Head Torches: Yes or No?

[tnr319]

My nightly commute consists entirely of shared pavements and 7 miles of towpaths. To light the way I use a head torch that has a hinge so I can adjust the angle of light. Last night on the way to work a bloke on a roadie in full cycle apparel gets on the towpath in front of me and says: "Head torches blind people and they don't illuminate the way!".
Now I like to think of myself as quite a considerate cyclist, I always say thank you when people give way and use my bell to warn other users of my arrival. I tilt my torch so the beam is directed to the path. It also allows me to check whether the bogeyman is going to jump out from the bushes!
I counted at least another six people wearing them on the commute there and back so they are popular. So the question is: is this guy right should I abandon the head torch for the traditional handlebar lights?

 

[Norm]

That reads as if you don't have a light on your bike. If so and your only light is the head torch, I would question how bright it is and I'm not sure that is legal.

Generally, though, head torches do illuminate the way and only blind people if you look at them, so I'll keep wearing mine.

But I wouldn't use it as my only front light.

 

[Fab Foodie]

I tend to use one as a supplementary light mostly. Flashing when in traffic, or extra lighting in the pitch-black or on narrow or slippy terrain where illuminating the few metres in front of me or the kerb is important.
Brilliant when yopu get a p*ncture or mechainical too.

I guess on narrow towpaths the situation is a bit different to the road because you tend to cycle a bit more head-on and hence dazzling is more of an issue. Under those circumstance, I let my 1200 lumen T6 blind people....

Use with care.

 

[Zoiders]

If this was the canal at longport that cyclist was me.

Cheap multi LED head torches with a gazillion LED's just blaze away like a flare, they don't focus the light in any usefull way. I stopped when I reached the bridge at westport lake and watched you emerge from round the corner, the light shows up just fine but it casts no actual pool of light for you to ride by, I also know thats it's uncontained dazzle is in fact blinding you more than it's helping you to see.

Spend a bit more and get one with a proper reflector assembly or lens around a single LED so you can really use the light directionally and point it away from people eyes on the tow-path just like I do, as it is you may as well be trying to ride with a marine flare as a light.

On unlit towpaths unfocused headtorches are what is known as "not-cool".

 

[MrHappyCyclist]

I was cycling behind someone with front and rear lights on his helmet on the way home the other night, and I really couldn't see much because of the brightness of his rear light. I do think you have to be careful with this.

 

[Norm]

Wot Zed sed.

 

[Zoiders]

I use a P4 Seoul LED torch as my main gun on the bars, this is a spot with just enough flood.

For close in work I have a luxeon head torch with a reflector assembly, when I pass other riders or pedestrians I kill the main beam and use the head torch to keep the tow path and canal edge to one side of me lit as I pass the other guy carefully.

If you can't control your lighting levels as needed then look at your set up closely.

 

[calibanzwei]

Used to supplement the main light on roads, ensures that when I'm looking at someone they know I'm doing so - gives them a visual 'huh.... what's that?' reaction and so they pay attention in my direction.

That's the hope.

Didn't apply to the gimp that pulled out 10 metres in front of me last night. Grr.

 

[gentlegreen]

I can see why they may appeal when you're trying to be seen in traffic, but on shared paths it's yet another lamp mounted too high. (handlebar mounted lamps are bad enough).

Personally I also have an aversion to attaching things to my helmet. It seems potentially hazardous somehow ...

 

[Zoiders]

Road use is fine if even it's not directional, the aim being to be seen of course.

On that stretch of tow path though...well this is partly my fault, I have been riding this stretch for a fair few years and I have always used a head torch along with a light on the bars. I have noticed that it's caught on with other more casual riders possibly as they see me and some other guys with headtorch set ups all the time but some guys seem to be using any type of AA/AAA headtorch, few of which they can actually see any distance with.

 

[Col5632]

Road use is fine if even it's not directional, the aim being to be seen of course.

On that stretch of tow path though...well this is partly my fault, I have been riding this stretch for a fair few years and I have always used a head torch along with a light on the bars. I have noticed that it's caught on with other more casual riders possibly as they see me and some other guys with headtorch set ups all the time but some guys seem to be using any type of AA/AAA headtorch, few of which they can actually see any distance with.

Can you link to the headtorch you use, im on the look out for one?

 

[Zoiders]

I use one of these that I picked up on the cheap at T K Maxx

http://www.litexpress.com/en/headlamps/liberty/liberty-106/

Not a barnstormer of a light but just enough, the proper reflector assembly makes it that bit more controlable. The emmiters more than the claimed 1 watt by a long way.

Closest I have seen is the Fenix range, they have the same orange peel reflector.

 

[calibanzwei]

I use on of these - http://www.alpkit.com/gamma - 99% of my fellow bushcrafters would say the best piece of head mounted lightware you can get for £12.50 inc. P&P.

 

[mickle]

One of the drawbacks of using a helmet mounted lamp as the primary or only light source - particularly off-road - is that it doesn't provide any depth. Having the light source so close to your eyes renders the world in two dimensions. Just like riding with one eye closed makes it difficult to judge depth. The main benefit of a head torch cannot be denied - the ability to aim it precisely where you want to see, but it's worth using a bar mounted light too.

The other is that you have to wear a helmet....

 

[calibanzwei]

No helmet here
But that's a discussion for another time/place...