My new bicycle and lights/Nite-Ize Mount/LED

Got a new bike, nothing fancy, Wally World special. Got a child carrier and go for rides with my 3 y.o. daughter. Of course its a great reason to delve into the flashlight fetish accessorizing.

Have flashing led lights on front and back that I feel add alot to visibility. Two units on the back of her seat and one multi array on the front of the handlebars.
Am going to mount two more, one on each side of her seat.

Have been experimenting with some lights that I have just been attaching to the handlebars with zip ties until I get a permnent set up.
So far my SL JR. has been working out pretty well. My rides are short timewise, and in a wel lit residencial setting. Actually the ziptie set up works well for me as it allows me to be able to easily adjust the angle of the beam for either close for spotting rough spots on sidewalks or further out for on side streets and/or darker areas (lots of trees here).

I like the AA power aspect of it too as I can use my rechargeables. I have done searches and read about other mounting options but haven't decided yet (FWIW-don't use "bicycle light" in the search, I get no results).

I did see the Nite-Ize bike mount and was wondering if anyone could add comment about them. Looks like it would be able to "tilt" like my zip ties currently do.

I would also like to see other options for lights that will be more powerful that the SL Jr., that also use AA's and are in the same price range. So far I have contemplated the Elektolumens XM or the SL 3AA Task Light.

Finally I have thought about using my SL Stinger as it too is rechargeable, oposed to using my CR123 lights. I find myself picking it up after my rides and looking at the spot it throws with a gleam in my eye as I contemplate its powerful potential mounted to my bike.
Could anyone tell me if the Nite-Ize strap would work with a Stinger and/or Scorpion. I figured on the Scorp as it carries the spare bulb in it.

LOL, just read what I wrote, who am I kidding? Being an avid CPF'er there are at least 2-3 spares carried on the rides, that incidentally have never gone over 25 minutes of actual travelling time with the light on.
I stop ALOT. I will wait at intersections till they are clear even if I have the right of way.
I don't take any chances. I am way more cautious, due to my precious cargo, than I am at work when on the bike (BTW, they use sucky incan Planet Bike lights).

Anyways, the way things are going I already have a second bike bag just for the spare lights. And I'm looking into an extension piece for the handlebars for mounting two lights, an incan thrower and an led/lux spot. though I haven't decided, but thats half the fun of putting it together.

o....just get a niterider light and call it a day

Dan_GSR said:

o....just get a niterider light and call it a day

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Now where's the fun in that!!:nana:

check out the twofish lockblocks; they're rubber "blocks" with velcro attachments - they hold (very firmly) up to a C-cell light. I did a groupbuy for those a while back; if you search for posts started by me in the GB section, you'll find lots of details, reviews and pics on that thread.

I see you have LED blinkers and are setting them up on the sides - that's a good thing! Even with all the lighting parafernalia I put on myself and my bike, I almost got hit by a careless driver.

Helmet light? those are a "must"
Reflective vest? you need one! :devil:

I have been messing around with LED lighting on bicycles for years,
Presently, I use a MillerMods Fenix L1P on my helmet, the R bin driven at 500mA (1.7 watts) is nasty bright and when I glance at car drivers on the sides of the road, they wake up quickly! The brilliant white color is also very noticable to drivers, they are not used to that shade. The other good point of a helmet light is drivers are not used to lights that move around. The movement of the light makes you very noticable. Run time before falling off regulation is over 60 minutes on a single NiMH AA and I can kick it down to low (5 ohm two-stage switch) to get me home. Throw a spare lithium AA in the bike bag incase you want to keep riding.
Frame mounted lights can be very powerful since... the weight is not sitting on your head. A wider beam is preferable and if using a flashlight, put a "shade" or covering over the top so the spill does not annoy drivers. A crude beam shaper if you wish. I have used a 2D Mag with R bin at 800mA and found the beam too narrow. Tried a 8AA to 2D Mag driving a W bin LuxeonV and the beam is much wider although I wish for a little more width. A four Luxeon K2 with McR20 reflectors are in the mix for 2006. 400 lumens on high, 200 medium and 60 lumens on low should give me the runtime, brightness and adjustability I need for a frame light. 2D Mags are generally not theft items and I can use it as a flashlight when off the bike. Having the option to change the two of the reflectors to say 25x4 degree angle Carclo optics allows beam shaping to fit your requirements. Keep two McR20 reflectors on for throw. Try that with a Night Rider!
For rear flashers, I use one of those new Cateye 10 red LED units and run it on two lithium AA batteries. The rear facing 6 leds along with 4 side-facing LEDs (two on each side) make it very bright and long lasting on the lithiums. I added a basic 5 LED unit to add some extra redundentcy and a Planet Bike rear helmet auto-angle adjusting 3 LED flasher to my helmet.
Added some reflective tape to my forks and recumbent seat sides and back so at night I look like a parade float! Once I complete building my HA-III 8AA to 2D BAM Mag mod, 400 lumens at the frame (mounted low) and around 55-60 lumens from the helmet light will make me almost impossible to not notice.
Mounted a stock Fenix L1P on a friends helmet (she was using a shake light for lighting ) She said that it has enough light for drivers to really notice her and it works well. My mount takes around 60 seconds to make, is adjustable, stays put and easily removable. She is leaving the country in two months so I get it back for my wife's helmet. Another vote for helmet lights! :thumbsup:

BentHeadTX please tell more about your easy-to-make helmet mount, that sounds very interesting. That Cateye TL-LD1000 rear flasher you mentioned is awesome. It is visible during the day, just like the marketing copy says. Another good tail light is the Performance Viewpoint Flashpoint. It is also very bright compared to others I have tried, and also serves as a red reflector that meet standards, in case you need it (dead batteries, for example).

Redjam said:

BentHeadTX please tell more about your easy-to-make helmet mount, that sounds very interesting. That Cateye TL-LD1000 rear flasher you mentioned is awesome. It is visible during the day, just like the marketing copy says. Another good tail light is the Performance Viewpoint Flashpoint. It is also very bright compared to others I have tried, and also serves as a red reflector that meet standards, in case you need it (dead batteries, for example).

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Second that, love making my own gear. Cut up some old straps from dvd case last night and made tie down for pant leg.

GreenLED, I have done searches two weeks ago and saved links you had to the mounting blocks. They look great but was thinking of the Nite-Ize due to the possibility of easily adjusting angles as stated previously. (PS-thanks for the links on my other thread).

Incidentally, I went to the local flea markey and found $3 aluminum 8 led 2xAA lights. What a bargain!! Bought 6 at first, gave a few out, then went back and bought 10 more. I think they would be good for helment mount. They are the size of a mini-mag and way lighter. They can easily be zip tied to my helm (he-he, helm, renaisanse [sic] festival started up this week end]).

Concerning Benthead's statement about movement, I have long been aware that movement is what attracts attention to the humen eye, ask any hunter. Even a small led light will draw attention. I figured my 8 led "helm" lite and a nodding motion will be way better that none at al.

Redjam said:

BentHeadTX please tell more about your easy-to-make helmet mount, that sounds very interesting.

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Third attempt at replying (CPF is crashing constantly when I try to post with a few paragraphs so I have to do it in pieces.)

Things you need

3/4" to 1" wide (18mm to 25mm) Nylon strap with velcro
Two pieces of rubber about the same width as the velcro strap
Two thin cable ties (zip ties)
Small single cell flashlight that is bright

Figure out the way the strap will fit your helmet, facing forward the same direction as the light is preferred. Slide it through the cooling vents in the center of the helmet and fasten velcro. If it fits, you are golden. I used the nylon velcro strap from an Inova X5 holster and they fit my Specialized perfectly.

Place the two cable ties on a hard surface about an inch (25mm) apart and lay first rubber strip across the ties. Lay the nylon/velcro strap in the same direction as the rubber strip. Place second rubber strip over the velco strap for a rubber/strap/rubber "sandwich". Place light on top of "sandwich" and tighten cable ties over the light tightly. Your done.

Trim away the rubber around the light to make it look better. Wrap nylon strap through the cooling vents and fasten tightly ensuring the rear of the flashlight is positioned over a solid portion of your helmet. Adjust the angle by loosening the velcro if need be and tighten back securely.

The point of the rubber is to prevent the light, nylon/velcro strap from slipping and it will stick to the helmet keeping the angle in adjustment. The reason for the light positioned over as solid portion of the helmet is in case you crash, the light will leverage itself off the helmet breaking the two thing cable ties and not go through your helmet (safety first!)

Good idea.
I have been making straps by using old scraps I find, cutting to size (measure it in place where I will mount then add a little extra) and attaching velcro. Using velcro that comes in strips with adhesive on the back, can find them almost everywhere.

Since my sewing skills suck, I use some super glue to hold the velcro to the strap. Been working for me so far. then a few passes on the ends of the strap (if I had cut it) with a Bic lighter to "seal" it up and prevent fraying.

I also got hold of this long strip of stretchy rubber about a year ago. It was sold as an exercise product. Grab both end, stand on the middle of it and pull. Isometric curls and presses and such. I have already used small pieces of it for shims in attaching clamps on the bike.

Personally I was just going to zip tie a light to the helm, but will at the very least add the rubber shim to help prevent slipping and keep it in place over a solid portion as you advised.

Thanks.

Webley,
I lucked out with the Inova X5 holster nylon/velco straps... they fit Specialized and Giro helmets perfectly.
If you want to get exotic and simplify the process (and good with a needle) use a rubber strap and stitch velcro to the rubber strap. Two thin cable ties later, your light is on the helmet. Thin cable ties (zip ties) have a break rating of about 18 lbs (8 KG) so if you smack the light into a tree branch, it will get torn off the mount.
Things get a little harder if you don't have cooling vents located dead center in the middle of your helmet. Use a wider nylon/velcro strap and postition it sideways and thread it between two cooling vents. Tighten two cable ties in X formation around the light and the strap. This can create aiming problems if the two ties are not tightened evenly.