Fixing torch to bike

FrankGrimes

I bought one of these torches from DealExtreme and though it does turn off and change modes randomly sometimes, the light out of it is pretty unreal so I'm going to try use it on my road bike.

I ordered one of these bike mounts too but it has been a casualty of DX's phantom shipments problem - never arrived 2 months after it was supposed to have been shipped.

So I'm looking for other ways to fix the torch to the bike. I tried wrapping foam around the bar and then using elastic bands to fix the torch down but that kept on moving around very easily. Any ideas?

Gavin

I've seen people use 'jubilee clips'



Put one around the handlebar and put one around the torch, going through the handlebar one at 180 degrees.

Hideous, ugly and probably dangerous with bits of metal sticking out, but effective apparently. Any DIY shop will have em.

Re the torch, have a look at cleaning the threads, scrapping off any anodising. Although some people seem to have had to replace the switch to fix it fully.

If it is the switch, an easy and useful replacement might be this
http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.12895

Handy when on the bike for changing modes.

Messy unfortunately, but sometimes dealextreme stuff can be poor quality.

Harpz

If its not meant to move and does -Duct tape

FrankGrimes

Thanks for the tips.

I'm looking more for something that isn't permanent so that I can remove it when leaving it locked at work - I'd use cable ties if I didn't have to easily loosen it to take away but can't think of much that would help, though if I could find velcro straps that might do a bit better than elastic bands.

TinyExplosions

these are yer only man for the job -use em every day, and they're fab!

blorg

What Tiny says, Lockblocks.

DealExtreme now seem to have a version of the inline type suitable for helmet mounting but they don't seem to have the 90 degree type suitable for bar mounting.

Turbulent Bill

TinyExplosions wrote: »

these are yer only man for the job -use em every day, and they're fab!

Can you adjust the 'pan' angle on these, i.e., the left/right alignment relative to the front wheel? I was going to get one of these for my Ultrafire torch, but went for the Fenix mount (from fenixtorch.com) that FrankGrimes ordered as you can adjust both the up/down 'pitch' and 'pan' angles. This is handy for curved MTB-style bars.

For the record it works well, only issues are the 'pan' adjustment is a bit coarse and it rattles slightly when riding over rough surfaces.

My Ultrafire does the mode switching thing too, usually when the battery is starting to run down. I think the torch tries to regulate the light to the power available, so if you select 'high' mode with a weak battery it will continually try to switch to it before dropping in output. Are the Fenix ones more consistent?

TinyExplosions

Turbulent Bill wrote: »

Can you adjust the 'pan' angle on these, i.e., the left/right alignment relative to the front wheel

No, you can't (but it's not been an issue for me as I've straight bars!), but a good thing to bear in mind. I got it for the simplicity -great bits of kit imo (and no rattle!)!

Turbulent Bill wrote: »

My Ultrafire does the mode switching thing too, usually when the battery is starting to run down. I think the torch tries to regulate the light to the power available, so if you select 'high' mode with a weak battery it will continually try to switch to it before dropping in output. Are the Fenix ones more consistent?

The Fenix ones will get dimmer, but not switch mode afaik

blorg

Turbulent Bill wrote: »

Can you adjust the 'pan' angle on these, i.e., the left/right alignment relative to the front wheel?

No, you can't. You can adjust up/down.

Are the Fenix ones more consistent?

Mine is entirely consistent but it only has two modes, standard and turbo, and they are selected by twisting the front- clicky switch just turns on and off.

Lumen

FrankGrimes wrote: »

I bought one of these torches from DealExtreme and though it does turn off and change modes randomly sometimes

I have a similar torch, and on advice from boardsies fixed a similar issue by sticking a short rod of metal (encased in a piece of cork) into the spring area in the bottom end (near the pill). This increases the spring tension on the top end, and prevents the battery from disconnecting over bumps, which changes modes.

FrankGrimes

Jeez, is there anything even mildly related that loads of people on here don't know bucket loads about? Good complaint I guess!

I reckon I'll go for the velcro straps Tiny linked to as I need to strap it to the horizontal bars as my Garmin is on my stem. If the Fenix mount that allows panning ever arrives from DealExtreme I'll just regard that as a bonus.

Verb, that switch looks interesting but the reviews suggest it being a momentary switch (whatever that is) means it might also cause slips between modes though at that price I've little to lose....but I'll need to solve the problem in the interim as the torch may have biodegraded by the time the delivery arrives from DX.

Lumen, not sure I follow what you mean about the short metal rod and why it should be encased in cork or where it should go? If you have a camera handy I'm sure a photo would speak a thousand words. Is there any common material you cut the piece off (e.g. what type of metal and did it just need 5mm or so)? Thanks, it's a great light so I'd love to get it working properly.

Lumen

FrankGrimes wrote: »

Lumen, not sure I follow what you mean about the short metal rod and why it should be encased in cork or where it should go? If you have a camera handy I'm sure a photo would speak a thousand words. Is there any common material you cut the piece off (e.g. what type of metal and did it just need 5mm or so)? Thanks, it's a great light so I'd love to get it working properly.

You just need to increase the spring tension somehow.

You can try pulling the spring out a bit, but that didn't work for me.

Or you can insert some sort of spacer. The problem is that it can't be a conductive spacer (e.g. coin) - it'll short the battery against the case, or a insulating spacer - it'll prevent the current from flowing.

I basically just shoved something inside the spring bit so it wouldn't compress. I used the short metal rod from the corner of a Ikea shelf, encased in a shorter section of cork to stop it shorting the case (so only the ends are conductive). It didn't fit as I intended, but did the trick anyway.

I'm sure you can improvise a more elegant solution.

TinyExplosions

Coin covered in electrical tape should do it

@FrankGrimes -we just pretend to know about stuff, most of the time we're clueless really

MREGAN

Here is a method lots of us are using at the minute. Cant fault it cheap handy and wont mark the bars. Put one bit of inner tube on the bars and cut another section to wrap around the torch and bars.

Lumen

TinyExplosions wrote: »

Coin covered in electrical tape should do it

Pah, tried that. Couldn't find a coin that fitted.

Ghost Rider

What do you do with the two ends of the inner tube you've wrapped around the torch/bars? Tie or glue them together?

MREGAN wrote: »

Here is a method lots of us are using at the minute. Cant fault it cheap handy and wont mark the bars. Put one bit of inner tube on the bars and cut another section to wrap around the torch and bars.

Gavin

I was also wondering this. I can see how to do it with one whole tube, but not cut up ones

FrankGrimes

Cheers for that idea on the tubing MREGAN. Sister is probably gonna pick me up one of the velcro straps Tiny linked to for Christmas but might try that in the interim.

short circuit

TinyExplosions wrote: »

these are yer only man for the job -use em every day, and they're fab!

I have a spare one of these if anyone is interested. Free to go .. I ordered a pack of 3 ... but only have 2 flashlights .. and these won't go on the helmet .. just the bar.

If anyone has the helmet mount version and wants to exchange .. even better. Dublin based ...

MREGAN

I've just noticed the photo is slightly different than what I do. I have added a diagram of how Mine fixes onto the bars. I am no artist so bear with it hope you can follow it. Remember the extra bit of tubing around the bars to stop rub.

Sean02

Beats me why anyone would contemplate going to so much bother when you can get perfectly adequat and neat front and back sets of lights for less than €20. Torches are useful in the house in case of power failure, fishermen use them as do moterist for map reading. cyclists don't.

Gavin

I guess you don't cycle where there is no lighting

FrankGrimes

Sean02 the torch I'm looking to fix to the bike is an Ultrafire Cree C2. Until you've seen a torch like that in action and seen the great light it gives off I wouldn't expect you to understand why any of us here would go to the hassle of finding a way to fix it to the bike.

When I'm driving I always wonder why the majority of cyclists seem to only have a flashing front light instead of a proper beam. I've noticed a few really visible cyclists around recently and what drew my attention to them that split second faster than usual was the excellent torches they had.

Plus, if you cycle any areas that have no street lighting like I do then being seen isn't the only thing you need as you need to see the road properly and the way this thing lights up such a large area is well worth it.

kenmc

Sean02 wrote: »

Beats me why anyone would contemplate going to so much bother when you can get perfectly adequat and neat front and back sets of lights for less than €20.

They're generally about as useful as the 'perfectly fine' cycle tracks.

Sean02

Apologies I'm not a expert however I do a lot of cycling after dark at this time of year on unlit roads and find the flashing lights very effective in prompting drivers to dip their lights. What about the Big Bang type light and fitting. Talk to Jimmy Stagg in Lucan for advice. Impressive youtube of torch, would have liked to see clip with oncoming car included. Anyhow I always regard your rear as the most vunerable for night cycling. Remind me about the "perfectly good cycle path"!!. Happy Christmas all.

TinyExplosions

Sean02 wrote: »

Apologies I'm not a expert however I do a lot of cycling after dark at this time of year on unlit roads and find the flashing lights very effective in prompting drivers to dip their lights. What about the Big Bang type light and fitting. Talk to Jimmy Stagg in Lucan for advice. Impressive youtube of torch, would have liked to see clip with oncoming car included. Anyhow I always regard your rear as the most vunerable for night cycling. Remind me about the "perfectly good cycle path"!!. Happy Christmas all.

Ah!
I think then you may be missing the distinction between 'being seen' and 'lighting your way'. In town, with street lights and shop lights etc etc, the torches can be overkill (if there is such a term), and flashing lights can be more visible. However, if you're out on unlit country roads (up towards Sally Gap say), then you need something with a lot more power -hence the recommendations above

blorg

@Sean02- I can't believe that you have actually cycled any distance on unlit roads and consider a flashy to be sufficient. Whatever about cars seeing you, how do you see the road?

Sean02

Inner tubes, gun barrel and cork, old pennys, jubilee clips, overkill, blinding motorists, why not take the easy and sensible option.
http://www.cateye.com/en/product_category/52
The Sally Gap most nights is no problem try some of the back roads around Ballymun or Blanch.

TinyExplosions

Sean02 wrote: »

Inner tubes, gun barrel and cork, old pennys, jubilee clips, overkill, blinding motorists, why not take the easy and sensible option.
http://www.cateye.com/en/product_category/52
The Sally Gap most nights is no problem try some of the back roads around Ballymun or Blanch.

The lights we linked to are brighter, and more suitable (and in many cases cheaper) than the cateyes you've linked to. Now, obviously it comes down to a case of personal preference, but I'd choose one of my lights over a cateye any day of the week, and yes, I have cycled back roads around Blanch and Ballymun at night, along with many other unlit back roads, so I do have some experience in this matter!

blorg

To get even into similar brightness class with Cateye you are looking at spending hundreds of euros- and even then they aren't nearly as bright as a $40 torch from Deal Extreme.

I have cycled in the dark with a 1-watt Cateye (HL-520) and yes, you can just about do it, but you can't go all that fast and have to be pretty careful to stay on the road. I can understand using something like this if you have a short section of commute on unlit roads, as it will manage. Cycling hundreds of km in the dark you would quickly start to want something brighter. Also, note that the ones with a flashy mode are even dimmer than this.

kenmc

Sean02 wrote: »

Inner tubes, gun barrel and cork, old pennys, jubilee clips, overkill, blinding motorists, why not take the easy and sensible option.
http://www.cateye.com/en/product_category/52
The Sally Gap most nights is no problem try some of the back roads around Ballymun or Blanch.

Why would you pay over the odds for an inferior product with many if not all of the following limitations?
- Bicycle specific mounting, sometimes not even capable of handling oversized bars
- Specific and/or integrated battery packs which are expensive to replace or to get a spare. Useless if your battery dies while out on the road.
- Oftentimes extremely heavy
- Oftentimes of low light and/or runtimes
- Extremely high buck:lumens ratio
vs
- Generic torch, can be used for cycling, camping, in powercut etc, with a variety of mounting options (helmet, bars etc)
- Readily available, cheap, standard batteries
- Lightweight, usually good runtimes
- Low buck:lumens ratio

Seems like a no-brainer to me - it IS the easy and sensible option.

TinyExplosions

^^hehe, he said 'oftentimes'... twice!

Fancy pants

Greenman

FrankGrimes wrote: »

I bought one of these torches from DealExtreme and though it does turn off and change modes randomly sometimes, the light out of it is pretty unreal so I'm going to try use it on my road bike.

I So I'm looking for other ways to fix the torch to the bike. I tried wrapping foam around the bar and then using elastic bands to fix the torch down but that kept on moving around very easily. Any ideas?

Your only man:)

IM0

Greenman wrote: »

Your only man:)

given this was about 1 year ago, Id say its fairly safe to assume he found a solution by now

Greenman

me@ucd wrote: »

given this was about 1 year ago, Id say its fairly safe to assume he found a solution by now

Fair comment but it might be of interest to people new to these Cree flashlights.

I really love these lights, bought one, so amazed I bought four more.:)

IM0

Greenman wrote: »

Fair comment but it might be of interest to people new to these Cree flashlights.

I really love these lights, bought one, so amazed I bought four more.:)

ah I was half joking, actually Im looking into fork mounted lights/brackets myself, the current bar setup for drop bars for roadbikes doesnt fill me with confidence as your arms and the hoods 'extension' masks most of the light Id say, would have to be something as solid as a rock though, and be able to take fast bumpy descents up to 40mph/60km/hr+

Do most who use light mount them on the handlebars, anyone have a fork mounted one? - I feel a pole coming along TBA!

Redjeep!

me@ucd wrote: »

I feel a pole coming:D TBA!

No need to get that excited about it all. It's only a torch.:D

Gavin

me@ucd wrote: »

ah I was half joking, actually Im looking into fork mounted lights/brackets myself, the current bar setup for drop bars for roadbikes doesnt fill me with confidence as your arms and the hoods 'extension' masks most of the light Id say, would have to be something as solid as a rock though, and be able to take fast bumpy descents up to 40mph/60km/hr+

Do most who use light mount them on the handlebars, anyone have a fork mounted one? - I feel a pole coming along TBA!

Mounted ones on my fork before, it works ok, but can be fiddly to get at the correct angle and also depends on the thickness of the fork. I had a steel fork, so was quite thin. Couldn't fit it onto my carbon fork. I used one of the adjustable fenix mounts. They make a rattling noise, but if you wrap a band around em they keep quiet. Or even get it at the right angle and just glue it.

rottenhat

me@ucd wrote: »

Do most who use light mount them on the handlebars, anyone have a fork mounted one? - I feel a pole coming along TBA!

I run a bar-mounted light at the moment, but I'm planning on switching to a fork-mounted light running off a hub dynamo, and keeping the bar-mounted light for back-up/additional illumination on descents etc.

doozerie

Here is another option, but also from DealExtreme.

I've found old bike toe straps to be excellent for a connecting anything to anything else on the bike. They wouldn't be as effective at holding a torch as something like the lockblocks but they are still fairly effective and certainly very useful in a pinch. Seems to be tough to find them available online though, or at least those I found online at CRC and Wiggle just now are a completely ridiculous price. Tiny bungee cords work well too, in a pinch.