A classy light to go with my vintage steed
 

so..i'm finishing up my 73 Holdsworth which I hope to be using as a commuter. I wanted to put a light on the front but i didn't like the modern options that are available. The only light i can find is the bullet style that i'm not crazy about. Does anybody have any classy options that would look correct on a vintage steed? TIA!

I have one of these on my vintage bike. It is very small yet bright enough to ride in total darkness. It is so small that when turned off, you may forget it's on the bike (or at least not worry about it). The battery lasts a long time in use (hours) and battery life has been good (rechargeable lithium ion).


It's also on sale at REI. https://www.rei.com/product/845389/c...ont-bike-light


https://www.rei.com/media/31eb0293-a...2-934092d91839

B&M make a modern light that looks proper:

http://www.peterwhitecycles.com/imag...EC_Classic.jpg

Lumotec Classic, available at Peter White and other fine establishments

edit: forgot the "B" in B&M

That B&M light is a dynamo light, is it not?

https://velo-classic.de/oxid2/Fahrra...tscheinwerfer/


Front light for old bike. new parts for old bikes

Yes

In my opinion, from an aesthetic perspective, the way a light is mounted is more important than the light itself. Where do you plan to mount this headlight? Does your bike have fenders, or a lamp bracket on the right fork blade?

If you have fairly robust fenders, you can mount a headlight on top of the front fender, and almost any headlight will look good there. This is a Hermans H-Diver lamp:
https://c1.staticflickr.com/3/2876/3...36606e5c_b.jpg

If you have a front rack, you may have to do a little more fiddling to attach a light. I made this bracket from a worn out chainring:
https://c1.staticflickr.com/3/2823/3...c01e8785_b.jpg

These are both dynamo powered lights, of course. I don't bother with battery lights.

I haven't seen a light that really looks "right", so I think it's best to go with something modern but understated. Rudi's ideas above are very good, IMO.

thanks for the links everybody. I was hoping to find something like the one @gugie mentioned. But I would prefer battery powered. I want to mount it to the forks via the brake hole. But i'm not opposed to handlebar mounting though

Well then, Googling "vintage looking bicycle lights", I found this:

https://i.ebayimg.com/00/s/MTAwMFgxM...Ub2-I/$_58.JPG

https://www.ebay.com/p/?iid=11152418...pp=true&chn=ps

Linus sells some, but they look suspiciously like ones that cost much less on Amazon.

https://www.linusbike.com/collection...ssories-lights

But Linus makes a nice North Road style handlebar, so some of there stuff is quality.

If money is no object, you should go for one of the Supernova lights: Supernova battery headlights from Peter White Cycles

More affordably, this Sigma looks pretty nice: https://www.rosebikes.de/artikel/sig...hte/aid:471098

On my bikes that don't have dynohubs, I use a rechargeable Cygolite and can vouch for it -- very bright and great battery life. The one posted above looks more vintage than mine, though.

Alternately, this BF user did a nice job with a stainless steel flashlight and a nice mount: http://www.bikeforums.net/11364264-post11.html

These might be the "bullet" style you said you're not looking for, but Soma sells a couple of battery-operated ones:

Soma Torpedo Mk 5 Retro Light
Soma Torpedo Mk 2 Front Light (Steel)