Fixing a Cateye TL-LD1100 to a Thorn rear rack

[il padrone]

The Blackburn and Radbot lights do not fit each others' mounts, unfortunately. Though I've had no problem with either, I think the Blackburn may ultimately prove the more water-resistant in extended wet-weather use. Either may be easily unclipped and stolen while the bike is parked, so remove them yourself before leaving the bike in sketchy areas.

I have the Blackburn Mars 4.0 and very much like it - very bright, easy to fit, waterproof to a high level. However I lost one off the mount, then replaced it and had the replacement bounce off as well (luckily found it quickly). Following this I traced the problem down to the clasp on the bracket being a bit soft and enabling vibrations from very rough roads (eg. corrugations) to allow it to vibrate past the clasp.

My solution was simple - I placed a zip-tie around the light's clip and the tang of the clasp. This stopped the clasp from being able to move, the light was now permanently in place - I could only remove it by cutting the zip-tie and it is theft-proof to all intents. No further problems with the mounting or security  .

[dbrown]

A picture truly is worth a thousand words Dan, and those that you posted are fantastic. They are a real help, thank you.

I think if I can manage to move my Cateye slightly to the left by drilling an additional hole then there will be plenty of space for the Radbot to fit alongside. I think the central hole you used will be slightly too high for the Cateye bracket however -- in its current position the light is only slightly lower than the top of the rack; any higher and it will protrude above this. I think I will prefer drilling to bridging the holes with a piece of sheetmetal as I'd like to keep the final solution as simple as possible - two pieces of metal and a plastic bracket seems a lot just to attach a rear light! Thanks for the suggestion however, and I will certainly bear this in mind should the alternatives not work for me.
I had not considered creating an entire replacement plate to replace the Thorn bracket - a great idea as it could be customized exactly to my specifications, and be made with minimum bulk. There is a sheetmetal works next to our unit at work who we are friendly with, so I am sure they would be able to knock something up for me for next to nothing, should this be necessary.

I think I need to decide upon the additional light first, and then see how they might fit on the Thorn bracket. But which one? Decisions, decisions!

Thanks for the recommendations Dan and Pete - the Blackburn does look interesting - I suddenly had images of 1982 springing into my mind - specifically Tron and Knight Rider! The tendency for it to fall off that you mention, Pete, is a concern however. And the reflector on the Radbot would greatly improve upon the one on the SKS mudguard...
I had looked at the superflashes before, didn't realise that they would fit each others' mounts. This would offer some flexibility should I get one of these in the future.

Looks like I have some more research to do!

Danny

[IanW]

I only just picked up on this thread

But I too have a Thorn rack, to which I needed to fit a TL-LD1100 *and* a B&M Top Line Plus *and* and at one point a Reelight

So I took a piece of 6mm aluminium sheet and cut the necessary shaped piece.
I drilled the 6mm holes to match the bolt-hole separations on the Thorn rack
and then proceeded to drill a series of 5mm holes at:
a) 80mm horizontal separation
b) 50mm horizontal separation
c) Exactly on the centre-line

The vertical separation of the 5mm holes was done at exactly 1/2 of the pitch of separation between
the "nub" and bolt-hole that seems common to lots of lights available in the UK

Thus I have a light mounting plate (painted with black enamel paint) that can accept a whole variety of lights

The interesting point is that
a) I made a mock-up of this plate in 6mm ply-wood (which, if it would be returned after use, I would happily loan-out, for use as a specification/template)
b) I still have some of the aluminium plate

I can supply pictures if desired.

P.S. as the mounting plate is actually larger than strictly required, I actually covered the rearward facing surface with red 3M diamond-grade reflective tape
So the exposed area of the plate acts as a big rear reflector.

P.P.S my spouse's bike also has a rather more recent model of Thorn rack which sounds similar to the one being discussed here in that it has a removable light mounting plate and I have made up a similar alternative mounting plate (via ply-wood template) for this rack too.

P.P.P.S I eschewed Cateye's own TL-LD1100 mounting bracket and instead "tapped" a couple of threads into the back of the light and thus the TL-LD1100 is actually bolted to this bracket.

[Danneaux]

Hi Ian! Welcome to the Thorn Cycling Forums!

Thanks for your detailed post and generous offer to make a template available on temporary loan if needed. Just thinking...if you wish, posting an attached photo would be a terrific adjunct to your description. I have posted details on how to add photos to posts here: http://www.thorncycles.co.uk/forums/index.php?topic=4313.0

I can add that if one doesn't mind a bit of odor for awhile, baking the painted plates in the oven at low heat -- 125° for 30 minutes does wonders to enhance future chip-resistance. Even better if one does the baking between and after a couple light coats of spray paint.

The custom mounting plate is a terrific solution; I'll bet yours looks nice.

Best,

Dan.

[IanW]

I have attached some photos of the replacement lighting plate
that I made to attach to the newer style Thorn rack (the one with the removable lighting plate on the back)

I have also attached a photo of the ply-wood templates
(the one on the left was made as a fully working example
 the one on the right was made purely to define the drilling centres)

Regards
Ian W.

[IanW]

And yet more photos, this time of the older style Thorn rack lighting plate
Note that this older rack did not have an existing removable lighting plate
Instead it had two threaded eyes attached to the underside of the fixed rearmost transverse bar

[jags]

Another genius  on the forum i'm gradually getting lower and lower in the ranks,
welcome IanW

[Danneaux]

Outstanding job, Ian; thanks very much!

This will help more than a few folks, I'm sure.

Best,

Dan.

[dbrown]

Yes, many thanks for that Ian. I am still deliberating over my own setup, and your photos and shared experience have given me some great ideas. I think it's looking more likely that I'll opt for a custom made plate once I decide which lights/reflector combination I'll go for.

Danny

[Andybg]

Found this mounting bracket for the cateye which looks like it may solve the problem of fitting to the Thorn Rack:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Cateye-Parts-FlexTight-Bracket-Rear-Rack-Multi-Mount-Mounting-Bracket-TL-LD-NEW-/150938749157?pt=UK_SportGoods_CyclAcces_RL&hash=item2324a688e5

Did not see one like this available a couple of months ago

Andy