Zebralight Headlight for Helmet?

[Super Dave]

I strapped a light on my helmet with a twofish block and could not get the right angle for the beam.

Has anyone tried using the Zebralight headlight on their helmet? Does the rubber Zebralight holder attach well? Is the light secure in the rubber attachment so it doesn't move around (change beam direction) over bumps, etc?

I use a Bell City helmet. I like it but the vent holes could be better placed for strapping on a light. Do you guys have any helmets suggestions ($50 range or less) that you would suggest that work well with light straps.

By the way I'm considering the H51.

Thanks a lot.
Dave

 

[ifor powell]

The zebralight headlights are mostly pure flood and not at all suitable for biking in my opinion. A 120 degree beam that's good for 5-10 meters will not let you go very fast. You need a maximum of 20 degrees and most people would be looking for less than 10 for a helmet light.

 

[Super Dave]

Thanks. I'm actually using a Malkoff M31L with a CR123. It's working well. I thought the beam would be pointed too far down and it's fine.

The M31L has good throw and spill. It's pretty slick but with a 2 hour run time I'd prefer rechargeables. With 2 AA's the set up is a little heavy on the head...

Thanks,
Dave

 

[127.0.0.1]

thread from the dead

zebralight h600w works great on a helmet at racing speeds on bony rooty and rocky NewEngland singletrack
or smooth double-track at high speeds and hairy cornering...

zebralight has no issues lighting up the trail far enough or wide enough by itself,
...although I do prefer handlebar lighting over the headlight. I can handle rocks and
roots better if I have a larger shadow behind the objects so I know the size and
dimension. headlamps alone sometimes hide the shadow and size of the impending drop
behind the 'object' making for some 'taint suffering events'. dual setup, lumens on
the bars and lumens on the noggin is awesome, and the small single zl600 is ideal for the head

I use an extra standard rubber zebralight mount on the front of the helmet and stick
the light in there. then I aim it where I want it and NO amount of jiggling or jostling will
affect the aim...as the light is not 'heavier on one side' due to where the thing
is aimed, it just stays where you aim it...it will not rotate on it's own

I carry a spare 18650 with me, run the zebra on turbo 600+ lumens and then in 4-5 minutes when
it kicks down to 400 lumens automatically I never notice the kickdown, my eyes adjust.

 

[Super Dave]

Wow, that's some power. I use my Malkoff as a backup light. I have a generator hub now with a nice LED light on their. The Malkoff is more or less used at intersections or in cases where I need to get a car's attention.

Later,
Dave

 

[B0wz3r]

Here's my set-up.

I took one of my spare ZL brackets and simply used a pump tie to strap it to my helmet. The body of the light presses down on the strap when I put it in the bracket. It goes in no problem, but because of the pressure of the strap against the body of the light, the light stays quite secure and doesn't move around or rotate at all.

Some Zebras are pure flood, but they have plenty of models with traditional torch beam profile, so don't shy away from them for biking.

 

[yellow]

The zebralight headlights are mostly pure flood and not at all suitable for biking in my opinion. A 120 degree beam that's good for

the fun part is, that the zebras with reflectors all have about 12 degrees
:rolleyes:
or have there been only pure flood models in 2010?



PS: imho that setting is wrong.
On the bars --> tight bright beam, as this is used when going quick
on the helmet -> floody, low beam, as this light will get reflected back from nearby objects and thus forcing the eyes to adapt. Also sharp turns (where the headlamp makes sense) usually happen at low speeds.

when other way round, the light on the bars can completely be skipped, as it is of no use. (Eyes not adapted)

 

[jbl]

I use an H502 on my helmet, and love it. I commute daily through downtown Montreal, through a poorly lit park, and through residential areas with street lights. True, the flood doesn't go very far. I'd say it is "just enough" when in a dark area, if not going too fast. However, when I had a more focused light, I had to keep swinging it around to see everything. The H502 is more "relaxing" as long as I'm not going too fast in dark areas. The part I like best is the very bright .25s flash mode, which is visible even in daylight/twilight as I go through a very busy downtown. I used to have a Fenix L2T on my helmet, and the really fast flashing was far too distracting in the dark. Apparently the .25s rate is a standard somewhere outside of North America for bicycle lights, and it is a vast improvement over my previous lights that had the (IMHO bogus) tactical flashing.

If I had two lights, I'd put the H502 on my handlebars and a more focused light on my helmet.

I use a twofish lockblock to attach it to my helmet, very near the front. What kind of mounting works best probably depends mostly on your helmet design.

 

[B0wz3r]

If I had two lights, I'd put the H502 on my handlebars and a more focused light on my helmet.

This is exactly how I do it. I put a floody light on my bars, pointed low so the ground in front of my front wheel is always illuminated, allowing me to see the road surface and immediately to the sides of my wheel. I put a throwy light on my helmet, because most of the time I'm looking down the road and want to be able to see what's up ahead of me. That way I get light where ever I look, and can still see what's going on directly in front of my bike at all times as well.