Rear Light Positioning

[Road_Runner]

As said on other posts, always have a minimum of 2 rear facing led's, you never know when one fails. And always carry a couple of AAA's just in case.

I've sometimes attached an additional red rear led to the end of my dropped bars. Then you know when the light is working.

I think this is a little excessive in my opinion. On my commuter i use two lights, one flashing and the other constant - both on the seat tube. On my play bike, i have one light. I never take spare batteries out with me.

If your rear lights sudden fail on you on a ride - you should have replaced them before the ride as they were clearly too low and the light output would have been too dull on your previous night ride.

 

[Sharky]

When you get to a certain age, it's not only battery cells that fail - also the brain cells. I've more than once returned to the bike shed to find that I hadn't switched them off in the morning!

Still only got less than a year of commuting to do.

Cheers keith

 

[cyberknight]

I'm not sure most do come with a seat stay. Most default to seatpost.

There's a fairly common standard bracket that if you look around you can find a type that has, what I can best describe as a watch type strap. They are ideal for locating on the seat stay. Example of bracket is here.

Ok , all the lights i have bought have had both in

 

[ufkacbln]

There are a number of handlebar extenders, this one is by Topeak:

These can be fitted on to a seatpost and angled so that it puts a light below and behind a saddle bag

 

[w00hoo_kent]

If your rear lights sudden fail on you on a ride - you should have replaced them before the ride as they were clearly too low and the light output would have been too dull on your previous night ride.

I've had a cateye light get unhappy in rain before now, working fine and bright at the beginning, a dull glow worm at the end. Battery connections. Commuting for the best part of an hour minimum, I like to know I've got something on and working for the whole ride.

 

[400bhp]

Maybe only if you can locate the light on the seat stay above the rear brake. These brackets won't work on the stay below brake level as the light will either interfere with the spokes, or you won't be able to angle it correctly. You really need a bracket that moves the light out to the side of the stay, and IME they are few and far between, and it's not helped by the lack of standardization in bike light fixings

Not sure why you'd think that? So long as its located drive side.

 

[downfader]

This setup works quite well, if your frame/brake setup allows it. Works best on bigger frames. There's also still room for a secondary light on the back of the saddle bag, but as mentioned above, it probably won't be pointing the way you want it!
View attachment 53589

I've done that in the past with the comet lights

 

[downfader]

When you get to a certain age, it's not only battery cells that fail - also the brain cells. I've more than once returned to the bike shed to find that I hadn't switched them off in the morning!

Still only got less than a year of commuting to do.

Cheers keith

What you need is a dynamo, matey

 

[youngoldbloke]

Not sure why you'd think that? So long as its located drive side.

The Planet X light shown could only be mounted horizontally with that bracket - above the brake caliper otherwise it would poke into the spokes. It can't be mounted vertically because that bracket keeps it in line with the seatstay, and therefore sloping. The light needs to be mounted out board from the seat stay. This happens with a number of lights if you try and adapt their seatpost bracket for use on the drive side seat stay. Been there - tried to do it

 

[400bhp]

The Planet X light shown could only be mounted horizontally with that bracket - above the brake caliper otherwise it would poke into the spokes. It can't be mounted vertically because that bracket keeps it in line with the seatstay, and therefore sloping. The light needs to be mounted out board from the seat stay. This happens with a number of lights if you try and adapt their seatpost bracket for use on the drive side seat stay. Been there - tried to do it

No the planet x light can be mounted horizontally or vertically. I have one.

 

[youngoldbloke]

No the planet x light can be mounted horizontally or vertically. I have one.

Well you must know - My cateye version of that light jnterferes with the spokes if I try and mount horizontally it below brake level, and the bracket must be different because if I try and mount it vertically I can't angle it so that it isn't pointing skywards as it follows the angle of the seat stay. Perhaps the PX one is different. Maybe I'll get one to see.....

 

[400bhp]

Well you must know - My cateye version of that light jnterferes with the spokes if I try and mount horizontally it below brake level, and the bracket must be different because if I try and mount it vertically I can't angle it so that it isn't pointing skywards as it follows the angle of the seat stay. Perhaps the PX one is different. Maybe I'll get one to see.....

Well i suppose it depends upon the angle of the seat stay in relation to the length of the light. the vertical position is set ny one of the standard ratchet mechanisms. I bought and fitted one to the seat stay on my dads bike over the weekend.

 

[Origamist]

I have a large saddle bag that precludes attaching lights to the seatpost. Instead, I have a seat-stay mounted light (flashing) and a Red LED torch attached to the drops (steady).

 

[fossyant]

There are always bodges you can do to get lights to fit. You could always make something that clamps to the saddle rails so the light bracket can be fitted.

You could cable tie a 25mm piece of plumbing pipe to the saddle bag. Most rear lights will happily mount to this. I've done it to a Topeak pannier and cable tied the pipe to the light mount loop. I currently have two lights mounted to the rear of my Ortlieb panniers. I basically used two L shaped bits of pre drilled metal brackets, and secured them to the panniers using the existing screw mounts for the rack mounts.

Loads of bodges are possible.

 

[Supersuperleeds]

There are always bodges you can do to get lights to fit. You could always make something that clamps to the saddle rails so the light bracket can be fitted.

You could cable tie a 25mm piece of plumbing pipe to the saddle bag. Most rear lights will happily mount to this. I've done it to a Topeak pannier and cable tied the pipe to the light mount loop. I currently have two lights mounted to the rear of my Ortlieb panniers. I basically used two L shaped bits of pre drilled metal brackets, and secured them to the panniers using the existing screw mounts for the rack mounts.

Loads of bodges are possible.

That's how my rear light fits to my rack