One thing I find with bar mounted lights is that while there tends to be more depth of field, you can also end up with larger shadows that can hide key features/obstacles on the trail that you might want to avoid. That pic up there is a good example, as with the bar mount you don't know what's on the backside of the rock. What if there's a hole waiting to swallow your front tire or a pointy rock ready to chew it?
Also I get what Alex is saying to a degree and that light he listed is a wicked deal. But Pete brings up a great point about the race to the bottom in lowest cost, produced in China products. We also have to recognize that someone else is getting paid poverty level or less wages just so we can enjoy low-cost products. It's a feature part of capitalism that has had a negative impact on us whether we realize it or not.
Edit: Should also add I've generally run two lights for more spirited type night riding. Typically a flood light on the bar to give me a wide field of vision right in front of me and a spot on the helmet for distance and to see what's coming up ahead. I've also run the "headhunter" setup with two jaw mount lights on a full face, again one spot and one flood.
Nov. 22, 2024, 7:04 a.m. - Mark
One thing I find with bar mounted lights is that while there tends to be more depth of field, you can also end up with larger shadows that can hide key features/obstacles on the trail that you might want to avoid. That pic up there is a good example, as with the bar mount you don't know what's on the backside of the rock. What if there's a hole waiting to swallow your front tire or a pointy rock ready to chew it? Also I get what Alex is saying to a degree and that light he listed is a wicked deal. But Pete brings up a great point about the race to the bottom in lowest cost, produced in China products. We also have to recognize that someone else is getting paid poverty level or less wages just so we can enjoy low-cost products. It's a feature part of capitalism that has had a negative impact on us whether we realize it or not. Edit: Should also add I've generally run two lights for more spirited type night riding. Typically a flood light on the bar to give me a wide field of vision right in front of me and a spot on the helmet for distance and to see what's coming up ahead. I've also run the "headhunter" setup with two jaw mount lights on a full face, again one spot and one flood.