Dynamo hub light bracket for disk frame

[tallliman]

Fellow dynamo people, after nearly 18 months of loving my dynamic lights on one of my bikes, I now want to add a light to my disk braked bike. My question to you all is that I want a permanent mounting somewhere lower than the handlebars on the bike. My bike only has a rear facing hole on the fork crown (as no need for a caliper brake hole)....do any of you know of a way of mounting something at that level? I was thinking its something that could be fabricated but would be a long-ish piece of metal to do it.

(Let me know if this didnt make sense)

 

[Andy in Germany]

Fellow dynamo people, after nearly 18 months of loving my dynamic lights on one of my bikes, I now want to add a light to my disk braked bike. My question to you all is that I want a permanent mounting somewhere lower than the handlebars on the bike. My bike only has a rear facing hole on the fork crown (as no need for a caliper brake hole)....do any of you know of a way of mounting something at that level? I was thinking its something that could be fabricated but would be a long-ish piece of metal to do it.

Hub dynamo?

 

[tallliman]

Yes, hub dynamo, it's just how to mount the front light if theres no fork crown hole on the front of the forks?

 

[rogerzilla]

Do you have an unused low rider mount on the RH fork blade? You can bolt a dynamo headlamp to that using a long M5 bolt and a spacer made from aluminium tube (or a couple of allen key brake nuts). It's not the optimum position because modern lamps have a wide spread and the front wheel casts a shadow on the left kerb (older lamps had more of a pencil beam). Unless you drill the fork crown, I can't see any other option for lowering the light.

 

[tallliman]

I've not got any low ride mounts....I guess I could make a bracket that circles the fork crown but attaches at the rear to give me the equivalent front mount?

 

[freiston]

My thinking is to fashion a bracket that bolts onto the back of the crown and passes underneath the crown to the front. There are headset lamp brackets but from what I can tell, they are designed for threaded headsets except for this one from SJS Cycles:
https://www.sjscycles.co.uk/lighting-spares/additive-spacer-one-light-holder/

 

[si_c]

Unfortunately a lot of disc brakes bikes don't allow for a fork mounted light. One option would be to replace the fork with one allowing you to fit a light, the other would be to find a mounting solution which works from your bars.

On my previous commuter I had a GoPro type adapter for the light (Supernova E3) and used that to mount the light below my Garmin mount.

 

[MichaelW2]

Can you fit a compression plug on the lower end if the steerer, like a headset plug? This could be used for bolting a bracket.

 

[rogerzilla]

You can fit a light to a mudguard eye too. Same principle as the low rider mount, just lower. Only strictly legal for 700c and larger, or the light isn't the minimum distance from the ground.

 

[tallliman]

Thanks all, I quite like @freiston's idea to replace a spacer or bodging a bracket from the rear lug on the forks. Not sure I want to drill them out or change them.

 

[andrew_s]

My bike only has a rear facing hole on the fork crown (as no need for a caliper brake hole)....do any of you know of a way of mounting something at that level?

SON do a bracket that connects to a star-fangled nut in the bottom of the steerer.
https://www.sjscycles.co.uk/lightin...t-bracket-for-suspension-forks-for-bm-lights/

Presumably you could also replace the star nut by a bung, use a bolt with a lower profile head, and also use it to secure your mudguard.

 

[Ajax Bay]

and also use it to secure your mudguard.

Yes @tallliman , how is your mudguard secured under the fork crown?

 

[tallliman]

Yes @tallliman , how is your mudguard secured under the fork crown?

Through the hole in the rear of the fork!

 

[confusedcyclist]

Unless you are prepared to fabricate something for that rear crown mount, the simplest consumer solution would be to buy a handlebar mount. Is there a good reason for wanting to avoid this, other than ascetics?

You can fit a light to a mudguard eye too. Same principle as the low rider mount, just lower. Only strictly legal for 700c and larger, or the light isn't the minimum distance from the ground.

Chances of bobby on the beat knowing this are slim to none! But yes, still important in the event your bike is gone over with a fine tooth comb after a collision. The bigger worry is would motorists still see you coming over their dash/blind spots. The closer to your handlebars the better.

 

[silva]

Some battery driven rear lights come with a round clamp with some grip-giving rubber strap in its inner, some sized to clamp on handlebars, other sized to clamp on the seat tube. Maybe the latters size is close enough to also fit the head tube.