I’m about to head off for a cross-Europe adventure – and I am trying to find a good set of lights, that I can use year-round, that work around my luggage. SO many lights mount from seatposts at the rear or garmin/ handlebars at the front, but these are non options if you are using a bar bag or seatpost/ racktop bag.
My setup is small-ish gravel panniers front and rear, roll bag on the bars, seatpack at the rear on the post, and a rear racktop roll bag.
I have Old Man Mountain Divide racks front and rear, which do have holes drilled in the rack tops for mounting options. I’ve also got bosses on the fork outside legs that could work, but quite low down.
Lights-wise I want usb-c rechargeable lights (not going to be used daily, just if my days overrun) with decent power (ideally 1000 lumens plus, as if I need them I may well be in remote areas) and decent runtimes on low settings. Things like the Knog Blinder 1400 appeal, and I’d also consider a radar at the rear, but that’s not essential.
Yes, that’s the bike but I don’t have a fully loaded image right now 😆
by Singletrack-Red5
2 Comments
I personally like the Lezyne Zecto Drive lights for the fact as well as a rubber strap for seatposts and bars, they have a built-in belt clip that i use on my panniers or bar bags when my bike is loaded. They’re quite versatile when it comes to mounting options. Mine are old now but the batteries still last, and I beleive they have now been updated to USB-C.
Edit: Just to add, the Zecto Drive lights are really just lights to be seen, not powerful enough to show you the way in darkness.
At the the rear, I’ll usually use this cheap tail light from Specialized: [https://www.specialized.com/us/en/flashback-taillight/p/173305?color=270048-173305&searchText=49120-2400](https://www.specialized.com/us/en/flashback-taillight/p/173305?color=270048-173305&searchText=49120-2400)
It comes with the standard rubber band strap, but it also has a simple clip behind that I can fasten to loops on my Ortlieb saddle bag. It doesn’t feel quite as secure as I’d like, but it’s also yet to fall off. I’ll sometimes back it up with a Magicshine tail light strapped to one of the seat stays.
At the front, I use bike computer out-front mounts that have a GoPro-style attachment point underneath, then use head lights that can mount to it. Current favorite is the Outbound Detour, but I have cheaper Lezyne lights that I mount for “just in case” when riding in the dark isn’t expected. The out-front mount usually sits high enough that it clears a handlebar bag, even when bikepacking and carrying my tent there.