idiotekniQues

i mean like really nice. ultimate little rear tail light for city riding really. just stumbled upon this on TechCrunch.

thinking of pledging. this seems very well thought out? Anyone?

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/...en-waiting-for

A10K

"It really is the best bike light you'll ever buy."
I want to like it, but I really have some big reservations. Its pretty, the gimmick with the seatpost is nice (but no good for those of us with racks, baskets, or even seatpost bags), and it looks like they've done a decent job of incorporating extra electronics in a small package.
However, pick 3: Small batteries, wide viewing angle, long runtime, bright. They did not pick bright. Even in their own videos the lights are visibly very weak, and at $95 they're competing with Exposure Flares, Light and Motion Vis 180s, the lower level Dinottes, and someone running three Cygolite Hotshots side by side. Its a good fashion accessory, but with the Cygolites and even PBSFTs being on every display stand, I can't see a mass market for these. There are just too many brighter, more versatile options for those that are willing to spend that much money.

10 Wheels

They seem to be very dim to my eyes.

MattFoley

Yeah, awesome design but not bright enough for my peace of mind. At a minimum, I run my Knog Boomer or Planet Bike Superflash, but under some conditions, I'll run them both. Although the site says that the lack of reflector optics is good, I disagree and think the reflectors is what make normal lights so effectively obnoxious and thus, more visible.

ItsJustMe

Way way waaaay too dim. Maybe good if you're riding a fixie on designated bike lanes in low speed in-city traffic with not very many competing light sources.

I've got a MagicShine 3 watt set on multiflash and a Cygolite Hotshot set on fast strobe, and I feel that's probably just about adequate.

I wouldn't ride my route (60 MPH, 2 lanes, no shoulder) with that light on a bet.

From a design point of view:

* They're going to have trouble with that battery holder - after a few weeks or months of vibration, a clip that's hard-soldered to a PCB like that is going to fracture or break the solder joint.
* They're nuts if they think that cyclists are going to clamp a SET SCREW into their paint jobs on the seat tube.
* TWO SCREWS to replace the battery? For that money it should be LiIon rechargable.

idiotekniQues

it's not designed for 60mph suburban/rural roads. this is specifically for city riding.

i'm going to have to check out the brightness in person but in the meantime, any city riders have any thoughts? currently i use a PB superflash. i like it. it's easy to unclip and pocket to not get stolen IMO. but a nice solution like this, if bright enough, is a thought as well to me.

jsdavis

Except that the city is where you need more light because it is easy to get lost in a seat of lights. On rural roads, there is less light so any light stands out more.

jsdavis

For about half the cost, Cateye has a autmatic light also with one LED centered on a reflector. And for half of the automatic Cateye, I bought a PDW Dangerzone.

ItsJustMe

I agree, in busy urban centers where there are a lot of other lights around, you need even more light than you need in the country.

If my riding was 100% rural, I'd be OK with riding with just something about the brightness of the Cygolite Hotshot. When I get into the city, or during the daytime, I want the MagicShine as well.

The fact that this thing doesn't turn on in the daytime shows that they don't really understand. But it's just as well because I think it's probably not nearly bright enough to even know if it's on in the daytime anyway, let alone attract attention.

JohnnyCyclist

+1

I run my lights no matter how bright it is.

Eclectus

Night illumination is really important. But what about daytime? Lot's of people ride in sunshine without realizing their small profile in the minds of drivers aren't easily "visible", until the drivers are 100 feet behind the bicyclist, and the 40 mph (60 ft per second) vs 15 mph (22 fps) difference translates to about a 38 fps closing speed, and about 2.5 seconds for drivers to slow down, including dropping the blackberry and hitting the brakes.

PBSF and others have addresssed night-time visibility well. Daytime is the remaining problem for rearward visibility.

DiNotte invented daytime-loud taillights. Hall of Fame invention. Stephen Adelman has jumped in with brighter LEDs than were avaiable to DiNotte 7 years ago, his DesignShine taillight is the best right now.

Try one of these: car drivers see you from 400-800 feet behind, closing speeds are 40 feet per second, which translates to a cool-and-calm 10 to 20 seconds to pass around you, without panic-hitting the brakes, suffering adrenaline-release spikes, jumping on their horns and the like.

idiotekniQues

i ride in the daytime without lights on in new york city and it is just fine. i keep my eyes and ears open and never had anything remotely to a close call. you can ride a lot of new york city without ever leaving a bike path as well.

at night i use a PB superflash in the rear and a PB 2w LED headlight. if im doing a heavy amount of night riding in the city streets late at night when people may be driving a bit buzzed i clip a second red light to my pants. so i believe in being visible.

i think people really have to start differentiating different types of riding. there is not one size fits all. many of us don't have to account for cars going 60mph, or dark rural roads, or suburban roads and many of us don't have to worry about the type of riding that happens in densely populated metro areas. and biking in one city can be far different from another. have to see this particular light in real life to know if it works for my riding scenarios but ive seen people ride around here with a rear light that looks similar when im driving and i see them just fine.

CB HI

So slap down $10,000 to get it into production if you think it is so great. Then you can send us some free samples to prove your point.