Bike Helmet Lights
I am staying in San Francisco and when I lock my bike in the busy street, leaving my lights on my bicycle is not an option. As I need to jump on and off my bike often, going into shops, to work, seeing friends etc, I thought it would be oh-so-convenient and oh-so-much-safer to have my lights on the highest part of my body. Hence I decided to attach my lamps to my helmet. Here is a simple hack with simple tools.
This instructable is dedicated to my mother in Paris France, who just had a minor bike accident, that she probably wouldn't have had had she worn such device.
Tools
You will need a
- drill
- drill bits
- cable ties
I used a simple hand-powered cordless drill. Old school
Take the Light Apart
First, you need to take the batteries out. To make sure you don't drill the batteries :)
Locate Where You Want to Drill
Make sure the lamp remains balanced as you will have to mount it on the helmet.
Drill !
Make the hole as small as possible - just wide enough so the cable tie can go through between the batteries.
Secure With a Second Wider Cable Tie
I used a thin cable tie through the lamp but it is not very strong.
I used a much thicker cable tie to secure the lamp.
Attach and File the Sharp Edges
And voila !
I would suggest you to use a clear color helmet.
Ideally, add reflective tape to the helmet. Be particularly generous on the sides.
For the back light, I did not tighten the ties hard, because sometimes I would have to change the batteries - and I'd rather not waste a cable tie :)
There are so many other tutorials how to make your own DIY bike lights (it's a whole category on instructables!) - I added some pictures here. Save money on buying the Torch!
Enjoy and ...Safe cycling!