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The helmet mounted light is a good idea for all the reasons you stated, the dynamo light is useless when stopped. It is also pretty pants on a hairpin road I use quite a lot as it doesn't shine around the corner! However I would beware Shermer's neck, as the added weight is in exactly the wrong place, and it was the helmet mounted bluetooth intercom that did it for the rider I was supporting in the race around ireland last year. Use a tiny torch (I have a Sunwayman VR11) It has about 500 lumens and is easy to click on when needed. The output is adjustable, so when faffing about off the bike you can turn it right down low to save the battery and your night vision.
Comparing dynamo lights I also have an ordinary Supernova E3 (useless, now a town bike light) and an Edelux (also useless as the cutoff beam is just where you need the light to be). E3 Triple pro gets my vote, although my mate has the Exposure revo, and I like the beam pattern of that. Just not as bright though.
adroit-
On the 600 attempt, I took my Mini Mag Lite (single AAA version) which I can hold in my mouth and shine into my saddle pack while I try and dig out spare batteries for the rear light (again and again). :) Problem with using a torch is that it's not on whilst riding so you lose that 'see where you're going around bends' benefit.
Really? I thought the Exposure Revo was super duper bright but just not quite as focused as the German road-specific options?
hippy
Cheers. Yeah, I've only used Medium on the Six Pack when it was exceptionally foggy or misty or something one night and for most of my 24hrs just wack it on Low and go. I got flashed by a truck (with about 30 front lights of its own) when it had rotated on the mount and was pointing up a bit.
If these MTB style dynamo lights fire out wide - is a helmet light necessary? I had issues during the last 24hr not being able to take a dog-leg fast because I kept missing the apex with a bar-mounted light that I'd have to twitch the steering to light up the turn. I was thinking about adding a helmet light to the mix. Helmet light would also help repairs, setting up sleep spots, etc in the middle of nowhere.
I'd like to not buy 20 different models of dynamo light but the more I read the more confuzzled I get about reliability, beam patterns and crap. I think since it's LFGSS I should just buy the stuff I think looks the best or is the lightest or brightest or something and sod functionality :)