Cateye Flextight brackets - waste of time

downfader

:evil: Grumpy now :evil:

I've literally used the EL520 twice and it started to go wrong for me. First of all the top of the bracket began to turn to the side, then I couldnt get the light in and out properly - it took a LOT of effort.

So today, bearing in mind I've only used the light twice, after noticing its begun to slip around the handlebar I thought, lets undo it and put some old inner tube under the strap.

Would it come off? Would it hell. The strap part of the bracket has become well and truly jammed. Looks like I'll have to cut it off. :roll:

Now what could I buy thats 1w upwards, as bright or brighter and good for the commute? I think I've gone off front cateyes.

whyamihere

Fenix.

downfader

Fenix eh>

I've been looking at those Giant Recons too. They look along the same lines. Need reasonable side visability too if I'm honest.

spursn17

Buy an old style Cateye bracket with the Q/R style bolt, £4.99.

batch78

Don't bother with the quick release bracket, if its the same as mine for the EL520 you can't tighten it enough to prevent random, unwanted lateral movement of the light.

I've also got a Fenix L2D, fixings a lot easier but still not brilliantly secure (lockblock), no side visibility but the strobe mode is SO bright, when I first started using it, angled forward, people coming towards me on narrow roads stopped and one old dear I pulled out from a side road behind actually stopped and let me pass!

After viewing the light from ahead myself I now point it down at the road considerably :oops:

ride_whenever

I find it odd that people have issues with the cateye qr brackets, I've never had one slip or move once tightened sufficiently, the only issue i've had was when i fitted it without adequate packing round the bar and it would do up so tight that the bolt would stick through and stop the light coming off the mount. Seeing as cateye don't do them any more i went into my lbs and took all the ones they had left on display (i'd already checked the box and there weren't any qr in there!) i have them on all my bikes and they work fine.

The lights are rubbish, but the qr works!

downfader

ride_whenever wrote:

I find it odd that people have issues with the cateye qr brackets, I've never had one slip or move once tightened sufficiently, the only issue i've had was when i fitted it without adequate packing round the bar and it would do up so tight that the bolt would stick through and stop the light coming off the mount. Seeing as cateye don't do them any more i went into my lbs and took all the ones they had left on display (i'd already checked the box and there weren't any qr in there!) i have them on all my bikes and they work fine.

The lights are rubbish, but the qr works!

Well I saw one in another bike shop and it being cheap I bought it and have fitted the light to that. So far it seems a bit better and I wonder if the QC had slipped. I've read online of other people having Flextights that jam or move so perhaps its not just me

il_principe

I've used cateye for years. Just bought a Knog Frog as a second rear light and its silicon mounting system is so much better than the usual - amazing no one else has thought of it earlier. Means I can swap the light between bikes, different areas on the bike, put it on my bag etc etc etc, just brilliant.

simon_ramsey

I just brought a Cateye LD610 today as a 2nd back light - I have an 18 month old Cateye bracket on my seatpost and the flextight that came with the new light - the difference in quality is noticeable It's slightly smaller and isn't made of as good quality plastic. Think I have an old bracket in amongst all my bike bits in the garage that will fit the light so I think I will use that.

downfader

I have the 610 and its briliant... infact I now ride with 2 on the back and a little 170 rear light cateye on the saddle bag.

Jash' those Knog lights look pretty cool. Saw them in the LBS and nearly bought a whole load... saw\sense when I opened my wallet and moths flew out.

simon_e

The Q/R should work OK as long as it has something to grip - either the plastic strip you get with Cateye units or a piece of inner tube.

Replace the LD610's rubbish flex-tight with SP5 / 6 / 7 / 8 (which one depends on seat post diameter), this works much better.

The flex-tight will flex when it's attached to the bars but is always tight (as in stuck) when you want to undo it. One time I had to prise off the front cover to release the bracket from the handlebar because the screw thing wouldn't turn. Useless pile of cr@p.