Brake Lights for Bikes

This is a really easy weekend project that you can do to give your bike some brake lights.

Step 1: Get Your Parts

Get the parts that are needed:

Lots of Zip-ties
Wire
Copper (I used some 14 gauge Romex I had around my house)
Tail light (I used a Planet Bike Blinky 3 that I have been using for years on my bike)
Soldering Iron
Solder
Bike

Step 2: Take Your Stuff Apart

Take apart your tail light. We are needing inside in order to rewire it to work with your brakes.

Step 3: Bend Switches for Your Brakes

Take your Romex and bend it into a switch that you can zip-tie to your brakes. Solder one end of your wire to the end of your Romex.

Step 4: Zip-Tie Your Switches to Your Bike

Take your newly soldered switches and zip-tie it to your bike. I have disc brakes on my bike, if you have a different style of breaks I'm sure that a quick re-work will suffice. 

Step 5: Re-wire the Tail Light

Take the battery connector closest to the power button (we are going to be running our wires through here later) and cut it in the middle. This is where we are going to add our wires from our switches. 

Step 6: Zip-Tie Everything Up and Attach It to Your Bike

Zip-tie your wires to your break lines and make sure to leave enough room that you can turn your handlebars right and left without it catching on your wires. Test it out and make sure that everything is working as it should. 

Comments

[David-KiyoB]

I use the motor cutoff cable which has a read relay and small magnet available from Bafang mid-drive motors. It is for adding brake switches
to hydraulic brakes for motor it off. Add magnet to lever and relay to body so touching or very close.

[RyanD46]

This is one brilliant concept! I'd like to ask though...
Does this get grounded when exposed to water( e.g. riding in the rain)?. Thanks.

[tomatoskins]

I haven't had any issues with mine at all. As long as water doesn't get in the light at all, you should be more than fine.

[pravin gadher]

Hi troy how are you please help me to make any instructables please help me to make simple

[Yonatan24]

Awesome!
The problem is that when people see that the (brake) light is on, they don't know you're stopping...

[tomatoskins]

Very true. But it comes in handy when you are riding with your buddies and they know what it means.

[zubaer]

Bro i dont understand the battery connenctor part, how that works , that it don't need switch button anympre, or it will flash without it ?
Can u post a video, i really in need of that :'(

[shivam kale]

brilliant.

[jkoyne]

Awesome idea.

[ragoldsmith]

This is awesome and simple, how are there no comments? If you tap your brakes twice and hold, does the light start blinking? :)

[cdmselector]

That is a cool idea. Will do it in few days but wont fixing it at the brake handles be a much more better? I mean, will omit the unnecessary extended wiring. Especially down the fork.

But good job!

[Joceyvdv]

Lol ^^ seriously you should go on shark tank xD improve it though, too look more professional lol Btw, when you said to get the battery connector closest to the switch, will that override the switch? I have one think it's a bell light and it has 4 modes and the 3rd mode is the mode where the light stays, but when I put it on that mode and I test it out by touching the wires it works, but soon after a couple seconds later the light turns off, and idea?

[JillWood123]

I work at a bike shop, patent that and get it on shark tank. :)

[samrianv]

Clever idea but because there is so much bare wire do you find the batteries bleed out quickly?

[tomatoskins]

The only time that current is running though the circuit is when the breaks are applied. There is no reason that the batteries should die quickly at all.

[tomatoskins]

I didn't know that. I'll have to take a look. Thanks for the heads up!

[Yard Sale Dale]

You can buy v-brake levers (also work with cable pull discs) that have electric switches in them. They are sold for electric bicycles, as cutout switches that activate when braking, but can be wired to engage light systems.

[mikecraghead]

Very cool. Absolutely on my to-do list!

[madushan92]

great! Thank you. Should try this whenever I am free!

[vicesat]

Very clever, i like it