BioLite makes any helmet mild up!

One of the simplest ways I’ve discovered to cut back or eradicate automotive utilization in a metropolis is with an electrical bike. However within the winter, nights come at you early, and it’s extra necessary than ever to make sure that as cyclists, we’re seen to the largest hazard on the roads: automotive drivers. I’ve been testing out a brand new headlamp referred to as the BioLite HeadLamp 800 Professional that isn’t particularly meant for cyclists, however has confirmed excellent for me as a method so as to add each entrance and rear LED lighting to just about any helmet.

That’s a serious a part of this sequence, usually discovering cool gear which may not have been initially meant for us as e-bikers, however that works nice and might be co-opted to make car-replacing electrical bikes even higher and simpler to make use of.

I really like helmets which have built-in LED illumination. Whereas most electrical bikes include their very own headlights, having a higher-mounted LED makes riders much more seen. These are normally decrease energy be-seen lights, although the power to really shine mild in an space you wish to shortly look at is a serious superpower for these early winter nights on poorly lit trails and bike lanes. Gentle is sweet, however directional mild is nice.

The draw back of helmet-based lights is that you just’re restricted to the few producers that truly do incorporate them, and even then the lights are normally pretty weak. Despite the fact that there are nice choices on the market (I really like the helmet provided by Electrical Bike Firm for its 100% customizable paint job and built-in LED lighting), including lighting to your individual helmet can lower your expenses and provide you with a wider vary of choices for helmet options. I’ve been testing out the HeadLamp 800 Professional from BioLite to be used as a biking mild, and this factor is darn close to excellent for driving at night time or in different low-visibility eventualities like rain/snow storms.

Like most headlamps, it’s simple to regulate it to suit nearly any helmet, immediately providing you with old-school mining helmet vibes. It’s additionally obtained a coating contained in the bands that makes it lock onto the shell with out sliding round like an outdated underwear waistband. I don’t journey with out a helmet usually, but it surely’s nonetheless snug proper in your head or over a knit hat, if you happen to prefer to go sans mind bucket.

In contrast to my mountain climbing headlamps which were dancing round in my tenting gear baggage for practically a decade, this factor is far decrease profile so it doesn’t add quite a lot of bulk or momentum when turning my head round whereas biking. I do quite a lot of shoulder checks, so not having one thing heavy out for in entrance of my face is necessary to me.

So far as lighting ranges, there are a lot. The low brightness mode is simply 5 lumens, so I don’t actually use that one besides when all I would like is to be seen by drivers. Often I like having extra mild thrown out in entrance of me to function my very own headlight. The 250-lumen medium mode and 500-lumen excessive mode are nice for on a regular basis biking use. There’s an excellent greater 800-lumen mode, however that’s greater than I want and I don’t wish to blind drivers, both. And it’s simple to regulate between the entrance spot mild modes, flood mild, strobe mild, and dimming choices.

There’s additionally a purple mild on the rear that’s excellent for cyclists like us, because it provides you a high-mounted tail mild – one thing you’ll nearly by no means see on a motorcycle. Decrease-mounted e-bike lights underneath the seat are sometimes blocked by backpacks or winter jackets that grasp decrease, so a high-mounted tail mild on the again of your head is a good concept. That one may also both be full-on flood mild or a strobe, relying on how you like. I like stable lights versus strobes, and your head movement will probably give the rear LED sufficient motion to catch drivers consideration, however the strobe possibility is there if you happen to prefer it. The entrance mild additionally has a purple possibility, which is nice for after I’m tenting, however I wouldn’t use that entrance purple mode whereas driving because it might trigger some directional confusion for different drivers and is actually meant as an evening vision-preservation instrument outdoors of biking. For tenting and mountain climbing, it’s nice.

So far as run-time, I discover that the built-in battery is longer than any typical commuting journey I’ll ever make. The say medium energy lasts 4 hours of fixed use and excessive energy lasts for 2 hours on fixed use, which I haven’t actually measured as a result of I simply attempt to cost it round as soon as every week to not get too low. It makes use of a micro-USB port to cost, which I want was USB-C since I’ve extra of these cords laying round, but it surely’s not a deal breaker for me.

If you wish to maintain the ability up excessive and nonetheless have an excellent longer run-time than a number of hours, the BioLite HeadLamp 800 Professional has pass-through charging that lets you run the sunshine from a powerbank such as you’d use to cost your cellphone.

I’ve tried it with the Cost 80 PD battery that BioLite despatched me with the headlamp, which has huge capability but nonetheless suits in your pocket. It’s barely bigger than a smartphone, but can recharge a smartphone round 5 occasions. You would even use it to cost a laptop computer (which I’ve additionally completed in a pinch whereas touring) with the 18W USB-C PD port. I like my gear to be multi-use, and I attempt to keep away from carrying single-use instruments on precept every time potential. So an influence financial institution that may run my headlight, cost my cellphone, or come on flights with me to maintain my laptop computer charged is a serious drive multiplier. (With a notice in direction of journey, I as soon as needed to speak my method into not getting my 110Wh powerbank confiscated in a German airport, so this 75Wh energy financial institution is much more airline-friendly in international locations with 100Wh flight-approved battery limits).

When used with my headlamp, the Cost 80 PD powers the sunshine with a “Run Perpetually” twine that features a band clip in order that the USB port isn’t put underneath stress whereas related. Meaning I can maintain the battery in my pocket and nonetheless have it powering or charging the headlamp. In apply, I attempted this to try it out and it really works effectively, however I’m by no means biking for various hours in a row at night time, so I haven’t actually wanted to run the headlamp off auxiliary energy in a real-world use case – a minimum of not but. However if you happen to’re taking it on an evening hike then I can completely see that state of affairs being helpful.

The one draw back that jumps out at me is the worth, because the BioLite HeadLamp 800 Professional is moderately costly at $99.95. Since I’m used to my 10-year-old tenting headlamp from REI that owes me nothing, that appears steep initially. However then once more, this factor lasts a lot longer, doesn’t require AAA batteries, is round 8x as highly effective, is constructed out of aluminum for long-lasting ruggedness, and provides me a rear purple LED mild that’s excellent for cyclists.

It’s additionally not mild, at 5.3 oz or round 150g. That’s a 3rd of a pound or so. However I discover that I don’t discover the additional weight after a minute or two, and the low-profile design helps it keep near the helmet.

BioLite additionally has different fashions with a few of the identical options, although not fairly as tricked out, for considerably much less. So if you happen to like the thought of including entrance and rear LED lights to your helmet and might get away with fewer lumens or different options, they’ve obtained different choices there too.

Lastly, I ought to in all probability notice that helmet producers normally say to not add issues to helmets because it adjustments how they react in a crash.

Your bike helmet was licensed in its bare kind, so including issues like lights, GoPro mounts, and different overseas attachments is taken into account a “no-no” by helmet corporations, even when everybody nonetheless does it.

The great factor about including one thing just like the HeadLamp 800 Professional is that it’s merely held on by an elastic band and thus probably has extra freedom to maneuver or slide out of the way in which in a crash. That doesn’t imply it essentially will, and something exterior added to a helmet in all probability reduces its efficiency in a crash in comparison with inventory, however I really feel like the power for an elastic band to easily slide off is best than rigidly mounted objects like GoPro mounts that create non-moving stress risers. However hey, that’s simply my two cents. Helmet producers will nonetheless inform you to maintain it clear.

Learn extra: Non-bike bike gear evaluation: Foldylock Perpetually is essentially the most safe folding bike lock