NyteBlade

I just got a beautiful new Trek 7.3FX, but I'm trying to equip this guy for night riding. I have a Fenix light mount, and one of these: https://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.25396 along with a Superflash Stealth for the tail.

I had a few questions and could definitely use some advice from the night bikers (I'm mostly going to be riding on unlit roads low-moderate traffic roads)...

First off, the LBS equipped me with a Blackburn EX-1 rear bike rack. I'm not too sure if I can even mount a Superflash Stealth on this thing. I know Planetbike sells some hardware, but does anyone have any advice on how to mount a Superflash to one of these? ( https://static2.biketiresdirect.com/I...ge/bmex1-1.jpg )

Next, I'm not a big fan of the fenix light mount. The thing looks more like a mounted turret - it's pretty big. Would a lockblock be less intrusive?

For the flashlight, should I be considering replacing my little flashlight I linked above with something bigger? or is the dual flashlight approach better? I was thinking about either mounting 2 of the flashlights listed above to the handlebars, or maybe just getting a single P7 - those seem to be getting good press here.

For the tailights, I was going to mount the Superflash Stealth to the back of the rack, and mount something like this ( https://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.3639 ) to the seat post for backup purposes.

In the commuter bike section, there have been lots of awesome looking bikes, but it's hard to figure out what people are running for lights!

Plutonix

First, congrats on the bike! I have a 7.5FX that is a blast to ride, you'll love it.

Perhaps using the smaller clamp or spacer the PBSF comes with, you should be able to put the light on the very rear. It will be mounted 'sideways', but should work. You may also be able to mount it on the vertical support of the rack.Most racks comes with hardware or a spot for attaching a light or reflector, are you sure you arent missing something?

Note that the PBSF has a habit of shaking apart, this is supposedly fixed in later versions including the Stealth, but just in case consider a bit of tape and/or an ORing to hold the 2 parts together. Otherwise they are great. Another fun toy is the WF-501B which can be 'upgraded' with sku.26345 for strobing.

I dunno anything about the Tank flashlight, but there are brighter ones for about the same money; also it wont run too long on AAs, so use 14500 cells. I have several Ultrafire Q3s that work well. This size light is often used on the helmet to augment a 'real' light as they arent bright enough to 'see', do not run long and have a very narrow beam. I would not use an AA/14500 light as the sole means to be seen.

For travelling unlit roads at night, you should have more light than those give. The P7 you mentioned is a fave. Many people also like the TR801 which is very bright. These are more comparable to a 'real' bike light except for runtime and beam/throw. Considering the price you can get 2 and have a fair amount of light to see/be seen and not be depending one one light source.

I have that 9LED taillight and they are great. Very bright and lots of blink patterns. I havent had it long enough to comment on durability, but it looks no worse than any other light.

NyteBlade

Thanks! So far, I've definitely been liking it. Still needs a few tweaks to the bike, but so far pretty awesome



As far as mounting the superflash goes, if you look at the picture, that's literally what the rack looks like. No mounting equipment - just the bar. I think I could mount it with the smaller of the superflash's mounting gear and just use some old tubes or something as additional rubber, but I wasn't sure if there was a better way or not. Doesn't look like there's any mounting part at all.

As far as front light goes, might have to get a few of those TR801's and invest in some 18650 batteries and a charger. Looks like those are a pretty good deal!

ks1g

I used a pair of steel hose clamps and some old inner tube pieces to clamp a length of PVC across the back of my commuter bike's rack. Provides a handy location for mounting tail lights that don't come with a seatstay clamp or would be blocked by a trunk rack or panniers.

10 Wheels

PVC is handy.
I Ty Wrapped a piece on top of the rack bag.

doctor j

The PVC pipe + hose clamp route sounds pretty interesting.

I might suggest using two Super Flashes. I ran two last year, and I'm running either two or three so far this year, depending on which bike I'm on. Two of them get a lot of attention. Cars give me wide berth. Mine are on seat post and left seat stay when I run two.

mechBgon

Here's another option to consider for your rack: get Planet Bike's mount and drill a hole through the rack's double-bar section above the rear tire. Use an extra-long bolt to put Planet Bike's mount there.


Also, here's another backup light to consider: Trek's "Beacon" bar-end lights These take one AAA each and are visible from both the rear and the side, and since they're at the tips of the handlebar, they give you definite "width" as well. Your Trek dealer may have these in stock for you to check out. Runtime could be better, but at least they'll take a common AAA rechargeable cell.