Commuting - Rear light with rear rack...where?

Where can I put my rear light with my rear rack???

Above the tire on the monostay/wishbone... On the back of the bag... Next to the wheel on the stay... Back of helmet...

I drilled a hole and attached a closet rod (light plastic) bracket to the underside of the rack. I attached the light to that.

I cannot quite discern from your photo whether the following would work, but I am using a "Trek" rear light that has a clip on the back. I found a place on my seat bag to clip the light. If you find a rear light with such a clip, you could even clip it to your pants. Unless, of course, you are riding "nekkid".

Above the tire on the monostay/wishbone... On the back of the bag... Next to the wheel on the stay... Back of helmet...

It seems as though if I put it on the wishbone, it will be under the bag, and good chances are that it will not be visible to drivers.
Back of the bag just doesn't seem trustworthy to me. Perhaps too much flopping around and quite possibly come flying off along the way.
Next to the wheel...wouldn't that be too low and out of the general field of view of drivers. Especially the one's I'm worried most about around here ~ the elderly, barely can see above their knees.
Back of helmet...I would think that could possibly be a citation waiting to happen since it's not 'on the vehicle'.? Too much movement there also, what if I'm hunched over too far? May give motorists the idea that there is more room between them and the bicycle that there actually is cause the light would be halfway up the length of the bike at that point.

My "RealLite" is attached to my trunk bag with a zip tie through the loop the shoulder strap hooks into. It has been there for 2 years now. Since a RealLite isn't very light, I'm sure any other LED taillight would be equally secure. It does bob a little, but the RealLite is so big you can get away with that. Try it and have someone follow you for a few blocks to see how it works for the light you have. I also have a light on the back of my helmet as a back-up if batteries fail unexpectedly. There is no rule that you can only have one taillight.

There is no rule that you can only have one taillight.

I meant that since the light wasn't 'hardened' to the bike or may occasionally slip out of motorists visibility, it might not count as a tail-light at all. Maybe I'm just a bit too worried about it all.

You are right that you have to have a tail light or reflector on the bike to be legal, but for being seen redundancy helps. Although you probably don't have to worry much about rain & muddy roads, around here if you mount a tail light anyplace on a bike without a rear fender it will be quickly covered in enough road spray to seriously reduce its visibility. Having a light on your helmet means it is further away from the spray and may maintain visibility. Especially if you are using a small (<4 LED's) light, you need more than one.

Where can I put my rear light with my rear rack???

My trunk bags all have a loop for mounting a light so I ride with one there, but have another one permanently mounted on the left seat stay. The new Visa-lite has a bracket with enough adjustments to get the perfect angle. Being on the seat stay it stays relatively clean compared to the one on my trunk bag when things get wet or muddy.

Back of the bag just doesn't seem trustworthy to me. Perhaps too much flopping around and quite possibly come flying off along the way.

Back of helmet...I would think that could possibly be a citation waiting to happen since it's not 'on the vehicle'.? Too much movement there also, what if I'm hunched over too far? May give motorists the idea that there is more room between them and the bicycle that there actually is cause the light would be halfway up the length of the bike at that point.

A light on the back of the seat bag doesn't flop around too much. Well, it doesn't flop around too much as long as the bag is the right size for the bike, and as long as the bag is secured tightly.

A light on the back of the head is a good way to get motorists' attention, especially if you've got another tail light somewhere else on the bike. A light mounted so high in the rear is unusual for a vehicle, and many motorists will be puzzled and wary.

Police harassment to the point of giving you a ticket for a light on your *head* and not on your bike is giong to be uncommon. I wouldn't worry about it unless you've got special reason to be concerned in your area. (You might even beat such a ticket in court, if you take it to a judge.) Think of all the people who ride at night without lights, reflectors, or anything who go unticketed on a regular basis.

Above the tire on the monostay/wishbone... On the back of the bag... Next to the wheel on the stay... Back of helmet...

Exactly - any of those places would do.

I have to get creative with mine too -
On my Randonneuring bicycle, I've got the light on my rack stays, low down near the hub, on both sides. If you angle the light up a bit, it can still be seen. I've also got the light on the back of my bag and you can keep it from flopping around with zipties or a bit of creative sewing.

On my commuter bicycle, I've got it on the seatpost under the rack, yes, tucked way in there ... and a coworker who drives came to me about a month ago and told me that he was very impressed with my light - he could see it from quite a distance. I've also attached a light to the back of my bag there too, (although I wasn't using it when my coworker saw me). My bag didn't have anything to attach a light to, and so again with a bit of sewing I've modified it so it holds the light quite nicely. I ride on some pretty rough roads here and it is fine.

I used about a 9 inch peice of 1/8x1/2 Al flat stock to make a L shaped bracket with a half twist on the way up so the light mounting bracket could be bolted directly to it. Two drilled holes for mounting under the rack and 1 hole for the light mounting bracket. This has worked out very well for me. :)

ps. All you need is a hack saw and drill to do this.

I used about a 9 inch peice of 1/8x1/2 Al flat stock to make a L shaped bracket with a half twist on the way up so the light mounting bracket could be bolted directly to it. Two drilled holes for mounting under the rack and 1 hole for the light mounting bracket. This has worked out very well for me. :)

ps. All you need is a hack saw and drill to do this.

Can you post a pic(s)?

Exactly - any of those places would do.

I have to get creative with mine too -
On my Randonneuring bicycle, I've got the light on my rack stays, low down near the hub, on both sides. If you angle the light up a bit, it can still be seen. I've also got the light on the back of my bag and you can keep it from flopping around with zipties or a bit of creative sewing.

On my commuter bicycle, I've got it on the seatpost under the rack, yes, tucked way in there ... and a coworker who drives came to me about a month ago and told me that he was very impressed with my light - he could see it from quite a distance. I've also attached a light to the back of my bag there too, (although I wasn't using it when my coworker saw me). My bag didn't have anything to attach a light to, and so again with a bit of sewing I've modified it so it holds the light quite nicely. I ride on some pretty rough roads here and it is fine.

Can you post some pictures?

Can you post some pictures?
Here's my rear tail light setup.

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

The red tail lights are mounted on a T-shaped piece of aluminum that is bent and bolted to the underside of the rack. The clear (now amber) strobe is mounted to the top of the rack with an angle piece that came from the LBS.

Back of the bag just doesn't seem trustworthy to me. Perhaps too much flopping around and quite possibly come flying off along the way.


I use a Carradice saddlebag and clip a taillight on the back of it. Despite the light being able to flop around, it's still there after about a thousand miles.

Hope these help.