Tawraste666

Hey all,
Does anyone have any novel ideas for the problem that is a bloody ugly headlight on a beautiful roadbike?
I know that it is an absolute safety necessity, but I am in the grip of an aesthetic madness which has led me to wanting to remove all clutter from my bike.
The pumps in the seat tube, tools in a cyckit aeroclam, rear light I have down to something an inch in diameter, no drink cages, no plastic crap on either wheel.
The only horrid thing left on my bike is the damned headlight which I obviously cannot do without.
So I'm looking for ideas that rotate around a headlamp fitting in with the bike's shape. An elegant solution if you will.
Any ideas? Thanks all.

Iride01 

For daytime only or are you needing a headlamp for nighttime too?

My little bitty 1" square Bontrager ION doesn't bother me on the bars. It's good for a daytime blinkie. Somewhat okay for the times I get caught riding late. Though not the best for regular nighttime rides.

Tawraste666

Cheers for your reply.
I'm a commuter who works shifts, so I cycle at all times of the day and year.
I'm quite happy with 2-300 lumins, I could probably do with a little less.
I shall check out the light you mention.
I have seen a nice stem integrated one and one that was centred on the handlebars but both are kickstarter things.

Koyote

I have an idea: get over it. A light is a safety device, and it should be judged as such. Aesthetics should be a distant second-place concern.

Tawraste666

Well well.
That didn't take long did it.
At no point did I suggest NOT using a light.
Don't worry though Coyote, I have been on this forum before and am aware that a few of you like to revel in dick moves.

znomit

Some of the B&M dynamo lights have a classic look. If you're a year around commuter they might make sense.
eg https://www.bumm.de/en/products/dyna...86ctsndi.html?

Tourist in MSN

You can call that a dick move, but your original post makes it clear that you highly value a bike that has no clutter at all. If you valued the light you would have explained if you wanted a light to be seen or a light that allows you to see.

Maybe you need one of those lights that attaches to the handlebar with an elastic so you can remove it when you do not want it.

The suggestion from Znomit for a dyno powered light is a good one. Photo below is from my road bike, an B&M IQ-XS light.



But then you could complain about the looks of the wiring.

Tawraste666

Now that is very beautiful.
I have considered the dynamo solution, the retro lamps do look very cool and totally blend in with the bike.
In fact, this option is still very much on the table.
I do not mind cables so long as they are organised and any ferrules, fittings, etc neatly attended too.
I have also come across a lot of stem clamps that allow a given lamp to be centred which goes a long way to eliminating the untidy mounting of many modern headlamps. One thing in particular that bothers me is the use of rubber bands!
Addressing two more of your points:
It is a dick move if someone quotes you but actually edits the quote to validate their own point.
It is also a dick move to brush away an innocent attempt to enjoy bikes and cycling, under the guise of crusading for the lofty ideal of safety, when no threat to safety was ever mentioned.
Coming at my quiet enjoyment of cycling with "get over it" is never going to come across well. I doubt if that individual would do that to someone in person.
I also stated that I obviously could not do without a headlight, and therefore was pursuing a more elegant solution.
Having witnessed dick moves all over this forum I thought I'd squash it quickly before the more helpful members of the forum felt compelled to stand back.

Troul 

do you have a picture of your bicycle to provide? It might spur some better targeted suggestions.

I'm a fan of very small/compact mounted accessories. Seems to be very hard to find commonly wanted items in such an affordable/available solution.

Tawraste666

Thank you Troul, when I get out of work I'll take a pic of the cockpit. 👍
Here's a shop pic:

Tawraste666

Whilst this example is rather hideously modern, it does utilise a centre mount and the designers have paid careful attention to the lenses so as not to dazzle other road users:
https://road.cc/content/review/outbo...e-light-298573

Koyote

You're lucky to get any responses, given the almost complete lack of info in your original post. You didn't tell us what you find aesthetically objectionable in some headlights, what you desire (shape, mounting system, mounting location), or even a simple photo of your bike.

Oh, and claiming that there is "no threat to safety" involved in choosing a headlight is a hoot. If not for the safety factor, you could just skip the headlight and ride blindly into the night.

Love--

--Dickie

Tawraste666

And you didn't point any of that out before seizing the opportunity to be an arse.
Life's full of lessons.
I suppose the next lesson I get to learn is how quickly you can use your "senior" status to permaban me.
Fill your boots

Troul 

just over two hours at full use is a non starter for me, as I would find it lacking use mid way thru a dark ride. At the max output for that light, I would not settle for less than 6 hours of run time & a narrow beam projection. Don't need the multiple led's, just good light focus covering the direction being traveled.
Unfortunately, I have yet to find something that checks the boxes...

Exposed parts being very sleek & compact (Light part) , durable, reliable (high IP rating)
Well thought out battery & cable design ~ battery capable of feeding the light, while charging other devices [bicycle computer, rear tail light, phone] , capacity exceeding expectations for providing power & leveraging latest robust cable material.
Switch capability, wireless & wired.
Computer integration with the common brands.
Not being priced out of the market, yet still enough to ensure great customer support will always be reliable if needed.

Closest brand that is flirting with the above is Magicshine. So far, my experience with there products & customer service is not doing them any favors.

Tawraste666

Hmm, good observations there. I looked at magicshine's store. The offerings there are fairly generic.
Ideally, I'd like a flat, round light in front of the stem plate with the battery in the stem or steerer tube (like the di2 batteries). Possibly a usb port somewhere to charge up in my garage.
If I could find a light like that, I would do the necessary work to get the battery squirreled away, or even run the cable down past my disc brake cable to a dynamo on the front.
Lots of the smaller round lamps seem quite long to me though.

Troul 

i've not came across much high lumen output & narrow focused lights with a single beam, shallow body & slim housing that uses a tethered battery design. Hence the reference to MS. They have a few options that use the tethered battery concept, but they all seem to have a turnoff for me. I don't need multiple lighting features such as which section of it lights up, how it lights up in different patterns, & all the various other modes the OEM burns into the design.

roadcrankr

I use a Victagen VTG10 bought on Amazon. They run about forty bucks.
It uses a USB-C charging port for the integrated battery. Weighs about six ounces.
Flashing mode lasts about two hours or so. On longer rides, I sometimes carry a second unit.
Like you, I detest clutter and this unit provides a fairly clean look, with the ability to mount in many spots.
It latches securely, but pretty much requires removal to charge.
High beam mode drains the battery in under one hour, so longevity makes a strike against it.
I get what you're saying about some members here jumping all over people. I never understand why it's allowed.
Good luck with your project!

chaadster

The rechargeable Specialized Flux 850, while overkill for your lumen requirements, does have a sleek, trim, offset mount that allows the lamp to be placed centerline on the bike, above, below, or out front of the stem as you prefer.

https://www.specialized.com/us/en/fl...ext=49121-1710

Similarly mounting tight and inline with the stem, Outbound Lighting’s Detour is even more overkill lumen-wise at 1200, and it’s bigger than Flux 850, but who knows, maybe the styling and power is intoxicating…

https://www.outboundlighting.com/col...roducts/detour

Personally, I have two different headlight solutions for the type of lighting I need, either daytime flashing or a solid-on beam to illuminate the road if I’m going to be out past sunset.

For daytime flashing I use Specialized Stix Elite 2, which I mount in a variety of ways depending on the bike. Usually I either have it velcro’d (DuoTec’d, actually) to the headtube on the one bike, or mounted with the strap around the headset spacers on another bike. That same strap mount allows me to put it on the bars centered in front of the stem for yet other bikes. Discreet and tidy mounting any of those ways.

https://www.specialized.com/us/en/st...ext=49120-1800

For nighttime road illumination, I use a Knog Blinder 400, which straps to the handlebars in a single piece. Nothing fancy like the offset mounting, but it’s “high n’ tight,” to borrow a phrase, and super easy, complete on/off, so there’s no bracket or anything to futz with when removing.

https://us.knog.com/collections/fron...ont-bike-light

Tawraste666

Thanks so much for all your ideas so far.
I really appreciate it.
There are some great suggestions there.
I also came across a droid orb, its only a be seen light, and it's square but it is very, very neat:
https://www.orb.bike/product/the-orb-droidset/

roadcrankr

Looks too neat to me. Sort of a gimmick and not bright enough. I thought it contained a hidden tracking device!
They improved the Vitagen one I recommended earlier. (Bought mine two years ago.)
Unsure about the 8,000 lumen claim, but for daylight riding, you want the brightest sucker possible.
You can find weak 120 lumen blinky lights all day long. People ain't gonna see you, man.

Tawraste666

Yeah, you're totally right.

datlas 

If you want to keep bike looking clean and wear a helmet, how about a helmet-mounted headlight??

t2p

Knog Blinder (400 or 600) is fairly small / self contained ... run times not the greatest though ... middle pic shows an accessory mount for under computer / GPS mount

bottom pic is a Knog Plugger ... again fairly small / self contained ... could run two - one on each side of the stem ... ( Knog Plug is similar to the Plugger - tad smaller with less lumens )

MagnaRota

I use literally a headlamp, a strap around my head. They're cheap on Amazon. Rechargeable, bright, dim, or flashing modes, white in front red in back, and when they're bright they light up the road like car headlights.

A benefit of that is if I end up a pedestrian somehow, I will still have a light for walking.

Leisesturm

Op is using a Thoroughbred Racehorse to fulfill purposes better accomplished with a Draft Horse. Horses for courses. But impracticality alone isn't the worst sin a person can commit. Clip on fenders exist. Pop on and Pop off front and rear lights exist. If it's dark enough to need a TO SEE light of any power ... does it matter what it looks like?? My Trek stem has a gorgeous integrated mount for Bontrager Headlights of varying power. You make the light disappear when it might spoil the sleek lines of your racing steed and pop it back on under cover of darkness. Schweet. And what about a Helmet mounted headlight? It's the not thinking at all outside the box that is the main defeat here. Solutions abound. But the right bike ... that would be the trump.