Fitting Apollo LED light to Blackburn rack



P

Peter Scandrett

Guest
Hi

I've bought one of these Apollo 5 LED carrier lights, recommended by
someone one here...

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=22667

OK, I should have checked before I got it, but it doesn't fit onto my
Blackburn MTB rack (also recommended ages ago by someone here and it's
great, thanks):

http://wiggle.co.uk/ProductDetail.aspx?Cat=cycle&ProdID=5300001488&N=Blackburn MTN 1 Rear Rack

The rack has a single mount bolt hole in the centre at the back (which
currently has my rear reflector mounted on it) but the LED light wants
two bolts about 5 or 8 cm apart.

Is there an adaptor I should have bought to go with it or shall I just
bodge something together from a piece of aluminium or similar lying
around in the shed[1]? Looking around, other lights and mountings seem
to expect these two bolt position on bicycle racks... am I missing
something? (I may have got an appropriate piece of metal with the rack
but it was a while ago and I don't remember one... I'll have a rummage
for the bits which I'll have kept... somewhere...)

Many thanks

Peter

[1] warehouse at work

--
http://www.scandrett.net/lx/
http://www.scandrett.net/bike/
 
On Tue, 23 Oct 2007 16:55:05 +0100, Peter Scandrett
<[email protected]> wrote:

>Hi
>
>I've bought one of these Apollo 5 LED carrier lights, recommended by
>someone one here...
>
>http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=22667
>
>OK, I should have checked before I got it, but it doesn't fit onto my
>Blackburn MTB rack (also recommended ages ago by someone here and it's
>great, thanks):
>
>http://wiggle.co.uk/ProductDetail.aspx?Cat=cycle&ProdID=5300001488&N=Blackburn MTN 1 Rear Rack
>
>The rack has a single mount bolt hole in the centre at the back (which
>currently has my rear reflector mounted on it) but the LED light wants
>two bolts about 5 or 8 cm apart.


Was it me who recommended them? They are truly excellent lights. My
product review is here:
www.chainreactioncycles.com/Reviews.aspx?ModelID=22667
points out the need for bolt holes at 5 or 8cm.

>Is there an adaptor I should have bought to go with it or shall I just
>bodge something together from a piece of aluminium or similar lying
>around in the shed[1]? Looking around, other lights and mountings seem
>to expect these two bolt position on bicycle racks... am I missing
>something? (I may have got an appropriate piece of metal with the rack
>but it was a while ago and I don't remember one... I'll have a rummage
>for the bits which I'll have kept... somewhere...)


I'd try to bodge something together, a bit of ply wood would do. It's
a £7.99 light, and it's not worth spending much time or money on it.
 
Peter Scandrett wrote:

> The rack has a single mount bolt hole in the centre at the back (which
> currently has my rear reflector mounted on it) but the LED light wants
> two bolts about 5 or 8 cm apart.
>
> Is there an adaptor I should have bought to go with it or shall I just
> bodge something together from a piece of aluminium or similar lying
> around in the shed[1]? Looking around, other lights and mountings seem
> to expect these two bolt position on bicycle racks... am I missing
> something? (I may have got an appropriate piece of metal with the rack
> but it was a while ago and I don't remember one... I'll have a rummage
> for the bits which I'll have kept... somewhere...)


50mm or 80mm spaced holes are standard for rack mounted lights.
You can get one of these brackets which will provide the necessary bolt
holes, though you'll need to drill a couple of holes in your rack to
bolt it on:
http://www.amba-marketing.com/products.php?cid=14&pid=70
 
In article <[email protected]>, Peter Scandrett
[email protected] says...

> Is there an adaptor I should have bought to go with it or shall I just
> bodge something together from a piece of aluminium


If you can find a bit of aluminium angle I'd use that - cut a slot for
the tab on the rack so one flat of the angle sits against the underside
of the rack, drill holes as required, trim to a pretty shape. :)
 
In article <[email protected]>, Peter Scandrett
[email protected] says...
>
>> Is there an adaptor I should have bought to go with it or shall I just
>> bodge something together from a piece of aluminium

>


If the central platform of the rack is less than 80mm wide, a couple
of P-clips might do it.

-adrian
 
Tom Crispin wrote on 23/10/2007 23:41:
> On Tue, 23 Oct 2007 16:55:05 +0100, Peter Scandrett
> <[email protected]> wrote:
>> I've bought one of these Apollo 5 LED carrier lights, recommended by
>> someone one here...
>>
>> http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=22667

>
> Was it me who recommended them? They are truly excellent lights. My
> product review is here:
> www.chainreactioncycles.com/Reviews.aspx?ModelID=22667
> points out the need for bolt holes at 5 or 8cm.


Yes, it was you, I think - thanks.

> I'd try to bodge something together, a bit of ply wood would do. It's
> a £7.99 light, and it's not worth spending much time or money on it.


Fair enough, thank you. Just checking I hadn't missed anything obvious
(well, apart from the fact that my rack doesn't have the appropriate
mounting bits!)

ta

Peter


--
http://www.scandrett.net/lx/
http://www.scandrett.net/bike/
 
On Wed, 24 Oct 2007 09:44:57 +0100, Peter Scandrett
<[email protected]> wrote:

>Tom Crispin wrote on 23/10/2007 23:41:
>> On Tue, 23 Oct 2007 16:55:05 +0100, Peter Scandrett
>> <[email protected]> wrote:
>>> I've bought one of these Apollo 5 LED carrier lights, recommended by
>>> someone one here...
>>>
>>> http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=22667

>>
>> Was it me who recommended them? They are truly excellent lights. My
>> product review is here:
>> www.chainreactioncycles.com/Reviews.aspx?ModelID=22667
>> points out the need for bolt holes at 5 or 8cm.

>
>Yes, it was you, I think - thanks.
>
>> I'd try to bodge something together, a bit of ply wood would do. It's
>> a £7.99 light, and it's not worth spending much time or money on it.

>
>Fair enough, thank you. Just checking I hadn't missed anything obvious
>(well, apart from the fact that my rack doesn't have the appropriate
>mounting bits!)


Incidently, I have a suspicion that leaving the lights on "Auto" mode
drains battery power. One of my school's bike's lights was left on
Auto since last Wednesday and the battery is now close to flat.

The ambient light sensor or movement sensor might use small amounts of
power. If this is the case I will have to write another review
suggesting that the "Auto" function is not worth using in most
circumstances.

At £7.99 they are still excellent value.
 
On Wed, 24 Oct 2007 11:13:44 +0100, Tom Crispin
<[email protected]> wrote:

>Incidently, I have a suspicion that leaving the lights on "Auto" mode
>drains battery power. One of my school's bike's lights was left on
>Auto since last Wednesday and the battery is now close to flat.
>
>The ambient light sensor or movement sensor might use small amounts of
>power. If this is the case I will have to write another review
>suggesting that the "Auto" function is not worth using in most
>circumstances.
>
>At £7.99 they are still excellent value.


I have just returned from school. Three of the twelve Apollo lights
have flat batteries. Those three were probably left on auto, so my
suspicion that "Auto" drains the power, even when the lights are off
is probably correct.

In my opinion that makes the auto function undesirable, and detracts
from the value of the light. When the LEDs are off there is no quick
way to tell if the light is set to auto or off.

On the matter of your bracket, the light on my own bike had the
opposite problem. My rack has holes at 8cm, but the light a single
bolt.

Here's Thorn's solution...
www.johnballcycling.org.uk/photos/rearlight
www.johnballcycling.org.uk/photos/rearlight2

Perhaps we could do a swap...