counterpoint
Well-Known Member
I'd love to see a photo and installation hints for mounting a light (such as a Niterider 650) on the bottom bracket of a new Silvio 2.0.
ISO photo of a BB mounted light on a Silvio 2.0
- Thread starter counterpoint
- Start date
Andrew 1973
Zen MBB Master
romelman
Member
here's a pic of my light mount
I custom made one, but pretty easy to do if you have the materials and tools.
Here's a pic:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/68337093@N03/9643401898/in/set-72157635326471342
materials:
a piece of aluminum stock from hardware store 1"x1/8" (widthxthickness) and length at least 10"
piece of handle bar 25.4mm+ and cut it to 32mm length
bolts (1/4" X 45mm), nylock nuts, and washers to fit the holes to attach to bottom bracket holes.
paint
tools:
hack saw
welder
grinder
file
sand paper
drill press or drill (5/16 drill bit)
clamps
Here's what I did.
cut the aluminum stock to 4.75 inches x2
rounded the edges (grinder and file)
drilled holes to both lengths to match the holes on the bottom bracket holes 5/16 bit
cut the handlebar piece to length
welded the pieces together with my welder (you can also drill holes and clamp the pieces together with bolts and JB weld it or epoxy glue it)
filed and sanded pieces to look nice
painted it black after primer (baked it too to harden the paint quickly)
attached mount to bottom bracket with bolts (I would put rubber in between to not mar the paint and reduce chance of slipping)
mount the light
I custom made one, but pretty easy to do if you have the materials and tools.
Here's a pic:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/68337093@N03/9643401898/in/set-72157635326471342
materials:
a piece of aluminum stock from hardware store 1"x1/8" (widthxthickness) and length at least 10"
piece of handle bar 25.4mm+ and cut it to 32mm length
bolts (1/4" X 45mm), nylock nuts, and washers to fit the holes to attach to bottom bracket holes.
paint
tools:
hack saw
welder
grinder
file
sand paper
drill press or drill (5/16 drill bit)
clamps
Here's what I did.
cut the aluminum stock to 4.75 inches x2
rounded the edges (grinder and file)
drilled holes to both lengths to match the holes on the bottom bracket holes 5/16 bit
cut the handlebar piece to length
welded the pieces together with my welder (you can also drill holes and clamp the pieces together with bolts and JB weld it or epoxy glue it)
filed and sanded pieces to look nice
painted it black after primer (baked it too to harden the paint quickly)
attached mount to bottom bracket with bolts (I would put rubber in between to not mar the paint and reduce chance of slipping)
mount the light
counterpoint
Well-Known Member
Nice solutions, thanks.
Nice solutions, thanks. Andrew, where did you find that factory made mounting bracket?
Nice solutions, thanks. Andrew, where did you find that factory made mounting bracket?
counterpoint
Well-Known Member
Gromit, the inventive genius
Gromit, the inventive genius dog, was clever enough to figure this out, me on the other hand...
Gromit, the inventive genius dog, was clever enough to figure this out, me on the other hand...
counterpoint
Well-Known Member
case for 3D printing
That's more of an aside but brackets and mounts may be a prime case for 3D printing: if you can design/scan it you can make odd shapes that will fit perfectly.
That's more of an aside but brackets and mounts may be a prime case for 3D printing: if you can design/scan it you can make odd shapes that will fit perfectly.
Eric Winn
Zen MBB Master
Yeah, check out Dave's 3D
Yeah, check out Dave's 3D printing for accesories and parts for his homebuilt velo:
http://thetinkersworkshop.blogspot.com/2013/10/terratrike-velomobile-speedometer-mount.html
Edit: Here is an earlier version of Dave's speedo mount that might be more in line with fitting on a Silvio:
http://thetinkersworkshop.blogspot.com/2013/06/project-possibilities-with-new.html
-Eric
Yeah, check out Dave's 3D printing for accesories and parts for his homebuilt velo:
http://thetinkersworkshop.blogspot.com/2013/10/terratrike-velomobile-speedometer-mount.html
Edit: Here is an earlier version of Dave's speedo mount that might be more in line with fitting on a Silvio:
http://thetinkersworkshop.blogspot.com/2013/06/project-possibilities-with-new.html
-Eric
John Dorlon
Guru
I don't know if the 2.0 has
I don't know if the 2.0 has different handlebars than the 1.5, but I have a similar headlight mounted right on my 1.5's handlebars with the mount that came with the light. It mounts easily and my legs do not get in the way of the light.
I don't know if the 2.0 has different handlebars than the 1.5, but I have a similar headlight mounted right on my 1.5's handlebars with the mount that came with the light. It mounts easily and my legs do not get in the way of the light.
Ivan
Guru
For those of you mounting
For those of you mounting your lights on your handlebars, I suppose your lights are above your knees so it's not a problem for you. Others of us have a high BB and thus lower handlebars that are way below our knees when our feet are at the top of the pedal stroke. Therefore any lights we have on our handlebars are blocked by legs.
I currently place my light UNDER my bottom bracket by strapping it to my chainstay extension. It is workable but not ideal as it is partially blocked by the chainring. Something like Romelman's fitted to the fairing mounts and extending up and forward so the LED is closer to the front of the chainring would be ideal for me.
For those of you mounting your lights on your handlebars, I suppose your lights are above your knees so it's not a problem for you. Others of us have a high BB and thus lower handlebars that are way below our knees when our feet are at the top of the pedal stroke. Therefore any lights we have on our handlebars are blocked by legs.
I currently place my light UNDER my bottom bracket by strapping it to my chainstay extension. It is workable but not ideal as it is partially blocked by the chainring. Something like Romelman's fitted to the fairing mounts and extending up and forward so the LED is closer to the front of the chainring would be ideal for me.
Charles.Plager
Recumbent Quant
Hi Ivan,
Picture? (Come on,
Hi Ivan,
Picture? (Come on, you know this!)
Can you mount it on the other (non-chain) side?
Cheers,
Charles
Picture? (Come on,
Hi Ivan,
Picture? (Come on, you know this!)
Can you mount it on the other (non-chain) side?
Cheers,
Charles
John Dorlon
Guru
On my Vendetta (where my
On my Vendetta (where my knees do come up high enough to block the light from handlebar mounted lights), I use a helmet mount kit for the same light...so I can conveniently move it from bike to bike. I put it right on the boom (high enough where I can still reach the light), so the light shines between my legs. I am sure this would work on a Silvio 2.0 also.
http://www.shop.cygolite.com/product.sc?productId=81&categoryId=70
On my Vendetta (where my knees do come up high enough to block the light from handlebar mounted lights), I use a helmet mount kit for the same light...so I can conveniently move it from bike to bike. I put it right on the boom (high enough where I can still reach the light), so the light shines between my legs. I am sure this would work on a Silvio 2.0 also.
http://www.shop.cygolite.com/product.sc?productId=81&categoryId=70
counterpoint
Well-Known Member
Good solutions.
I have neon
Good solutions.
I have neon yellow Diadora shoes which are really irritating when illuminated. Well, visibility was part of the point (other than the comfortable toe box) but for me a bottom bracket mount way up front will be ideal.
I have neon
Good solutions.
I have neon yellow Diadora shoes which are really irritating when illuminated. Well, visibility was part of the point (other than the comfortable toe box) but for me a bottom bracket mount way up front will be ideal.
BBL
Member
Night Rider Luminous 650 On Silvios 1.5 and 2.0
The photograph below shows one person's choice of lighting for Silvio 1.5 and 2.0. I chose the Night Rider Luminous 650 because it is bright, has a high endurance flasher mode, and has a self contained, rechargeable battery. It also has three non-flashing brightness levels. "Performance Bicycle" did some tests where they compared a variety of lights by shining them down a tunnel. I tried to locate this reference but unfortunately was not able to find it. They do have a YouTube posting instead. You can Google it if you are interested.
First let me say that I almost never ride at night, and I never begin a ride planning to ride at night. If things go wrong, I can and have ridden at night. So please filter my comments accordingly. For me, lights (bright, powerful, flashing lights) make me very visible in the day. I have one in the front, as shown in the pictures and one mounted on my helmet, pointing to the rear. The forward flashing light is always on. The rear pointing helmet light is on when I am not riding in a group, which is most of the time. I can turn the rear light on and off while riding. This is important because it is most annoying for other cyclists to have to look into a Night Rider 650 at close range for very long. Since they are behind me, I figure they're my the wingmen, so I really don't need a rear pointing light in this situation.
In situations where a cyclist is in clutter (cars, signs, road signs, trees, etc.), a bicycle can be difficult to pick out. Even worse is when you are riding on that great back road and come out of the shadows to a blind driveway. For me, flags do not offer enough frontal visibility and add a bunch of drag. With active lighting, on the other hand, you will be seen, even in daylight. The Night Rider 650 is obnoxiously bright in the flasher mode at close range.
The mount I bought on-line from Hostel Shoppe (http://www.hostelshoppe.com/cgi-bin/readitem.pl?Accessory=1165594587 ). On my Silvio 1.5, I have the 100mm leg extensions. On my 2.0, I have the 75mm extensions. It doesn't really matter on the leg length. It's probably best just to buy the 100mm legs if you decide to go this way. This setup was inspired by romelman, but I chose the easy way out and bought the mounting hardware off-the-shelf. My thanks to him for sharing this excellent idea and complements for what appears to be a well crafted part.
And from the "Dog's Eye" (or "Car's Eye") view .......... Take away the white background and there's not much to look at. By the way, the light is not operating in this photograph.
I hope this helps.
Raine ....
This post is also pertinent to your questions regarding Silvio 1.5 Lighting. Hope you are tuned in.
The photograph below shows one person's choice of lighting for Silvio 1.5 and 2.0. I chose the Night Rider Luminous 650 because it is bright, has a high endurance flasher mode, and has a self contained, rechargeable battery. It also has three non-flashing brightness levels. "Performance Bicycle" did some tests where they compared a variety of lights by shining them down a tunnel. I tried to locate this reference but unfortunately was not able to find it. They do have a YouTube posting instead. You can Google it if you are interested.
First let me say that I almost never ride at night, and I never begin a ride planning to ride at night. If things go wrong, I can and have ridden at night. So please filter my comments accordingly. For me, lights (bright, powerful, flashing lights) make me very visible in the day. I have one in the front, as shown in the pictures and one mounted on my helmet, pointing to the rear. The forward flashing light is always on. The rear pointing helmet light is on when I am not riding in a group, which is most of the time. I can turn the rear light on and off while riding. This is important because it is most annoying for other cyclists to have to look into a Night Rider 650 at close range for very long. Since they are behind me, I figure they're my the wingmen, so I really don't need a rear pointing light in this situation.
In situations where a cyclist is in clutter (cars, signs, road signs, trees, etc.), a bicycle can be difficult to pick out. Even worse is when you are riding on that great back road and come out of the shadows to a blind driveway. For me, flags do not offer enough frontal visibility and add a bunch of drag. With active lighting, on the other hand, you will be seen, even in daylight. The Night Rider 650 is obnoxiously bright in the flasher mode at close range.
The mount I bought on-line from Hostel Shoppe (http://www.hostelshoppe.com/cgi-bin/readitem.pl?Accessory=1165594587 ). On my Silvio 1.5, I have the 100mm leg extensions. On my 2.0, I have the 75mm extensions. It doesn't really matter on the leg length. It's probably best just to buy the 100mm legs if you decide to go this way. This setup was inspired by romelman, but I chose the easy way out and bought the mounting hardware off-the-shelf. My thanks to him for sharing this excellent idea and complements for what appears to be a well crafted part.
And from the "Dog's Eye" (or "Car's Eye") view .......... Take away the white background and there's not much to look at. By the way, the light is not operating in this photograph.
I hope this helps.
Raine ....
This post is also pertinent to your questions regarding Silvio 1.5 Lighting. Hope you are tuned in.
Ivan
Guru
My Blackburn Flea 2.0 is a
My Blackburn Flea 2.0 is a tiny light (much brighter than it's size suggests). As such, I can fit it on the chainstay extension. The space in this extension is very narrow such that even this tiny light has to be mounted vertically. A normal light would not be able to fit in this space. In Eric's picture of his light fitting on his Vendetta, there appears to be much more space on his frame. I know that light he is using and there is no way it would fit there on my chainstay extension.
I really like Hostel Shoppe bracket that BBL posted. Thanks for the pics cos it wasn't clear to me how that worked from their website. However, it's rather pricey and the shipping to me would be prohibitive. My light position is okay for now, and it gets noticed, but it's not ideal and I would like to improve this. While I could put something on the boom I feel that is not a huge improvement and really want something like BBL and Romelman have done.
My Blackburn Flea 2.0 is a tiny light (much brighter than it's size suggests). As such, I can fit it on the chainstay extension. The space in this extension is very narrow such that even this tiny light has to be mounted vertically. A normal light would not be able to fit in this space. In Eric's picture of his light fitting on his Vendetta, there appears to be much more space on his frame. I know that light he is using and there is no way it would fit there on my chainstay extension.
I really like Hostel Shoppe bracket that BBL posted. Thanks for the pics cos it wasn't clear to me how that worked from their website. However, it's rather pricey and the shipping to me would be prohibitive. My light position is okay for now, and it gets noticed, but it's not ideal and I would like to improve this. While I could put something on the boom I feel that is not a huge improvement and really want something like BBL and Romelman have done.
Eric Winn
Zen MBB Master
They are a little pricey but
They are a little pricey but a Vendetta light mount works really well
All kidding aside, on the Vendetta this is a great light mount point. The brace tube where the light is mounted is round and almost a perfect fit for the radius of the light base. It is mounted with a rubber o-ring so it is quick and easy to put it on and take it off. I strap the battery pouch to the boom just aft of the "E" in Cruzbike. The battery pack is not shown in this picture.
This is what Ivan is doing on the Silvio with the extension but it is built-in to the Vendetta chain stays.
The light you see has a wide angle lens replacing the standard lens which changes the very, very bright spot on the road with way too little broad illumination (it was really hard going around corners at night) to a wide rectangular beam pattern that pretty much fills up the width of a full lane at about the right distance from you to make it a pleasure to ride at night, including around corners, at very high speed, etc. I will be adding a top cutoff and a hood to better limit upwards directed light - similar to projector headlamps to be a better road neighbor to oncoming traffic be it bicycle or motor vehicle. These lights are very bright - I generally just use the low beam. Sometimes the flashing mode in bright daylight.
EDIT: Added the front view and a link to a BROL post about how to improve this light.
-Eric
They are a little pricey but a Vendetta light mount works really well
All kidding aside, on the Vendetta this is a great light mount point. The brace tube where the light is mounted is round and almost a perfect fit for the radius of the light base. It is mounted with a rubber o-ring so it is quick and easy to put it on and take it off. I strap the battery pouch to the boom just aft of the "E" in Cruzbike. The battery pack is not shown in this picture.
This is what Ivan is doing on the Silvio with the extension but it is built-in to the Vendetta chain stays.
The light you see has a wide angle lens replacing the standard lens which changes the very, very bright spot on the road with way too little broad illumination (it was really hard going around corners at night) to a wide rectangular beam pattern that pretty much fills up the width of a full lane at about the right distance from you to make it a pleasure to ride at night, including around corners, at very high speed, etc. I will be adding a top cutoff and a hood to better limit upwards directed light - similar to projector headlamps to be a better road neighbor to oncoming traffic be it bicycle or motor vehicle. These lights are very bright - I generally just use the low beam. Sometimes the flashing mode in bright daylight.
EDIT: Added the front view and a link to a BROL post about how to improve this light.
-Eric
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Charles.Plager
Recumbent Quant
Very nice!
For the light in
Very nice!
For the light in the back, maybe consider putting a red film over the light. You want to make sure people don't think you're moving in the opposite direction that you really are going...
For the light in
Very nice!
For the light in the back, maybe consider putting a red film over the light. You want to make sure people don't think you're moving in the opposite direction that you really are going...
BBL
Member
Mounting Hardware for Rear Light
Ratz .....
I cobbled all this stuff together from parts I had laying around my house, so there are bits and pieces from everywhere.
The struts (100mm and 75mm) came from the Hostel Shoppe. It's called a TerraCycle Accessory Mount.
The bar came from Longbikes. It was out of something they call a Computer Mount. It was useful because it contained an embedded nut that allowed me to attach both struts to the bar with just a screw. You may not want to use this part, as the Longbikes Computer Mount is a little pricey ($49). I used it only because I already had it.
You could substitute with a part from Calhoun Cycles called an EVO Extension (35mm). It costs about $8. You would have to add a nut and maybe a washer on the end.
The little white thing between the bike frame and the 100mm strut is a 0.25" nylon spacer. I got it at Lowe's. You could assemble without this, but things line up better with it installed.
Screws are #10-24's of either 1" or 0.75" long. M5's would also work if you prefer metric. Nuts are all nylocked.
I tried including links to where I purchased these parts online, but the spam filter would not allow it, so I had to remove the links. If you have trouble finding anything, send me an e-mail, and I will provide the links.
Ratz .....
I cobbled all this stuff together from parts I had laying around my house, so there are bits and pieces from everywhere.
The struts (100mm and 75mm) came from the Hostel Shoppe. It's called a TerraCycle Accessory Mount.
The bar came from Longbikes. It was out of something they call a Computer Mount. It was useful because it contained an embedded nut that allowed me to attach both struts to the bar with just a screw. You may not want to use this part, as the Longbikes Computer Mount is a little pricey ($49). I used it only because I already had it.
You could substitute with a part from Calhoun Cycles called an EVO Extension (35mm). It costs about $8. You would have to add a nut and maybe a washer on the end.
The little white thing between the bike frame and the 100mm strut is a 0.25" nylon spacer. I got it at Lowe's. You could assemble without this, but things line up better with it installed.
Screws are #10-24's of either 1" or 0.75" long. M5's would also work if you prefer metric. Nuts are all nylocked.
I tried including links to where I purchased these parts online, but the spam filter would not allow it, so I had to remove the links. If you have trouble finding anything, send me an e-mail, and I will provide the links.
