Rear light mounting problems

[Rmr25]

I fashioned a bracket fixed to the mudguard using a bent L shaped plate (bracket) and fixing the lamp holder to it, leaving the seatstay clamp intact. I don't use it regularly - I put it there as a back-up to my rack-mounted rear dynamo lamp. Also, I sometimes use it when luggage is obscuring the dynamo lamp. I'm not sure that the bracket would last long with a light permanently mounted - I would worry about the mudguard stressing and splitting.
https://live.staticflickr.com/4452/37451843610_77d9c1f154_b.jpg
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50605897631_1c5f610893_z.jpg

Hey, that's a really smart mount - can I ask what thickness alloy you used?

Thanks
It's a steel flat "L" bracket with two holes on each "leg", about 1.7~2mm thick (I haven't anything to measure it accurately with). As far as I can remember, it came in a pack of assorted brackets/braces from Aldibracketc.jpg

Wilco sell them individually

[JohnW]

I believe that cycle-light manufacturers don't cycle, and don't ever have the task/challenge of fitting rear lights to bikes, especially those that have luggage racks.

Look around at cyclists' bikes - look at their rear lights - and see how many different solutions to this problem there are - we all have the same problem and we all solve it in our own different thought-out ways. Manufacturers don't seem to think it out.

Manufacturers don't seem to be able to understand that clamped to seat pins, tucked under the saddle are not a good place for rear lights.

[Jdsk]

I believe that cycle-light manufacturers don't cycle, and don't ever have the task/challenge of fitting rear lights to bikes, especially those that have luggage racks.

Did you mean it that way round? All of the racks that I've fitted recently have holes ready for rear lights and have only required bolting on. In the past I've had to make aluminium bits to put some holes where they're needed.

Jonathan

[pwa]

I believe that cycle-light manufacturers don't cycle, and don't ever have the task/challenge of fitting rear lights to bikes, especially those that have luggage racks.

Did you mean it that way round? All of the racks that I've fitted recently have holes ready for rear lights and have only required bolting on. In the past I've had to make aluminium bits to put some holes where they're needed.

Jonathan

I fit lights to racks but some of the (otherwise) best lights are awkward to fit there.
https://spacycles.co.uk/m12b0s39p4149/E ... -DayBright
I can generally manage it but they don't make it easy.

[Jdsk]

Interesting, thanks. I may well be buying bits that are similar to what I've bought previously.

Are there many high-end lamps that don't have available adaptors/ brackets?

Jonathan

[JohnW]

I believe that cycle-light manufacturers don't cycle, and don't ever have the task/challenge of fitting rear lights to bikes, especially those that have luggage racks.

Did you mean it that way round? All of the racks that I've fitted recently have holes ready for rear lights and have only required bolting on. In the past I've had to make aluminium bits to put some holes where they're needed.

Jonathan

Jonathan -
I suppose I'd be best adding a caveat to my post.
Yes, I do mean that, but you've said "recently", and I've not bought any racks recently. I've had none of the more recent racks which do have a facility to affix rear lights. The ones that I've seen have a flat plate, holed in various places, and welded to and suspended from the rear top rail of the rack. The plate is usually flat requires an 'L' bracket, bolted to the plate, to receive the light bracket, which is in turn bolted to the 'L' bracket. I've seen racks to which the owner has bolted a metal plate to the welded-on plate - the metal plate has right-angled returns at each end, holed to accept the light-bracket.

I submit that we need more than one rear light, in case one stops working (for whatever reason). There are various solutions to this problem, and several bike-parts wholesalers/distributers market proprietary brackets etc, for this purpose. Look on the Evans, or SJS websites - I think that even the Cat-eye importers (Zyro) have their own brackets for the lights they market.

The rear of the rack on the bike I'm about to go out on (9.23 pm)has two strips of Meccano like parts and three small 'L' brackets to hold five rear lights. You can't have too many rear lights.

[Jdsk]

Thanks.

Agreed: I always have at least two.

Jonathan

[simonineaston]

As an aside, I've just had to make my own mounting bracket to fit a B&M rear lamp to a Moulton bike (albeit rackless...). I made it from aluminium strip, which I imagine will be perfectly adequate for a couple of years. But what I really wanted to do was make the bracket from stainless rod (thinking of the short, double-sided brackets B&M supply for their front lamps), however I cannot yet find a simple, cheap way to bend the rod easily.

[Jdsk]

What's the diameter?

Jonathan

[Brucey]

IIRC front light brackets are usually made from ~4mm thickness stainless wire. However 3mm dia wire is much easier to bend and is strong enough for most rear lights. SKS mudguard stay material looks good but it is often already too hard to bend easily. Other brands use softer wire for their stays and wire can be bought in various states of temper. Because it usually work-hardens it makes stronger brackets than you might at first expect.

cheers

[simonineaston]

What's the diameter?

I'm planning to use redundant mudguard stays, of which I have an abundance! I'm guessing they're 2mm-ish - as Brucey says, they don't have to be anywhere near as stout as the front jobbies. Exactitude will have to wait, as I'm tucked up in bed with a good book, all about Spanish flu' - what a cheery subject!. re the book, it is shocking how similar the issues to do with the pandemic of 1918 mirror the troubles we're having today! Chapter after chapter describes details that sound just like stuff I've only just read about on my news feeds - Guardian/BBC. Astonishing.
EDIT

is often already too hard to bend easily.

You're telling me! I had an exploratory wangle with a jury-rigged bendy-thing based on something I saw on YouTube and got nowhere! I do have some thin ally rod somewhere but can't find it...

[Brucey]

I have a reel of 3mm dia stainless wire (same dia as most mudguard stays) that is about 'half-hard'. V. handy for making odd brackets, special mudguard stays etc.

FWIW I have made mudguard stays out of 3/32" dia martensitic stainless wire (which is thinner than normal and convincingly spring-like), and they were noticeably more flexible than 3mm ones. But they were less than 2/3rds the weight too. Some mudguard designs go the other way and can even use 3.5mm or 4mm steel stays.

cheers

[Clouded Leopard]

I have an Axa Riff Battery powered LED rear pannier light. Fits nicely onto my rear pannier and has a built in reflector to boot. Just have to be careful putting the cycle into the car in case it gets damaged. Costing less than £15 I am very pleased with it.