Fizik Saddle Bracket with Cateye Rapid 3 Rear Light

The Canyon Endurace came with a Fizik Aliante R3 saddle, which is the first Fizik saddle that I ever had. What is special about some Fizik saddles is that it has an integrated rear light mount under the saddle. This means that some compatible rear lights can be installed under the saddle neatly.

Fizik saddle, with a plastic cover taking the place of the saddle bracket that is needed to mount a rear light.

With the plastic cover removed, the saddle is now ready to accept the saddle bracket that can be used to mount a rear light.

Depending on which rear light you want to use, you need to get the correct bracket to fix the rear light to the saddle. For me, I will be using a Cateye rear light, and so I got the Cateye saddle bracket.

Cateye saddle bracket that is used to mount a Cateye rear light to a Fizik saddle.

It comes with two different sized brackets as different rear lights and saddle will require different bracket lengths to work.

Short bracket on the left, long bracket on the right.

Cateye Rapid 3 rear light. I would have preferred a USB rechargeable rear light, but I could not find a suitable one.

Battery life of up to 80 hours in flashing mode, which is excellent.

Battery run time for the different lighting modes.

Although the light works well, there are some areas on the light where the build or design quality is poor. It used to be better, until cost cutting measures came in and some quality was sacrificed to achieve lower costs...

Edges of the Cateye badge sticking out, which looks really poor.

This is because there is only one snap fit in the middle, with the edges free to deform.

Uses 1 x AA battery. The rubber seal at the edge of the housing also comes off easily.

Lighting quality is good, with the two smaller LEDs at the side...

...and one big LED in the middle.

Together with the small bracket, the light and bracket weighs 56 grams.

The rear light slides onto the bracket...

...which is then inserted into the saddle mount.

Sticks out quite a bit from the saddle. Still leaves sufficient space for a saddle bag.

View from the rear. Depending on your saddle angle, the light angle will vary.

Advantages:
1) Compact as it does not take up space on the saddle rail.
2) Integrated look.
3) Another light can be mounted on the saddle bag or seatpost.

Disadvantages:
1) When moving your bike, most people will lift the rear saddle. In this case, they will end up pulling the light, causing it to drop out from the bracket.
2) Light angle is linked to the saddle angle.
3) Limited choice of rear lights.

What I feel is that if you already have a Fizik saddle, this is an option for mounting a secondary rear light. However, if you are thinking of getting a Fizik saddle just to mount a rear light on the saddle, you should reconsider as I don't think it is worth it. Good to have but not a strong enough reason to switch saddles.

Cycliq Duo Mount - For Garmin + Fly12

When I ordered the Cycliq Fly 6 CE, I received a free Cycliq Duo Mount as I was one of those who made the pre-order. It was a nice surprise as I did not know that when I placed the order. Also, the mount is apparently quite expensive so it was a good offset from the price of the Fly 6 CE.

The funny thing is that this Cycliq Duo Mount was shipped separately from the Fly 6 CE, and it actually arrived before the Fly 6 CE! When I first received it, it looked just like any other ordinary combination mount, which I already have a few.

Almost all combination mounts have an interface on top for a Garmin cycle computer, while the bottom side has a GoPro type of mounting for your camera. This is good enough if you are using a Garmin on top and a GoPro or similar camera. However, what happens if you are using a Cateye cycle computer instead?

I found that there are actually a few different adapters for the top mount, so that you can install different cycle computers on it. Other than the most common Garmin type, it also has those less popular types such as Cateye, Polar, Wahoo, etc.

The only bike where I have a chance to use this mount would be the Avanti Inc 3, but it already has a REC Mount which allows me to install a Cateye cycle computer on top and the Cycliq Fly 12 front camera/light at the bottom.

One problem I had with the REC Mount is that the mount itself prevents me from accessing the Fly 12 charging port easily. Since I already have this new Cycliq Duo Mount, I might as well give it a try to see if it is better.

Packaging for Cycliq Duo Mount, with the other adapters visible. 

As stated, it comes with optional mounting disks (adapters) to make it compatible to a wide range of cycle computers. 

Weighs 43 grams without any adapters installed. It feels strong and rigid as it is designed to withstand the weight of the Fly 12. 

With the Cateye adapter and the fixing bolt at the bottom, the weight comes up to 59 grams. 

Installing the Cateye adapter was an interesting process. The adapter uses two countersunk bolts to attach the adapter to the aluminium mount. However, the Cateye adapter layout is such that the design gets in the way of the second bolt (refer to picture below).

 

First bolt for Cateye adapter installed easily. How do I install the second bolt? Can I do without it?

I tried using the adapter with only one bolt installed. The adapter is not loose, however the Cateye button does not work. For those who have used Cateye cycle computers before, the bottom of the Cateye screen is actually the "button". Pressing that area will cause a bump on the adapter to push the actual button located at the back of the Cateye cycle computer.

However, on this adapter, as the bump which is located on the plastic tab is not supported from below (refer to picture above), the Cateye button cannot be activated. I realised that the only way to make it work was to install the second bolt UNDER the bump on the Cateye adapter. Therefore I had to bend the tab on the adapter by almost 90 degrees so that I can slip the second bolt underneath and tighten it, all the while praying that the tab does not snap off. This is quite a strange design as it can fail easily, but I could not see any other way around it.

After installing the second bolt under the tab with the bump, the Cateye cycle computer can be activated! Luckily the thin plastic did not break off. 

With the Fly 12 also installed underneath the mount. Looks to be a much cleaner and tidier arrangement as compared to using the REC mount. 

The clamp for the mount is located on the left side of the stem, which is good as it does not interfere with the Alfine Di2 Digital Display which is mounted on the right side.

With this Cycliq Duo Mount, the one-armed mount construction no longer obstructs access to the charging port of the Fly 12. Also, everything just looks neater, compared to the utilitarian design of the REC mount. Overall, I am pleased with the Cycliq Duo Mount as it is a better mount. Best of all, it came free of charge!