# recumbent trike lights ???



## stuee147 (9 Apr 2014)

just a quick question for all out there that dose or has ridden a trike at night.
where is the best position for front lights ????

iv been thinking if i fit a single light to the front where the bottom bracket is fitted then the light would sort of follow behind as you turn if you know what i mean. 
the other idea i have is to fit lights to the handlebars on my trike i have direct steering and the handlebars are sort of about the front wheels so a light on each side will follow me into a corner giving me more chance to spot nasty potholes ect as i turn. 
to be honest i am considering having 3 lights one at the front and one on either handlebar, i just wanted to know what other people thought or any ideas 

stuee


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## Aushiker (10 Apr 2014)

Here are some examples ...







I was going to post more images but for some reason cannot, but if you Google trike front lights (images) you can see numerous approaches. The one above is the most common and the approach I would personally take.

Andrew


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## ufkacbln (10 Apr 2014)

I use a Minoura space grip or the Topeak version. Mounting at the top of the derailleur stem

If you mount a light too low on a trike, it becomes ineffecive in terms of beam size and shape

More expensive is the Terratrike light mount, but fulfils the same function


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## stuee147 (10 Apr 2014)

do you not find that having the light on the front like that causes the beam to lag behind on corners if you know what i mean ??
there a a couple of quiet country roads i will be going along more or less daily there are no street lights even close and there is a section with trees either side forming a canopy above the road so that bit espeshely is very dark at night. and there is a few sharpish corners and plenty of potholes along the edges of the road. thats what made me think of lights on the steering so that they could be more directed about 6ft in-front of the wheels so as i turn into dark corners i still have good light to avoid the potholes. and yes there is another rout i can take home with street lighting but it is almost twice the distance and late at night i just want to get home lol 
i must say though i do like the look of the mounts i will have a look at them i like the idea of a bike computer on the front iv been trying to think of where to fit mine. my only concern would be if i can see the screen that far away i may need to invest in a bigger screened one, any excuse to get a new toy lol


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## sidevalve (10 Apr 2014)

Trikes/ recumbents are not my thing however your OP interested me. As an idea try looking on the web at m/cycle trike design [the front light fittings obviously] as they too often have extra lights that turn with the wheel. The mounting / positioning may give you a few ideas. Worth a look anyhow.


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## Aushiker (10 Apr 2014)

stuee147 said:


> do you not find that having the light on the front like that causes the beam to lag behind on corners if you know what i mean ??



That applies to any bike with the light mounted on the frame and even handlebars as you don't look around the corner with your wheel. The best option I suspect in this case is a helmet mounted light which you can then shine where you want to look. I would still have a light mounted on the trike as well but.






Andrew


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## ufkacbln (10 Apr 2014)

stuee147 said:


> do you not find that having the light on the front like that causes the beam to lag behind on corners if you know what i mean ??
> there a a couple of quiet country roads i will be going along more or less daily there are no street lights even close and there is a section with trees either side forming a canopy above the road so that bit espeshely is very dark at night. and there is a few sharpish corners and plenty of potholes along the edges of the road. thats what made me think of lights on the steering so that they could be more directed about 6ft in-front of the wheels so as i turn into dark corners i still have good light to avoid the potholes. and yes there is another rout i can take home with street lighting but it is almost twice the distance and late at night i just want to get home lol
> i must say though i do like the look of the mounts i will have a look at them i like the idea of a bike computer on the front iv been trying to think of where to fit mine. my only concern would be if i can see the screen that far away i may need to invest in a bigger screened one, any excuse to get a new toy lol




This may sound very silly, but I don't know!!!!!

I use a wide beam Magicshine and hve always lived with what I see. I have never had any problems with lag or not seeing as I corner.

My lighting system does include a Joystick helmet mounted, but again it just works, and I never really think about how I set it up


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## stuee147 (10 Apr 2014)

i like the idea of the head lamp i have a couple of really good ones laying about.
ic always in the past on a standard bike had the light fitted to the handlebars and as the light is quite high and above the front wheel its been easy to spot potholes in a dark country lane. my concern is on a trike the light is around 2ft infront of the front wheels and the wheels are set a foot or so either side of the a front light . meaning on a dark night on a country lane covered with a canopy of trees my light area infrount of the front wheel tracks is a good 4 to 5ft infrount of my head and with the lower seating position i can see it being very hard to make out the dark potholes on the black tarmac before it got into the dark void between the light and the wheel. 
i like the neatness of the mounts and having a light on the front. so i think i will be going that way and im considering fitting a small single LED light either side possibly on the frame as it joins the headtubes. so it will give me a bit of light in that dark section just infront of the wheels. 
i have a dynamo that charges a small battery for lights so im not worrying about battery for everything. even the head lamps i have got are wind up ones lol


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## ufkacbln (10 Apr 2014)

Don't take this the wrong way.......

Riding a recumbent trike is "different" in that you tend to plan your wheel position well in advance.

The reason is that if you don't then one of the three wheels will hit.

You don't tend to watch the areas in front of the wheels at all.

This is a short section of my commute, filmed by helmet cam.

I position the trike as I approach the object and you will see that I do not look down to the wheels at any time.


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## stuee147 (10 Apr 2014)

Cunobelin said:


> Don't take this the wrong way.......
> 
> Riding a recumbent trike is "different" in that you tend to plan your wheel position well in advance.
> 
> ...



i see what you mean its just like riding any bike you plan your rout in advance allowing for wheel positioning well in advance. but that only works on good roads in normal conditions. the lane i go along is about a mile long no lights on it at all it starts as a tarmac road but not very well maintained and soon becomes more of a dirt track with odd bits of tarmac. i will have to take a pic of the road and post it for you. at both ends of it there are bollards and a big sign saying no motor vehicles. its only really used by walkers horse riders and bikes. and of course in the summer the silly twits on there motor bikes lol. 
my main worry is that some of the potholes are big enough to swallow my 20" wheels. i wont be flying along the road but at the same time i dont want to travel at 2mph at night. and like i have said before there is another way round but its much much longer, if i use the lane its only about 3 or 4 miles but if i go the road way its nearer 9 miles and a couple of them sort of hills that are not to steep but they go on for ever and ever and you end up more shattered at the end of it lol. 

i think this is going to be something i play around with and try different lights and position to achieve something that works for me.


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## ufkacbln (10 Apr 2014)

TBH I would bite the bullet and go silly!

Get a powerful light like the Magicshine and it will do all you need mounted as above

Then match it with a "road light" for the normal road work


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## stuee147 (10 Apr 2014)

i have been thinking of getting several lights like i say im fitting a small 6 volt rechargeable battery under the seat which will be charged in two ways 1st by the dynamo i have fitted on the rear wheel and 2nd by a solar panel i have that clips onto a rucksack that i will have on the top of my panniers. iv used both charging methods several times over the years and the only problems i have had is no charging when stopped say at a camp-site when i have had a dynamo and no charge at night when your riding using the lights when iv just had the solar cells. so by combining the two i think i will have the perfect system. oh and i do have several wind up torches if all else fails lol


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