Tandem restoration tidbits: taillight and reflector mount

German traffic regulations require bicycles to be equipped with a taillight and a large area reflector labelled 'Z'. And while the taillight and said Z-reflector can be combined into a single unit, I am not aware of any fender mounted option here.

Schmidt SON fender mounted taillight and B&M Z-reflector with custom mount
on Gilles Berthoud Fender.

There is a large choice of rack mounted taillights integrating the Z-reflector, but they somehow do not fit with the aesthetics of a vintage tandem.

Jigsaw exercise.

And among the many fender mounted reflectors, I could not find a single labelled 'Z' - which means it qualifies as a large area reflector (in contrast to simply 'optional' fender mounted reflectors).  The smallest reflector labelled 'Z' with a low aspect ratio is made by Busch and Müller and actually intended to be mounted on the seat post.

Prototypes and final result. The 'Z' in addition to the 'K' approval on the reflector
indicates that its a homologated large area reflector.

With that as a starting point I was now looking for a small fender mounted taillight without reflector and for a design to mount said reflector there as well.

First attempt and final shape.

This left me basically with two choices, the brand new Busch and Müller 'Mu', and the little gem made by Schmidt, which I finally selected. For the mount of the reflector, I was looking into a folded sheet metal piece picking up the theme of the headlight mount to give the whole seeing-and-visibility-thing some unity front to back.

Rear reflector riveted to the Gilles Berthoud fender.

I came up with another U-shape, wrapping the bulky mount originally linking the reflector to the seat post mounting band with a ball head. It took me some iterations with the jigsaw to find a workable shape, placing the reflector at the desired height.

4 mm plain alu rivets. Lightweight, strong, and do not rattle loose.

As for the headlight mount, simple plain alu rivets were chosen as fasteners for being unbeatably light, low profile on both sides, and absolutely insensitive to vibrations.

Fully STVZO conform taillight and Z-reflector escaping the
ubiquitous, and tiring look of the german-safety-add-on afterthought.