Emergency Taillight for Trailer
09-12-07, 09:35 PM
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Emergency Taillight for Trailer
As I pulled my son in the old Burley d'Lite after dinner tonight, I was wondering if I had a mechanical failure and had to ride home in the dusk or dark. The bike I pull the trailer with has front lights and rear LEDs, but the trailer would block the view of the rear LEDs. The trailer has two reflectors - one on the bottom left, one on the bottom right - which I could replace with red LEDs, but those locations seem too low to me. On the other hand, there's no obvious mounting location higher up. The best location I can come up with are the two plastic pieces on the sides, where the rear handle for the stroller attachment is inserted. Any other ideas?
09-12-07, 10:17 PM
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The rear handle or its attachment might be a good place to hang something. Or you might find another location with ingenuity.
On my former child trailer, I had sown a few large reflectors on the fabric itself and I had added lights on the left side of the frame. Here is a not-so-perfect picture of the setup:
I know the picture is a bit too low, but here is what I did:
– I removed a few stitches at the top left of the fabric (near the flag, at the top).
– I inserted an angle bracket that I attached onto the frame using two pipe clamps.
- On the top part of the bracket, I bolted a piece of aluminium tubing, 1" diametre.
- I used the standard seatpost clamps to attach the taillights to the bracket.
On my former child trailer, I had sown a few large reflectors on the fabric itself and I had added lights on the left side of the frame. Here is a not-so-perfect picture of the setup:
I know the picture is a bit too low, but here is what I did:
– I removed a few stitches at the top left of the fabric (near the flag, at the top).
– I inserted an angle bracket that I attached onto the frame using two pipe clamps.
- On the top part of the bracket, I bolted a piece of aluminium tubing, 1" diametre.
- I used the standard seatpost clamps to attach the taillights to the bracket.
09-12-07, 10:46 PM
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As I pulled my son in the old Burley d'Lite after dinner tonight, I was wondering if I had a mechanical failure and had to ride home in the dusk or dark. The bike I pull the trailer with has front lights and rear LEDs, but the trailer would block the view of the rear LEDs. The trailer has two reflectors - one on the bottom left, one on the bottom right - which I could replace with red LEDs, but those locations seem too low to me. On the other hand, there's no obvious mounting location higher up. The best location I can come up with are the two plastic pieces on the sides, where the rear handle for the stroller attachment is inserted. Any other ideas?
Cateye LD100
Nashbar Tiny Light Set
I use the Tiny Light Set, and have looped the elastic straps through the the air vents in my helmet. They're pretty bright -- brighter than you might think they are -- and might work well for occasional use when you find yourself riding after dusk. Since they each have only one LED, however, I wouldn't recommend the red one as a rear light for frequent/regular use.
09-13-07, 12:02 AM
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I normally don't leave the stroller handle on the trailer ... but leaving it on might not be a bad idea - gives me a place high enough to mount a light.
09-27-07, 09:43 AM
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I have reflective tape for my motorcycle and boat that we used on the trailer. Always works.
10-08-07, 12:20 PM
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Recently, I got two of the PlanetBike BRT3 lights on sale at Nashbar for about $7 each. I used the seatpost attachments to affix them to the stroller handle of our old Trek trailer. Coming back from the park on Saturday, I was passed by a friend in her car. I asked her about the visibility of the lights and she said that they were visible from pretty far away at about 10:45 AM. I think I'm going to keep the blinkys going anytime I pull the trailer now.
10-12-07, 05:20 AM
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Many Rear blinky LED lights mount on a belt loop or some such attachment. If you have a Boat Cover Shop near by ask them to install a nylon strap onto the top cover of the trailer. Actually, I would put TWO on, one on either side near the upper supports so it would hold the light steadier. I'll bet it wouldn't cost much to to this.
Just a thought.
Chris
Just a thought.
Chris
