ground. if i really had to choose between bar or lid i'd go for a 'spready' bar light for this reason.

chilled76 - Member
Whats everyone think to the exposure helmet mounts? Do they stay where you've aimed them? Are they even adjustable?

they work perfectly IMO. Been using them for past 5 yrs or so and never found it to move without a hand or branch to push it ! Often tilt it down of doing some trailside repairs

i wouldn't ride with just a lid light through choice. the light source results in a flattening out of features on the ground. if i really had to choose between bar or lid i'd go for a 'spready' bar light for this reason.

If I could only choose one, I'd chose a helmet light.

bar light only might be ok for fireroads and simple stuff but nothing worse than twisty singletrack on a fixed bar light.

Agreed. Barlight almost useless on twisty stuff so if you're only having one then helmet light all the way. Combo certainly best solution though with a wide beam on the bar and a spot on your lid.

Exposure mount has proved to be great so far. Lower profile than most but very sturdy and easy to adjust.

Thanks gents, I'll have a look at the exposure range. The programmable stuff puts me off them a bit.

So exposure helmet lights

Diablo
Joystick
Axis mk4

Any others?

Could anyone give me an easy break downs of the pro's and con's of each? The website is a bit overload of info!

I'd prefer non-programmable if possible, can't be doing with learning how to programme a light. I want on/off and 2/3 brightness settings.

out of the box, they all come on programme 1, which is what most folk just use. The last few Joysticks have been criticised by some as being too floody for a helmet light and USE seem to have listened. I got a new 2017 one the other week and it is much more of a spot.

[url= http://www.mtbbatteries.co.uk/mountain-bike-lights/lumen800/ ]£55, 800 Lumens[/url] and a tiny head unit

chilled76 - Member

Doesn't have to be all in one, however for a helmet light I'm not sure which is best?

TBH depends on how you feel about cables, I'd rather have a small lightweight head unit on my head, and a cable- especially if you want higher power or burn time. I don't like the feeling of weight on top and being able to get more light for less money makes it a no brainer for me but then, other people don't like wires, ymmv. To me there's always at least one massive downside to a selfcontained light

Exposure's helmet light mount is absolute genius though.

I'm just trialling a BT40S, which is an inexpensive, midpower floodlight, and quite liking it. The logic always used to go that your helmet light should be a spotlight but imo we're past that now, a wider more even beam is better to ride in and the power levels make it possible to have range and spread. (a modern spotlight can have huge range but in practice, who cares? I basically want to see to the next corner)

What would you recommend if I run a cable? I always have a camelback so that's no issue?

I'd take a Joystick or an Axis over a Diablo/Equinox for the helmet. The lower profile of the light is less likely to get caught by branches. I've ripped my Equinox clean off the lid a couple of times.

Gloworm X1 works very well for me. About £100 and light enough for use on the helmet without trailing lead

Whats everyone think to the exposure helmet mounts? Do they stay where you've aimed them? Are they even adjustable?

Whack it in a slot in the helmet, tighten in place at a point that suits - further forward points it down, further back points it up in the sky. left to right you can do with you hands when it's tight, but it doesn't move on it's own. I'll swivel mine to one side if I'm talking to someone when we're stopped - easier than switching off or taking the helmet off.

I've got an Exposure Joystick as helmet light and it's plenty of light for me.

Small enough to keep in the commuting pack as a bar light for occasional long-way-back commuting - the town blinky doesn't cut it on unlit lanes and trails!

Exposure mount adjusts up and down as well as left and right - it's a simple ball and socket joint. For extreme changes you can slide it along the helmet slot but once it's fitted you won't need to do that.

I was put off by the programmable thing on the newer lights but it's genius. Its just like having normal high, medium and low settings - but you can easily adjust burn time and brightness to suit your riding. Recently I've been doing shorter mostly group rides so I set it to just have high and low, leave it on high all the time except when we're standing around or cruising uphill after being stopped. When my night rides have been longer with more solo time I set it so I have high, medium and low, use high in the group, medium on my own, low for stopped or climbing.

When you get to try one it makes total sense - and my Maxx-D is older, without the LCD display, so it's more cryptic than the new ones.

I always rode with a pack until a few months ago (this century at least!) For the summer I switched to a tiny saddlebag and bottle and seem to have carried on like that even though winter is here. I'll use the pack for longer rides but I'm glad I don't have to keep the pack on just to carry my helmet light battery!

I tried a Gemini Duo light but don't ride with a pack so found the battery mount to be a faff, especially with a MIPS liner on my helmet.

If you always ride with a pack then it could be ideal as it's VERY bright, has a wireless remote which is very easy to use, and weighs next to nothing.

I've been running a Xeccon Zeta 1600r on the lid along with a Gemini Titan on the bars. Gemini is bonkers anyway but the Xeccon is still powerful enough to compliment it very nicely. £150 with the bar remote

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This is my gloworm X1 helmet setup. Two cell battery on the back of the helmet, light unit under the peak so nothing sticking up telly tubby style. Does 2hrs plus depending on how much you turn it down while climbing.

Weighs 199g.

I currently have the new axis, with the new race on bars, 1000 lumins on head and 1700 on bars, perfect combo

Lumen800 for me too. Weighs nowt and sits low down almost in the front of my Giro Hex well away from branches. MTB Batteries are brill too.

Four4th Scorch.

Bloody good light. Built in Aldershot!

Best, Four4th OMG. A bit over budget though, but bloody hell it's bright. Also nice low helmet mount design, and as said, UK based in Aldershot.

Yep, I've got an OMG on the bars and a Scorch on my helmet. I can vapourise a deer from 30 metres...

I use a Gen 2 TTBB modified Solar Storm on the bars with a decent battery pack now, that lasted 2 hours on full power and was still over 50% charged.

I also use an Exposure Diablo on my head as I wanted a quick mount with no cables, That seems a bit weak and lost with the bright bar lamp & it needs to be on full power to be of any use - consequently it doesn't last much mor Ethan an hour.

I have another old SSX2 which I'm going to modify to fit a GoPro mount on my lid. It's cold now so generally ride with a gilet on which means I can chuck the battery in there and just deal with cables as I'm not wearing a backpack.

theboyneeds - Member
Four4th Scorch.

Bloody good light. Built in Aldershot!

I'm sorry, but that's a stupid design. It requires s certain design of helmet with a central slot in order to be low profile. in using the low profile design, you place all the weight at the front of the helmet and block one of the main vents. When you jump, it'll constantly pull the front of the helment down. When mounted flush, you can't angle it back, which means at vary points when cycling uphill, your light will be shining at your toes and you'll have to strain your neck back until your helmet is lying on your shoulders to see up the trail.

I'll take an Axis over that ANY day.

Whilst we are talking about this I've been thinking about changing my handlebar light. Been offered an Exposure Reflex MK2 (Old stock) for £265 from LBS... is that a good deal? Would I be better buying a current model that's priced at a similar spec?

Alright Paul, is the hope no good?

I seem to have misplaced my £15 Chinese lights which I thought were awesome and mounted well to my helmet and everything now looks like a lot of money for the same thing!

Hi Alex,

The Hopes decent, but I'm riding more and more at night so upgrading both helmet and bar light.... Will probably sell the Hope on once I've replaced it.

Yeah it's a tricky one isn't it - I think the power of a lot of these lights actually make it harder to read the trail so theres a fine line to be struck, I wonder if the hope would be better on your head and then a more powerful bar light? The titan that guy linked above looks pretty good due to its wide spread.

My mate reviews bike parts and he can't stop raving about the exposure stuff if that helps your decisions at all..

I'm personally in the camp that prefers matching battery packs that are easy to source replacements or pop in those large batteries as you can carry spares easily

If you're riding again you'll have to come up to the lakes for a play!

Cheers, yes I keep hearing lots of positives about Exposure stuff.

Lakes might be cool in the summer matey!

I'm leaning towards buying this Reflex at £265 and putting the hope one on my helmet, but its the older vision 4 so possibly a bit big for the helmet.

Hoping someone can tell me whether its worth buying at £265 or buying a newer model?

Hoping someone can tell me whether its worth buying at £265 or buying a newer model?

I had the same model and was happy with it. The only reason you cant get that particular model is that the reflex technology is built into the new models as standard. I think the latest models may have an improved reflex tech.

Id be concerned with the battery sitting in a discahrged state for so long as these lights do have a parasitic drain.

The new Maxx D Mk9 I have just received had 35% charge out of the box and the reflex mk2 hasnt been available for at least a couple of years I think?

No cycle to work scheme available for you?
I couldnt justify spending RRP on an exposure light but get one -40% every couple of years on the scheme.

My vote for a headlight goes to the Zebralight SC600 with warm white led. Awesome little light and is usable off the helmet as well.

http://www.zebralight.com/SC600-Mk-III-18650-XHP35-Flashlight-Cool-White_p_174.html

Yes I've got cycle to work but currently got a road bike I'm paying for and not allowed two vouchers at once.

I thought that about the battery too, I bought my Hope from them though in a similar situation (old stock) and it's been fine. The LBS guy recons they charge them periodically for this reason and I'm inclined to believe him.

Is £265 a good price for it?

IMO No.

Sure I just seen a maxx d mk9 for £308.
Save your pennies and benefit from increased lumens.

Edit: £307.99 on rutland

Cheers Stu, appreciate the opinion

Anyone know if Exposure did any Black Friday deals last year? Thinking of hanging fire on a purchase if they did?

Don't think so. But often deals around on Exposure lights from places like Rutland Cycling etc

Don't forget things like Tesco Evans 241 vouchers

Cheers guys,

Went totally off piste and just ordered a new helmet and bar light combo from MTB-Batteries, cracking deal on their website at the minute for £145 for a 2000 lumen bar light and an 800 lumen helmet light that is really tiny that price was posted too. Bargain!!!!

Try LiteOption. Have had good reviews in the past and have lots of race pedigree...... and the service.

http://liteoption.com/