fork crown mounts

Cronometro NOB

PWC handlebar mounts

R+M handlebar mounts

dual headlights on fork

Upside down?

Pricing

Taillights

Ordering

Be aware that no bracket is included with the standard Lumotec or E6. The Lumotec Oval Plus does come with two brackets; one for fork crown mounting with caliper brakes, and one for fork crown mounting with either cantilever or V brakes. DLumotec Oval series headlights come with a fork crown mount for caliper brakes.

Lumotec Oval Plus comes with these fork crown brackets. The DLumotec Oval (LED) comes with the mount on the left.

Some folks choose to make their own brackets for mounting the headlight. I have several different brackets available for either fork crown mounting, or handlebar mounting. The Lumotec is shorter than the Lumotec Oval Plus, so I have taller brackets for the Lumotec than for the Lumotec Oval Plus. The E6 works best if mounted on one of my handlebar brackets, either directly on the handlebar, or on the side of the fork.

Fork Crown Brackets for Standard Lumotecs, sold separately

Mounting the Lumotec or Oval Plus headlight at the fork crown has several benefits. It leaves your handlebar clear for cyclecomputers, altimeters, heart rate monitors and hot&cold running beer dispensers. Also, the lower the light is mounted, the more effective the beam pattern is, and the more easily you can see road surface irregularities.

On our tandem, using a standard Lumotec, I use a B&M cantilever style fork crown mount (pictured above) to leave space for a handlebar bag, and for the better beam pattern that results from the lower mounting point.

The fork crown mount brackets are all metal construction, and in theory can fatigue from vibration and break. Earlier brackets that I've sold with the Lumotecs have had some failures. I've been selling the current fork crown brackets for quite a few years now with very few reported failures when used with a Busch&Muller headlight. The Schmidt E6 headlight is a bit heavier than the Lumotecs, and I have gotten a few reports of fork crown bracket failures, so I'm now only recommending mounting them with the nylon brackets, which will never break from metal fatigue. As of September, 2007, I have a new bracket that should work with the E6. See below.

The handlebar mount is not metal and won't fatigue from vibration. For the most secure mounting, I always recommend the handlebar mount for any headlight.

The handlebar mount can be used to place the light low on the side of your fork. Just add the Cronometro Nob. The Nob is intended for mounting computers on aero bars so that the computer is aligned correctly, rather than turned 90 degrees to the side. But the Nob can be mounted to your fork blade, and then my handlebar mount can be mounted on the Nob.

Notice that in the photo above, the mount is on a steel fork. I get lots of telephone calls asking me if this Cronometro Nob is suitable for use with a carbon fiber fork with some bizarre shape. I don't know if it is or if it isn't. I don't use carbon fiber forks, so I'm not competent to comment on the suitability of this method of mounting lights for some sort of carbon fiber impregnated plastic fork.

My handlebar bracket (a slightly modified Shimano Flight Deck computer bracket) holding a Lumotec, attached to a Cronometro NOB. The NOB can be mounted on an aero bar, or on a fork blade, or just about any tube of your bike.

Front view of a Lumotec, mounted on my handlebar bracket, mounted on the NOB, held by fingers. I stock everything but the fingers.

I have a new handlebar mount, the R&M. It weighs a few grams more than my other bracket, but it places the light further from the handlebar so you can position the lights lower without interference.

You can put two R&M handlebar brackets, one on each side of the stem and mount both the Primary and the Secondary headlight side by side. The bracket on the left just goes upside down. You still have space on the handlebar for mounting a computer, make-up mirror, or hot & cold running beer dispenser.

If you use the dual headlight system by adding the Secondary Lumotec or E6 Secondary, it's helpful but not essential that the Secondary be easily reached while you're riding, since at low speeds (under 8 - 10mph or so) you'll get more light output by having the Secondary switched off. So, if you want the primary headlight mounted on the side of the fork, you may want the Secondary mounted on the handlebar, or at the fork crown. You could have the primary headlight mounted at the fork crown, and the Secondary mounted on the handlebar. You can have both headlights mounted on the handlebar, or both on an Excess Access bar. Some people simply put both headlights on the fork blades; one on each side, using two Cronometro Nobs and two handlebar mounts.

Dual Headlights on Fork

With all the stuff people have on their handlebars, it can be nice to mount the headlights down on the fork blades, out of the way of cables, odometers, heart rate monitors, etc. By using the Cronometro Nob and my handlebar bracket, you can place one or two headlights on your forks. This page shows you how to do it. The bike is a Rambouillet.

The lights shown here are the Schmidt E6 Primary and E6 Secondary. But this installation will work with the Lumotec and Lumotec Oval Plus headlights also. And remember, both headlights can be the Schmidt E6 models, or both Lumotec models, or a mix. Mix an E6 Primary and Lumotec Secondary or have a Lumotec Primary with an E6 Secondary. It doesn't effect the wiring or mounting.

Start by mounting a Nob on the left fork blade. This will be for your Primary headlight, assuming you live where it's customary to ride on the right side of the road. If you use just one light, or if you have a Secondary but only use it for fast downhills, this keeps the light that's on all the time positioned on the left, where it will be more visible to oncoming traffic.

The Nob works just like a hose clamp. Wrap it around the fork blade, preferably where the blade is not tapered. If you put it on the tapered part of the blade, it can slide down. On steel forks this means placing the Nob up on the oval section of the blade near the top. On plastic forks, aka carbon fiber, perhaps this method will work; perhaps it won't. I don't know. I only know it works well on steel forks without a taper, or on the non-tapered upper section of an otherwise tapered steel fork, such as shown in the photo below. If you have a plastic fork, you would be well advised to mount your lights directly off the handlebar. You might also want to replace your fork, but that's another matter.

Next, trim the excess from the Nob's band with a sharp blade. Don't scratch the paint! ;-)

Now, mount a handlebar bracket onto the Nob. My handlebar bracket is made from a Shimano Flight Deck computer mount with some added hardware. Place the handlebar bracket with the nut for the light away from the wheel, giving maximum clearance between the light and the wheel.

Now, mount the light onto the handlebar bracket. The wire from the Primary light needs to wrap over the back of the fork and down the right fork blade, since the hub's connectors must be on the right side of the bike, unless you have an older SON hub with the black center section between the spoke flanges. With the older hub, the connectors can be on either side. And remember, always mount the headlight right side up. The hole for the mounting bolt is on the bottom. If you mount the headlight upside down, you ruin the superb beam that justifies the cost of these headlights. The light will be very bright close to you and extremely dim further away. Keeping the headlight mounted right side up gives you the most even illumination of the road in front of you.

Here's how it should look from the front. If the headlight is so close to the wheel that it touches the spokes, you've mounted the handlebar bracket backwards. Take the headlight off and reverse the handlebar bracket. If you'll just be using a single headlight, and lots of people do, you're almost done! But this is the Dual Headlight page, so we'll continue. ;-)

Now mount the second Nob on the left fork blade, opposite the Nob on the right. Trim the end and mount the other handlebar bracket. Then mount the headlight onto the handlebar bracket.

Use some cable ties or zip ties to hold the wiring in place. You can get zip ties at any hardware store. Loop any excess cable from the headlight around the Cronometro Nob.

You may still have some excess wire. Loop it together between the fender and the fork crown. Use zip ties to keep everything tidy. If you don't have fenders, try to wrap as much wire as you can around the Nobs.

Here are the wires as they attach at the hub. One wire from each headlight plugs into the hub. The two remaining connectors, one male, one female, connect to each other. (The black plastic block bolted to the dropout eyelet in the upper left corner of the photo is part of the front fender mount. It has nothing to do with the lights or wiring.)

Use zip ties to gather the loose ends together. Trim off the excess length from the zip ties. It makes no difference how you orient the connectors. Here they're pointed down. If you want to point them up, or consult with a Fung Shui Master about it, feel free.

Each light can be easily aimed right to left, and up or down.

Oh, ah, please excuse the mess.

And here's the finished product, all ready for Paris Brest Paris. You can also mount the headlight or headlights directly on the handlebar, if you have space, or off the handlebar with an accessory mount like the Minoura Space Grip. That would eliminate the need for the Cronometro Nobs. But with the lights on the fork, there's no interference with brake and derailleur cables, and your handlebar is free to mount whatever else you need.

Don't mount the lights upside down. The Busch&Muller headlights can get water inside if they're upside down, and all of the headlights (B&M, Schmidt, Inoled) are designed to project brighter light at the top of the focused beam, to give more even and safer road illumination. The top part of the beam is projected further down the road, therefore it needs to be brighter. Our headlights tend to be more expensive than many other headlights designed for use with dynamos. The higher prices are partly due to the superior design of the optics. If you mount the lights upside down, you'll end up with a headlight that doesn't even work as well as the cheapest headlights available, you've wasted your money, and you're less safe while riding because you can't see the road ahead of you as well. Please don't mount the lights upside down!

Nitto Lamp Holder

With the Lamp Holder you add a considerable amount of real estate for mounting headlights, computers, heart rate monitors and whatnot, compared with the handlebar alone, or with any other handlebar accessory I know of. The Lamp Holder is eight inches long, and 22.2mm in diameter, so anything designed to mount on a handlebar can mount to this, with the exception of a handlebar bag that uses the handlebar as its sole support. I have the two clamps as close together as possible in this photo. But of course you can position them wherever you like as long as you're at the center large diameter of your handlebar. These will not fit the new oversized carbon fiber handlebars, only 25.4mm, 26.0mm and 26.4mm bars, the traditional sizes.

Here we have two headlights, a Lumotec Primary and E6 Secondary, a Busch & Müller F Lite, a Cateye computer and a Topeak computer (the closest thing I had to a heart rate monitor) with still room to spare. The gap between the handlebar and the Lamp Holder bar is 1.25" or 31mm.

Here are the same to dynamo powered headlights, plus two B&M Ixons for backup. Anyone doing Paris Brest Paris should have backup lights. And the Nitto Lamp Holder gives you plenty of space for them. $ 65.00

Minoura Space Grip

For those with limited space on the handlebar, I recommend the Minoura Space Grip. It's shaped like a "T" with the base of the "T" attached to your handlebar. The "Cross" of the "T" is available in two lengths; 100mm and 130mm. Both are long enough to mount two lights using my handlebar mount. The bar can be rotated 90 degrees to the clamp.

BUT!

Do not use this for mounting battery powered lights, such as the Ixon. It's not strong enough. Use it for dynamo powered headlights only. The weight of four AA batteries is more than this inexpensive mount can handle.

Excess Access

The Sidetrack Excess Access bar gives you lots of space to mount lights, computers, coffee mugs, beer kegs, as well as Uranium Q36 Explosive Space Modulators. Unlike the Minoura Space Grip, the Excess Access can't rotate down since the rear rests against the underside of your stem. Now available in silver anodized finish only.

I get asked whether or not the Excess Access can be used to mount a handlebar bag. It can't. It's just not strong enough. But it's just dandy for battery powered headlights.

$ 20.00

Terra Cycle Mounts

Terra Cycle makes a handy light mount for recumbents and other bikes with unusual mounting requirements.

The arms of the Terra Cycle accessory mount are available in a variety of sizes. You can get both arms 100mm, one arm 75mm and the second 100mm, and one arm 50mm and the second 75mm. This allows the light to be positioned at various distances from the mounting points. $30.

I sell Tubus racks which incorporate a mounting bracket which will fit many types of Busch & Müller tail lights including the DToplight Plus and 4DToplight Permanent. The Tubus Cargo is a heavy duty tubular cromoly steel rack for extended touring and heavy loads. Most Tubus racks will directly mount all of the rack mount taillights.

Secret Mounting Systems

These are the mounting systems, brackets and methods that I don't sell or even tell anyone about unless they call up and ask me about them. These secret mounts and methods do exist. Of course they do! Well, I assume they do. Heck, they must exist because people keep calling and asking about them. Why would they call and ask for my secrets if I didn't have any, right?

Think about it!

They tell me they've seen my web page about mounting lights, but they didn't see a way to mount lights onto their bike, some sort of recumbent folding electrified trike with cross-over belt-driven differential constant velocity joints and sway bars, and now they want to know how it's done. They want to know my secrets.

Well, here they are.

Pricing

Accessory mounts for mounting the DToplight and 4DToplight series taillights on racks not equipped with the proper bracket.
Bracket for rack with single center hole	$ 3.25
Bracket for rack with no rear mounting hole (T Bracket)	$ 4.50
Bracket for seat post binder bolt	$ 3.25
Fender mount taillights can be mounted on a rear cantilever brake with the "Cross" bracket.	$ 4.25
Headlight Mounts
In Germany, almost all of the bikes using dynamo lighting systems are "touring" or "commuting" bikes. These will typically have tires at least 35mm wide, or larger. The normal inflation pressures are 80psi, or lower. The headlights are most commonly mounted right at the fork crown, directly over the front tire, using a steel mount. In the late 1990's when brevet cyclists here in the US started using these lights on bikes using 23mm tires at 90psi and higher, the vibration would often cause the mounts to break, particularly with the heavier Schmidt E6 headlight. So for a long time I have not had a reliable means of mounting an E6 on a racing bike with caliper brakes. But that may be changing.
This new mount is heavier and is manufactured in a different way than the earlier, similar looking mount. The older mount would sometimes break, particularly when used on racing bikes, or any bike running high pressure tires, 90psi and up. So I never advised people to use the old mount with the Schmidt E6 headlight, which is heavier than the Lumotec headlight these mounts are designed for. But this new heavier Lumotec mount may well be strong enough to hold the E6. I can't guarantee it, of course. And if you do decide to use it, you should use a zip tie or something to prevent the light from falling into the spokes should the mount fail. But I don't think it will. If I didn't think there was a very good chance that this mount would solve the problem, I wouldn't suggest that you give it a try. And I have no doubt that this mount will be fine if you are using large cross section tires at comfortable air pressures. Obviously, if you're using this with a Busch & Müller Lumotec, you have nothing to fear, as it's a very strong and durable mount for such a light weight headlight. The older, lighter Lumotec mount rarely failed with a Lumotec, so this one should be 100% trouble free with a Lumotec. Just to be clear, I think this mount should be fine with an E6 headlight. But if you use it, and if the mount does break, it's not covered by any warrantee. I've only begun suggesting that people use this mount with the E6 in September, 2007. If the E6 is damaged, I won't replace it. And in the unlikely event that they do start breaking, I'll immediately put up a notice and stop suggesting that people try it. Of course, you don't have to try it with the E6. You still have the tried and true option of the R&M handlebar mount, and my custom mounts for placing the E6 on the side of the fork. So if you'd rather not take the risk, don't. ;-)
Busch & Müller bracket to mount the round Lumotec headlight between fork crown and caliper brake. Model B&M470H1.	$ 4.00
Busch&Muller bracket to mount the round Lumotec headlight at fork crown with cantilever brakes. Model B&M470UPB. This shouldn't be used to mount a Schmidt E6 or Inolight.	$ 1.25
Busch&Muller bracket to mount the Lumotec Oval Plus headlight between fork crown and caliper brake. Model B&M471FPB. Included with Oval Plus. This shouldn't be used to mount a Schmidt E6 or Inolight.	$ 1.25
Busch&Muller bracket to mount the Lumotec Oval Plus headlight at fork crown with cantilever brakes. Model B&M471UPB. Included with Oval Plus. This shouldn't be used to mount a Schmidt E6 or Inolight.	$ 2.75
This new mount (2006) works with almost any headlight on a fork with V brakes. Model B&M471LH. It's a strong nylon material so it won't break from vibration induced fatigue. It's designed to point stright up from a unicrown fork, so the transverse cable of a V brake will pass underneath the headlight. The surface that faces the fork is curved for a good fit. This is the only fork crown mount strong enough to hold the Schmidt E6 headlight.	$ 6.00
This new mount (2006) works with many headlights, including the E6. It's model B&M471B and made of tough nylon.You place this mount within the headset stack, perhaps replacing a spacer. The headset must be a 1" threaded type to fit. And you will need enough space between the position of the mount and the underside of your stem, so a highrise type stem will be best.	$ 4.00
This mount works with the DLumotec Topal series headlights. Model B&M472FLH. It's for mounting the light at a fork crown with caliper brakes or v brakes. This mount might work with a Schmidt E6, though the light will be rather low and the tire might block the beam, depending on how high your fork crown is.	$ 2.00
This mounts the Topal series headlights at the fork crown with regular cantilever brakes. Model B&M472BAPB.	$ 4.00
Custom Handlebar Bracket for mounting Lumotec or Schmidt E6 directly on handlebar or Excess Access bar, or Cronometro "NOB": Tall	$ 15.00
Custom Handlebar Bracket for mounting Lumotec Oval Plus directly on handlebar or Excess Access bar, or Cronometro "NOB": Short	$ 13.00
R&M handlebar bracket (best for direct handlebar mounting)	$ 19.00
Handlebar Accessories
Nitto Lamp Holder 8" 200mm wide	$ 65.00
Minoura Space Grip 130mm wide	$ 11.00
Minoura Space Grip 100mm wide	$ 10.00
Cronometro "NOB"	$ 9.00
Sidetrack Excess Access	$ 20.00
Rear racks that accept Dtoplight Plus taillights without modification.
Tubus Cargo rear rack 700c with bracket for taillight:	$ 121.00
Tubus Cargo rear rack 26" with bracket for taillight:	$ 121.00

Headlights

Check out the great variety of headlights for use with the SON.

Taillights

For a detailed description of compatible taillights, see my page on taillights.

Ordering

Almost everything you need to know about pricing and ordering a lighting system can be found here.

Back to Lighting Systems page

Back to: Products page

Back to: Peter White Cycles home page

Mail to:

The email link above uses javascript to hide the actual address from spambots. Your browser needs to be set to run javascript in order for you to use any of the email links on my website. If you can't see the links, you can call us or send a fax. You can also type the address into your email software. First, type the alias, "pjw". Then type the "@" sign. It's above the number 2 on your keyboard. Then type the domain, "peterwhitecycles.com". Don't put in the quotes! That should do it.

We use the javascript so that the spammers can't see the actual email address. I hope it works.

Sometimes the volume of email is so great we can't get to it all. For important communication, please phone, or phax.

It's best to call before 4PM Eastern time since after that we're either running around like headless chickens or at home ready to jump into the pot.

Under no circumstances should you place an order without first reading this.

This page updated: Tuesday, April 22, 2008

Peter White Cycles
24 Hall Rd.
Hillsborough, NH 03244
USA
603 478 0900 Phone
603 478 0902 Phax