10 Minute $10 Handlebar Light
Need a quick, cheap and easy fix for an entry level bike light?
For less than $10, and 10 minutes, the following light can be fitted on your bike.
Harbor Freight (with locations in Louisville & Clarksville) currently has a black 9 LED 4” mini-flashlight on sale for $4.99 (item no. 93712) through Oct-15. The flashlight has a 1” diameter body. The light has a wide-beam focus, and provides just enough light to allow for night riding (even though it’s main role should be that of a supplemental or back-up light).
Note- some of the newest high-performance lighting systems are now using LED lighting. (Unfortunately, for $4.99 we’ll be at the opposite end of the spectrum, but still much better than most low-priced handle-bar lights.)
I just happened to have some old black plastic seat post reflector holders in my toolbox. The reflector holders were made to fit a 1” diameter seat post, which made it a perfect fit for the flashlight body. Simply remove the screw, open up the plastic and insert the flashlight and reinsert the screw to hold it in place.
I then fastened the reflector holder (with the light attached) to a metal 3/4” conduit holder (available at any hardware store for less than $1) with the other screw/bolt that came with the reflector holder. The store purchased conduit holder (which comes with a bolt and nut) was then fastened to my handlebar. I also exchanged the hex-nut that came with the conduit holder for a wing-nut (.25) to make installing/removing the light a little easier.
Next pick up 3 AAA batteries (the each price will vary depending upon quantity purchased) for approximately $1.50 and you’re ready to go.
If you only have one helmet light, or simply need an inexpensive handle-bar mounted back-up/safety light in case your main system fails, you can’t go wrong by using the above.
Parts List:
Harbor Freight 4” 9LED mini-flashlight (or equivalent) sale price $4.99
Metal 3/4” conduit holder and wing nut, $1
Three AAA batteries, $1.50
Plastic reflector holder, hopefully you have one lying around, or you may try visiting a bike shop and see if they have one they can spare.
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I used two of the above
I used two of the above flashlights mounted on my handlebars for this past Saturday's 12 hr. Canal Loop race. Much as expected, they provided the minimum amount of light needed for night riding.
For slow uphill climbs, they weren't too bad. For anything other than that, a second primary light is needed. I was using an inexpensive 10W helmet mounted light as my primary light source, and was reasonably satisfied with the performance of all three working in tandem.
I've spotted some 3W luxeon LED mini-flashlights on the market for around $20. If I happen to see any on sale for around $10, I'll try mounting two of those to my handlebars for some low-cost but effective night illumination.
One of the benefits of LED lights is their efficiency. I had some low-priced alkaline batteries in the lights for the race, and after one lap (well over 1 hr.) the lights were still shining the same as they did at the start.
Or, you could get this, with
Or, you could get this, with a Cree Q5 Emitter (not quite as cheap, but I'll bet that Q5 emitter puts out some light-don't have one yet, but will probably be orderin one soon): http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.9634
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I've rec'd the Smartfire
I've rec'd the Smartfire V-68C flashlight, 18650 battery, charger, and bike mount. What a bright light from a small flashlight!! The battery tube had prtd on it-V-68C 150 Lumens. I've seen bike specific lights rated at 150 Lumens on sale for $180. I have $43 invested in this set up. The beam is fairly tight, but there is some spill. There are 4 levels- high, medium, slow strobe, and fast strobe. On high, I can easily light my neighbors barn, at around 150 yards. Looking for an inexpensive, bright light-this works!
Bike retailers aren't shy
Bike retailers aren't shy about charging premium prices for their products. Nice to hear you found a lower cost, but equally effective alternative. I guess it's possible the bike-specific version may be a little more water-proof, in the unlikely event you get caught out in a shower.
I ended up finding a pair of 3 watt "torch" mini-flashlights on ebay for $7.99, add in $9.99 shipping, and the total for 2 lights was only $17.98. These single LED 3 watt lights are the real deal. They project a very intense and focused beam of white light, by far the brightest flash light I've ever owned. They're also small enough to mount to your handlebars.