Recumbent riders;show us your lights

[jogler]

All this input is proving very helpfull in that my own notions/ideas are confirmed as do-able by a number of contributors.
Rower40's pic. above shows the mental image I have of what the end result will look like,although  my front mech. post has no braze-ons to accommodate  a bracket so a P-clip of some description will be needed.

Rower40,
what dia. is your mech. post.
Is the bottom light a B&M model?Battery or dynamo?
TIA

[Kim]

That's another IQ Cyo.  He'll be along to explain his unusual power supply choice in a minute... 

My mech post fits a 1 1/8" stem fairly snugly, so something of that order.  I assume the grasshopper's the same.

[rower40]

That's got something of a Johnny 5 look about it   

The younger generation (who never saw "Short Circuit") consider it to resemble Wall-E.
I had that light with me in Wales, but as we never did any night-time riding, it stayed hidden in the unfeasibly large panniers.  Except to light the train while we were in the tunnel in the Aberglaslyn pass.

Diameter of mech post: *nips outside with tape measure* (no such thing as dial calipers here - I'm an electronic engineer) 29mm.  Oh look - 9 x 25.4 / 8 = 28.575, so one and one eighth of an inch appears about right.

Yes, the lower light is a B&M IQ Cyo.  Designed to be supplied with electrons from a dynamo, but I use a 12V Lead-Acid battery secured to the frame by zip-ties (just forward of the headset bearing) and a voltage converter.  More photos here

That's another IQ Cyo.  He'll be along to explain his unusual power supply choice in a minute... 

Your wish is my command.

[Arch]

A chap of my aquaintance has a bent trike on the go and we were looking at running a lighting boom/pole off the top of the seat support tube to get the lights higher up.

You could also clamp more blinkies up the back of it.

For those with flags and poles, a tip. Cut a cork in half lengthways, and carve a channel out down the middle of each cut face to accommodate the pole. Then zip tie it back together around the pole. This provides a section with a large enough bore to hold one of those little back up blinkies that fasten on with a loop of elastic.

Mine's even a French cork, saved from my holiday.

[Kim]

The younger generation (who never saw "Short Circuit") consider it to resemble Wall-E.

I still haven't seen that one.

no such thing as dial calipers here - I'm an electronic engineer

I'm fairly sure that's not a legitimate excuse.  Even I've got a set...   

[jogler]

Thanks Kim & Rower40.
My mech. post is 32mm( inch & a quater) so I wonder if a Minoura/Topeak T-bracket will fit.

[rower40]

I found an adjustable spanner that had millimetre markings on the jaws, so I used that.

However, I do have a torque wrench.  Because, as we all know, careless torque costs lives.

(My coat's the bright yellow one...)

[Arch]

Thanks Kim & Rower40.
My mech. post is 32mm( inch & a quater) so I wonder if a Minoura/Topeak T-bracket will fit.

The bracket I have says it goes up to 31.8mm, but it's a hinged bracket with a bolt, and I would have thought with a longer bolt it could accommodate a little more.  It's this one:

M-Wave 90mm Handlebar Organizer RRP £12.99 on eBay (end time  08-Oct-10 12:53:45 BST)

I got it at York Rally at the Cycle Promotions Sale tent, and paid a tenner.

Cycle Promotions Home Page

Might be worth a look if they have a sale coming up near you.

[Cunobelin]

The SpaceGrip is actually very versatile.

It is in 5 main parts
1. The band
2. Formed plastic base
3. A metal u shaped bracket
4.The end plastic section
5. The bar

A band can easily be replaced with a home made one, all you need is some tin snips and a quality can - cut your own, drill holes and you are sorted - you can even make one that fits around the main boom. I must admit I used two bands to ensure redundancy in case of a failure.




You can if you have a braze on, simply mount the metal bracket to the bike and then add the end piece / bar to this giving a short sturdy fitting,

Equally with a little filing you can remove a tab from the end piece. A metal strip can then be placed between the plastic base and the u shaped bracket protruding below the grip and allowing further fittings

Another option I have used is to simply mount bar with a long bolt and a few spacers.

The only real limit is your imagination!...

OH and I forgot, you can also use to fit lights above the fairing:



.. and you can fit inside the fairing to mount the GPS

[Tigerbiten]

Hopefully Tigerbiten will be along to explain his dual Hope Vision 1 setup, which is just like the "dragon" from Dr. No.

I've had to move then off the top of my streamer fairing.
The weight of them plus the vibration from going over bumps has sress fractured the fairings frame.
I'm going to either get a new frame or carbon fiber the old frame.
Or even get a new frame and put a layer or two of carbon over it.

I've now got the lights down on the inside of my front mudguards.

[Quint]

could you put a pic on of that set up, also how do they reflect on your legs/feet

[arallsopp]

I used a cateye reflector mount, nicked from the seat post of my decommissioned upright, and added to the boom. Works brilliantly for the cyo, and has held up for north of 10,000 miles now.



Ps. Its the little black plastic ring, underneath the light, not the metal one (which is holding the derailleur).

[Wendy]

Here are mine:






I sometimes get drivers behind me shielding their eyes from the dinotte, and often when I'm overtaking a queue drivers pull left as though they think I'm an emergency vehicle.  I'm not quite sure which emergency vehicles have flashing white lights though.

[Cudzoziemiec]

I sometimes get drivers behind me shielding their eyes from the dinotte,

Are you sure it's your Dinotte that's dazzling them?

And if you are, doesn't that suggest it's inconsiderately bright or angled? I know we've been here before many times, but how would you feel if you had to shield your eyes from a car using its fog lights on a clear night?

[Wendy]

I honestly couldn't gaf when it means that there's no way a driver couldn't see me with that light on.

To be fair though, I don't think the light is any brighter than the many normal car tail/brake lights out there that cause me to need to shield my eyes sometimes when stopped at the lights behind them.  And that's when I'm driving.  With the dinotte, I've yet to see anyone shielding their eyes when at a normal driving distance, only when stopped behind at the lights.  Both of these indicate that, no, the dinotte is not too bright to be used on the roads.

[Quint]

When I used to drive (a taxi) I used to get out of the cab and knock on the window of the car in front saying "if your hand brake is in working condition could you use it please as you are blinding me"
                                              

[Mr Larrington]

When I used to drive (a taxi) I used to get out of the cab and knock on the window of the car in front saying "if your hand brake is in working condition could you use it please as you are blinding me"

I am given to understand, however, that n00bs are no longer taught to engage the handbrake when stationary.

[Jedrik]

.. and you can fit inside the fairing to mount the GPS

That is a Windwrap XT fairing if I am not mistaken?
How did you fasten it so it does not twist in its slippery plastic holders? I tried to fix my light more to the side and as soon as the roads got a bit rougher, the fairing twisted down on that side.  
I now put some double sided adhesive on the contact points which might have made it a bit steadier but I can't tighten it as much as I would if I could.

With the lights right in the middle (which might help with the twisting problem) above the fairing and so right in the line of sight: Is it not uncomfortable to look right at it at all time?

[cycleman]

try putting some strips of old inner tube  under the clips . worked for me 

[Valiant]

I have Dinotte 600L on the front mounted to a Terracycles jobbie. The rear is  Dinotte tail light mounted on a piece of brom handle thats bolted to the sports rack lol.

[Blade]

Front lights are two Hope Vision 1's on a home made bracket.



Rear lights are two Smarts clipped onto the seat mesh.

[peterc]

I have a urban/rural/urban commute, so thinking of moving up the arms race from the two tescos torches strapped to the bottom bracket I currently have.

If I go bright enough I'll need remote switching. (yeah yeah, nothing is bright enough for long)

Apart from Exposure high end stuff, who does remote switching? I can see it being easier with separate battery packs.

Either that of I go DIY, then I need a LED and optics, that I can make a mount for, some battery solution and I can do switching between the two bits, then I just need a can opener for this can labelled "worms".

Oh, it's a Burrows SL, so any mounting is going to have to be DIY anyway, whatever I go for.

[Kim]

Apart from Exposure high end stuff, who does remote switching? I can see it being easier with separate battery packs.

Dynamo lights, obviously.  Cyos are happy with DC from a battery pack.  You probably want the non-standlight version if you want to be able to switch them off (rather than dim).

[peterc]

Dynamo lights, obviously.  Cyos are happy with DC from a battery pack.  You probably want the non-standlight version if you want to be able to switch them off (rather than dim).

Thanks for that, did some searching on other topics and they think about 7.2V is a good aim point for batteries.

Not too fussed about dim when switched off, just want to be able to have two settings "induce an early dawn chorus" bright or don't dazzle the cagers and occasional other cyclist without trying to lean forward to turn off the light at the BB (possible, but not too easy, of very safe.) Off or dim would qualify for the latter.

hmmmm, this could get out of hand.

[Quint]

On my Q-NT I am planning to use the Cyo with my B&M Ixon IQ, (using B&M 6 dynamo) I have been told I will need to run a rear light with this as it will fry if usd on its own, is this correct ?