LBL nosediving on rough roads

alms

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I'm having trouble with the battery operated Philips SafeRide LBL: the bracket simply can't keep it level. Even with the knob fully tightened (I used a wrench), the bracket can still be rotated without much effort. I'm using the mandated rubber spacers given the handlebar width (26 mm), and I'd give the 21-25 mm belt a try if only I didn't misplace that.

I suspect the handlebars are part of the problem: even after cleaning with various different products, the powder-coated(?) surface isn't squeaky.

Have you had this problem too, and how did you fix it?
 

panicmechanic

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If you put a layer of self-adhesive handlebar tape on the bar, that should help. Preferrable are the firm tipes like the old-fashioned cotton stuff, or textile rim strip, or tennis racket grip tape.
 

alms

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Having some tennis tape left over, I went with that but haven't had a chance to try it out yet, though. Last winter I kept the LBL on handlebar tape but that wasn't grippy enough, despite a tendency of the bracket to dig into it. FTR the tape was Velox Maxi Cork, which was pretty smooth to the touch unlike the microfibre tape I'm using this year.

Double-sided tape sure has plenty of grip but wouldn't all kind of dirt and stuff from the road stick to it too?
 

1 what

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I use "non-slip" floor/step tape.
It's the sandpaper tape you see on stairs so people won't slip in the wet.
Most big hardware stores have it with adhesive backing in a few widths.
If you wrap that around the handlebar only a very loose bracket will rotate.
 

alms

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I had a chance to ride in twilight yesterday, tennis racket tape is not enough. I'm beginning to wonder if there's something wrong with my bracket though: it should be working just fine without any tape anyway.

Is this a common problem or just me?
 

yellow

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maybe a simple "safety rubber band" is enough to prevent that.

thick rubber band, put over front end of the light, through under bars, over back end of light



... on the long run better switch to Your good 18650 led-flashlight, mounted on the bars.
It does everything better, than that (much too) expensive led-flashlight-clone of a maker of what-joe-average-thinks-a-bike-light-should-look-like-lights, who actually have no clue on building a good led-flashlight
;)
I really wonder that using one's good flashlight(s) for biking does not come into mind as 1st choice
:thinking:
 

Matt King

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... on the long run better switch to Your good 18650 led-flashlight, mounted on the bars.
It does everything better, than that (much too) expensive led-flashlight-clone of a maker of what-joe-average-thinks-a-bike-light-should-look-like-lights, who actually have no clue on building a good led-flashlight
;)
I really wonder that using one's good flashlight(s) for biking does not come into mind as 1st choice
:thinking:
Because (as was previously deleted but I'll keep it brief this time) flashlights don't have a good beam pattern for road cycling.
 

yellow

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thats what You feel,
imho - especially for road - the tighter beam from a flashlight is much better, as reaches more far...
(+ is brighter, + is way more robust, + is smaller, + has more power in (just one) cell, ...)

the main point is: the flashlight has no official approval, which the Philips and the Ixon have here in middle Europe.
One can ignore this, or has to take the "allowed" route
(still they are way overpriced for that badly built led-flashlight that they are. Think of what kind of lights one can get for the 100,-- the Philips kicks one back)


when these "real bike lights" are mounted poorly they do disturb the other traffic the same than a poorly mounted flashlight.
--> it is not in the light system, its user fault
(as most every time)
mount any light like: upper end of beam reaching down, say 30-50 m in front of the bike



PS: it was not deleted, there was some problem with the database; the threads + post have been lost.
I dont think any mod would delete posts on different opinions how/what lights should/can be used for whatever...
 
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alms

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I dont think any mod would delete posts on different opinions how/what lights should/can be used for whatever...

You were providing unrequested advice with a tone that was, let's say, less than friendly? if you still want to argue about the advantages of flashlights over the LBL, you're of course free to do that: start another thread and see what kind of replies you get.

If you insist on doing it here, even the most trusting person will assume you're simply trolling.

Back to the topic, I've been thinking about writing to Philips support and see what they have to say on the matter.
 

Marcturus

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Back to the topic, I've been thinking about writing to Philips support and see what they have to say on the matter.

That's a great idea. I'm confident that they will hook you up with their handlebar interface engineer who will be able to advise you on the correct [sorry, I am not sure about the translation for a technical term] treatment for your bracket issue.
 

yellow

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If you insist on doing it here, even the most trusting person will assume you're simply trolling.

Back to the topic, I've been thinking about writing to Philips support and see what they have to say on the matter.
You missed me giving the only quick working, cheap and at the same time "removable" advise to keep Your light from moving around
;)
 

Marcturus

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You missed me giving the only quick working, cheap and at the same time "removable" advise to keep Your light from moving around
;)
My recommendation was to be about applying a non-reversible treatment to the handlebar coating, but then I became awfully afraid this might come across as too abrasive.
rolleye11.gif
 

Matt King

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Back to the original topic - I'm curious about the mounting (having just got my light so I can see what you're on about)

The mounting instructions indicate:
a) for 21-25mm bars, use the rubber sleeve
b) for 26-28mm bars, use the two rubber inserts
(etc for larger bars)
PhilipsLBLmounting.jpg


Of course, many bars (like mine) are 25.4mm, which doesn't suit either:
There is no way in hell the clamp will fit with the rubber sleeve. I tried for 10 minutes and gave up.
Without the sleeve, the clamp can be fully tightened, which isn't inspiring

Fortunately for me it doesn't seem to slip.

I suppose it might be possible to cut the sleeve in half and only use one side of it? Or cut out a hole where it sits over one of the rubber inserts.
 
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fyrstormer

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1) Use silicone tape like "Tommy Tape" between the handlebar and the clamp. If that doesn't grip well enough, probably nothing short of glue will hold the clamp steady.

2) Flashlights make fine lights for bicycles. Unless you have a super-high-power flashlight, its brightness will be much less than a car headlight, so a bit of glare won't damage a driver's night vision any more than a headlight-flash from a car going over a bump in the road. Furthermore, an average car weighs 15x more than a 175lb bicyclist on a 30lb bike, and the car can legally move up to 5x as fast as the bicyclist, so the car can hit the bicyclist much harder than the bicyclist can hit back; it's in the best interest of the bicyclist to have a headlight that is impossible to ignore. Since I've replaced my old, dim headlight with a newer, brighter one, I've noticed cars being much more cautious around me, even when I'm on the sidewalk. I feel no shame for shining a little light in their eyes. Just aim the flashlight slightly below-horizontal, to keep the majority of the light on the ground.
 
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yellow

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cutting the sleeve in half seems the best idea, but when it is holding now, better not change anything
 

chanrobi

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This is a simple problem - there is not enough material between the bar and clamp.

The adjustment bolt bottoming out tells you this is the case. Ignore the instructions and place rubber strips enough that it does not fully bottom out yet remain tight.

You can cut the strip it comes with (the too large one) to make it work as well. Ideally it shouldve came with the right size shim but this is not an uncommon problem.
 

alms

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Wait is this thread still alive?

FTR I have moved the light to a bike with an oversized bar and initially had less problems with it moving (probably courtesy of the increased surface making contact), but eventually the problem crept up again (great pavement is great). For some time I switched to a strip of sanding paper taped to the inside of the clamp, but eventually that started slipping too; I've bit the the bullet and now using bits of thin double-sided tape: for a good adjustment, better get a level, and removing the tape from the bar, if you need to, can be a little tiresome.

BTW the LBL always seems to twist back on the bar if you give it a chance to, so maybe that tendency could be countered to an extent, by moving the rail further back to achieve a better front/rear weight distribution. The rail seems to be held in place by screws, and with the cover and shell being built like a tank anyway, it should be an easy mod.

I feel no shame for shining a little light in their eyes. Just aim the flashlight slightly below-horizontal, to keep the majority of the light on the ground.

Not to flog a dead horse, but that may be a workable theory as long as roads are wide. Some of those I ride on are so tight(*), that a driver can easily put me in the ditch if they're not careful with their positioning, which is why I don't want them to be busy squinting instead of focused on the driving.

And that's on the straight, I don't even want to think about turns.

(*) pics posted in another thread.
 
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