Bike mounted TK45

Hi I am looking to replace my Hope Vision 1 which I use off road at night with a more powerful light. I currently run a Fenix LD20 as a helmet light and I am most impressed with that and an LED flashlight seems like a cost effective solution bearing in mind I have plenty of NiMH AA cells at my disposal.

Does anyone have any experience of running a Fenix TK45 on their bars with something like a Lockblock mounting or are there any other suggestions in the £125 or less price range (I live in the UK)

Thanks for your help and be gentle I am a newbie.

Look up the Magicshine bike lights in the bike transportation forum. They're quite affordable compared to many options, and available in the UK.

theres an identical thread to this already somewhere and as far as i can remember no-one had a satisfactory way to mount the tk45, wobble is also a big problem. i have a similar sized light to the tk45 and the lock block wont work as the strap even on the c cell version lockblock wont go round it and if it could itll wobble everywhere, ive tried it.

the only useable mount ive found for 4cm diameter lights is the plastic fenix one (af02), take out the screws it comes with and use 5mm diameter by 7 cm long screws with wing nuts to tighten down the plastic bracket. even with his set up theres still some small amount of wobble and i gave up attempting to use it.

to be honest its not even worth considering the tk45, i read it rattles, the 8 cells will have to be matched, its heavy and other much smaller 18650 lights match its output.
i use the olight m30 which is light, not too big and wont wobble in the af02, the wide spill is good for seeing the road. if your looking for cheap and quite small i read good things about the aurora sh40 and sh44.
either way i think youll have to bite the bullet and go with a lithium 18650 light if you want decent brightness without it being massive and unmountable.

If you really want to go with a big light on your handlebars like that, consider the TK30.

Otherwise check out the MagicShine; it's cheaper and will give you more light.

I may just go with a further LD20 on the bars (I use one helmet mounted) as an addition to the Hope one vision. Thanks for the suggestions guys.

You might consider twin lights as well since you are doing it on the handlebars. I personally have 2 flood-to-throw lights from DX on their way, with bike mounts.

THe TK40 is way too big to effectively mount. Even if you want to stick with AA batteries, a pair of 1xAA lights with mount would work a lot better.

The only downside is that you have to buy more lights, but at least you wouldnt have to take the lights on and off of the bike regularly.

Yes, I can state from personal experience that the TK45 is very heavy and wide, making it wobble around as previously said. Unless you find a very stable solution to attach it to the bar, but I wouldn't know where to find it other than making it DIY.

I find a combination of a floody light with a thrower to work best for biking at night.

I use either my RRT-0 or my Jet III ST on my helmet for their throw; lets me see a good distance wherever I look. I use a Quark XPG NW in either an AA or 18650 configuration on my handlebars pointed low at the ground in front of my front wheel to light up the road surface directly in front of me. This combination works very well for me.

TK40 solid as a rock

Very Secure indeed I bet you dazzle car drivers for fun. A good lesson in how to double the weight of a carbon road bike there, still it will be good for your training LOL.

https://www.candlepowerforums.com/posts/3410983&postcount=1

Tally-ho said:

https://www.candlepowerforums.com/posts/3410983&postcount=1

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lol, i remember this.... thats not a solution

qazx said:

theres an identical thread to this already somewhere and as far as i can remember no-one had a satisfactory way to mount the tk45, wobble is also a big problem. i have a similar sized light to the tk45 and the lock block wont work as the strap even on the c cell version lockblock wont go round it and if it could itll wobble everywhere, ive tried it.

Click to expand...

Here's my version with the C cell version of the lockblock. You are right that the stock version, the straps are too short but if you you know how to use a sewing machine, it's very easy to fix. I just used a hot water washer as the buckle and a longer bit of hook and loop (too cheap to get Velcro)



Off-road, the wobble is a bit annoying but on the roads, not a problem really.

REI sells velcro loops that works and the velcro is super tacky.. You can get 12 - 18 - 24 inch lengths..

http://www.rei.com/product/794899

I'm also looking around for a good handlebar mounted light that runs on AA and is cheap

Needs to be a warm light and a decent spread as I already have a fenix L2D as a helmet light

any suggestions?

not to detract from the discussion, but would you consider a variation utilizing the fenix hp20?

jools182 said:

I'm also looking around for a good handlebar mounted light that runs on AA and is cheap... Needs to be a warm light and a decent spread as I already have a fenix L2D as a helmet light

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Have you had a look through this thread here? The LD25 (neutral-ish LED) might fit the bill...

jools182 said:

I'm also looking around for a good handlebar mounted light that runs on AA and is cheap

Needs to be a warm light and a decent spread as I already have a fenix L2D as a helmet light

any suggestions?

Click to expand...

I use a Quark neutral white XPG with an 18650 body on my handlebars as my dedicated bike light. It's very floody so I point it at the ground about 15 - 20 ft in front of my bike. I get a solid 2 hrs of run time on max with an AW 18650-26 in it. I attach it with a twofish bikeblock, so I can take it off any time and also use it as a regular flashlight if needed, though I also EDC an SC50w+ clipped in a pocket at all times, on or off my bike.

On my helmet I use a Quark AA with an XPE Q3/5A emitter running a 14500. It's much throwier than the XPG and compliments it well. I get flood directly in front of my front wheel where I need it, and pretty good throw wherever I look with the helmet light. For your purposes, this might be a good option. I have also used this light on my handlebars and it does admirably that way too. Although, you will need to buy the parts separately from 4Sevens to be able to build one, as they no longer make a complete light with the XPE-Q3/5A. That will run you a few bucks more as a result. Or, you could buy one of the XPG neutral white AA2 models and just buy a 1xAA body and Lego it. Either way, you'll have to spend a little extra to get such a set up.

Anyway, both of these are very light, and much brighter than any other bike light in their price range that I've used. I've never had a self contained bike light that is as bright as either of them; and I tremendously appreciate not having to deal with wires and mountings for external battery packs for a bright light. With this set-up I have enough light for just about any situation I find myself in while biking.

thanks for all the help guys

i'm probably going to go with a torch thats already built as I'm a total amateur when it comes to these things

thinking of the LD25 or the eagletac P10A2

This is how I've mounted my Elektrolumens DeCree XP-G. It's solid as a rock and you get so much light coming out of it it's rediculous.

It's mounted on a 60mm stem I had lying around and it fits like a glove. The stem also acts as a giant heat sink so much so that the head doesn't even get warm with a fresh 18650. I just carry a spare 18650 and then I know I have at least 3 hours of bright light.