Author Topic: Seat stay mounted lights  (Read 728 times)

Seat stay mounted lights
« on: 11 August, 2022, 10:38:05 pm »
I’m trying to find the ideal seat stay mounted rear light for one of my bikes.

I have a few Smart 0.5W (or 1W) lights which have seat stay mounts but they are a little more bulky than I’d like, and they don’t quite mount horizontally on the bike in question.

I also have one of these, which - just so you know - is a truly horrible item with an obnoxious selection of annoying flashing modest, zero side visibility, and it is also unexccessarily large. It it also very difficult to attach securely enough to assuage my fear of it going into the spokes.
https://www.wiggle.co.uk/cateye-tight-kinetic-rear-light

So I could use the Smart but I’d like something better if available. Which brings me to my question - I see a lot of people using lights similar to the Moon Nebula on the seat stay, mounted in line and thus pointing up. That is obviously the intention - the Moon Nebula seat stay mount clearly intends that it is fitted that way. Similarly, quite a few seat stay mounted lights are in line with the seatpost rather than horizontal. I always thought that was a bad idea but is it actually OK with these lights?

Kim

  • Timelord
    • Fediverse
Re: Seat stay mounted lights
« Reply #1 on: 11 August, 2022, 10:50:02 pm »
So I could use the Smart but I’d like something better if available. Which brings me to my question - I see a lot of people using lights similar to the Moon Nebula on the seat stay, mounted in line and thus pointing up. That is obviously the intention - the Moon Nebula seat stay mount clearly intends that it is fitted that way. I always thought that was a bad idea but is it actually OK with these lights?

My experience is with the older Comet, but the Nebula appears to work on the same chip-on-board-LEDs-behind-some-plastic principle.  The spread of light is pretty even over a very wide angle (unlike the Smarts which have directional optics), so the mounting angle doesn't make very much difference to performance (which I consider to be A Feature as far as side visibility is concerned) - the lit area will just appear smaller to the observer.  They make up for this inherent inefficiency by being really rather bright.  Quite a neat solution if chainstay mounting is what you have to do.

I assume the waterproofing is up to the job whatever angle it's mounted at...

Re: Seat stay mounted lights
« Reply #2 on: 12 August, 2022, 11:00:16 am »
Thanks Kim. I think I’ll try this type and see. It will be as a supplementary light on a bike with a dynamo rear anyway, so if it turns out not to be good in group rides I can just switch it off.

Not that I actually go no group rides any more but my commute does involve randomly formed small pelotons. 

Re: Seat stay mounted lights
« Reply #3 on: 17 August, 2022, 10:05:13 am »
I went for another Cateye, the LD700 Rapid X. Very pleased with it, esp as they were £17.50 from Merlin for a bit. Not quite so sure at full price, but they are on offer in several places.

As Kim said, the angle doesn't really matter much in terms of annoyance to following riders with this COB design. This light has a group ride mode in any case.

Side viz is excellent, unlike the Kinetic above in which the sideways view is blocked by the batteries.

What I like about this LD700 is that unlike the Smart or any other options I have to hand, even if the light was to get knocked inwards it is so low profile that it cannot possibly go into the spokes.

https://www.cateye.com/intl/products/safety_lights/TL-LD700-R/


Re: Seat stay mounted lights
« Reply #4 on: 17 August, 2022, 12:12:55 pm »
Specialized stix have given me a long and reliable service.
Looking at them line though the price must nave been bumped up since I bought mine.
lasted through a couple of ultra races and several years of regular use.
A couple of them now not charging like they did and there is degradation on the charging port.
I would buy them again though as they hold such a long charge on economy mode.
often lost.