Mounting lights and bar bags

[bomber]

I've got a largish bar bag on my roadie, but want to use my HID as well, where's the best place to stick it?  The light looks like this;



And has a standard handlebar bracket about halfy way along the base.  I don't mind if its obscured from the side, i use a head torch for being seen.

[bobajobrob]

I mounted a similar handlebar mounted light on a fork crown bracket by disassembling the handbar bracket and bolting part of it to the fork crown bracket. That may or may not be possible, depending on the bracket used.

[Cunobelin]

The answer for me was to disassemble a "SpaceGrip" and mount the "U" bracket direct to the Crown of the fork. Then fit the top half of the "SpaceGrip" to the bracket.

Gives a good solid bracket that will take any handlebar mounting light.

[bomber]

Would be perfect if i didn't have aero carbon forks

[delthebike]

Would be perfect if i didn't have aero carbon forks

Carbon, just makes it easier to drill.   

Zip tie to the offside fork leg? If the bracket shape is a close match to the fork two to hold it to the leg and, maybe, one more to keep the light up towards the crown.

[clarion]

Don't you have a mounting bar underneath your bar bag?

[Paul Smith SRCC]

I've got a largish bar bag on my roadie, but want to use my HID as well, where's the best place to stick it?  The light looks like this;



And has a standard handlebar bracket about halfy way along the base.  I don't mind if its obscured from the side, i use a head torch for being seen.

Perhaps with a bit of Heath Robinson inventing you could attach it on the underside of the lower section of the bars. I locate mine there when on tour, although with the led below the bracket can rotate so easily done



Paul_Smith
www.bikeplus.co.uk

[Ian H]

I'd be very wary of attaching stuff to front forks. Most forks taper downwards, so any slight slippage will mean stuff coming suddenly loose and possibly turning into the wheel.

[ScumOfTheRoad]

I second the Spacegrip recommendation. How about buying a Swinggrip - which is similar, but has a pivot. I use a Swinggrip attached to the stem rather than handlebars, and it points downwards rather than upwards, to the light ends up just above the front brake caliper. It should then be below your bar bag.
The Swinggrip has the option of the mounting band being rotated through 90 degrees, so you can attach to handlebars or stem.

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/ProductDetail.aspx?Cat=cycle&ProdID=5360009512&N=Minoura%20Swing%20Grip%20SG3%20Handlebar%20Extension

[delthebike]

I'd be very wary of attaching stuff to front forks. Most forks taper downwards, so any slight slippage will mean stuff coming suddenly loose and possibly turning into the wheel.

Hence my "maybe, one more to keep the light up towards the crown."

This third tie to go diagonally from under the top tie and around the nearside of the crown.

[alexb]

I'd be tempted to use the SJS cycles mount which replaces an aheadset spacer or three.
http://www.sjscycles.co.uk/product-Thorn-Thorn-Accessory-Bar-(T-shaped)-with-105mm-extension--mounts-to-1-1-8inch-steerer-tube-for-lights-computers-etc-11040.htm
Or to run a standard spacegrip hanging off the stem pointing down.

[Aidan]

I thought this was quite a good solution. Off Crazyguyonabike

[Cunobelin]

I second the Spacegrip recommendation. How about buying a Swinggrip - which is similar, but has a pivot. I use a Swinggrip attached to the stem rather than handlebars, and it points downwards rather than upwards, to the light ends up just above the front brake caliper. It should then be below your bar bag.
The Swinggrip has the option of the mounting band being rotated through 90 degrees, so you can attach to handlebars or stem.

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/ProductDetail.aspx?Cat=cycle&ProdID=5360009512&N=Minoura%20Swing%20Grip%20SG3%20Handlebar%20Extension

STAND AWAY FROM THE SWINGRIP!

DO NOT APPROACH THE SWINGRIP!

Seriously - there is a design fault..

The bar on the SpaceGrip fits on to a solid dbase and is durable.

With the SwinGrip, the bar is attached to a lightweight folded (hence already weakened) thin metal tab. This breaks very quickly, dumping your precious light system onto the road, and under the wheels of the vehicle behind!

You can see the ftting on this image:

 

[JohnP]

I've been considering the SJS mount but it still doesn't work with a bar bag (a requirement of the op).  It does look a good solution for lighting while leaving the bars cler.

[bomber]

Hmmmmmmm.  Cheers for the above suggestions.  The problem is the light extends quite far back from the mount, so with the space grip it would probably foul the head tube.  The swing grip could work but by the sound of it would need some DIY reinforcing.  This is probably explained better with a picture;

[urban_biker]

I second the Spacegrip recommendation. How about buying a Swinggrip - which is similar, but has a pivot. I use a Swinggrip attached to the stem rather than handlebars, and it points downwards rather than upwards, to the light ends up just above the front brake caliper. It should then be below your bar bag.
The Swinggrip has the option of the mounting band being rotated through 90 degrees, so you can attach to handlebars or stem.

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/ProductDetail.aspx?Cat=cycle&ProdID=5360009512&N=Minoura%20Swing%20Grip%20SG3%20Handlebar%20Extension

STAND AWAY FROM THE SWINGRIP!

DO NOT APPROACH THE SWINGRIP!

Seriously - there is a design fault..

The bar on the SpaceGrip fits on to a solid dbase and is durable.

With the SwinGrip, the bar is attached to a lightweight folded (hence already weakened) thin metal tab. This breaks very quickly, dumping your precious light system onto the road, and under the wheels of the vehicle behind!

You can see the ftting on this image:

 

Yep I've heard that one before  - but I've been using one for a couple of years with solidlights attached and its not broken yet.

I have been keeping an eye on it though and of course the dynamo cable does give a certain amount of security if that bracket were to break. At least the light is more likely to just dangle, rather than hit the road.

I have the swing grip attached to the bars behind the barbag on the right, with it extended fairly straight. This lets me fix the solidlights upside down on the bracket  well below the level of the bar bag.

[Biggsy]

STAND AWAY FROM THE SWINGRIP!

The Swingrip has the same mounting (with the thin metal tabs) as the Spacegrip, which some users have trouble with, and others don't.  I have Spacegrips on three bikes and I've had no problems with them once I got them tight.  I suspect the ones that break weren't fitted properly or were wrenched about by hand when they slipped, or something like that that weakened the tab.

- - - - - - - -

To mount a light on any fork blade, a bracket can be made from epoxy putty, a piece of PVC or aluminium tube and cable ties. I will later post a pic of one I made.

[alexb]

Mount the bag on the SJS mount and the lights on the bars?

[mike]

I gave up on a barbag because of this.  The only way I found to get round it was to put a spacegrip vertically upwards so the light was higher than the barbag, but it vibrated like a small, buzzy thing.

The fork crown is the way to go, I recon, if you can botch something with cable ties..

[JohnP]

Mount the bag on the SJS mount and the lights on the bars?

There's a thought.  Advantage that the bag weight is lower down and nearer the frame rather than high and forward.   Something to think about while enjoying a glass or two of Duval.

[Biggsy]

Fork blade bracket: Wrap fork with insulating or rubber tape.  Apply expoxy putty and mold to shape.  Sets hard and can be painted afterwards.









This was for a Lumicycle halogen light that attaches via a cable tie.  For a light with a more conventional handlebar bracket, you could use a larger and longer tube that extends beyond the base to act as a dummy handlebar.  The tube is wrapped with self amalgamating rubber tape (PIB tape) for grip.

[bomber]

Having a poke round the internet, i quite like the look of this;






Just have to find somone with a lathe...

[Valiant]

A Dinotte tail light mount secured to the front of the headtube?

[Biggsy]

A light mounted very low on the forks creates a long beam, but also long shadows from bumps that obscure further bumps and holes in the road ahead.

So for this reason I find it's better to place the light high up on the forks, or preferably at handlebar level.

[Polar Bear]

You could buy one of these  and attach this to it above the bag.  I've done this with my tourer and done a similar thing with my audax bike.  With the latter the new forks just came with an uncut steerer so I could have the accessory bar where I wanted.