Brake lights on seat stays (between dropouts and seatpost)

I

ibellisch

100 mW
Joined
May 21, 2014
Messages
36
Location
Toronto, Canada
I saw a picture of break lights or probably just lights on the seat stays of a bike but didn't bookmark it. I went through several threads looking for it but couldn't find it. It was red. I don't know what they were, like if they were el wire or leds or something. It was about 4-5 inches long and the position was running down the seat stays in the middle of it (between the seatpost and dropouts). Does anyone know of any light that long or anything light that could imitate that effect? It was beautiful; I'd like to use them as brake lights. Please recommend something or link to the pic if possible. Thank you.
 
Just stick a couple of these on there? http://www.dx.com/p/4-mode-5-led-red-light-bicycle-safety-tail-light-w-bike-mount-red-black-2-x-aaa-173070#.U5lbJMbbDRo
 
ooooh or this! http://www.dx.com/p/outdoor-bicycle-14-led-3-mode-red-laser-spoke-light-set-white-2-x-aaa-2-pcs-316943#.U5lcy8bbDRo

i don't see how these could possibly be spoke lights. I think they mean fork lights. But you could easily mount them on the seat stays and it would look awesome from behind. like an arrow pointing to your ass.
 
mlt34 said:
ooooh or this! http://www.dx.com/p/outdoor-bicycle-14-led-3-mode-red-laser-spoke-light-set-white-2-x-aaa-2-pcs-316943#.U5lcy8bbDRo
Click to expand...

Well from the back it wasn't a complete arrow, just two lines slanted. The lights didn't look like LEDs, it was more a constant red bright glow. Some sort of bright EL wire. Or, LEDs and some sort of ambient dissolver/distributed evenly along the line.
 
Well now you're getting picky :wink:

Sounds like EL wire. You can buy it from a million different places online for cheap. A 10ft/3meter section is pretty common and will be enough to do each seat stay a couple of times to make it even brighter. Usually runs on a couple batteries or you can rig a DC-DC converter to run it off your ebike battery. try googling "electro luminescent wire". Though I think the second link I posted above will do the same thing for you.
 
mlt34 said:
Sounds like EL wire. You can buy it from a million different places online for cheap. A 10ft/3meter section is pretty common and will be enough to do each seat stay a couple of times to make it even brighter. Usually runs on a couple batteries or you can rig a DC-DC converter to run it off your ebike battery. try googling "electro luminescent wire". Though I think the second link I posted above will do the same thing for you.
Click to expand...

Well I wanted the exact same thing I saw from the picture in this forum, it was gorgeously beautiful. Wrapping around the seat stay a couple of times with el wire wouldn't look as good as what I saw. Whoever that person is, please come forward.
 
you don't want to wrap it, it will look like candy. I'd use either thin cable ties, some thin bare wire, even transparent tape. The goal would be to place it along the top edge of the seat stay to get the look you're going for. I agree that wrapping it around won't look good. It'd look like a candy cane…

Something like this would be perfect (but without the alligator clips and extra wires, obviously):
Screen Shot 2014-06-12 at 1.03.08 PM.png

You could probably run two or three lines together, making it a wide bright strip, and give it a clean, professionally done look. I've been wanting to do something like this for a while. Whenever I finally find the time. And the EL wire.
 
was this the pic?




There are loads of these type of lights on ebay;

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Red-Stick-on-LED-Brake-Running-Light-Strips-suitable-for-Yamaha-V-MAX-Hermes-/190910910040?pt=UK_Motorcycle_Parts&hash=item2c732d4e58
 
this is the brake light I got off ebay couple years ago. It's got horn, turn signal and brake light. I got sick of the horn noise so I silenced it. Not bad for $15. quality is not there. Brake light happens when you squeeze rear brake lever, and there is device hook to the brake calipher and touches causing light to blink. like I say it was flimsy. Not sure if they are still in business.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c6wCaNMJwQM
 
Tench said:
was this the pic?
Click to expand...

It was probably this bike but taken from the back of the bike and in complete darkness (probably outside in the night) and god it was beautiful. But in other words this is the kind of light I am talking about. I don't know if, in the night, the camera would have gotten blurred by the brightness and make it look like one long light but this could be it. Have you taken a photo like I described? It was as long as that, say 5-6 inches and on both sides.
 
You could put a little diffuser over each strip, just acrylic that you hit with a piece of sandpaper, and it would turn it into two stripes instead of a series of dots. Heck, you could probably put a piece of rolled up wax paper over it and achieve the same effect.
 
mlt34 said:
You could put a little diffuser over each strip, just acrylic that you hit with a piece of sandpaper, and it would turn it into two stripes instead of a series of dots. Heck, you could probably put a piece of rolled up wax paper over it and achieve the same effect.
Click to expand...

That's what I was thinking. I love DIY.
 
ibellisch said:
That's what I was thinking. I love DIY.
Click to expand...

If I didn't DIY, I wouln't have half the stuff I own :mrgreen:
 
The pics I put up where of my own bike, I don't think the pic you are thinking of was mine but if you go through my build thread 2 about the bike in the pic above there is a few mentions of the other pics which is where I got the idea from., you might find out who's pics they were.
 
Tench,

How much is the beam spread from those little rectangular LEDs? Isn't the vast majority of the light wasted just beaming up to the sky, or are they plenty bright enough to be seen hundreds of meters from behind despite the 45° or so light angle?
 
Ooo good point. Another reason a diffuser would help.
 
John in CR said:
Tench,

How much is the beam spread from those little rectangular LEDs? Isn't the vast majority of the light wasted just beaming up to the sky, or are they plenty bright enough to be seen hundreds of meters from behind despite the 45° or so light angle?
Click to expand...
They are mega bright! far too bright for rear lights, more like brake lights, I did use a resistor to dim them down for use as an on all the time back light. As you can see the led from all angles it is not really directional.
I will test one to see how far away you can see it in total darkness and on a road illuminated with street lamps.
 
If they're that bright, I'd consider under the chain stay. Wrap the end around the rear to point 1 or 2 rearward, but point the majority at the ground to really light it up. It's my understanding that lighting the pavement under you very well causes passing cars to give you much more space.
 
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