Giant Doofus

I want to add a headlight to my road bike, but don't have room on the bars because I'm using cross-bar levers. I'd love to mount the light to my fork crown, but, alas, the canti brake straddle wire is in the way. I've been looking at the Topeak bar extender and the Minoura accessory holder.

Here's the Topeak: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000FIAVN8/...I34H3D53UEP6FJ
Here's the Minoura: Amazon.com : Minoura Accessory Holder with Angle Adjustable LW-Clamp for Up 2 Devices : Bike Trainer Accessories : Sports & Outdoors

Is there any particular reason to prefer one over the other? Are they both pretty easy to install? All I want is a place to attach a Cygolite Expellion 850 and a Garmin Touring Edge on occasion.

TenSpeedV2

What about this?

SLi Light Bundle | Bar Fly

Giant Doofus

Very cool. I hadn't seen that before. Unfortunately, the mounting points are right where my brake levers are attached.

TenSpeedV2

Your brake lever attaches right next to the stem? This places the computer and light out in front of the stem. You need maybe 1/2" of bar space to mount this, right next to the stem.

JohnJ80

The problem with most accessory mounting gadgets when used with lights is the vibration. I use these and really like them. They have a CF mount bar but the rest is machined aluminum.



Pro Carbon Computer, GPS, and Accessory Mount Kit<br>Garmin Compatible - www.AVT.Bike

J.

HardyWeinberg

I like the nitto option:

Giant Doofus

Yes. In fact, the cross-bar levers are attached in almost exactly the same spot where the Nitto bar extender pictured below is.

I like this option a lot too, just wish that real estate hadn't already been claimed by the brake levers!

Giant Doofus

I like it. I'll have to make some measurements to see if there is any way to squeeze something like this in next to the brake levers.

When I get home, I'll make a picture of the bars and post it here so that everyone can see what I'm working with. Everyone has made great suggestions, but I think those brake levers would get in the way of most of them.

TenSpeedV2

This is all the room you need.



Can you post a picture of the bars/stem area of your bike?

fietsbob

SJS cycles accessory Bar replaces 27mm of spacers under your stem , Thorn Accessory Bar T Shaped 105 mm Extension - £16.99

phughes

I have the Topeak on my LHT and it works fine. It installs easily. Just about two weeks ago though I moved my Piko 3 light to the fork so I am not using the Topeka at the moment. I removed the top half of the Topeak mount leaving just the base mount. It is nice to be able to do that. The Topeka has been on my bike since 2011. It is a very solid mount.

cyccommute 

Both of the adapters work okay but each has warts. The Topeak is a bit bouncy due to the round stalk and ball head. It's not a positive as it should be and it gets worse for more load.

The Minoura works well for 31.8mm bars but not so well for 26mm or 25.4mm bars. It needs lots of shims (which can slip) to fit a narrower handlebar. You could use it as a replacement spacer on your steertube but it's not ideal for that. If you want to use it on the bars, you have to turn it 90°. It's just not that optimal.

For some reason, both come with really small diameter tubes to hold the accessory. They are around 3/4" or less. To clamp a light that is meant to go on to a 25.4mm bar, you have to shim the clamp with a lot of rubber. The Minoura is a bit better than the Topeak in that you can replace the tube with a 1" aluminum tube and have a better mount.

But, if you have a 4 bolt faceplate stem like the one TenSpeedV2 shows, you can get the best accessory bar I've every used from Velo Orange. The bar has a large diameter...31.8mm or close to it... which might make mounting some lights difficult but it's rock steady and doesn't take up any handlebar space. It juts out from the face plate about an inch. While the other two attachments can turn on the bar, this one won't turn at all. It simply never moves.

Giant Doofus

Here's the image. It looks like there is more room there than I had remembered. That mount you linked to might fit there (https://www.avt.bike/WebStore/merchan..._Code=PCHBM-01).

[IMG]IMG_0255 [/IMG]

Giant Doofus

That looks like just the thing I need. Thanks!

TenSpeedV2

You already have a Barfly mount on there!! Is that your bike? Just get the one that has the mount underneath for the light.

ColonelSanders

How does the bar attach to the arms?

Does it just slip on?

Is it fixed in place?

I'm trying to work out how one goes about screwing in the replacement screws that are the arms of that device?

ColonelSanders

I love the look of that, but my inner weight weenie is concerned.

ColonelSanders

I am not a fan of the Topeak bar extender, as I had to cut up some old tube to wrap around my handlebars then put the Topeak bar extender over it, otherwise it just kept sliding around and never gripped properly.

cyccommute 

The bar has a slot machined into it that a pair of bolts slide along. The long supports are threaded with a female thread on the end inside the plastic bar as well as a male thread on the other end. The bolts inside the plastic bar are loosened so that the proper width can be set, then the longer bolts are screwed into the stem as replacements for 2 of the bolts on the faceplate. The flats on the long bolts take a 7mm wrench. Once the faceplate bolts are secure, the bolts in the plastic bar are tightened and there is a cover plate that can be put in place if you like. I would use the cover since it tends to whistle without them.

It's actually a quite elegant design.

Giant Doofus

That's good to know. Thanks.

TenSpeedV2

Was it meant for your bar size?

Giant Doofus

Thank you! The bike shop put that on for my computer when I had the stem swapped out. I hadn't realized that it was the same thing you were talking about.

I love this forum. There is an amazing amount of expertise and generosity here!

TenSpeedV2

You are welcome. And yep, same thing. I have a 2 different Barfly mounts and so far, they are the best mounts that I have come across. Just got my second one for my Edge 810 and it is even better than the one for my Cateye.

ColonelSanders

The Topeak website states "Fits ø22~ø38 mm", and I'm pretty sure my handlebar diameter is in that range.

ColonelSanders

Thanks.

A very good chance I will get this in the near future.