Light installation on fork using braze on for low rider panier



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Michael Pearlma

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Is there a good bright bike light designed to fit in the above position or do we have to do serious
modifications.
 
Michael Pearlman wrote:
> Is there a good bright bike light designed to fit in the above position or do we have to do
> serious modifications.

If you have the "custom" type of lowrider mounts, where the hole goes all the way through the for,
blade, it's easy as pie.

I did mine using an old, broken hub axle and quick release skewer.

I cut one section of the axle to fit between the fork and the headlight, and another, shorter
section as a spacer outboard. (Needed the spacer to keep the end of the skewer away from the spokes.

This really works nicely. Currently I'm using this system with a Lumotec lamp and a Shimano Nexus
generator hub, but I've got a photo of an earlier version, using a Soubitez lamp at:

http://sheldonbrown.com/images/cf-light.gif

Sheldon "The Perfect Spot" Brown +-----------------------------------------------------+
| I'll tell you what I think of bicycling. I think | it has done more to emancipate women than any
| one | thing in the world. I rejoice every time I see a | woman ride by on a bike. It gives her a
| feeling | of self-reliance and independence the moment she | takes her seat; and away she goes,
| the picture of | untrammelled womanhood. --Susan B. Anthony 1896 |
+-----------------------------------------------------+ Harris Cyclery, West Newton, Massachusetts
Phone 617-244-9772 FAX 617-244-1041 http://harriscyclery.com Hard-to-find parts shipped Worldwide
http://captainbike.com http://sheldonbrown.com
 
Sheldon Brown <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:<[email protected]>...
> Michael Pearlman wrote:
> > Is there a good bright bike light designed to fit in the above position or do we have to do
> > serious modifications.
>
>
> If you have the "custom" type of lowrider mounts, where the hole goes all the way through the for,
> blade, it's easy as pie.
>
> I did mine using an old, broken hub axle and quick release skewer.
>
> I cut one section of the axle to fit between the fork and the headlight, and another,
> shorter section as a spacer outboard. (Needed the spacer to keep the end of the skewer away
> from the spokes.
>
> This really works nicely. Currently I'm using this system with a Lumotec lamp and a Shimano Nexus
> generator hub, but I've got a photo of an earlier version, using a Soubitez lamp at:
>
> http://sheldonbrown.com/images/cf-light.gif
>
> Sheldon "The Perfect Spot" Brown +-----------------------------------------------------+
> | I'll tell you what I think of bicycling. I think | it has done more to emancipate women than
> | any one | thing in the world. I rejoice every time I see a | woman ride by on a bike. It gives
> | her a feeling | of self-reliance and independence the moment she | takes her seat; and away she
> | goes, the picture of | untrammelled womanhood. --Susan B. Anthony 1896 |
> +-----------------------------------------------------+ Harris Cyclery, West Newton, Massachusetts
> Phone 617-244-9772 FAX 617-244-1041 http://harriscyclery.com Hard-to-find parts shipped Worldwide
> http://captainbike.com http://sheldonbrown.com
I cannot really tell what you mean from that description and I've many times looked at the image
on the web site. Anyway I'd like to put a really bright one there with a simple mount. Can
anyone say how?
 
[email protected] (Michael Pearlman) wrote in message
news:<[email protected]>...
> Sheldon Brown <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:<[email protected]>...
> > Michael Pearlman wrote:
> > > Is there a good bright bike light designed to fit in the above position or do we have to do
> > > serious modifications.
> >
> >
> > If you have the "custom" type of lowrider mounts, where the hole goes all the way through the
> > for, blade, it's easy as pie.
> >
> > I did mine using an old, broken hub axle and quick release skewer.
> >
> > I cut one section of the axle to fit between the fork and the headlight, and another, shorter
> > section as a spacer outboard. (Needed the spacer to keep the end of the skewer away from the
> > spokes.
> >
> > This really works nicely. Currently I'm using this system with a Lumotec lamp and a Shimano
> > Nexus generator hub, but I've got a photo of an earlier version, using a Soubitez lamp at:
> >
> > http://sheldonbrown.com/images/cf-light.gif
> >
> > Sheldon "The Perfect Spot" Brown
Snip

> I cannot really tell what you mean from that description and I've many times looked at the image
> on the web site. Anyway I'd like to put a really bright one there with a simple mount. Can anyone
> say how?

Michael,

It's rather straight forward. If you have the kind of low rider mounts where the hole goes
completely through the fork blade. Using two sections of hollow axle allowes you to use a QR and
skewer to mount and unmount the light quickly/ Working from the inside of teh fork blade you'll have
1. Axle section with nut and washer. With a nut/washer on inside of fork blade. The axle section
fits through the low rider hole. 2 Fork Blade 3 A washer, if needed, to makeup for any axle
sticking through blade or to off set the light mount from the blade. 4 the light mount 5 another
section of hollow axle. The length of this piece is adjusted to ensure theat when closed the QR
handle does not interfer with front wheel spokes. 6 The QR. Running all the way through this
arrangement and holding it all together is the QR skewer, with its nut on the inboard end.

If you do not want the quick release feature, then a high strength machine screw, say a pan head
would work. It would have to be long enough to allow you to offset the light head from the wheel and
fork and that depends on the light's design. Short lengths of steel or brass tubing instead of a
bunch of washers will hold the light in the right spot. Don't let the tubing press up against the
blade. If needed use a large diameter washer to transfer the pressure to the boss. Use locktite or
nylon insert nuts to keep the thing from coming free.

Ben
 
"Michael Pearlman" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Is there a good bright bike light designed to fit in the above position or do we have to do
> serious modifications.

A small scrap of steel can be bent to mount a light there, something like a reflector mount for
instance. Once, British bikes came with a nice 8mm ( or the Whitworth equivalent) boss halfway up
the blade for the infamous Enwell lamp. A light mount there always looks classy to me.

--
Andrew Muzi http://www.yellowjersey.org Open every day since 1 April 1971
 
Andy Muzi wrote:

> A small scrap of steel can be bent to mount a light there, something like a reflector mount for
> instance. Once, British bikes came with a nice 8mm ( or the Whitworth equivalent) boss halfway up
> the blade for the infamous Enwell lamp. A light mount there always looks classy to me.

Amen, brother! The low mount is especially good at revealing holes, rocks and pavement
irregularities, because it causes them to cast long shadows.

This position also avoids interference with a handlebar bag or a rain cape.

This was not an Enwell-specific item. There was a wide variety of different lamps made by many
manufacturers, to fit the British standard lamp bracket. Similar brackets were commonly also mounted
on the headsets of roadsters and light roadsters.

Sheldon "DynoHubs" Brown +-----------------------------------------------------+
| It usually takes more than three weeks to prepare | a good impromptu speech. --Mark Twain |
+-----------------------------------------------------+ Harris Cyclery, West Newton, Massachusetts
Phone 617-244-9772 FAX 617-244-1041 http://harriscyclery.com Hard-to-find parts shipped Worldwide
http://captainbike.com http://sheldonbrown.com
 
Sheldon Brown wrote:
>
> Andy Muzi wrote:
>
> > A small scrap of steel can be bent to mount a light there, something like a reflector mount for
> > instance. Once, British bikes came with a nice 8mm ( or the Whitworth equivalent) boss halfway
> > up the blade for the infamous Enwell lamp. A light mount there always looks classy to me.
>
> Amen, brother! The low mount is especially good at revealing holes, rocks and pavement
> irregularities, because it causes them to cast long shadows.
>
> This position also avoids interference with a handlebar bag or a rain cape.

I used to have a headlight mounted in a similar position, but I didn't like the fact that the front
of the rim throws a shadow onto the road.

I ended up fabricating a bracket so my headlight is just in front of the handlebar bag, and just
above the front wheel. I like this better than any other position I've tried - which is all of them,
I believe!

(Well, I guess I never mounted one at the front dropout, as shown in the latest issue of Vintage
Bike Quarterly. But it looks like it would have the same shadow problem.)

--
Frank Krygowski [email protected]
 
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