Making a Secure Rear Bike Light

I originally mounted my Dinotte 120R light below my rear rack. This offered an out of the way location and was the most unobscured should I be carrying anything. This worked pretty nicely until I started using a pair of panniers, then I discovered getting to the on/off button was very awkward, if not nearly impossible if I was wearing gloves.

The mountings I use tend to be semi-permanent, meaning not easily removed. Even though the little Dinottes are designed for easy on and off, transferring between bikes, I preferred a bit more secure mounting. Less hassle for me to have to take the light on and off when I went into and back out of some store or other stop.

Anyway, I found I needed to relocate my light and I chose to use my seat rails (see it in the photo below). This also required a custom mounting since most light attachments are designed to be attached to the seat post, though those do not meet my out of the way and secure criteria.

As you can see, I was able to located the light as high as possible and tucked inbetween the seat rails. Thank goodness for the small form factor of the Dinotte!

To make the mounting, I used two cushioned "P" clamps, readily available from the local hardware store. I removed the rubber liner and then flattened one clamp flat. Once flattened, I then reformed it to the shape of the light. The second clamp I also flattened and cut to match the mounting holes of the shaped clamp.

Next, for mounting, I used two small, nylon "P" clamps, which wrap around the seat rails, with the mounting holes facing on the outside. I did have to add a rubber spacer between the light and the flat mounting bar (you can just see the rubber spacer in the picture). The light mounting brackets are attached to the top side of the nylon "P" clamps. If clearance with the seat had been an issue, I would have just located the mounting surface below the seat rails.

This actually provides a nice, higher mounting point from  my light and the on/off button is very easy to reach, even when riding, but I don't recommend that maneuver.

On the Dinotte, it is an extremely bright, single red LED with 3 different flash options. I have had several comment on how bright the little light is from a significant distance.