I'm a tourer. I use panniers and secure my tent and sleeping pad across the rear panniers. There are boatloads of great tail lights available that mount on the seatpost or one of the tubes on the bike, but those lights cannot be seen because of my tent and sleeping pad are in the way. So I'm in the hunt for a great rear tail light that will mount to my rear rack mount. What say ye?

There's a bunch of lights with dedicated rack mounts.

Cateye reflex is a good option because you don't have to remember to turn it on and it has a built in reflector.
https://cateyeamerica.com/products/reflex-auto

Cygolite have a rack mount if you want a brighter option.
https://cygolite.square.site/product...&category_id=4

Are you into a little DIY? Someone asked me this question a couple of years ago and I have pictures of a very easy DIY that uses three parts, a bolt, an L shaped corner bracket and a short piece of 1/2" PVC irrigation pipe both of which can be bought from Home Depot or a similar store. It's picture heavy so see the Private Message I will send you later today.

No irrigation hose here, but I fabricated a bracket from a piece of angle aluminum from the hardware store. Used a hack saw, drill, few nuts and bolts. I mounted it extra low so if something hung over the back of the rack, it did not change the light beam, an earlier one I made would sometimes have the light aimed too low if something on the rack pressed down on the light.

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Some Planet Bike lights and possibly some others include a bracket that will wrap around a seatstay that has a smaller diameter than a seatpost. I have wrapped some inner tube rubber around rack tubing to make it thicker and then used the seat stay brackets to mount lights on a rack. When touring, I like a spare taillight, so usually have two on the rack. In the photo, a reflector is installed on the rack light mounting plate. This light mount did not take any extra tools like a saw or drill, used a scissors to cut the inner tube rubber.

https://www.bumm.de/en/products/akku...rent/323.html?

You can add Niterider too.

If you can't find it here, you can go to Shapeways (3D printing marketplace) and search for your favorite light. You'll almost certainly find someone has made one there. That's where I got one for my Garmin Varia Radar+light.

I have mounted a seatpost only light to my tubus rack with a tubus fender bracket and a nitto lite mount.

Busch + Müller (Germany) make a variety of lights, including ones that mount on the rear of a rack.

Battery powered:
https://www.bumm.de/en/products/akku...cklichter.html

Dynamo generator powered:
https://www.bumm.de/en/products/dynamo-rucklichter.html

E-Bike powered:
https://www.bumm.de/en/products/e-bi...cklichter.html



Myself, I've got a pair of CygoLite Hypershot 350 USB. CygoLite makes a rack mount adapter, if that's your preferred mounting spot. Very bright light. Good range of flash patterns. With two of them, one on the rack and one on your helmet, seat post or seat stay, it's all but impossible to not easily see a bike from a few hundred yards away.

https://cygolite.com/product/hypershot-350-usb/

https://cygolite.square.site/product...&category_id=4

If you're not running good coverage fenders, a rack mount light can (and will) get covered in splatter. Just something to be aware of.

ALL Bontrager flare lights can mount to the light bar of a rear rack.

I recommend the Bontrager Flare RT. If you buy this light it comes with a seat post mount. The 2 part seat post mount has the rubber strap and a plastic adapter recessed in the rubber strap that you can remove and mount to the rear rack light bar with a small socket screw since it has a brass threaded bushing in it. It’s done this way on purpose for this reason.

This mount part can also be bought separately at any trek dealer as well as the light obviously:

https://www.trekbikes.com/us/en_US/e...t-kit/p/25674/

Planet Bike, Bontrager, Portland and a few others make (or made) inexpensive, very good and long lasting rack mount taillights that used AA and AAA batteries. I still have one or two for my early 1990s Univega hybrid with rear rack. They bolt into the holes already drilled into most racks. Pretty standard sizes. And it's easy to drill new holes or add sheet metal brackets if needed for custom fit.

And I have two or three sets of AA and AAA taillights that clamp to the seat tube or seat post but can be adapted to a rear rack with some sheet metal brackets and bolts.

Much as I prefer newer, brighter USB charged headlights, some of the older style taillights with AA and AAA batteries are still just fine for most purposes. The main advantage to super bright USB taillights like the Cygolite Hotshot and Hotrod is for daytime visibility. Those Cygolites are really too bright for nighttime group rides -- great way to blind your buddies behind you. So I'll use both types on some rides.

I discovered that Cateye ViZ, Portland Design Works, and Planet Bike rack mount tailights all use the same mount form.
Planet Bike is cheapest to buy just the mount (6$) for using the same light on more than one bike.
When in town I use the USB ViZ450 and have a AAA battery powered PDW Danger Zone for off grid touring.

As an aside, Planet Bike also use a front headlight mount (they have more than one) that is the same as B+M and is only $6 allowing me to also switch my big B+M IQ headlight between bikes.

thumbs up to the DIY suggestions. That's what I do for my tour bike and for various light brands. I also 3D printed some brackets.

If you go up one level in that website, you can see there are several rack-mounting lights. For example, the Flat S, which comes in both dynamo and battery versions, is an excellent light for a modest price. But they assume you have a rack with a plate for mounting a light on, with holes for two screws.

https://www.bumm.de/en/products/akku...cklichter.html

Cygolite, Specialized and Niterider all have rack mounts for their lights. I use the versions of both that are 300 lumens except for the specialized that is lower lumens..

I also have a 3D printed version for my Garmin Varia radar and light combo that fits on a rack. I got it from the marketplace on Shapeways.com.

J

Why limit yourself when you can mount the seatpost style ones with some other brackets. I purchased a couple of Dinotte taillight's and found a way to mount them and other seatpost mounted style taillight's.

I mounted a tubus fender support upside down. Attached it to the tail light mount on the tubus rack. I mounted the Nitto rack accessory to it.

It took a little hunting but I did get the Cygolite with rear rack adapter for my bike. Very happy with it!

👍

Excellent.

Just posted my solution in the Forum at this link ...

SKS Universal Rack and SKS Universal Light are very nice. You can see more pics Here

I drilled a couple of holes in the reflector mount on my rear racks to mount a Garmin quarter turn mount to it so that I could then attach my Varia directy to the rear rack on both of my commuter bikes. Works perfectly.

Very timely thread....I have had the same question rattling around in my head. Thank you!

I know the OP got something already, but for others and those who may come later, Specialized has a rack mount for their nifty Stix lights which has EU standard DIN bolt hole spacing for horizontal mounting, and a single, center bolt hole for “reflector bracket” vertical mounting.



I use one (vertical mounted to a rack tab) and am very happy with it. It’s sleek, bright, super light, and easy to use with its integrated USB plug. The $50 Stix Elite is claimed to do 10hrs in 100 lumen Power Flash mode, and 22hrs in 40 lumen flash, and 77hrs in 12 lumen Eco Flash.

I'm now realizing this is an older thread. I finally found a mount that I had in mind:

https://us.restrap.com/products/ligh...vBajSIdyfoK06k

I know nothing about it other than it could help get the light away from handlebars, bags, etc.

On my around tower, I mounted a Bontrager light directly to the rack. I removed the seatpost mount and use the same screw through a hole in the rack. Light points slightly upward and will turn if bumped but is workable.