Q: How many lighting systems should I have and, do you wear a system on your helmet as well?
A: 24’s can be won and lost in the dark, trust me on this one.
There are so many choices out there…I encourage anyone reading this with different experiences to post a comment on our Facebook Page of favourite setups.
It depends on the style of riding and the course demands…but I generally prefer two light systems. On the bars, I’ll have a bright wider beam light, and on my helmet a narrower spot beam. I like the helmet-mounted light to be narrow and bright enough that it can throw light farther than the bar light. This is especially helpful if there are high-speed sections on the course.
Also, some types of lights seem better for certain types of terrain. For example, if it’s dark terrain, like in the woods, I prefer brighter light.
I wouldn’t consider any light system that I didn’t trust to run for about 3 hours. Also, the batteries must be able to charge up within the same time frame. This way, you can get by with 2 light systems and 4 batteries. This is what I’d consider the bare minimum – if you can beg, borrow or steal a couple of backup systems and/or batteries you’ll have more piece of mind. 24 hour events require a backup light source of some sort, and this requirement is satisfied by a second light. That is a great argument for two light systems. You can get the charging done by neutral support probably, depending on the type of systems and support offered, or you could do it yourself with a power inverter and your car battery.
Before the race, you’ll want to make sure you have it all dialed in. If you need a connecting wire from the bike mounted battery to the bar-mounted light, zip tie it in place…if you need an extension from the helmet mounted light to the battery, make sure you’ve got that worked out and it works. Sometimes long cords develop shorts at the worst possible times. I find that the routing of the wire from the helmet to battery is non-trivial, in particular. Good to have it figured out so it isn’t in the way on race day (night).
As a final note on night riding, take good care of your eyes. I can’t stress this one enough… Always wear eye protection, no matter how much it might feel good to go without (initially). The colder the temps, the more critical this becomes. Evolution, for example, has set up some deep water fish with mechanisms that keep the eyeballs at a constant 20-25C. It turns out that the “speed” of sight is greatly determined by eye temperature. I can tell you from personal experience if you scratch your eyes with dust or whatever, then it gets cold, you are going to be so pissed as you crawl in your sleeping bag listening to the race carry on despite your temporary blindness.
By Lynda Wallenfels Google+