Commuting - Bike Rack Lights

I just put a rack on my commuter. It's a seatpost mount so now there's no place for my tail light. Does anyone know of a tail light that attaches to a rack?

Thanks

R

I've got a rack on my commuter and put a vistalite flasher attached to the rack. the bike shop I bought the light from had an l-shaped bracket that screwed right to the rack
mb

I also had a vistalite tail light attached to the back of my rack. My LBS fixed it for me, I think the guy did it just to gloat over his handy work. It works tho, that's all that matters to me.

I use a DToplight from B&M, which has a nice big reflector - my rack didn't have a mounting plate so I had to get a bracket - I'm fairly sure Sheldon's site sells them.

You should be able to use any light that has a round tab that will attach to a collar. Just some basic hardware will do, if you have a flat top carrier on a rear rack, look for a hole in it, then go to your hardware store and buy a 90° bracket for it, you can sometimes find them in the plant section since for overhead baskets some of them use these brackets but if you go to your basic nuts and bolts, you may find these there. Then once you have your braket, you'll need to find 2 sets of bolts and nuts, one to mount the 90° bracket to your rack and another to fit through the light itself (thereby replacing the collar bracket). If you do not have a hole in the top shelf of your rack, you can drill one or if you still don't, you can buy a "P-collar" which you might find in the plumbing section or still nuts and bolts. a P-collar will allow you to mount a bolt to a pipe or rack stay if you find one small enough. Then you can do the procedure from above. Bring the LED and bracket with you to the shop so you can verify that the bolt and nut you buy fits through the bolt hole in the light. Of course, I found all my needed hardware in my pile-o-nuts but YMMV.

I have a reflector mounted underneath the top shelf of my rear rack (An Old Man Mountain ) and I have a blinky LED light on top by doing the procedure I wrote above.

Jay

I just put a rack on my commuter. It's a seatpost mount so now there's no place for my tail light. Does anyone know of a tail light that attaches to a rack?
It's amazing what some multi-stranded picture-hanging wire and some ingenuity can accomplish...maybe even attaching your old light!

:D

Zip ties work when all else fails.

I went through the same ordeal when I attached my new rack. I tried searching web sites of the light and rack manufacturers, but the only mount I could find was for the seat post. I eventually made one from parts at the hardware store. I think it cost me $1.50 and about 20 minutes of my time.

Ronocerous, what brand are the rack and the taillight?

My rack is an Axiom Odysee seatpost- mounted rack. I use it on a dual suspension bike that's my commuter. The light I've been using is a Schwinn. It's a seatpost mount, too, but now there's no room. I also have a Specialized Afterburner, but it's terrible.

I think I'll try a hardware store and see if there's something I can rig up.

I've been in the habit for a long time now to throw various nuts, bolts, and screws into a toolkit, you never know when you need to find a miscellaneous screw for something. I'll just go through my toolbox and see if anything will work. Saves alot of hassle trying to find said piece in a big box hardware store. Especially metric stuff..

Good luck finding parts,

Jay

Hey, thanks for the ideas! I asked at four lbs places here (there are only four in my town)...nothing, but deer in the headlights looks. I'll try to rig up something.

R

...nothing, but deer in the headlights looks. I'll try to rig up something.

R

Ha ha ! Get used to it. The bike industry doesn't have a clue what the average commuter needs to survive!

Attention Entrepreneurs:

1. We'd like racks that have a standard mount for basic lights
2. Want to know where the mounts should go? Study a motorcycle
3. Now go get 'em!

Went into my LBS today and found light that mounts to the rack. The Cateye KL-LD-500. It certainly isn't the brightest or best light I have seen, but would get you started.

Here's the taillight setup I have on my seatpost mount rack.
One home made T-shaped bracket and one L bracket from the LBS.

http://home.mindspring.com/~rhorne/Raleigh1.jpg

Are those Vistalite Nebula's?

Here's the taillight setup I have on my seatpost mount rack.
One home made T-shaped bracket and one L bracket from the LBS.

http://home.mindspring.com/~rhorne/Raleigh1.jpg

Is that top one a white/yellow flasher? Nice light, but I think it's illegal to rear-mount them in my town... though I've been looking for one for the front of my helmet ;)

Just an update in case someone else is wondering about lights for a rear rack:

I figured if I rigged something up myself, it would either explode or melt or something so, I kept looking around. I found that Planet Bike had a special attachment for their tail lights to mount them on rear racks. I ordered their brt-7 light and the attachment. Light works great so far and the attachment is perfect.

Thanks for all the ideas.

Ron