This Hack Solved my Lezyne Radar Mount Problem

By Stan Purdum

Thank you to the many readers who responded to my recent article “Readers, how can I mount my Lezyne rear radar unit when seat post space is not available?” 

The problem was that unlike all the other rear radar units out there, Lezyne’s is deliberately designed so that the only way it will mount is by attachment to a bike’s seat post by means of a stretchy strap. Lezyne provides two different rubber shims and two different length straps so that its radar can be attached to seat posts of varying shapes — round, D-shaped, aero, etc. — but it will not accommodate itself to any kind of saddle rail mount, which is the configuration I wanted to use since I already have an under-the-seat bag that blocks the seat post.

Even if the male part of a quarter-turn quick-release hitch, such as those used by Garmin and Wahoo, were available, it could not be successfully affixed to the back the Lezyne unit, which does not offer a flat surface but rather a slotted hump of rubberized material.

In your responses, several of you told of hitch systems you used successfully, but which, when I explored those manufacturers’ hitches, offered nothing for the Lezyne. One respondent suggested that I check with BUP Labs to see if they have a mount or can produce one. The respondent explained that BUP Labs make mounts for several other tail lights, and that he had used their mounts on all his bikes. So I checked. After finding nothing for the Lezyne on the BUP website, I emailed them to ask if they had something that would work. Their Customer Service responded promptly, saying, “Sorry, no, we do not make mounts for the Lezyne radar.”

Some of you suggested a different approach, explaining how I could eliminate my under-the-seat bag and replace it with a wallet-type case that would fit in my jersey pocket. Unfortunately, I carry too much stuff to fit into a wallet — though your suggestions were a good reminder to me to review the contents of my bag to see what can be eliminated, but that’s an article for another time.

As it turned out, in a roundabout way, your suggestions led to a solution. Apparently, all the discussion caused my mind to mull the problem while sleeping that night, and the next morning, as soon as I awoke, I knew what to do. And I had the items needed already in my garage.

The following series of photos basically tell the story.

The primary ingredient is a spring hand clamp. I had several of these among my tools, but I chose one that I had purchased at Big Lots, because it weighed less than the beefier ones from the hardware store.

Other parts include two pieces of metal strap for bridging the rails of my saddle, a section of one-inch dowel rod to be the “post,” a bolt-and-nut assembly with washer and lock-washer for fastening the hand clamp and metal straps to the rails, and a couple screws to affix the dowel rod between the arms of the clamp.

I didn’t think to do so during the assembly, but I may go back and spray paint the whole thing black, so that it looks less like someone is trying to make a eunuch of me by using a pair of grass shears!

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Stan Purdum has ridden several long-distance bike trips, including an across-America ride recounted in his book Roll Around Heaven All Day, and a trek on U.S. 62, from Niagara Falls, New York, to El Paso, Texas, the subject of his book Playing in Traffic. Stan, a freelance writer and editor, lives in Ohio. See more at www.StanPurdum.com.