Lighting for Adventure Racers
The search for the "perfect light" for adventure racing is futile. One must match the light to the purpose for which it is being put. Each light involves tradeoffs among cost, weight, form factor, brightness and duration.
Bike lighting can generally be divided into heavier brighter HID lighting systems with separate batteries and lighter on piece LED-based lights.
Most headlights are now LED-based, but styles, costs and weight vary greatly.
In addition to light designted to light you way, there are lights designed to ensure you are seen, such as rear bike lighting, signal lights and emergency flares.
Basic information about selecting a bike light can be found here.
For those interesting in the history of bike lighting and an extended discussion of the types of lights available, the Wikipedia has an extended discussion.
