Why are cycle light brackets so silly?

[JohnW]

Irc -

The Cat-Eye rears that I have (at the moment, three on one bike and one on another - the others are now "Smart" lights) - didn't come with anything like practical brackets for mounting on racks. I do have three fronts and three rears on each bike, on the basis that we need two, and that if one fails, I need another in reserve to just switch on.

I've not seen a Cat-Eye rack bracket. I've obviously missed something. I've assembled my own rack fittings from various componentry - they look quite neat actually, but I shouldn't have had to do it.

[JohnW]

Hello again Irc -

I've used your link and seen the bracket. As you say, it only takes one light. It seems to me to rely on the rear stays on the rack being vertical - there seems to be no adjustment for angle, and it also seems to have very little if any adjustment for width between stays.

I'll go in to my LBS this week and see if he's got one.

[irc]

Hello again Irc -

I've used your link and seen the bracket. As you say, it only takes one light. It seems to me to rely on the rear stays on the rack being vertical - there seems to be no adjustment for angle, and it also seems to have very little if any adjustment for width between stays.

I'll go in to my LBS this week and see if he's got one.

It doesn't attach to the stays. It screws on to the vertical light mounting plate some racks have. So is vertical.

Cateye also do usable seat stay mounts though which I've also used and found OK.

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/cateye-hp5-seat-stay-clamp/

along with

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/cateye-ld120500 ... t-bracket/

[531colin]

..............Like the Cateye Rack mount? I've got these on several bikes. Allows tool free sharing of lights. Only one light admittedly.

http://www.flcuk.com/accessories/lights ... 4-2250.htm

Yes, there is the odd one about, like this one from Smart;



But both of them limit you to one light taking up the whole bracket and they are made to fit on carriers with specific mounting points.

My 2-light plate I posted up-thread is OK for me, I'm able to make stuff like that out of bits of ali strip and angle.
But it would be much easier if the manufacturers made small changes to the brackets.....if there was a universal law that all seatpost brackets must include a hole for a horizontal bolt in the front/back direction, we could simply screw 2 brackets to our mounting points on our carriers....wouldn't that be nice?
As it is, the universal hole goes left to right to clamp to a round seatpost....not the easiest thing to work with!

[Audax67]

...
While I'm at it, this is how I transfer 2 rear lights from bike to bike tool-free. You just need a mounting point on the carrier.

I'm a bit doubtful of that arrangement. I used aluminium angle for a bracket on the end of a Topeak seatpost rack and it snapped from metal fatigue after ~1000k. Just now I'm using a couple of galvanized steel furniture-assembly brackets.

[531colin]

I'm a bit doubtful of that arrangement. I used aluminium angle for a bracket on the end of a Topeak seatpost rack and it snapped from metal fatigue after ~1000k. Just now I'm using a couple of galvanized steel furniture-assembly brackets.

I think the right hand lamp is on its third winter, the left one is more than 10 years old, so I have been using that bit of ali. for somewhere between 3 and 10 years?
Topeak seatpost racks are ali? I havn't thought about it, but I guess the principle is the same for any ali part as for ali. frames, ie. ali. is very bad at fatigue, so make the stuff big and stiff, so it can't flex and fatigue.

EDIT.....somebody mentioned front lamp brackets fitting on fork bosses up-thread.....I had one of them fatigue once....it was an ali. one by Constrictor (as in Asp rims) , I guess the weight of the twin-cell "Never Ready" lamp was too much!

[Reigncloud]

What will make a change, is if just one manufacturer really researches and solves the problems, and design and manufactures accordingly, producing intelligent designs at a competitive price - the others will have to follow.

But I don't think that will happen.

The manufacturers have no idea.

I would submit the 'bracketless' designs in defence here. Knog in particular make some very good lights - bright, long lasting and easy on/off *without* having to have an unsightly and easily snapped bracket left permanently on the bike. The newer versions even have USB charging - what could be easier? No more messing around with batteries either!

http://www.thefootdown.co.uk/images/product-reviews/accessories/knog/boomer-usb/2011-05-10-knog-boomer-usb-03.jpg

I've spent long enough messing around with brackets over the years to have finally given up on them altogether. If it doesn't come with a quick release bracket I just don't buy it.

[Ayesha]

My guess is...

The better cycle lamp bracket design patents are held by Raleigh Industries, and 'new' designs cannot infringe on the 'good' designs. Therefore, 'new' lamp brackets are c**p.

[PW]

If the brackets are dying from metal fatigue it's down to road vibration. I had that with a batch of steel ones a friend knocked up some years ago. We put our heads together and decided to slip a layer of innertube between bracket and rack. We never had another failure after that and those bikes did some serious mileage on very rough roads.

[stewartpratt]

This is a tidier alternative to the sawn-off seatpost trick mentioned earlier.

http://www.sjscycles.co.uk/madison-univ ... prod26342/

Neat and tidy. I can't mount mine vertically because my rack doesn't have enough clearance with a mudguard and a rack bag, but it's fine attached to the side of the rack and holds two Cateye TL-LD600s. I'm awaiting a second one from Madison for the other side.

[Big T]

I forget who was the culprit but someone on here concocted a rear rack light mount post from a sawn off seat pin. I copied it for the tourer and it worked well. You just saw a slot lengthwise in the pin to drop over the back of the rack, drill a hole to take a bolt and on she goes. The ubiquitous set pin light fastening does the rest.

edit for typo

I think it was RobGul. It might even be on his website - http://www.beewee.org.uk

Yes, it's there on the briefings section.

i've made a prototype one out of a sawn off broom handle, which worked quite well.

[Audax67]

...
I think the right hand lamp is on its third winter, the left one is more than 10 years old, so I have been using that bit of ali. for somewhere between 3 and 10 years?
Topeak seatpost racks are ali? I havn't thought about it, but I guess the principle is the same for any ali part as for ali. frames, ie. ali. is very bad at fatigue, so make the stuff big and stiff, so it can't flex and fatigue.
...

Of the rack being alu I couldn't tell you, the angle I used was the bit that broke. There's probably more movement at the back end of a seatpost-anchored rack if you hit its resonance frequency without a bag on to damp it.

[eileithyia]

A question I have frequently asked esp when riding bikes with panniers/racks and a small roll pack that obscures the seatpost, preventing a seat post fitting to be used.
Even worse, more and more we are using lights in time trials, but with oval seat posts, and tt bars try finding a bracket.

However just come on the market; http://www.wiggle.co.uk/exposure-flare-mk-2-rear-light/
http://www.wiggle.co.uk/exposure-flare- ... 5360064083

I already have the rear light attached to the TT bike and it just about fits around the seatpost, but now they are producing the saddle rail clip and have just ordered it, but the light combination might be the answer to those with short seat posts who need somewhere to put a light.

Now all I need is a clip that is at 90 degree angle to the part that fits to the handlebar so I can suspend my front light from the tribar!