Lighting mounts

[ollitaylor0608]

Hi there im A uni student studying product design and have a few questions. I do quite a lot of mountain biking my self and am writing A report on cycling specifi mounts for lights and go pros etc. I was wondering if people have any problems with frame mounts. For example when doing some technical downhill I find the lights tend to pointing down too much and don’t stay in the right position. do people have this same problem and know if there are anyways they’ve tried to avoid this or have any other suggestions. And just generally any other problems with accessories that that You have issues with.

 

[sleuthey]

Make sure you do a spelling and grammar check before you hand your report to your professor.

To answer your question- the main issue I have is with my camera mount not offering suspension thus the video shakes.

A suggestion to overcome this would be for a Uni student to design a shock absorbing mount that can be mass produced cheaply.

 

[MichaelW2]

What does the accelerometer on your phone read?

 

[figbat]

With those rubber-O-ring type mounts yes, they tend to swivel around the bars. I mitigate this by wrapping some tape around the bar for extra grip and to increase the effective diameter.

My Hope R4+ light mount doesn't budge at all; this mount stays on the bike and the light bayonets on and off of it (it's beautifully-engineered). One small issue is that it really hurts when you whack your sternum on it, although this can be mitigated by rotating the mount forward and adjusting the light mounting angle upwards. Another downside is that is isn't quick and easy to switch from bike to bike, unless you have an extra mount on each bike.

Another issue is where and how to carry the external battery. I mount them in the bottle cage and run the cable to the light, avoiding slack and rattle as much as possible. I mount them here to avoid having straps rubbing around my frame. I sometimes do frame-mount them and will use insulating tape to protect the paint in these cases.

 

[fossyant]

Look at Hope mounts - you can buy the Hope Vision 1 mounts for less than a tenner. Would be a good place to start for design ideas.

 

[IanSmithCSE]

Good afternoon

I promise I am not being facetious.

The problem was solved 60-100 years ago, many bikes came with a mounting point on the outside of the front fork.

The trouble with that mount was

• These are not sexy so pretend "racing bikes" stopped having them and mountain bikes never bothered with them.
• It is an extra step when trying to produce very cheap forks, possibly an issue with ultra light steel designs and nobody has been interested in adding them to CF forks.

There was a de-facto agreement about the bolt size and the removable mount, so an Ever Ready or Woolworths own brand light would fit a Raleigh or Tesco bike.

All that is needed is to go back 60 years and agree a new standard.

Bye

Ian

 

[MichaelW2]

Good afternoon

I promise I am not being facetious.

The problem was solved 60-100 years ago, many bikes came with a mounting point on the outside of the front fork.

The trouble with that mount was

• These are not sexy so pretend "racing bikes" stopped having them and mountain bikes never bothered with them.
• It is an extra step when trying to produce very cheap forks, possibly an issue with ultra light steel designs and nobody has been interested in adding them to CF forks.

There was a de-facto agreement about the bolt size and the removable mount, so an Ever Ready or Woolworths own brand light would fit a Raleigh or Tesco bike.

All that is needed is to go back 60 years and agree a new standard.

Bye

Ian

The lack of any standard mount for attaching things to bikes is a scandal.

 

[Drago]

+1 for standardised, interchangeable mounts.

 

[Tom B]

Clamp / attachment arrangement is the breaking point for me on a light.

I am not fond of stretch band type fittings favoured by Lezyne. I find they move in the wet and on the bumpy stuff when you most need them.

Another prerequisite is that the light should be removable and attachable easily for popping in shops etc.

My current favourite is the Cateye H34 type that I tool tighten over a few turns of insulting tape to stop it moving. A propper stainless bolt on would be better. I also find the mounts wear. While the bike half can easily be bought the female side is harder to find.

 

[fossyant]

I also find the mounts wear. While the bike half can easily be bought the female side is harder to find.

This is an issue for the quick release stuff - often made of cheese. Got two PX lights that are dead handy around the home too, but the mount snapped when not in use. Had been fine, then on day, came to the bike, and the mount had snapped. Again, tightened round some electrical tape to stop slipping. The lights are now used as general torches in the garage. The Hope mount's are some of the best.

 

[Sterlo]

Another +1 for me for standardising, plus easier access to spare mounts. When my bike was stolen a couple of years back, as it was in January, the mount was left on the bike so that I could just clip the light on to it when needed. Because I lost the mount, the light itself was then useless as I couldn't find another mount to fix it to (light company did try and sell me a replacement for £25!). I do find that the rubber bar seal you sometimes get with a light is next to useless, it could do to be made from a softer material, this would then more likely fit different sized bars and grip better negating the need to clamp the bracket up that tight you risk stripping the thread.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

The standard fix for bar mounted lights with a clamp is to insert a shim of rubber between the clamp and bar. Often you use a different thickness shim rather than that provided with the light.

 

[figbat]

The standard fix for bar mounted lights with a clamp is to insert a shim of rubber between the clamp and bar. Often you use a different thickness shim rather than that provided with the light.

Indeed - old inner tubes make excellent shims for this and other clamping purposes.

 

[Sterlo]

I agree, but that is my argument, you shouldn't need to look for something else.