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Rear light mounting
Posted: 20 Jan 2010, 5:27pm
by Edvardus
I'd ike to be able to mount my Cateye TL-LD1100 on the rear Tubus carrier. It's currently attached to my seat post but is obscured when I use a saddlebag. The carrier has a flat "bit of metal" as shown in the pic and I can't for the life of me figure out how to use it with this light. Grateful for any ideas.[img]
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Re: Rear light mounting
Posted: 20 Jan 2010, 5:32pm
by 531colin
This is the bracket to take a light. You now need a light to fit the bracket! (Don't scream! Lights are made to fit, often for the German market.)
Re: Rear light mounting
Posted: 20 Jan 2010, 5:34pm
by thirdcrank
A typical European back lamp fits on a plate at the back of the carrier, with holes at either 50mm or 80cm centres. If you want to fit a seatpost type lamp somewwhere other than the seatpost you either need something that acts as a dummy seatpost or a different fitting for a thinner tube (available from Cateye stockists who are prepared to stock or order them) so you can fit it to a seatstay. (I've frequently linked to my own bit of dummy seatpost on the back of a carrier but it is made from alloy tubing.
Here's a link to a thread that may help with finding alternative to the seatpin
viewtopic.php?f=1&t=31995&p=252006&hilit=bracket#p252006
Re: Rear light mounting
Posted: 20 Jan 2010, 5:53pm
by Tigerbiten
I made a couple of small L shaped brackets to hold my light to the back of the carrier.
If you remove the bit that goes around the seatpost, you are left with a hole on the light that a bolt can go through.
Now bolt it, bracket-light-bracket.
Then the brackets bolt into the holes in the carrier.
Useing two brackets means it cannot twist to a funny angle on the carrier.
Luck ............
Re: Rear light mounting
Posted: 20 Jan 2010, 5:56pm
by recumbentpanda
Cateye sell a rear light mounting that screws to this kind of flat plate carrier bracket -ask your LBS.
Re: Rear light mounting
Posted: 20 Jan 2010, 6:12pm
by Cunobelin
Have a close look at the back of the TLD1100
There is a small hole in the back. This is intended to take the self tapping screw that came with the light.
Any short, broad screw will do.................simply place light against rack, and screw through rack into light. Job Done.
Re: Rear light mounting
Posted: 20 Jan 2010, 6:48pm
by piedwagtail91
Re: Rear light mounting
Posted: 20 Jan 2010, 7:39pm
by Edvardus
Thanks guys for all the smashing info. Ed
Re: Rear light mounting
Posted: 20 Jan 2010, 8:32pm
by squeaker
It does - I have 2 of them
(
Less expensive here.)
Re: Rear light mounting
Posted: 20 Jan 2010, 8:38pm
by Mick F
I bought one of these lights a few months ago, and one of the problems with them, is that they are VERY focused. They need to be aligned exactly right.
Just pointing them isn't enough, they need to be aimed.
I played around with the mount that the light came with, and had to buy another that would fit on a seat-stay. Even then, the mount wasn't right as it was designed for a vertical seat-stay. I had to cut away some of the plastic bit by bit until the light was vertical on the obviously sloping seat-stay.
With careful alignment and aiming, the red beams go in the right directions. Remember that the beams go rearward and to both sides. If the light isn't right, not only doesn't the rearward beam not go behind you. the sideways beams shine in strange directions!
Re: Rear light mounting
Posted: 20 Jan 2010, 11:47pm
by Edvardus
[quote="Mick F"]I bought one of these lights a few months ago, and one of the problems with them, is that they are VERY focused. They need to be aligned exactly right.quote]
Thanks for that Mick. Where I had it mounted on my seat post, I had it angled slightly to the right, surmising that the beam would result in plenty of cherry-faced car drivers. I parked the bike outside and went across the road to check its visibility and there was no way it could be missed. I usually have the upper line flashing and lower static. Might be a different situation if I have it mounted on the back of the carrier of course.
Squeaker: Thanks, that item certainly looks the biz.
Re: Rear light mounting
Posted: 20 Jan 2010, 11:48pm
by Edvardus
Mick F wrote:I bought one of these lights a few months ago, and one of the problems with them, is that they are VERY focused. They need to be aligned exactly right.
Just pointing them isn't enough, they need to be aimed.
I played around with the mount that the light came with, and had to buy another that would fit on a seat-stay. Even then, the mount wasn't right as it was designed for a vertical seat-stay. I had to cut away some of the plastic bit by bit until the light was vertical on the obviously sloping seat-stay.
With careful alignment and aiming, the red beams go in the right directions. Remember that the beams go rearward and to both sides. If the light isn't right, not only doesn't the rearward beam not go behind you. the sideways beams shine in strange directions!
Re: Rear light mounting
Posted: 20 Jan 2010, 11:50pm
by Edvardus
Oops sorry about that. Don't know what happened!
Re: Rear light mounting
Posted: 21 Jan 2010, 7:51am
by piedwagtail91
a clubmate had one of these lights on his bike for our clubs overnight ride. This was one of the first models. As we were coming down one side of a valley he was climbing the other side. The light given off was about the size of a football and could easily be seen from well over a quarter of a mile away.
after seeing this i don't thing alignment, within reason, is all that critical.
Re: Rear light mounting
Posted: 21 Jan 2010, 8:19am
by robgul
This a home-made solution (using an old bit of seatpost and a handlebar plug) - it clamps to the rear rail of the rack.
I've also adapted the same idea for a lamp bracket to fit the front forks of a couple of my bikes and the front rack on my No1 tourer
Rob
(Have to own up that it's not my original idea, but I refined the concept with the bolt and plug end.)