illdthedj

oh hey there!

i am buying a new fork. surly steamroller. i have my reasons.


anyway, i also would like some sort of headlight. mostly to be seen by cars from the front riding the streets, dont need anything super fancy or crazy bright (ie bulky and/or expensive). However i have VERY little room on the handlebars.

i hear these Knog lights are very convenient and fit on lots of stuff.

which ones will fit on the fork? or perhaps rather, which ones dont?

im thinking the fork blade will have to do as placement for the light, the handlebars are pretty busy already at the mo

thanks in advance etc.

squeegeesunny 

Depends which knog. Get the boomer, because hipster cysts dont really shine your paths at all.

illdthedj

i guess the one that will fit on a fork blade? ;p
yes i will probably avoid the frog (hipster cyst) since i hear its not very bright or helpful in any way....

krusty

If actually lighting your path is a concern, the fork is a bad place for a light that can't be adjusted in more than one axis.

cc700

it really depends. i think the gekko is too wide and the beetle is fine for a blinie but it's not really a headlight. if you want to be sure to be seen in a moment's notice, a skink or boomer are probably the only ones bright enough.

i love my boomer taillight as i'm sure you know.

the thing is, it's designed to balance itself on top of a bar, not from a fork. it would probably work but you might have to put it on a particular part of the fork blade to make sure it's snug enough.

gonathan85

I have this light mounted on my fork blade. You can adjust on the horizontal side/side axis...also vertical....

Only problem I have is that it looks kinda goofy...and might not be as visible down low on the bike...

Other than that, it's bright as heck...and works fine for me for now.

cc700

i HATE that mount. it takes forever to adjust or install and unless you trim it it has a leftover tab that always sticks out at the wrong place.

squeegeesunny 

I use my Mini mag flashlight + large rubberband wrapped around the bar multiple times. works great, and mag is supeeeer bright.

gonathan85

I trimmed it...didn't want to sit there ALL night twisting that knob...ugh. Still keeping my eyes open for something that will look/work better as well.

ianjk

https://www.ems.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3659073

plus I can mount it to my helmet with two big zip ties and not have to remove it from the bike everytime I stop.

Knogs are sleek and all, but when it comes to brightness and visibility, mounting them on your fork is a bad idea.

TejanoTrackie 

@ianjk - Agree 100%

WoundedKnee

You could mount it on the headtube hellloooo

*Scuba 

I mounted a light on to a friend's bike fork since she has a basket. The option that I went with was a Serfas SL-30WP light with a Serfas Universal Headlight Bracket. This was a pretty good set up. The bracket has lots of room for adjusting the angle of the light and if she decides she wants a brighter light in the future, she can just throw on another light.

carleton

You could always get the answer straight from the horse's mouth: https://www.knog.com.au/cms-contact-us/

Davidxvx

If you skid much, you may knock a light larger than a knog with you knee if it's on the fork.

bhop

I have a knog skink and it won't fit on my fork. It hits the spokes. Just an fyi.

chaadster

I have a few Knog Beetles, the 2-led model, and they should have no problem affixing to the Steamroller; only the band would be on the inside of the leg, and the housing would sit on the outside, so no worry about spoke contact. I think they are great lights (for being seen), and of course the styling is great, too.

day1si

I use a gekko on my steamroller, and I usually have it on the fork.

Snacklord

some companys also make a solid or tube-like deal that threads onto your front axle so you
can mount a light on it.... kind of like a short BMX freestyle trick peg....

here's one at Velo Orange for $25:



https://www.velo-orange.com/lowdolimoty1.html


or you can get one that attaches to the fork, if you want it a bit higher....

like this one at Velo Orange for $11:



https://www.velo-orange.com/mibeliho.html


I do a lot of my riding in the dark, so I have a really bright Halogen headlight with a rechargable
battery pack.... it's an older Light and Motion headlight, you can find them pretty cheap on ebay or
on Craigslist nowadays.... I can see very well, plus I don't have to spend money on AA batteries
any more..!! Been using it for 6 or 7 years now, zero complaints....

Snacklord

also found this in my saved links....

$20 at Paul Components:





https://www.paulcomp.com/ginolightmount.html

Dr. Banzai

$25 for that? Geez, baristas must be making good money to blow it on something like that.

Mount it high (bars or head). So the 4000 pound vehicle that needs to see it can. You also get more "throw" the higher up it is (from a rider's perspective).

Remember that you should be looking where you will be going. Not where you are going but where you WILL be going. Looking through a turn with a headlight on your helmet really helps this. My MEC led light is on my bars though. I have it mounted underneath to not kill my night vision when I'm in the boonies.

Dr. Banzai

take the top off a plastic bottle and drill or poke a hole through it for a bolt to fit through. If it isn't wide enough for your light hack the top off the bottle and break out the electrical tape. Cost? One pop or water. Lots of carbon saved.

Snacklord

I agree with keeping the light higher, like on the bars or a helmet so you can be seen better....
also with a lower light you'll deal with shadows from your wheel and/or spokes....


But, something is only 'overpriced' if you think it is, not the manufacturer or the seller....
personally, I'd rather pay $20 for something that would last a lifetime, vs. having to remake a
cheap plastic part that would definitely break after a while, either getting baked in the sunlight,
or that would crack over time from vibration and weight combination.... durability is a plus in
this case.... I wouldn't want my light to fall of and get wrapped up in my front wheel, breaking
the light, my spokes, or myself.... all of a sudden $20 isn't really that much money....

I was merely showing some examples of products (not mine) that would solve the problem....

Dr. Banzai

Well it's overpriced when you have perfectly capable and safer handlebars to mount it to.

But there is obviously someone that will pay $20+ for that. I think.

WoundedKnee

Ill, post a picture of your damn handlebars.