No space for headlight after installing bike computer
 

I installed a Wahoo Elemnt Bolt on my road bike's handlebar and I don't have any real estate left for my headlight. See pic here (I can't post URLs as I don't yet have 10 posts)
- w ww.roadbikereview.com/reviews/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/BOLT_Launch-138-900x600.jpg -

that is not my bike but it is similar to, and slightly better than the situation I'm currently facing. My handlebars are wrapped a little more than the pic above. I used to have my headlight strapped just to the right of the center, but now if I strap it there, the bike computer blocks a good portion of the light output, as the light sits above the computer and shines slightly downwards.

I was wondering if anyone else has had this problem and what alternatives there are. TIA!

Can you strap the light upside down, underneath the bars?

You can get these plastic stubs that strap to handlebar stems (or other places.) I use these to mount the computer from the stem, which leaves my bars free. In the pic below you can see a gray circle on my Old Peugeot’s stem. This was just before I finished the bike and mounted all the electronics.

https://i.imgur.com/Fe54rnh.jpg

Sounds like what you need is a handle bar accessory bar mount. They come in many different types, sizes, materials and shapes, but they basically mount to your handle bars with a bar that extends from and serves as replacement handle bars for accessories. If you prefer a different configuration there are also mounts for you head tube and fork.

Look into the combo mounts from K-edge or Bar Fly. They allow you to mount the bike computer on top with usually a GoPro style mount underneath and many lights out there will mount to that or you can get adapters. BarFly I believe comes with the adapters.

I've had this problem before. I just mounted it on the drops in a place I don't put my hand. My light has a swivel mount so I'm able to angle it correctly.

I have 2 threadless stems stacked 1 on top of the other, I use its lower one for my Bar Bag mount tube , short.

but for your excess overflow, you can use a wider tube...

I have one of those battery lights that straps on with an elastic piece of rubber. For short rides in town near home, I strap it on the left side of the handlebar, just below the brake lever on my drop handlebars. I strap it on the vertical part of the curved handlebar. It is mounted sideways that way, but on my light the light beam is the same in any orientation.

Brilliant! :thumb:

+1 on combo mounts.

I own three Barfly combo mounts.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/49rg62ddcx...01.sm.jpg?dl=1

https://www.dropbox.com/s/vmjnf12x1l...6.008.jpg?dl=1

Does the Bolt come with the small mounting plate for mounting it directly to the stem itself? The full size Elemnt comes with one.

I don't know if this would work for your specific case but I got one of these from ebay from some random seller in China for like $4. Link is not the same seller, just an example. You have a lot of options for where the bar is and the position of the whole thing itself (up high, down low, out front etc..)
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Bike-Bicycl...s/323131088367
The bar part is NOT 31.8 like the clamp end, it is smaller but most flashlight mounts can go on smaller bars, keep that in mind.

I also got a few generic Twofish lockblock style mounts for about $1/piece. The combination works pretty good.

The easiest solution would be to hang the light from the underside of the bar if possible.

Like others have said there are some off the shelf combo mounts out there from K-Edge & BarFly. There's also some 3D printed options available. I'm currently working on adding a 3D printed GoPro style mount to my Bolt aero mount (which still needs some work).

Here's a link with a few pics...
https://www.bikeforums.net/20252631-post446.html

Another alternative is a stem cap mount. Yeah, not as aero, but....

-mr. bill

You could put the computer to the right of the stem and the light to the left of the stem.

The Republic of Offthebackistan

http://thumbs1.ebaystatic.com/d/l225...qPuICB-Bag.jpg

Cut the straps off, ziptie it under the stem:

http://78.media.tumblr.com/7d1491489...158mo1_500.jpg

I've got one of those that I've used a few times when space on the handlebars was at a premium. A very handy accessory to have in those kinds of situations. :thumb:




:)

I originally had my bolt mounted to the right of the stem because my light was already on the left. I just switched them and have no problem. I guess I don't understand the issue. There is nothing that says that the Bolt must be directly in front of the stem, even if that is the way it is made. Mount it to the right like I did and keep the light on the left.

Here are many possible options/solutions listed with images:
bikeforums.net/electronics-lighting-gadgets/1126857-minoura-spacer-light-gadget-mount-di-light-fender-hole-mount.html

Best solution is to get a GoPro mount for your light and a K-edge combo computer mount that goes in front of the handlebars. The K-edge combo mount has a mount for the computer on top and a GoPro mount underneath. Mount the light underneath and you also don't have glare from it on the screen of your Bolt.

Not the cheapest but probably the best and the cleanest. Here's the one specifically for the Bolt.

https://k-edge.com/wp-content/upload...-NiteRider.jpg

And another. Those hydraulic disc cables are unforgiving. K-edge mount.

https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-.../i-HDTD7pM.jpg

^^

This K-Edge or a similar Barfly combo mount are the cleanest and most elegant solutions.

There is never an issue about how or where to mount a light and it never slips or moves.

Worth every penny for the convenience alone.


-Tim-

I too always and insist on having my headlight mounted under the bars for a variety of reasons.

However this has limited me in headlight choice as some designs have a beam pattern than can't be flipped and an interface that is hard to use upside down.

Interesting that you should mention that because as good as my Niterider Pro 1800 lighting capability is, universal mounting one of it's glaring limitations. Not just for its beam pattern, but as mentioned, the controls (also clunky) are on the top as well.
Its saving grace is that the mount is linear so it at least it doesn't sit above the handle bars.

Morsa Designs
 

Check out morsadesigns.com. I only stumbled across them because MEC (the Canadian equivalent to REI in the US) carries them. Their modular concept is interesting.

Having the controls on the underside can be a problem, especially for low battery indicators and such. Imagine somebody spending the extra $50 for that Niterider Lumina variant with the fancy OLED display, and then realizing that the only way it would work on their bar setup was to mount it upside down!

Peter White on his website also points out that lights mounted upside down can have water ingress problems if they aren't designed that way, because water can pool in recesses that would normally just drain out, and eventually seep into seals (he mentions the Schmidt Edelux).

Barfly supplies a neat universal light mount that attaches to the GoPro mount and uses O-rings. Not as elegant as a hard attachment, but you can rotate the light any way you want. Here is one attached to my L&M Urban, though that particular model has a symmetrical beam and even the low battery indicator is on the rear so it works equally well upside down.

http://i.imgur.com/BguqrOjm.jpg?1

I wish I remembered I had a couple of these before I spend the $20 for the K-Edge GoPro mount for my (non-OLED) Lumina!

Another approach to solving this problem is to get the Bar Fly 4 MTB mount, which, instead of sitting out front, curves backwards so the computer sits over your stem. Then you can mount the light on your bars however you want. It also should help get the computer out of the way if you want to run a handlebar bag

https://goo.gl/images/jtmycm
.