Riding mountain bikes on trails is one of my favorite activities and it is something I do not get to do often enough. Riding at night has proven difficult in total darkness. In order to facilitate my riding I have used small bungee cords to wrap a flashlight around my handlebars. Does it work? Sometimes. Unfortunately a good solid bump will jar the light loose and then I find myself riding blind and trying to stop before I run into something.
While browsing around Amazon I came across a couple of mountain bike flashlight mounts. They were very inexpensive so I decided to order both and give them a shot.
Shipping from China took about 2 weeks. The first to arrive was the SE Bicycle Attachment. It attaches easily via rubber webbing which wraps around the handle bar and then around the flashlight. This attachment method facilitates quick installation and removal.
The SE Bicycle Attachment cost only about $2.50 and was shipped free.
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Next to arrive was the MECO Flashlight Mount. Costing less than $2.00 with Free Shipping.
The MECO attaches via a very secure polymer wrap around bracket with a bolt at the bottom. The polymer nut which tightens the bracket is pretty beefy and easy to tighten. The flashlight clasp creates a squeeze fit for any tactical flashlight around 1″ inch in diameter. When placing a flashlight in it – it is a very tight fit and requires some effort.
ABOVE: Both mounts installed I placed a flashlight in each. As stated the SE was quick to install however I had an immediate concern that the strap could pretty easily release due to a bump on inadvertent impact.
ABOVE: You can see the rubber strap holding the SE on. Throughout testing it never came undone however it takes little effort to release it from the bike.
ABOVE: The MECO above really excelled at holding the flashlight securely and pointing in the direction intended.
ABOVE: The SE worked however while riding any decent jolts or bumps would cause it to twist on the handlebars – thus changing the direction the flashlight was aimed. I found I had to constantly adjust the SE up to get back on path.
The MECO on the other hand was rock solid. It held securely even with the great of impacts and purposely trying to get t to move. The horizontal adjustment held in place as well(unlike the SE). Polymer teeth allow left-to-right adjustment and then the friction holds the light.
Overall the MECO is a far superior flashlight mount – especially for under $2.00. Both are cheap Chinese made items and I consider disposable. We have four mountain bikes in the Rourke household and I am ordering several ore – including spares.
If you have a bike and want to illuminate the night – try out the MECO Flashlight Mount.
Rourke