Mini project - old Never Ready lights

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rogerzilla

Legendary Member
Modern lights look rubbish on a 1950s bike, but these will do the job when fitted with LEDs and repainted. The rear one will be very bright with a 1W red unidirectional LED.

The 3V battery isn't all it seems. It's a very stylish converter that takes C size cells (or AAs in a C sized adaptor).
 

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Slick

Guru
They look very nice, but they must be newer than 50's surely?
 

raleighnut

Legendary Member
Modern lights look rubbish on a 1950s bike, but these will do the job when fitted with LEDs and repainted. The rear one will be very bright with a 1W red unidirectional LED.

The 3V battery isn't all it seems. It's a very stylish converter that takes C size cells (or AAs in a C sized adaptor).
Where have you sourced the LEDs from ?
 

Nigelnightmare

Über Member
I always had problems with that type of front light.
It kept coming off when you hit potholes or dropped off the kerb.
I ended up modifying the bracket on the bike to put a self tapping screw through it above the lamp bracket.
Stopped it coming off but it was a bit awkward to undo & do-up as the bracket was on the headset.

My dad modified his by drilling two holes and fitting two bolts & a piece of meccano to clamp it in place, much the same as the later plastic lamps from ever ready.
 

roley poley

Über Member
Location
leeds
Yes, I remember, they were almost as bad as the wonder lights that ran off a door bell battery.
AHH..wonder lights sold a dynamo conversion kit so there was no battery weight for them to throw themselves off good beam pattern too
 
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Deleted member 1258

Guest
AHH..wonder lights sold a dynamo conversion kit so there was no battery weight for them to throw themselves off good beam pattern too

I wasn't aware of the dynamo at the time I just ran the lights off a battery
 
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Ming the Merciless

There is no mercy
Location
Inside my skull
Just tested them with the existing bulbs. Both work fine. Gosh, they're dim with basic vacuum bulbs.

Yeah but street lamps were bright before the oil crisis and roads were better maintained and a lot less traffic. So you didn’t have lots of hole and traffic avoiding to do. You could ride in a straight line and your eyes also adjusted to the dark as stupid bright lights didn’t close your irises.
 

roley poley

Über Member
Location
leeds
Yeah but street lamps were bright before the oil crisis and roads were better maintained and a lot less traffic. So you didn’t have lots of hole and traffic avoiding to do. You could ride in a straight line and your eyes also adjusted to the dark as stupid bright lights didn’t close your irises.
your right I wear a peaked cap at night so I can "dip" the oncoming beams and see the road
 

snorri

Legendary Member
My 1950s bike had a Miller lighting set, consisting of front and tail lights and a bottle dynamo. There were fittings to hold a battery in the front lamp, although I never fitted one, presumably for use when stationary(?). On top of the front lamp was a three position switch, to give the options of Battery power, Off, or Dynamo power.
The bottle dynamo still works to this day:smile:.
 
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