DenveScubaSteve

Hey All,

Last week I installed a tailight, YEAH!, I tried to rig it up on the rack but no luck.
The first time I go out using it, I stop get off to go turn it off, and , DANG IT! it's gone.
This was about 10 miles later. On the way home I couldn't find it anywhere. I should have just thrown $10 down the drain. Well, at least is was a cheap one.
This leads me to ask,

How do you guys attach a tail light to a rack? Seems to me that if you use a trunk bag, you can't mount it on the seat post and, my Cannondale has too big of a chainstay for the chainstay mount.

I knew I should have just zip tied the snot out of it.

Oh yeah, like most people say, this thread will be pretty useless without pictures.

Thanks All!

wunderkind

I think you need a special bracket. Maybe Home Depot carries it. See this pic for reflector, same idea with light.

CACycling

I'd try this:

https://www.amazon.com/Planet-Bike-Mo...3651309&sr=1-3

barturtle

Most trunk bags have a loop to attack a blinkie to...

DTSCDS

I had often wondered what the loop of webbing was for!
I've learned my one thing for today!

truman

It's for losing blinkies from.


I have a small right-angle bracket bolted to the rack. There are two holes in the vertical side of the bracket. I bored two corresponding holes in the clip of my Superflash. A ziptie goes up thru the bracket holes, then down, thru the blinkie holes, then zips tight, holding the blinkie secure.

rumrunn6

this is a wicked pain in the butt but what I've done is used thin metal strapping to make my own mount. the strapping is 1" wide with holes in it. I cut a 5" piece and mount it horizontally on the back of the rack. then on one side I mount a reflector and on the other side I bend it so that when I slide the strobe on it won't slide off. I also use a rubber band to hold it in place. I have to keep the rubber bands on the new side to be sure they don't fail

scoatw

What I've done here is. I mounted a PVC pipe to the rack. And use it to mount three tail-lights to that. Gives me plenty of rear light to give to the cars.

With the reflective tape and the extra reflectors I've added. I light up like a Christmas tree when cars come up behind me at my 4:30am commute. Features a grunge guard on the derailleur to protect it from the weather.

Erick L

Get a light that's made for racks: https://www.thetouringstore.com/BUSCH...LER%20HOME.htm

JanMM

"designed to fit the European 2-bolt mounting bracket"

Not saying that's a bad thing, mind you.

Erick L

Get a rack that's made for lights.

Square & Compas

You don't need a special bracket. You need a piece of plastic and some cable ties. I used a spare piece of corroplast I had. I use 3 tail lights. I clipped the lights to the plastic with the built in "belt" clips and used the cable ties to hold them in place. I had to punch some holes through the plastic with a pair of scissors to do so. I then cable tied the plastic to the rear rack.

tsl

Or, get a light that's made for racks.

The CatEye TL-LD1100 for instance. Comes with the screw you need, right in the box. (Yeah, it has all the other mounting stuff in the box too.)





Also mounts to a standard reflector bracket, which can then be mounted to most racks.



Nice thing about the screw mount is that I never have to worry about someone stealing the light while my bike is parked.

exile

I have the Planet Bike Rack Blinky 5: https://www.amazon.com/Planet-Bike-30...dp/B0015R1N76/ It came with the mount that CACycling posted. I don't remember if it came with the seatpost mount but I think the PB rear mounts are universal.

buck65

All you need is a screw, washer, nut, and a drop of Loctite. I've got the 9 LED Viewpoint light--you can actually remove the light from the black bracket. I did this while screwing the bracket to the rack. After that, you just snap the light into place. Nothing's come loose in the past 600 miles.

Pic1

Pic2

Pic3

tarwheel 

A lot of you are assuming that all racks come with a mounting bracket or screw hole(s) on the back of the rack. Many do not. I struggled with the same issue, trying to find a bracket to attach to the rather small-diameter tubing on my rack. I finally opted to get a Planet Bike Superflash, and use the included mount to attach it to a seat stay.

I've since gone to a Dinotte 140 as my primary rear light, and that presented a whole new set of problems. I ended up using hose clamps to attach a 1" dia PVC pipe to the back of my rack, and attached the Dinotte to the pipe with their O-ring. My Superflash attaches to the back of my seatbag, with another one on the back of my helmet.

tsl

No need for that sort of fabrication at all. Just wrap the O-ring around a rack leg twice. (Or in your case, around the same crossmember you ran the hose clamps around.)


Same bike as above, DiNotte mounted on outside of rack leg.



My primary commuter, DiNotte mounted on inside of rack leg. This position does not interfere with panniers, nor do the panniers interfere with the DiNotte.



Ah, but where to put the battery pack? Using the velcro strap included with the light, I velcro the battery pack to a rack crossmember.

DenveScubaSteve

Good Good. Keep it up guys there really isn't a lot of information out there about attaching lights to racks.

My rack does have a tail light holding place. Now off to get a new light and mount it up!

Andy_K 

I use the Planet Bike rack bracket with their Superflash.

dhay

My rear rack has a couple of holes in the main platform. I got a 3" in angle bracket (link below is a 5") and bolted it to the rear rack. The blinky light got removed from the seat post bracket and screwed to the angle bracket. I think it was something like $3 for a package of 4.


https://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc1...atalogId=10053