Ok, I'm sold on the H.B. bag (I'm going to order a Arkel.) for commuting. The big question is, how to you mount a light on it? I have a Night Rider Pro. (??) It's getting too dark in the mornings to go with out a good light.

I'm curious too. I'm subscribing

I once made a contraption like this:



It screwed into the lowrider rack mount. If you don't have a lowrider rack mount you could still rig something. Or just get the pictured Cronometro NOB. There are other light mounts that attach to the fork crown.

I have used little cylinders like the above that mount down around the end of the fork, and it was fine; I have also tried one of these things to lift the light up and over the bar bag; did not really work.

In the end, I have 2 bikes w/ bar bags, bike A has a fork crown mount dynamo light, and bike B I just don't bother with a headlight, don't ride it once it gets dark. The latter is a road bike and it's just not road bike conditions during the lighting season here (September to April), unless you're a racer needing to train.

I'll probably cut a dowel for the mount and fix it to the top of the bag. It might be bouncing there though, so it could be better to mount it somewhere else. I'd look at the handlebars, under the bag, or on the front fork if nothing else.

I think the traditional thing is on the fork leg, or the fender hole, or below/side of the front rack that supports the bag. You can probably find some screed about how the French already knew this was the best thing in 1944 and the Resistance used to pilfer German high-potential electrons for the constructeurs.

A modern LED light sits a few inches above the handlebar and might shine over your bag, or you could use a helmet light. There are tons of good helmet lights at all price levels, for MTB

In my experience if you point the light on the bar (or on a mount above the bar) at the road instead of at oncoming people's heads you will mostly get a giant shadow of the bar bag.

do you have any pictures of your beamshots? i feel like the light being too low would cast weird shadows or something... i mean it looks like a clean alternative but i guess i'm curious.

No, I don't use it anymore. I no longer use a handlebar bag that blocks a handlebar light (I now have a front basket, which is lower), so I put the light on the handlebars. I prefer the light on the handlebars so I can tweak the angle while I'm riding.

I mount my lights right on the bars. The handlebar bag tends to block the light, though, so I get a BM Works Speed Extender -- a sort of handlebar extender-- and mount it pointing straight down. That lowers the bag enough so that it does not block the light.

Here's a link to the speed extender. cycle accessories | BM WORKS

And as it holds the bag on my Old Peugeot no. 1.

My handlebar bag (old Cannondale model) sits fairly high so I mounted my front light (MagicShine clone) on the head tube where its beam is below the bag. I like that the bag blocks any direct view of the light so it isn't as distracting as when it was mounted on the bars.

Ditto, the head tube mount. Or fork on my comfort hybrid with suspension fork.

My AGU KlickFix handlebar bag sits up too high for bar mounting lights or cameras. But the bag isn't deep enough to block the head tube. So that's where I mount my L&M Urban 500 or Serfas SL-255 -- sometimes both, reserving the Serfas as a backup for longer night rides.

I tried mounting to-see lights on the bag but it bounces around too much, no matter how well I secured the bag. It's only suitable for mounting to-be-seen safety lights/blinkers or reflectors.

I don't trust mounting lights directly to rigid forks without something to ensure the light won't twist and snag the spokes. My Univega fork has rack mounting lugs so I could use those. But it would make better sense for me to get a front rack for the bag and mount the light on the handlebar. My road bike has no lugs. No way I'm taking a chance on mounting anything that might twist and snag the spokes.

On the hybrid with suspension fork I just mount the lights to the upper tube, which is about the same diameter as the head tubes on my other bikes. It's well clear of the wheel, no risks.

I was studying the pictures from the Arkel catalog for their handlebar bags. It looks like, from the pictures, that the bag has a sturdy set of D-rings to attach the shoulder strap for off-bicycle use. Below that attachment is a mesh bag. Could you somehow put part of the light assembly in the bag and the rest attach to the D-ring by zip ties. Would that work? Seems a lot simpler than some of the methods spoken about here. Has anyone tried this method, as I haven't gotten my bag yet?

There is also the Problem Solvers quick release mount.

Barbag has its own bar in a 2nd stem, headlight beneath.. (LED headlight is on there now.. )

Minoura Spacer Light/Gadget Mount and Di Light Fender-Hole-Mount:
bikeforums.net/electronics-lighting-gadgets/1126857-minoura-spacer-light-gadget-mount-di-light-fender-hole-mount.html