leicanthrope

I'm curious to see if anyone here has come up with any interesting or inventive ways to deal with mounting modern day lighting on C&V bikes, presumably your daily riders where functionality is higher on the priority list than pure period correctness.

Preferences for certain modern lights that are less visually obtrusive than some other options? Alternate means of attaching the lights so that they don't stand out quite so much? Any thoughts or ideas would be welcome. I've been wrestling with this for a bit now, and I have yet to come up with a really good solution on my own.

obrentharris 

How about Bruce Gordon's little tail light?



Brent

jyl

Easiest is to put the lights on the helmet. The bike stays clean.

gaucho777 

None of these are cheap, but Jitensha Studios offers some really attractive lighting options that blend modern performance with classic aesthetics. You may be able to find some of these items elsewhere for less. At least food for thought if out of your price range (still nice to look at):

Jitensha Lighting Products (link)

oddjob2

Too many bikes to equip them all for dusk. I use the Knog clip ons, because I don't know which bike I'm going to be rolling on, but those Lezyne units look sweet below too.

Bicycle Lights, Safety Taillights & Headlights, Planet Bike Lights, Knog Tail Lights & Head Lights

eschlwc

attach a knog beetle ($3 on ebay) to your bars whenever you need it and a planet bike superflash ($19) to your bag in the back at the same time. remove both when the sun comes up.

not_jason

One of the great things about modern LED lights is how easily some of them can be removed. I'm not a fan of the aesthetics of new lights on old bikes, but when you're out after midnight, nothing beats visibility.

DiegoFrogs

I'm a big fan of dynamo hub lighting.

Here's my 1977 Centurion Pro Tour with it's Busch & Muller Lumotec IQ Cyo Senso Plus.



The silver color, and also the modern silver Shimano RD, look nice with my silver frame. I like that, but it's more important that I see at night.

Chombi

There were all those high buck halogen lights in the late 90's and early 2000's that had big, heavy batteries in cases that take over your water bottle cage.....
Other than the expected good light from them, I don't think they ever really caught on because of their weight and bulk....and high prices....
That's why the small, bright helmet mounted LED lights you can buy today makes so much more sense. Heck, if one is not bright enough, you can mount two on your helmet or maybe even more, and they will still be much lighter and less bulky than those big batteried halogen systems.

Chombi

Oi!, mounting one on either side of one's helmet could look really cool!

smallpox champ

On my daily commuter I use a superflash because it's cheap and effective. I've used a bent spoke to affix the light in lieu of the black seatpost clamp. It's still pretty conspicuous, but then I have other new parts on this bike as well:




For the front light I use a simple high powered flashlight that I put on an off.

Chombi

I had been considering finding a "Wonderlight" for my C&V bikes as I had a couple on my bikes in the 80's. I thought they look so ultra modern kewhl back then (Heck they beat Apple by decades with the all white device themed design!) and I like the way they snugly fit in my shirt pocket (Just like my cell phones these days) when I take them off my bike after parking it in school,........ but after seeing one in a swap meet recently, I realized that they did not age too well aesthetically, plus the bulb in it just look hopelessly pathetic on what kind of light you can get from them compared to high intensity LEDs these days,..... so no thanks Wonderlight....

leicanthrope

I may have to borrow that idea, even if on some other bike. How is the spoke attached to the light?

jimmuller 

I don't know about batteries but around 1981 or 1982 I tried a halogen light, I think by Hella. It worked great with a bottle generator but the beam pattern was terrible, just a very bright but tiny rectangle of light pointing wherever I aimed the light but no peripheral light at all.

Now I use a B&M Lumotec IQ Cyo Senso Plus (I think - their model names are impossible to remember).

thinktubes 

I really like the Nite Ize rear light. Simple, great design.

smallpox champ

Here's a pic.

Not very easily bent around to fit in the slot and engage the small notch for retention. If I were to make another I'd use a 1.8mm or smaller spoke for a better fit.

okane

...so here you go: The Bicycle Safari: How to make a retro LED bike light

crank_addict

With all the new technology and low cost, lots of options. 'Unobtrusive' you say? Take a look at the bike lights from the past. Yikes.

For something as a novelty piece on a few bikes, I've been picking up trashed out old tail and headlamps. Not seeking the choice, but junkers. Easy to convert with modern LED and retro-fit. (There are China made copies made of retro headlamps offered but the chrome housings are all plastic.)

Example of a 1950's Miller rear conversion. Should one later want, all the original pieces are retained. I think they look cool on older bikes.

southpawboston

Vintage Soubitez taillight with modern B&M LED/Standlight internals #1 , on my Shogun:



Vintage Soubitez with Spanninga Pixeo LED #1 , made for a custom JP Weigle:





Vintage Soubitez with Spanninga Pixeo LED #2 , on my Jeunet:



Vintage Luminox with Spanninga Pixeo LED, on another custom Weigle:



My brand, Electricalites A.T., a subsidiary of Cycles A.T. (thanks to forum member M Keller for designing and printing the decals!):



And a little limerick, apropos a discussion on taillights:

Stopping at stoplights without exception
Waiting for dusk's inception
On my saddle I sit
My light always lit
Keeping me seen in the intersection