Would a decent head torch be part of the answer to travelling along dark country lanes? Are they powerful enough to light up the road so I can see potholes etc.
If so, can anybody recommend one for me please (with links if possible).
Sadly, my budget isn't huge, but with Xmas coming who knows?!!!!!
Thanks.
I like the Petzel series head torches. have used them for years and years now, mostly mountaineering, but sometimes cycling. We did have the Myo XP ones until the electric cables broke in the same place repeatedly in both of them and I got fed up of shortening the cable (running out of it) and fixing it. So after 7 years use, they were replaced with the Petzel Myo RXP model which has a redesign of the area that was repeatedly failing on the old model. So far they have been great. They are really bright on their brightest mode, but we have used them when cycling through tunnels in Norway to give us some extra light - they did that really well. But they don't fix easily to cycle helmets (at least not ours) - they are designed for caving helmets. So unless you don't wear a helmet, the idea of a head torch on your head is not going to work.
However, I am with everyone else on this front, head torches are not really the way to go on bikes.
Both my husband and I commute (and have done for 8 or 9 years) across country on bridle paths and down unlit country lanes and we have simply resorted to 2 bike lights angled differently. One points to a few meters in front of the bike to clearly see potholes etc and the other 25-50m in front of the bike so you can see where you are going to. We have never had an issue being seen - unlit roads are a lights to see with issue, not a lights to be seen with issue. We simply make sure that all our lights take the same batteries - rechargable (2,900mAh) AA batteries and have at least 1 complete spare set always charged and ready to swap out. Incidentally our Petzels take the same batteries.