Updated October 2026
Even from near-new the Tero 5.0 X headlamp mount which slots under the handlebar stem was loose. Loose eventually breaks off, so I reduced the play with some tape (below right).
In Wales, a gust blew the bike over while opening another interminable gate, and when Tero forks flip 180° the lamp mount hits the top tube (online chat about this issue) and snaps off. It’s almost as if it was designed to break off ‘sacrificially’, like the Land Rover Series 3 half shafts myth. I zip-tied it back on and finished the day’s ride.
A new lamp mount (Specialized item # S209900077) is only a fiver, but it’s bound to happen again. There must be a better way to mount the lamp where a fork flip won’t snap it. I decided to try tucked up below the handlebar with a zip tie.
I carved a curve into the damaged upper end of the mount to match the curve of the ‘bars (below). I also removed the gear change levers so I could better reroute the ‘full beam’ wire on the RHS. The front wiring and cables are a real mess. I lightly glued a spare open ring (middle, below) from the recently fitted QuadLock to the bar, lightly glued the mount to the ring and then zipped it to the bar with a TPU Rovaflex reusable zip tie. Like rats in London, I am never more than a few feet from a Rovaflex zip tie 😉 The rubbery zip tie and rubber ring mount have a bit of give for future knocks but it won’t snap off as it hits the frame next time the bike blows over.
Cost: zero; effectiveness: sketchy. Gets knocked off and probably not angled right for night riding but easily refitted and the light shines.
Update: Someone made a 3D-printed copy and has the file here, but of course it’s still too long and and OEM mount costs a fiver. A 3D mate tells me a 3D .sti file can’t be easily edited but ‘can be used as a reference to recreate a parametric CAD model with the same dimensions’. Not sure what that means, but he printed me a few spares of varied lengths in nice firm plastic.
I fitted the shortest one (below left), but alas, it’s still too long and hits the frame when the bars spin round in a fall-over. Maybe it will be short enough not to break, plus I can carry a spare mount in my tool bag. Another 20mm less would do it – absolutely minimal length.
Leave a Reply