# What's your helmet/bar-mounted light combo?



## mahuan! (Nov 23, 2010)

I'm working out my light setup and now I'm running a Mittycross 400 (narrowish beam) on my helmet and a Gemini Titan (900 lumen-- wider beam with lots of throw) on my bars. 

I'd love to hear thoughts on whether the brighter beam is better on the bars or helmet, and ditto with the beam pattern.


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## Bryank930 (Jun 12, 2006)

Thanks to a sweet deal in the MTBR classifieds, my new setup is a MS900 with actionLED lens on the bars, and another MS900 on my helmet. Nothing extraordinary, but it's better than what I was using.


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## rkj__ (Feb 29, 2004)

I run a Dinotte 200L dual setup - two equally bright lights, one on helmet, and one on bar for trail riding.

The bar mounted light has a flood lens for illuminating a fairly wide area close to my front wheel. The wider beam makes the light still useful in twisty trails, as the handlebars don't always point exactly where you want to see. 

The helmet mounted light has a spot lens. This gives the light more range, and the spot pattern is good, because the light is always aimed where I want to see.


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## XecconLight (Dec 16, 2011)

*spotlight for the helmet, floodlight for the handbar*

I agree with rkj.

The spotlight is very suitable for the helmet while the floodlight is very suitable for the helmet.

The spotlight uses the glossy reflector.

The floodlight usually uses the orange reflector.


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## MaximusHQ (Aug 6, 2007)

I have a 22 degree lupine betty on the bars at 1,750 lumens and a lupine wilma 16 degrees at 1,000 lumens on the helmet. I like wider and brighter on the bars or at least equal output between bar and helmet lights. I am picking up a new helmet light to try out this year. It is a glowworm x2 light which is a lot smaller and lighter weight than the lupine wilma and the output is at 1,200 lumens. 

To be honest most of the time I run the lights at 40-60% power to conserve batteries and it just isnt necessary to use the full 2,750 lumens combined unless I am going downhill fast. I often run the lights at really low powers like 5% if I end up having to use the bikepath at all. I dim them a whole lot during my rides depending on conditions. A brighter light on the helmet would not work well for me most of the time because there is too much moisture in the air most nights i ride.


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## Vancbiker (May 25, 2005)

My preferred setup is a bit different. I have ~500 lumens on the helmet and ~1000 on the bars. True OTF estimates, based on 30% loss from theoretical output due to optic and thermal loss. Both are in pretty tight spotty beams. I find that a flood beam on the bars generates shadows near the wheel and just off to the sides that are distracting. The spot beam helps keep me focused down the trail. Each new light has been tighter than its predecessor.


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## starthere (Nov 7, 2011)

If the bicycle light can give out enough light, the user can not take the headlamp.Because just one bike light is enough.


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## MaximusHQ (Aug 6, 2007)

starthere said:


> If the bicycle light can give out enough light, the user can not take the headlamp.Because just one bike light is enough.


What happens if that one super light fails when you are out on the trail? Then it is a dark ride home if you haven't crashed off the trail injured going from having one really bright light to darkness instantly. I recommend 2 lights just for the redundancy alone without getting into other benefits.


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## DesertCrawler (Sep 28, 2010)

I really like the MagicShine MJ-816 on the bars with all the LEDs fired up. I use that with an MJ-808 on the helmet. The combination seems to keep shadows to a minimum, while one or the other alone can introduce shadows, and sometmes those are inconvenient.


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## Vancbiker (May 25, 2005)

MaximusHQ said:


> What happens if that one super light fails when you are out on the trail? Then it is a dark ride home if you haven't crashed off the trail injured going from having one really bright light to darkness instantly. I recommend 2 lights just for the redundancy alone without getting into other benefits.


+1 on this.

That being said, when I first started night riding years ago I could not afford 2 lights and just used a halogen bar light. Worked well enough. Always carried a mini maglite and a couple innertube loops to rig a backup though.


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## mahuan! (Nov 23, 2010)

rkj__ said:


> I run a Dinotte 200L dual setup - two equally bright lights, one on helmet, and one on bar for trail riding.
> 
> The bar mounted light has a flood lens for illuminating a fairly wide area close to my front wheel. The wider beam makes the light still useful in twisty trails, as the handlebars don't always point exactly where you want to see.
> 
> The helmet mounted light has a spot lens. This gives the light more range, and the spot pattern is good, because the light is always aimed where I want to see.


Thanks, rkj. This advice makes sense, and is similar to my current setup.

I notice you are running less-bright lights than some folks. Do you find that limits your riding? Brightness is a whole other topic, but it seems like the consensus that 600 total lumens plus is best for single tack riding. On the other hand, a lot of 24-hour racers seem satisfied with less powerful lights. My 1300 lumens are overkill for most riding I do, and I ride down hills at a good clip.

I would imagine that light selection, beam pattern and position play an important role--not just lumens.


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## betweenrides (Oct 19, 2010)

Baja Designs Strykr (flood optic) on the bars, which gives 700 Lm, one of several small thrower flashlights on the helmet, which give out between 500-700 Lm. Carry a spare battery for the flashlight.


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## hmanstylez (Dec 25, 2011)

Bar Light is a MagicShine 856 and the helmet light is a MagicShine 808. 

Love this setup. Took me about two weeks of sifting through beam patterns and reviews to come to this final setup. Very happy with the combo!


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## d365 (Jun 13, 2006)

So far, I've just been running a Dinotte XML 3 on the helmet, and don't really feel like I need more light... use medium power most of the time, but the point about going from having light to complete darkness is valid. Happened to a guy last night, but no wreckage. I'm still debating about what my second light will / should be, since the XML 3 can be a bar or helmet mount. 

None of the guys I ride with use their bar lights. They say they're too distracting, bouncing around. Our trails are very rough, tight and technical, with rock gardens and logs, etc. Most have bar lights as back ups, but they don't run them, that I've seen.


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## featured (Nov 16, 2009)

This is a good topic... i`m in the market for a pair of lights and had no idea what to look for.


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## mahuan! (Nov 23, 2010)

*Agreed, this is a good thread*

Thanks for all the great feedback.


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## karlhungus1 (Mar 22, 2011)

Going with the Serfas 1500 on the helmet. Keep the battery in my pack, making weight unnoticeable. The light is adequate for everything but the fastest of speeds. Although at first the Serfas seemed like an obscene amount of power, riding on the exposed plains of Colorado (most days I can see Pikes Peak 50ish miles away) leaves me wanting more throw to illuminate distant terrain.


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## arphaxhad (Apr 17, 2008)

DesertCrawler said:


> I really like the MagicShine MJ-816 on the bars with all the LEDs fired up. I use that with an MJ-808 on the helmet. The combination seems to keep shadows to a minimum, while one or the other alone can introduce shadows, and sometmes those are inconvenient.


Got this same setup for Christmas as my introduction to night riding. Trying different techniques and combinations during my first 3 rides, I would never use only one light and do prefer the headlamp set up to throw just beyond the bar lights in normal riding position. I have the bar light set so it just casts a slight shadow of the front wheel in its "halo" and the bulk of the beam about 20-30 feet down the trail.

I was thinking of gluing some very fine sandpaper on the bar under the mount to keep it from slipping those few degrees (not much, just enough to be annoying) when it gets rough

Overall very pleased with the brightness of the lights. Cant believe that I waited all these years to start riding at night! It's awesome :thumbsup:


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## Bryank930 (Jun 12, 2006)

arphaxhad said:


> Got this same setup for Christmas as my introduction to night riding. Trying different techniques and combinations during my first 3 rides, I would never use only one light and do prefer the headlamp set up to throw just beyond the bar lights in normal riding position. I have the bar light set so it just casts a slight shadow of the front wheel in its "halo" and the bulk of the beam about 20-30 feet down the trail.
> 
> I was thinking of gluing some very fine sandpaper on the bar under the mount to keep it from slipping those few degrees (not much, just enough to be annoying) when it gets rough
> 
> Overall very pleased with the brightness of the lights. Cant believe that I waited all these years to start riding at night! It's awesome :thumbsup:


A piece of old tube works just as well and no need to glue anything to your bars.


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## arphaxhad (Apr 17, 2008)

Bryank930 said:


> A piece of old tube works just as well and no need to glue anything to your bars.


Nice...Thanks


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## CharacterZero (May 19, 2004)

*baja designs all the way....*

I'm running a Baja Designs Stryker on the bars and Stryker SL on the helmet. These are last year's model and each put out about 700 lumen. I find the helmet light alone to be more than enough light for most of our rides, but the higher-speed rides where it is less twisty gets the bar light too.

Let me also mention that I had a little issue with one of the lights, and it was replaced FAST and no questions asked. Shannon simply said "Nice to have a lifetime guarantee - it is on the way."

I'd buy these (or the newer version) in a heartbeat if I needed to.







(bar light obvious, helmet is set on the truck throwing beam in the same direction.


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## g3rG (Aug 29, 2009)

I live in an area with lots of winding (sometimes steep) rocky trails, and no trees. I use a Seca 1400 for a bar floodlight, and a Wilma (16deg, I think) for the helmet spot. The lights are adjusted so that there is never a hot spot on the ground. The Seca is diffuse over midfield to nearfield, and the Wilma does farfield to mid. No way in hell could I ride the trails that I do at the speeds that I like with just one light. I typically slow down because the helmet spotlight can't reach far enough. Need more lumens downrange, which is typically not where the handlebar is pointed.

gerG


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## TraxFactory (Sep 10, 1999)

My 856 came in today so my 808 is on helmet duty now. I used my old Night Rider Digital Extreme Helmet mount and worked out well. Its low profile, solid and easily adjusted...

So 856 on bars and 808-P7 up top....should work out nicely..


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## LoafyD (Dec 12, 2006)

I run a Magicshine MJ808 on my bar and an old Night Rider Digital Headtrip on my helmet. I ride with both on at night. Night rides for me are primarily in the winter and on a fatbike, so the snowy conditions make it a little smoother. I like having the trail lit up by my bar light and the ability to check for moose just off the trail with my headlamp.


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## hmanstylez (Dec 25, 2011)

RipRoar said:


> My 856 came in today so my 808 is on helmet duty now. I used my old Night Rider Digital Extreme Helmet mount and worked out well. Its low profile, solid and easily adjusted...
> 
> So 856 on bars and 808-P7 up top....should work out nicely..


You're going to LOVE that setup.


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## zachattak (Jan 10, 2012)

niterider 350 on bars... thats it for the moment... prob upgrade to more powerful and mount that on helmet but no money right now


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## vthokie2005 (Oct 14, 2011)

Niterider Minewt 600 Cordless on my Helmet, Niterider Minewt 700 Dual on the bars... Got both on EBay for under $200.00, Awsome setup!


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## tgoff (Feb 7, 2010)

Jet Lites A-51 on the bars

Amoeba on the helmet

Made in USA solid combination.


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## Tanin (Apr 12, 2006)

Most of my local loops are rocky single track and I typically night ride solo. For years I was using my circa 90's Turbocats halogens on the bars. Went to led's a few years ago on the bars and helmet and will never go back to only one light. Upgraded my lights again this season and now run the XM-L Betty 26 degree (2600Lumen)on the bar and moved the Wilma 22 degree (1100Lumen) to the helmet. The flood pattern and output from those two lamp heads allow me to bomb the trails without any reservation.


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## Rucker61 (Jul 21, 2006)

Gemini Xera on the helment, Gemini Titan X-ML on the bars.


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## kevrider (Jul 18, 2010)

cygolite mitycross 350 on the helmet -- spot.
cygolite tridenX 500 on the bars -- wide beam.

thinking of upgrading to a cygolite 750 or serfas 1000 for the bars.


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## ragnar.jensen (Jul 21, 2009)

*3x MJ808*










2 x MJ808 on Marwi mounts on the bar. A third one on the helmet.


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## woody.1 (Jun 10, 2008)

MaximusHQ said:


> I have a 22 degree lupine betty on the bars at 1,750 lumens and a lupine wilma 16 degrees at 1,000 lumens on the helmet. I like wider and brighter on the bars or at least equal output between bar and helmet lights. I am picking up a new helmet light to try out this year. It is a glowworm x2 light which is a lot smaller and lighter weight than the lupine wilma and the output is at 1,200 lumens.
> 
> To be honest most of the time I run the lights at 40-60% power to conserve batteries and it just isnt necessary to use the full 2,750 lumens combined unless I am going downhill fast. I often run the lights at really low powers like 5% if I end up having to use the bikepath at all. I dim them a whole lot during my rides depending on conditions. A brighter light on the helmet would not work well for me most of the time because there is too much moisture in the air most nights i ride.


This is the way I run my light setup if I'm doing technical single track. A lot of my morning rides are on paved bike trails and dirt roads and I used my Piko on the helmet for this.
Woody


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## scar (Jun 2, 2005)

4x XM-L's on the bars










and either 2x or 3x XP-G's on the helmet












****


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## teflondog (Feb 8, 2012)

Niterider Minewt 600 cordless on the bars for seeing the path ahead of me. I also have a L&M Urban 500 on the bars as a backup in case the Minewt fails or runs out of juice.


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## cue003 (May 6, 2011)

scar said:


> 4x XM-L's on the bars
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Very sweet setup. I bet it must out out tons of light. Any Beamshots of that combo?


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## RBrady (Jan 20, 2009)

I run one lupine Betty on my bars and one Betty on my helmet. I adjust accordingly during rides. I think you want as many lumen as possible. My two on high rocks coming down our rocky AZ trails.


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## cyclocommuter (Dec 15, 2009)

2 x Cygolite 350s, 2 x 220 lumen flashlights all on the bars. I alternate the use of flashlights which are always in blinky mode, one is for the morning commute and the other is for the evening commute. I never charge the 2 Cygolites at the same time... always one day or so of use after the other so there is less chance they will run out of juice at the same time.

I also have a Planet Bike 4 led blinky on the helmet... mainly to increase visibility and also to illuminate my Garmin 500 so I can see the readout at night.


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## quiggs1974 (Nov 22, 2007)

I run a set of HID Technologies. the helmet gets a Lumen8r Quad and the pygmy max on the bars, both are rated at 1000lumens and generally l run the bars on medium setting to increase the run times especially when racing 24 solos, the less stops the better, will I run the Lumen8r quad on high to maximise the throw down the trail.

HID is doing upgrades to the lumen 8r quad to 1600 lumens and is finishing off testing on the upgrade of the pygmy max which will bring it up to 1400 lumens. This will be as much as anyone cold ever need with super long run times in excess of 3hrs each light on the high setting.

HIDTECHNOLOGIES - HID and LED lighting solutions

quiggs


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## KEITH21 (Aug 1, 2011)

I have a Niterider 600 for the bars and a 350 for the helmet. Not alot of Niteriders, is there a reason?


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## Vancbiker (May 25, 2005)

KEITH21 said:


> Not alot of Niteriders, is there a reason?


My experience with NR is pretty old but bad feelings last. Between 2001 and 2003 I bought 4 sets of NR lights. 2 were straight up halogens and 2 were digital halogens. Of the 4 sets 2 failed. 1 of the plain halogens had the connector in the head break. 1 of the digital halogens had the PCB go bad. Both failed after couple years of occasional use and a couple 24 hr races. It was disappointing to experience failures like this in an expensive "premium" product. The best thing to come of it was the experience repairing them gave me confidence to build my own lights.


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## scar (Jun 2, 2005)

> Originally posted cue003
> _Very sweet setup. I bet it must out out tons of light. Any Beamshots of that combo?_


Sorry, no good beam shots of my current set-up. Too much snow on the ground. Did get to take this video of our before work ride on Friday. Still gives a pretty good representation. My buddy in front of me is running standard Amoeba's on his helmet and bars. I am running the 2x Cree XP-G w/LFlex driver on my helmet and the 4x Cree XM-L w/LFlex on the bars :devil:






***


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## lightjunction (May 17, 2011)

I'm using a LuminTrek TrailBlazer 1000 (helmet) and TrailBlazer 1600 (bars). The 1000 throws out an awesome beam for seeing way up the trail, and I installed the orange peel diffuser lens on the 1600 to improve the light dispersion. For $250 for the pair, you can't beat it.


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## bigbadwulff (Jan 18, 2012)

Right now just using a Minewt Mini 350 bar mounted only. For our tight trails, that is sufficient.


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## CharacterZero (May 19, 2004)

bigbadwulff said:


> Right now just using a Minewt 350 bar mounted only. For our tight trails, that is sufficient.


How is a bar-mount good for tight trails? I'd think that if they are tight, you want the light where you are looking, not where the bike is pointed.


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## bigbadwulff (Jan 18, 2012)

Slow speeds. I may mount on helmet for grins but the 350 does not come with a helmet mount. Goofy, I know. Plus it is a little heavy for helmet use.
May get an Urban 350 for the helmet. But I agree, helmet would be BETTER but for what we are doing the bar mount is fine.


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## CharacterZero (May 19, 2004)

bigbadwulff said:


> Slow speeds. I may mount on helmet for grins but the 350 does not come with a helmet mount. Goofy, I know. Plus it is a little heavy for helmet use.


Word. We've got some very slow/techy spots here in Austin and I tried riding with just a bar-mount. Maddening. 
If I can only run one, it is on the lid.


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## kevrider (Jul 18, 2010)

just upgraded to cygolite tridenx 750 (bar) and turbo 740 (helmet). can't wait to try them.


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## OldAusDigger (Apr 8, 2008)

I'm running two Nightlightning IBlaast IX's on the bars and one of Matthewm's (fellow mtbr member) Gili 6's on my helmet.
A total of 24 XPG R5's (8 x 20mm triples running at 1.2 amps each).
I've got a 15.6 Ah battery for the twin IBlaasts and a 6.6 Ah one for the Gili 6 - both 14.8 volt. I don't use full wack unless I'm going downhill pretty fast, so I haven't tested total run times on high, but it should be at least a couple of hours.
I think even taking into account all losses, the total lumen figure must be well north of 6000 
It is brighter than one of my mates set up, and he runs two 2600 lumen XML Bettys!
I'm currently talking to both companies about the possibility of upgrading the XPG's to Crees new XT-E's.

Cheers,

Digger.

ps: I didn't include the two Moon X-Power 500's - they are my emergency back up lights to get me home if the others happen to die. Just a thousand lumens for those two.


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## bigbadwulff (Jan 18, 2012)

Just got an Urban 300 for the helmet. That, combined with the Minewt mini on the bars works well.


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## NeedO2 (Aug 4, 2011)

So there is a 'Winter Special' on GeoManGear.com- 2 Majicshine 808E lights/kits for $160. Good Deal?


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## GraXXoR (Sep 29, 2011)

I'm currently running 2 Gloworm X2-V1s on the bars. one is a dual spot setup and the other is a dual elliptical setup.

The elliptical setup is running the commuter program which has a 700 lm flash mode which I use when cycling on or near main roads.

The spot^2 is the primary weapon.

I run a Magicshine MJ-818 rear light.

I have just mounted my old Magicshine MJ-816 on the helmet, but I haven't tried it yet. Will give it a go tonight.



↑↑↑↑↑↑↑↑↑↑↑　　Click on the icon to see my flickr set...


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## wsmac (Sep 5, 2010)

NightRider MiNewt 200(or 250?) on my lid because I don't have an extension for my NR300( or 350... can't keep them straight )
On my bars I run L&M Stella "600" which is two 300's... flood and spot.
I ride in the redwood forests locally and I only ride fast at night when I'm going downhill  and then, I'm going fast as I can.
I'm thinking about a new set up from GloWorm... just like bikes, helmets, gloves, and socks... I can't seem to have too many lights! My other NR and Serfas lights come along for people who show up with no lights or who forgot to charge their lights, plus I carry one backup to get me back to the car or to the house


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## rideitall (Dec 15, 2005)

I have been running Dinotte lights for a few years now. My latest setup is a 1200L for the bar and a XML-3 on the helmet. The 1200L provides a hugh flood, while the XML-3 provides a nice flood, but punches much further ahead.


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## Rogus (Nov 15, 2011)

L&M Urban 500 on bars. L&M Vis180 on helmet.

Had MiNewt.600, but couldn't get it to stay put on the bars even with friction tape and/or a piece of tube.


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## proslackass (Aug 16, 2009)

Rogus said:


> L&M Urban 500 on bars. L&M Vis180 on helmet.
> 
> Rogus,
> 
> How has the Urban 500 worked out?


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## Buddha43 (Oct 10, 2011)

Im running Serfas True1500 on the bars and their True1000 on my helmet. Pretty rad combo, multiple settings for longer battery life.


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## Rogus (Nov 15, 2011)

proslackass said:


> Rogus said:
> 
> 
> > L&M Urban 500 on bars. L&M Vis180 on helmet.
> ...


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## BikeRayUSA-Michael (Apr 4, 2012)

I use the BikeRayUSA SPEED on the helmet and a BikeRayUSA Ray III on the handle bar when riding the trails. Just cruising around town I use the BikeRayUSA SPEED on the handle bar. Does the trick.


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## bikerider2 (Nov 9, 2011)

I'm running an Dinotte Xml 3 on the bar and have an XML-1 on the helmet. Unless I'm descending I just run the xml 3 on medium and leave the headlamp off for faster sections and to have as a backup. I just ordered the Lezyne super drive and helmet mount and will try that. If it matches well with the xml 3 I will sell the xml-1, so I can go wireless on the helmet.


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## hazardousmtb (Sep 26, 2011)

havnt tried the dual set up but i see no reason why it wouldnt be sufficient.

2 bike ray II's


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## ItsWin (Jun 30, 2008)

Front lights: Exposure Six Pack on the bar w/ Diablo Mk.2 on the helmet

Rear lights, Cateye TL-LD1100 on the seatpost w/ Exposure RedEye clipped to the Diablo

I use these for road riding only - still too chicken to try trail riding at night.


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## mcoplea (Nov 11, 2004)

I am a big fan of the dual light set up. 

BD Strykr II on the Bars and Strykr SL on the helmet for me.


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