Well, I'm within spitting distance of being finished putting together my new commuting bike, but I've run into a problem. The included rack has no real "deck," just the same thin tubing it's made out of stretching across the side rails. I'd been planning on putting my planet bike rack blinky onto it, but without a deck/screw holes, that's not an option. As you can see from the picture, I'm a shortarse, and so there's not enough seatpost exposed to mount a light from that, and if I mount lights from the seatstays my panniers will block them, and the tubing diameter is too thin for any lights I'm finding.

I am planning on getting some nice chrome racks from VO eventually, which will solve the problem, but that's not an option right now.

My kludge to keep me going right now is an old innertube wrapped around the rack to make the diameter large enough for some cheap Bell lights that I won't mind losing if they bail. I'm kind of nervous about whether they'll slip in the rain.




So my questions are:
Are there lights made to mount to small diameter bike bits? I've been looking at the Knog Skink or Serfas Seatstay Light, but I can't find any info on their minimum diameter. I suppose the other option is a fender mounted light, but they all seem to require power tools and such to install, which I don't have, nor do I have any place to use them.
Would wrapping handlebar tape around the back tubing until it's thick enough to mount a seatpost light to work?

if the seat needs to be that low, the frame is probably too big for you


i used a small p-clamp sandwiched inside the original light bracket to clamp to rack rails

Yeah, but it was the smallest one they sold, and it is soooooo comfortable. I don't feel scrunched up like I do on bikes that are the "right" size for me.

interesting to see what people ride.

do people look like their bikes.

we should have a rider/ride photocollage

I don't mean to brag, not everyone can be fortunate enough to have my enviable short-legged, long armed body type.

I have a Portland Design Works Radbot 1000. It came with a mount that fits on the side bars on my rack, which look to be the same diameter as what you are looking for. I don't remember if it came with a set of rubber spacers or if I had to use a piece of an old inner tube, but either way it's held fine since I got it.

I'd be interested to see this entire bike instead of just parts of it. Depending on what bags you are running in the rear your rack mount may or may not tend to get in the way. A Portland Design Fenderbot would be a something to consider for the rear.

Is there a reason why you're not running your front light off the handlebars? I personally do not because I use a handlebar bag. In my case I go with a fork mount.

I looked at the fenderbot, but it requires powertools to install, which I 1) do not have 2)don't have the space to use, and also the reviews I found of it said it was dim.

Here's a pic of the bike from the website, the room I have the bike in is too small for me to take a full picture:
https://www.bikesdirect.com/products/...green_2100.jpg
I installed the rack set back a ways further than they have pictured, and it's also level. I have Biria shopper panniers, but I was thinking about getting some sort of trunk bag if it wouldn't interfere with my panniers, and then clipping a light to that.

My front light is on my handlebars so I can flip the bike over easy for maintenance. The wheels are bolted, not QR, so I can't just lie it down and do it like I do with my road bike. Oh, also there's lots of brake and shifter cables all over the place on the handlebars, I think they'd get in the way of the light, too. The fork mount is already in use with the fender and front rack. Besides, then if I had something on the front rack it would block the light.

cool bike. <3

Thanks! I'm pretty pleased with what I got for $450. It has some flaws, but it should fit the bill for a commuter/utility ride in my small/flat town, and if it's wrecked or stolen I won't be ruined financially. And it's my favorite color.

Lack of tools or friends to borrow from limits your DIY options. In that case I'd say roll with what you got.

...Compared to a Bell blinky?

Well, if this turns out to be the best set up and survives what passes for roads around here, I'll get a more expensive light that's seat stay mounted. For the next month or so I'll be going to work and coming home when the sun is out, so it'll do. Unfortunately none of the people said what it was dim compared to. I know the light-b*ner set can be dismissive of anything that's not Dinotte-level.

I do have friends with powertools, but like I said, even if I had them I couldn't use them. Just having the bicycle in my apartment is specifically prohibited in my lease, that's why I had to smuggle it in and am keeping it in the small back room. I can't imagine the fit my landlord would throw about powertools.

Your bike looks hella sweet.

For the front you could use a Gino light mount, available here and here. The Gino attaches at the mid-fork eyelets or anywhere you find a bolt-hole of the same size. For bolt-less, you could use something like the Cronometro Nob. Do you plan on using a seat bag? If so, many will have a spot to clip on rear lights, though adjusting the angle the light makes is near impossible, so I try not to rely solely on only that. You might be able to put a p-clamp of the correct size on the rear rack, and then use the same bolt to clamp it down as well as hold a rear light bracket, like the one for a PB Superflash. I think this bracket also works for some Portland Design Works lights, but I haven't double-checked that claim. I also think that Cygolite plans to make a similar bracket for their Hotshot taillight in the future. At that point, you may well have a different rack, so it may not matter, but I personally think the matching racks you have now look pretty awesome.

Good luck!

Oh, that Gino mount is swanky. I'm definitely trying to keep the chrome theme going, and my front rack has eyelets where the support struts attach, so I could put them there. They are going on the shortlist for my front lights.

My roadbike has the PB blinky on that rack mount, and I'd planned on putting that light onto this bike and taking the rack off my road bike. I bet a P-clamp would work for securing that bracket to this rack.

Yeah, I do like the way these racks look matched with the bike, and they're way more sturdy than I thought they'd be, but the paint isn't very good quality, and is already chipping in some places. When I get new ones I'll get some nice shiny chrome and wood Velo Orange style ones. Hmmm, maybe if I set up the P-clamps right I could get some of the Soma "silver bullet" rear lights to work - those look sweet.

ETA: I am planning on getting a Banjo Bros. rack-top bag (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...=ATVPDKIKX0DER) which has a loop to clip lights too, but I've had lights bounce off saddle bag loops like that here because of the rough roads.

Too bad you, or the builder, [BD may send designs to China,
they did not think of anything like that practicality.]
... did not consider light brackets
before all that matching paint was applied..

my current favorite taillights are German, Busch&muller,
use 2 bolts horizontally located.
Tubus racks are made to fit that type light.
Trek/bontrager, also like that.. as they supply EU and US markets.

but here I went with a hub dynamo, as I ride thru out the winter ..
so the lights are wired..

You might fit a piece of nice say Baltic birch Plywood
onto your front. rear rack rack then use that wood
as a place to mount the rack lights onto.. fabricate brackets

hardware store aluminum..

Zip ties cure bounce off..

Several people who have experienced their lights going MIA end up using a rubber band or an elastic hair band to compress the light body. You just have to ensure that you're not covering the LED(s).

I have a suspicion that the light was knocked loose because I had a large seat bag, so the bottom rested on the top of the rack, and when I was going over the road patches, the bottom of the light was bumped enough that it popped off. Fortunately it made a lot of noise rolling merrily across the busy 4 lane highway so I was able to retrieve it.

But...all that is moot now, since P-clamps have come to the rescue! Thank you all who suggested them. I actually had some leftover from a non-bike project, and the 3/8" were a perfect fit!


The PB Blinky 5 Rack light I had on my Schwinn Tempo mounted perfectly to the P-clamps. They can be moved and adjusted easily, but stay where I put them, even more firmly than my innertube kludge. I've had to pass up on the more elite light systems before, because my roadbike didn't have eyelets/mounting places in the right spots, but no more! This changes everything!

Other things wot I did today - put on the Schwalbe Marathon plus tires (accidentally got 700cx32mm instead of 35 mm, but they work fine, and they're 4mm wider than the 'Dillos I've been using on my Schwinn.) You can see the reflective stripe in the photos. I also installed Zefal rim tape, since upon taking the tires off I discovered that there wasn't really any sort of protection inside the rim for the tube. I put on the SpokeLit lights, and mounted a super shiny Zefal bidon cage.



Unfortunately in getting my rear wheel off, I managed to strip the right cap nut pretty severely. I was able to get it off with my pedal wrench, but I'm worried about being able to do it with the smaller wrench I keep in my repair bag. Going to order a new one from Niagara, hopefully I don't get a flat before it arrives!