sudo bike

I thought this was interesting. It's a kickstarter video for some bike wheel lights. Not the normal kind of neons out there... they only shine forward/backward, so as to be a little more useful for seeing. As with most projects like this, it's early, but it's interesting at any rate. My biggest grump so far is that it seems too dim to actually use as a seeing light, but video can fool you, too. Looks like it could have potential, though.

https://kck.st/nRFdb4

ijsbrand

Revolight looks a lot less convenient as the somewhat similar Reelight, that's already popular in Scandinavia. Yet, mounting lights so low is not very useful -- even when that's better than no lights at all.

GrantH

How does the Reelight work? They don't have any videos or presentations of any sort on the site from what I can tell. I like the idea of the Revolight though.

ijsbrand

That Reelight site explains everything if you click 'technology':
So, the difference between Revolight is that one blinks, where the other does not. But blinking lights are illegal in some countries anyway.

Doohickie

I think it solves a problem that doesn't exist.

sudo bike

Sort of, but I dare say that's the case of most bike products.

Schwinnrider

Interesting concept, and I applaud the designer for his intelligence and aptitude, but it's really kind of a useless product. The forward projection of the headlight is insufficient for actually SEEING in the dark, and the taillight is too low to be useful as a safety feature. Someone who wants a headlight mounted lower can do so with a Minoura fork mount and any headlight. Better yet, for what you'll spend on the weak Revolight, you can buy a Sanyo generator hub and a B&M headlight, mount the light to the fork, and illuminate the road. As for taillight? A Planet Bike Superflash clipped to a seatbag is much more visible than the dim lights coming off the Revolight.

Still, the designer's a smart guy, and what he designed is way more impressive than anything I could do. I just think the product is crippled by it's inherent shortcomings.

fietsbob

Reelight a Danish Company has several models. the induction powered LED, gets juice
by the long magnet attached to the spokes., light bracked under the axle lock nut ,
so part of the wheel

moving thru the price-points gets a capacitor added and a steady on light results..
and a wired light you could mount higher than the hub. level..
essentially a hub dynamo with out rebuilding the wheel.., just not quite as bright..
OK for lit city streets.

Have a Schmidt Hub Dynamo and it is the way to go.. can run 2 lights off it ,
+ a taillight.

rumrunn6

oh yes, very cool

Fenway

I honestly wondered why someone hadn't done this sooner. Even regular spoke reflectors with blinking lights recharging by passing a magnet on forks/stays would be useful for side visibility.

KBlas

They're ingenious, but at 200 bucks a pop, a tad out of my league for "pretty" light gear.

sudo bike

For sure. Most things on Kickstarter are pricey since they are new products busting into the market. One hopes it drops with popularity. Until then, it's just niche.

Joemess

Pretty cool.... But It also looks a whole lot more complicated and a whole lot more fragile and prone to malfunction than mt current light at about the same cost

sudo bike

For sure. Practically, I think if you're really concerned about getting a light closer to the ground, it would be easier to just get a fork-mount.

hairyman

The inventor asks, "Why is my headlight, the thing that I use to light up the ground, so far from the ground?"

Because you don't need to see the ground immediately in front of you. You need to see several feet in front of you, requiring the light to be mounted up high.

These lights look really cool, but not very useful.