Rear light positioning

[alancube]

Had my Cube for a month or so and getting to know it better! As the nights are getting shorter I'm thinking about lighting as I access my local trails by roads.
Front light position is ok as it can be fitted to the bars but rear lighting is more of a problem?
All I can think of at the moment is a high point on the rear Mudguard!
How have others got round this?

 

[RustyIron]

I like the Lezyne Femto. It attaches to the seatpost. They have a lot of other lighting solutions. Check out their webpage.

 

[Stihldog]

The fender or rear tire can obscure the seat post mounted tail light. I rarely ride in traffic but I’d like to be seen by a vehicle approaching from the rear. Not much of a problem once you’re on the trail but traveling in a straight line on a dark street can be a problem.

Have you considered a taillight which attaches to your helmet? Removable? Some helmets have lights integrated for street riding.

 

[Anders]

I use this one fixed below the seat.

Sykkelbaklykt Light5 Blip, 60 lm

Den oppladbare baklykten er utstyrt med en smart sensor som slår seg på automatisk når du begynner å sykle, slår seg av når du er fremme og lyser midlertidig sterkere når du bremser! Fire ulike driftsmoduser, helt vanntett (IPX6).

www.valostore.no

Sorry about the Norwegian website, but I presume you get the idea.

 

[Expidia]

If you mount one under the back edge of your seat your ass is going to cover it up. If you have a dropper post the movement up and down will eventually destroy the rubber mount especially if you slam the post down. What I did before I put racks on both my Powerflys was buying a Bontrager Flare rear LED light. Can be found a lot cheaper on Ebay. It’s rechargable, tiny, runs for many hours and can be seen for miles. I just spread the rubber strap open trimmed it back a few holes and popped two holes with an awl into the back of my emergency kit that I have under my seat and bolted it right onto the bag. Worked like a charm. I’ll post a pic of the unit Shortly. This first pic is just from a google of the Flare rear light (It’s a red LED).

Update: here is a pic of the Flare light and the extra strap I bought and another one I cut down to two holes to attach to the back of the underseat bag:

 

[Bones]

I have one cable tied near the seat clamp and one cable tied to the back of my helmet.

 

[alancube]

Thanks for all your replies/suggestions! As mentioned my rear end would probably cover any light fitted to the saddle, the dropper is out of bounds as it's up & down as required. The seat tube is considerably lower than the mudguard so would get shielded.
Now the light on the 'saddle bag' sounds like it has potential!
I do have a light incorporated into my riding helmet but am hoping to use something brighter, the Bontrager looks good.

 

[Bones]

A mate has a GoPro mount on his mudguard but I've not seen what he uses for a light.

 

[Stihldog]

If you mount one under the back edge of your seat your ass is going to cover it up. If you have a dropper post the movement up and down will eventually destroy the rubber mount especially if you slam the post down. What I did before I put racks on both my Powerflys was buying a Bontrager Flare rear LED light. Can be found a lot cheaper on Ebay. It’s rechargable, tiny, runs for many hours and can be seen for miles. I just spread the rubber strap open trimmed it back a few holes and popped two holes with an awl into the back of my emergency kit that I have under my seat and bolted it right onto the bag. Worked like a charm. I’ll post a pic of the unit Shortly. This first pic is just from a google of the Flare rear light (It’s a red LED).

Update: here is a pic of the Flare light and the extra strap I bought and another one I cut down to two holes to attach to the back of the underseat bag:

View attachment 127384 View attachment 127390

That’s the one I use. Can only mount it on the seat post bike frame. Not ideal …but I don’t ride in traffic very often.

 

[TheSnowShark]

Hello,

I have this one, a liitle alarm/light that fits perfectly under the saddle.. great !

Cheers, Pascal

 

[Nomad1]

Had my Cube for a month or so and getting to know it better! As the nights are getting shorter I'm thinking about lighting as I access my local trails by roads.
Front light position is ok as it can be fitted to the bars but rear lighting is more of a problem?
All I can think of at the moment is a high point on the rear Mudguard!
How have others got round this?

View attachment 127347

I think for your setup a helmet mounted taillight is best. I use a hotshot 350 seat post type mount which is great but, won't really work the way your bike is setup.

 

[alancube]

Once again thanks for your replies guys. This forum is a mine of information!
I have just bought a small silicone front and rear light (2.99!) that can be set to flash and seem quite visible in daylight - now I'm wondering about fitting it to the high point of my mudguard!

 

[Zimmerframe]

You seem sorted.

Decathlon do some lights which attach to your equipment - like saddle bags - which can be quite handy. IE, the decathlon light magnetics to the decathlon saddle bag.

Like @Stihldog says, helmet options are good too.

Your picture shows the saddle all the way down - you don't ride like that ??? That's just with your seatpost down ?You wouldn't really have to worry about vehicles behind you when you have the seat post down ??

Just as a side observation (literally ....) your saddle looks nose high and I'd imagine not ultimately supportive or comfortable like that.

Double rear guard setup looks cool and effective.

 

[alancube]

You seem sorted.

Decathlon do some lights which attach to your equipment - like saddle bags - which can be quite handy. IE, the decathlon light magnetics to the decathlon saddle bag.

Like @Stihldog says, helmet options are good too.

Your picture shows the saddle all the way down - you don't ride like that ??? That's just with your seatpost down ?You wouldn't really have to worry about vehicles behind you when you have the seat post down ??

Just as a side observation (literally ....) your saddle looks nose high and I'd imagine not ultimately supportive or comfortable like that.

Double rear guard setup looks cool and effective.

I agree - it does look nose high but is comfortable (for me!) Seat post in low position, I do that when stopping. It's only a medium frame with 29 wheels but seems a beast having come over from road bikes!

 

[Zimmerframe]

I agree - it does look nose high but is comfortable (for me!) Seat post in low position, I do that when stopping. It's only a medium frame with 29 wheels but seems a beast having come over from road bikes!

OK. So you probably want to work at moving forwards off the seat when you stop and not stay seated. Likewise when setting off. It might sound silly, but at some point you'll get caught out and have a minor tumble.

You can leave the seat/saddle in it's normal position then.

Ideally, you drop the seat when you're going downhill, so that you can more easily keep your body more centrally to the bike (above the BB - bottom bracket) Otherwise he seat height pitches you forwards too far and it gets in the way when you move yourself left and right standing on the pedals.

It takes time, but you learn to drop it before you think you're going down, or entering something technical, so you can move around more.

I suspect you've adjusted to the saddle being comfortable in that position, rather than it actually being ideal, though we're all different obviously. I suspect if you try it more level you'll actually find it more comfortable once you relax and get into your ride.

 

[alancube]

OK. So you probably want to work at moving forwards off the seat when you stop and not stay seated. Likewise when setting off. It might sound silly, but at some point you'll get caught out and have a minor tumble.

You can leave the seat/saddle in it's normal position then.

Ideally, you drop the seat when you're going downhill, so that you can more easily keep your body more centrally to the bike (above the BB - bottom bracket) Otherwise he seat height pitches you forwards too far and it gets in the way when you move yourself left and right standing on the pedals.

It takes time, but you learn to drop it before you think you're going down, or entering something technical, so you can move around more.

I suspect you've adjusted to the saddle being comfortable in that position, rather than it actually being ideal, though we're all different obviously. I suspect if you try it more level you'll actually find it more comfortable once you relax and get into your ride.

All good points thanks - it's a steep learning curve!