Fitting lights to drop bars

[mow]

Can anyone help please?
Having swapped to a drop bar bike I'm finding no room to mount my cateye lights on to the bars. I have a new topeak widescreen computer but that fits centrally over the stem so isn't the problem. I only seem to have about an inch of bar left on show between the tape and stem and this has the brake and gear cables running through it!

I've seen a few of these bar extenders or raised bar thingys. just wondered if anyone had experience of these or had other suggestions.

Does anyone sell a nice LED light that would mount on the brake pivot maybe?

Thanks Mow

 

[RedBike]

Hang the light under the bar?
Unwind a bit of bar tape to reveal more bar?

 

[HLaB]

My drop bar are pretty uncluttered so I usually have room, my lights are pretty narrow, especially my cateye 410 which can quickly be mounted almost anywhere, for instance on the stem. I bought a topeak bar extender a few months back, it looks and feels good but to be honest Ive never used it I reorganised my lights instead.

 

[mow]

Redbike, thanks but I was hoping not to have to unwind the tape as it's been a long time since I did that (20years) and dread to think what a mess I'd make of it... Hanging the lights under the bar won't help as it's the bar/clamp thats the problem not the available space for the light.

HLab I quite like the look of that bar thanks, looks a bit better made than some of the airfix ones I've seen

 

[Will1985]

Put a pic of your stem/bars up here and let's have a think about it...

 

[mow]

I am also using Cateye lights, EL320's and the bracket would fit no problem, it's just the cables which are in the way and don't really have any slack to move them oout of the way without putting a tight bend in them.
Looking at the pictures, I've just realised they are taped ending at the stem not starting at the stem as I used to do them, so they will actually be quite easy to release and realign the cables.

 

[PpPete]

I always start bar tape at the stem end - lost count of the number of times I've had to remove & refit the tape because I needed another inch for bar furniture of one sort or another. Glad I chose a non adhesive tape !

 

[mow]

If I do take the plunge and re-tape, are there any issues I need to look out for with shifting the cables say to the bottom of the bar?

 

[HLaB]

If I do take the plunge and re-tape, are there any issues I need to look out for with shifting the cables say to the bottom of the bar?

I don't know if the same for all bar but mine had a slight recess in the bottom of the bars for the brake cables and some electrical tape easily holds them in.

 

[mickle]

Ok. Establish how much bare bar you need, wrap some tape around to define the new bar-tape-finishing-point and then run a sharp blade gently around to remove the bit you want to lose.

 

[Dave5N]

Don't go out at night.

 

[ufkacbln]

The Minoura SpaceGrip can be fitted to the stem, placing the lights under the bars, but without using any space on the bars or getting in the way.

 

[mow]

Don't go out at night.

If only my boss would agree to let me get home during daylight hours.... Roll on summer!

 

[Will1985]

Hmm - a Cateye bracket on the left side of the stem upside down is the easy one. Another might just fit right up against the Topeak bracket on the other side. I wouldn't use H34s for that though - the H31/32 ones give a cleaner look and can't be bumped loose as easily.

Pulling the cables back makes it a bit easier when putting the brackets on.