mounting your flashlight to a bicycle

I’ve tried a few flashlight holders on my recumbent trike and my MTB. The one shown below is my favorite, partly because when I bought them at first they could be obtained from Chinese sellers on eBay for 99 cents. They were designed to work with flashlights that use the 18650 li-ion battery so have a 25mm (~1”) barrel. It is easy to pop in the flashlight and it never dislodges on a bumpy road. It can be aimed precisely where you want the beam to go. It works well with daytime running lights that I mount on a short piece of plastic tube for easy removal for recharging. To change from flashlight to daytime light I just swivel the holder. The current price for US sellers on eBay is around 6 bucks but if you buy more than one the unit price gets cheaper fast.
Flashlight in holder on trike
!https://i.postimg.cc/SRVMMnFy/front-nighttime-light-side-view.png !
typical Listing on eBay

Daytime running light on Cannondale MTB handlebars

single unit on eBay $5.99 Bike LED Torch Holder 360 Degree Rotatable Bracket Light Bike Torch Clip | eBay
two units on eBay $8 2PCS 360 Degree Bicycle LED Flashlight Mount Holder For Bicycle Torch Clip Clamp | eBay
5 pieces on eBay for $9.01 Bicycle Front Light Bracket Torch Clip Mount Holder for Flashlight 360° Rotation | eBay

Been riding MTBs for decades, i can not recall any quality options that are no longer available, we always had only these type of rotating clamps, or Velcro straps, i do not remember seeing any other type around. However those work pretty good for the most part, It is not like there is a simpler way of mounting 2 perpendicular pipes. I have been printing my own holders for headlamps, as well as bike mounts, i used T shaped (D10) headlamp as a bike headlight. But unless you have a irregular shape light or you want it to be mounted certain way, those widely available clamps work pretty good.

I'd love to see those that are referred to as quality option that is no longer available, really curious what those were.

Those are great, I still have a few. But IMO, they’re only for bikes that are always locked safely indoors. I had one on my grocery-getter, and I pulled the light out of the mount every time I locked my bike at the store. The soft plastic that holds the torch quickly spread and wouldn’t grab the light tightly any more.

But, if you leave the light in the mount, and just pull the battery to charge it, they’re great.

I like the Fenix Mount

I like these

The olight mount is nice, too, but I would rather have 5 of the aliexpress mounts for the same price.

Yeah, you can’t beat those prices, and availability.

This looks like another well engineered option that fenix used to sell. It isn’t available anymore. It looks as though it would need to be sized up a bit for 21700 and 26650 lights.

this is the one I’d like to buy. I’m just not sure of the size. I’ve ordered a sofirn C8L and a C8G. The light clamping size for that mount is 18 to 26mm. The 21700 battery is 21mm? so I’m guessing that mount might be a bit small for those lights. I won’t know till the lights get here. It does look the best mount though.

The other mount that looks well made is the one that comes with the nitecore br25 bike light https://flashlight.nitecore.com/product/br25

The br25 is a 21700 light, so that mount should fit my lights. It looks like a universal type fit; they don’t sell the mount by itself though.

I did look at those. Weerapat Kiatdumrong uses these on his mtb, but I think he just rides for transport; not particularly rough or fast. One of his videos shows a mod for this mount – that made me think that perhaps it isn’t strong enough for what I need. I’d rather ride down steps than walk for example :slight_smile:

alpg88 “I’d love to see those that are referred to as quality option that is no longer available, really curious what those were.”

Already linked:

the Fenix ALB-10 Not sure that this will fit 21700 or larger lights.

The Fenix AF02 No longer available. This would possibly have to be made larger for 21700 lights etc too.

There’s also the mount that comes with the nitecore br25 - but it doesn’t appear to be for sale by itself.

This is my setup for MTB mount:

There are 2 parts: gopro adapter and handlebar mount, so I can use flashlight on helmet or handlebar.

Another option can I use is this, but frequently I use on my rucksack:

gee, I looked at gopro and thought I didn’t see anything. I’ll have to look again.

Later: can’t find the bit that goes around the torch. I don’t think it’s gopro - maybe 3rd party?

Later again: I don’t think that would work for me. It only has that one bolt to hold it in the up / down position. I think I need the adjustment for this to be via the clamp onto the handlebar - it would be more substantial.

I did come across this part; still don’t like it because you’re dependent on a silicone band. And this part for the bar. Not for me though, I don’t think this setup would hold position on single track: https://www.amazon.com/HSU-Aluminum-Bicycle-Handlebar-Mountain/dp/B07P9ZBV31/ref=sr_1_11

Here the links where I bought them:

1) https://amzn.to/3OBhYVO
2) https://bit.ly/3J7P52s
3) https://bit.ly/3CBUiOW

I tried the Olight mount and it just didn’t grip the handlebar tightly enough to keep the light’s head from drooping more and more as I went over little bumps in the road. I bought a couple of clamp mounts on ebay (no name on them) that look about the same as these on Amazon . They aren’t absolutely perfect but they do hold pretty well.

Thanks Argo

These do look good too. I did consider these, and they look like a viable option. Do you trust the clamp part that goes around the handlebar? That was my question with only pictures to look at. The light clamp part looks awesome.

I looked at a few reviews of the olight type of mount too; the silicone bands do break sooner or later. I have budget lights coming, but they still cost a fair bit. I suppose they’re budget because you’re getting a lot of bang for buck.

This lopic has a history

Just looking at the video, the Fenix af02 is wobbly out of the box, clearly visible at timestamp starting with 3.08 i would not call it a quality option, it may have a look of quality, but wobbling mount is a crappy mount, not to mention it is unnecessary bulky, maybe they stopped making it for a reason.

I made a mount exactly like this, it worked better than any mount you can buy, it held my lights rock sold. even after falls, i highly recommend it if function matters more than appearance.

Using something inexpensive doesn't matter if it has bad quality. Moreover, there are a lot of good led flashlights that aren't too expensive and do a great job. You can try these led flashlights, I ordered one for myself a while ago, and I was impressed by all the functions they have for their prices. If you check their link on amazon, you'll find a lot of pluses and realize how effective they are. One aspect that I love the most is their battery life. I use my led flashlight for over 6 hours a day, and I always have some battery life when I get home.