Actually you already have all the parts you need to do this for free...when you buy the CatEye Amp series it comes with a handlebar clamp (4:57). This can be disassembled (Philips screw to a small bolt) which leaves you just the slide mount. Remove the stock Brompton front reflector and carefully bend the wire mount flat and pry apart about 2mm (vice grips), the CatEye slide will then just slip over the Brompton mount (there's even a little loop to make it extra secure). Insert the Philips screw back through the slide and secure to the wire mount using the CatEye bolt and a washer/lock washer. Tighten everything up & clip the lamp into the slide as normal. And there's more than enough length on the Brompton wire mount to get the CatEye well clear of any luggage. I'd post a photo but, I can't!
The back light is even simpler as the Bike Friday "Grateful Red" LED light (available in battery & USB) comes with a plastic mounting bracket that is an exact fit to the Brompton rear reflector bracket. Just remove the stock reflector and use BF's supplied bolts to attach their clip, the light slides directly onto to it & is easily removed for charging.
The AMPP500 supplied handlebar mount that I bought last week doesn’t allow this on my pre-2017 M3R. There’s a protruding bit of moulding, shaped to fit into the female part of the handlebar mount, that prevents it from marrying up with the reflector mount. My reflector mount is a flat alloy bar type and not made of shaped thick wire. I successfully followed the method recommended in this video and it’s all worked well for me.
Thanks again for your help, this is the second video I have taken your advice on. Ordered all the bits, very pleased with myself got the AMPP 800 for £28 on Amazon and attachment for £7. Thanks again.
Well, in fairness I didn’t need to watch it because the electric (that I got from you) already has the lights but the whole thing completely brightened up my morning 😊 Thanks (and I vote to keep the pond sounds)
I love your videos, they’re so useful, informative and funny! My Brompton has a front reflector with a flat steel bracket. I removed this and bent the upright part of it in my vice so that it is now angled down - at approx the same angle as the original cateye bracket. I took the cateye clamp off the supplied handlebar bracket and cut the lower tabs off, then screwed it to the altered reflector bracket sandwiching it in place with a flat rubber strip so that it’s nice and firm and grips the flat steel. Hey presto it has clearance for the Brompton bags, doesn’t budge and lights up the lanes perfectly 😊. Another hack I’ve done is to change the front mudflap...where we live there is a lot of muck on the roads. The supplied mudflap is not long enough to prevent muck spraying over the chain, chainset and bottom bracket. I’ve replaced this with a ‘Raw’ long wide mudflap which is about 4cm longer and is also stiffer and has a cleanable surface - loads better, my feet still get a bit wet though!...but the bike is a lot cleaner..it doesn’t affect the fold. I bought a borough large bag off you the other day - it came so quick - brilliant service!
If anyone in the London area is after the Brompton front light, I picked one up at the Brompton Junction today. I believe they have a few more in stock. Hope that helps someone.
It’s a very good idea. In fact this dynamo mount is better for tWo reasons: 1) It is very lighter compared to original solid mount, hence brings down the overall weight of the bike. Every gram counts (at least for me). 2) it fits into the existing fitting by replacing the front reflector mount. Don’t need to add or remove any washer. 3) You can adjust the angle of the light throw as per your need which you can’t do with the solid mount that comes with the Brompton light.
BRILLIANTLY cheeky solution! I am good for cat eye headlights, but another few mounts would come in handy for sure - always found it frustrating that you had to splash out on the light and mount kit to have the capacity to use the thing on more than one Brompton… you’re lucky that your handlebar mounted one spins, mine just slips down and points at the ground however tight I think I’ve fastened the blighter! I could definitely hear you too 😉 Take care 😁
Ah the lights with their own mind! So annoying! It is a useful hack to allow us to have one light on more than one Brompton! Take care too and stay safe
Thank you for this idea - and for the bracket you supplied that arrived today. I tried this with an AMPP 800 I had lying around and it didn't quite work, it was just slightly too far back so interfered with the release for the luggage block. Maybe the AMPP 800 is a bit longer than the 400&500. But anyway, rather than use the adapter from the CatEye fork mount, I used a CatEye GoPro adapter instead. This sits slightly further forward than the fork mount adapter so now the light clears the block release by about 3mm. Perfect! The CatEye GoPro adapter needed the holes drilled out to 6.5mm to accommodate the Brompton bolt and I shoved some washers in to fill the gap between its two forks so they didn't bend when the bolt was tightened. I've used GoPro type adapters in a similar way for mounting bike things before, you can adapt all sorts of lights, computers etc. from different manufacturers that way and you can get things like extension arms and dual mounts for tons of different options.
Love your videos and this is a particularly useful one. I have also had to come up with an alternative solution. I used a strip of metal - it goes under the break and it holds a 1100 lumen light - that is the minimum to actually see and not just be seen. Pity I can't send a picture. Keep going strong.
Had this exact problem last week using an Ampp 1100 but despite Brampton’s lack of help I think I’ve got it figured though my solution is slightly different..thanks though.
Awesome video. I hope Brompton will soon release a new version of their light kit with the new cateye. It is a shame the the product was discontinued without a new version being released.
thankyou ...I chose to mount my light (dynamo) on the handlebars as it's higher for more visibility ...I can see it and tweak it's beam angle by hand..down to show more ground off road or up to catch drivers eyes on the road 🙂
I normally end up riding with two lights, one low like in this video and a second on the handle bars as you suggest. Thank you for watching and commenting
Really slick vid Ms Brill, although we’ve already got full lights as standard on both our Brompton Electric bikes I just love watching you do your stuff! Keep going, you’re brill 😎
I have the Trigo mount on mine. It did come with a socket for Cateye but I ended up modding it to take a Halfords 1000 Lumen light with the aid of a gopro tripod screw, a racing drone battery strap and some zip ties as a spacer
I use a Routewerks handlebar bag. The top of it has a Garmin mount for my computer and there is a light mount on the side of it. I don't carry luggage on the bike so I replaced the carrier block with a 3D printed GoPro mount. My kind of setup.
@@brilliantbikes thanks for the speedy order of the Brompton dynamo and the cateye fork bracket I've just got to make a decision on cateye amp 400 or 500 now.
Just flatten out the the reflector bracket that comes with the bike. I added an old Topeak BarXtender 'end' to it, means I can mount 2 lights in the same space for free.
Thanks for watching! We also now have the original bracket back in stock brilliantbikes.co.uk/brompton-battery-lights/2328-mounting-bracket-for-brompton-cateye-front-light.html
Cool chatty video. Love it. Waiting for the other lighting related videos. Can you please make one video for those handlebar mounted lights that just function to attract other people's attention on the road?
Another great video and excellent lighting solution. Thanks! By the way, Season 2 episode 2 of Ted Lasso features a Brompton "that's not a bike, it's a transformer" including lighting use. I didn't get a chance to see the lighting solution there but look forward to further opportunities to do so.
Another winner for me as I prep for winter, whIch may have already started in August judging on the last couple of days, and have today successfully used the suggested combination of brackets (purchased from your good selves at BB) to install my new Cateye AMPP500 over the front wheel. Please can you confirm that the concave surfaced washer that come with the Brompton Dynamo light bracket substitutes for the existing concave washer on the front side of the brake/light mount/mudguard that’s part of the standard set? I checked your other video that covers fitting the Volt400, but the bracket is different (flat folded metal vs shaped wire) from what’s supplied. It seems a no brainier, but I would like to be sure. Thanks again for the really helpful and informative videos, as well as the very efficient online supply chain you operate atBrilliant Bikes.
Really helpful and enjoyable video, as always. Thinking of autumn and winter (though tricky to separate them out from this summer) coming soon, how about a video or two covering brakes? Perhaps a: checking and adjusting cables levers and blocks and b: choosing, fitting and setting up replacements?
The small issue, and it just a titchy one with having the lights mounted so low is that you would have to stop to turn the lights on if out riding when it begins to get dark which wouldn't be the case with handlebar mounted ones. Saying that Brompton handlebars are of less than normal diameter and not all bike lights fit very tightly around them. Instead a better solution maybe a bracket that could be secured through the handlebar bolt. I think I might look into designing such a thing for my own bike light. Once again a great video though. Two thumbs up.
Thank you so much for your comment, that will be a great design. We tend to ride with lights on even when it’s light so we are seen a bit better. I think of them like car running lights :)
I think that there would be issues with heel strike and folding be a problem. As an alternative how about the excellent Vincita saddle bag? This can be left attached to the saddle when folding if the two velcro straps on the seat post are undone. I have one and I can confirm that it is very well made and good value. vincita.cc/collections/brompton-bags/products/b035td-nova-saddle-bag-for-foldingbike Or there are the Frost & Seckers saddle bags. More expensive but they are very elegant and have a very clever quick release system. frostandsekers.com
I think the easiest way would be to pop a rack on, then you can use the rack sack as on a manual Brompton. We do plan on making a rack fitting video (but keep selling the racks!)
I too would like a rear mounting option for standard Brompton luggage. I wouldn't mind something intermediate as an adaptor say, from Rixen and Kaul... ... especially if it could demountable quickly for folding.
I second Maurice’s suggestion. I find it extremely disappointing to see the choice of Brompton bags for the Brompton Electric so limited. Would love a suggestion/hack on how to fit Brompton bags with the electric version.
Can’t figure pic issue out, so here goes. Brompton is doubtless a design classic but like most things it’s not perfect. The front bag block is one example, it is ugly, and it interferes as we know with the fitting of a light of choice. I tried it with the cateye bracket and an OptiCube 530 I had. No good so my son got the lamp and I bought an Ampp 1100, which still posed a problem that I nearly solved with an aftermarket aluminium block that has an internal bag release. The Brompton block’s lever is big part of this problem. The new block partially solved things and the light went on with sufficient clearance but no effective adjustment so I sought a different bracket. Brompton shows one on its website but they don’t sell it and it’s far from elegant looking as if it was bashed into shape in a shed. So, I now have a cast aluminium alternative anodised blue that looks the part but I’ll fit it this weekend and get the light adjusted. Pity one can’t post photos. Thanks, Stephen.
What would be really nice would be to be able to fit a Cateye front light and retain the front light that is fitted to my Brompton Electric. I guess that a side by side bracket would be needed.I have a Brompton Quadlock phone mount so space on the handlebars is limited
Many thanks for the question, a d of bile bracket might impact the fold. But we think you would have space on the handle bars to the right (or left in Europe) of your Quadlock for a Cateye on the handle bars. Fingers crossed
I wonder if just attempting to bend the fork bracket is enough of a solution. No need for me to fret though; I decided to pitch in the cash to get the dynamo bracket, and to purchase the fork bracket just for its mount. Btw consider affiliate links in your videos, as I would love to make my purchases count toward some revenue gains on your end!
Thanks for watching and the useful comment That is also a requirement here in the UK - and the Brompton front light comes with a replacement handlebar mounted reflector - which Brompton used to sell separately (but currently don't) So - a front reflector could be mounted to the handlebars - but in practice not many people fit them
Thanks for watching and your comment / question We love our dynamo lighting - it just means the lights are always ready - no need to worry about batteries or charging We haven't tried the Velogical dynamo - if you do go for it, we'd be interested to know how it gets on with rim wear and getting enough friction on cold / wet days
@@brilliantbikes Thank you. I’ll surely let you know when I choose for Velogical (for my 20 year old Brompton). Very curious about your upcoming video’s about using light. Safety, reliability and easiness are probably the most important criteria to make a good choice but for me environmental friendliness will count too. Not easy to make a choice.
When I changed my original bolt to a "titanium bolt" (weight!) holding the handlebar, I found a special GoPro holder for it also. Besides holding a GoPro, it may also hold a speedometer and lamps galore, with a large program of extensions.
Those Brompton labelled cateye 400s were terrible. The Volt 800 works MUCH better on the same mount, and you can get spare batteries for. Shame it seems to be discontinued.
@@brilliantbikes yeah, think the lights in original volt 400 and 800 formats are discontinued, for shame, but the spare batteries were still available last I looked. They interchangable between the two. Just screw in
I got one of the butch and muller-rice rechargeable ones from her shop that replace the rear reflector. It’s low down but I like the aesthetic and it works really well
If you want an approved lamp rather than a merely supplementary ie extra lamp, in order to meet RVLR law at 'night', then cateye still make the Stzvo approved GVolt series, as the " Eu equivalence clause" accepting European stds offering equivalent level of safety to Bs6102/3 is still active. Brompton should really fit thesr as standard in the Uk.
Sorry - it’s the loud running water in the pond ! Thanks for watching and paying such attention to detail We’ll go somewhere quieter (fingers crossed) next time
Frank perhaps use the toilet before you watch next time :) Question....can you mount a normal Cateye rear light doing something similar at the back? I know they sell a mounting bracket for a rack. Will that fit the Brompton?
Actually, the Cateye bracket can be mounted under the brake calipers. The mounting adapter needs to be flipped around. The metal bracket will touch the fenders, but other than that it does not interfere with the brakes or luggage block. I have it installed on my Brompton.
I tried to do this but the fact that the bracket touched the fenders made impossible for the wheel to rotate freely, do you have any solution for that?
I added a reply last week but i've solved things now. Brompton is doubtless a design classic but like most things it’s not perfect. The front bag block is one example, it is ugly, and it interferes as we know with the fitting of a light of choice. I tried it with the cateye bracket and an OptiCube 530 I had. No good so my son got the lamp and I bought an Ampp 1100, which still posed a problem that I nearly solved with an aftermarket aluminium block that has an internal bag release. The Brompton block’s lever is big part of this problem. The new block partially solved things and the light went on with sufficient clearance but no effective adjustment so I sought a different bracket. Brompton shows one on its website but they don’t sell it and it’s far from elegant looking as if it was bashed into shape in a shed. So, I now have a cast aluminium alternative anodised blue that looks the part but I’ll fit it this weekend and get the light adjusted. Pity one can’t post photos. Update, here's how I sorted it out. drive.google.com/file/d/1J8xNUpyaoYqQ2b-6ZwFrmDVaikpWOkIv/view?usp=sharing This shows the halfway house. drive.google.com/file/d/1ENNGO5r0qvx5bvmGPU-aY0RrUtb7VlDV/view?usp=sharing And this is the finished result Thanks, Stephen.
