Mountain Biking - Any opinion about a brake light?

Hi All,

This is for group mountain biking. I am going to design a wireless brake light that can respond to both front and rear brakes, no matter what types of brake types. When bike is in regular running or accelerating, the light blinks. And when bike is decelerating (in braking condition), the light would turn into solid red. This is especially useful during downhill riding in groups, isn't it? On the otehr hand, when bike hit big bumps or dips, it would also turn into solid red to warn the bikes behind even if brakes are not activated. Moreover, in regular running, the blinking frequency will become faster as the road gets steeper.

How do you like these ideas? Hope to hear your voices here......................

why? if you're paying more attention to the little red lights of the bike ahead of you, you're not really paying attention to the trail features in front of you..........

now, think about which is more dangerous.

IMO, paying attention to the trail is far more important.

this has never been any sort of worry/problem with any of the groups i've ridden with, on the road or off.

why? if you're paying more attention to the little red lights of the bike ahead of you, you're not really paying attention to the trail features in front of you..........

now, think about which is more dangerous.

IMO, paying attention to the trail is far more important.

this has never been any sort of worry/problem with any of the groups i've ridden with, on the road or off.



But if you just pay attention to trails, when your front bike puts a sudden brake due to some reasons, you would probably hit him, wouldn't you? unless you guys keep in certain distance. And such situation would become even more obvious at night....isn't it?

I think it isn't a bad idea but you should leave it at "Normal - blinking", "Braking - solid red", no more than that, and I still only think that's useful for trailrides in the middle of the night or in the city at night.

But if you just pay attention to trails, when your front bike puts a sudden brake due to some reasons, you would probably hit him, wouldn't you? unless you guys keep in certain distance. And such situation would become even more obvious at night....isn't it?


ummm, again, this has never been aproblem with me or the groups i've ridden with......

it's not just the trail. you have to be paying attention to everything around you. if you're riding right on someones @ss enough that you hit them, you should have been leaving a gap between the riders. or if you are paying so little attentions to your environment that you randomly run into riders in front of you, perhaps trail riding is not the right activity to be engaging ine? a little brake light won't stop that. and why would my front brake sudden activate on it's own? i've been riding road and offroad since 1987, and i've yet to have anything like that happen. i've ridden alot at night as well, and it's never been an issue.

a brakelight for serious mtb and trail riders is a solution to a problem that doesn't exist.

ummm, again, this has never been aproblem with me or the groups i've ridden with......

it's not just the trail. you have to be paying attention to everything around you. if you're riding right on someones @ss enough that you hit them, you should have been leaving a gap between the riders. or if you are paying so little attentions to your environment that you randomly run into riders in front of you, perhaps trail riding is not the right activity to be engaging ine? a little brake light won't stop that. and why would my front brake sudden activate on it's own? i've been riding road and offroad since 1987, and i've yet to have anything like that happen. i've ridden alot at night as well, and it's never been an issue.

a brakelight for serious mtb and trail riders is a solution to a problem that doesn't exist.

I agree 100%. It seems like more of a distraction than anything. It's not anything I would ever buy.

That sounds like a neat idea for road-biking... turn the light solid red if the bike decelerates quickly. I'd spend a few more bucks for that feature, as long as it wasn't difficult to set up or maintain.

I think the people that ride in groups a lot and/or the people that ride with their friends a lot aren't going to need it. They will understand from other things, like yelling, when they need to brake.

Now people that are new to the whole idea might find it intruiging, and my buy it, but when they go on a group ride they won't be getting the usefullness of it, the others will. So unless other people have it, the new rider will just have to get used to riding under normal (without brake light) circumstances. So they probably won't need it either.

It's a cool idea though, I had thought about it at one time, though I never thought about how to implement it. I have always thought it would be cool if brake lights would brighten as braking power increased. Of course I also wish yellow light times were standardized, but some things just won't happen.

i'd tend to agree with many of these posts, it's not something i'd use. maybe it has it's place on a road bike during a night ride. it will help drivers see the biker and alert them to when the biker is slowing down. but on a trail, i can't see it being that useful.

I think it would be a good feature for roadies. Think of the massive pileups in road races that could be avoided.

Think of the massive pileups in road races that could be avoided.

I've been in my share of DH pileups too when we were running the train... but I really doubt a light could possibly have helped.

As for roadies, when they are that close together the issue is not that they don't know when someone jams on the brakes, but that there is an understanding that NO ONE SHOULD EVER JAM ON THE BRAKES IN A PACK. If they do, well, roadie, DH'er, whatever, you get run over.

I'd still like to see this light though. Post pics if it works.

I think it would be a good feature for roadies. Think of the massive pileups in road races that could be avoided.

Then think of the number of crashes it would cause. The distraction would cause a lot of crashes. When you are completely concentrating on everything else around you the light would actually break your concentration which could result in slight swerving which is a very bad thing when riding in a large group.

There are a few people I'd like to make use something like that on our shop's group night rides. I can't count how many times I've been about to let 'er go on a descent right about the time the guy in front of me gets nervous and grabs the binders. Would come in handy on rides where there's a wide mix of abilities in a group.

There are a few people I'd like to make use something like that on our shop's group night rides. I can't count how many times I've been about to let 'er go on a descent right about the time the guy in front of me gets nervous and grabs the binders. Would come in handy on rides where there's a wide mix of abilities in a group.

Agreed, I find it difficult to judge what people are doing, the front lights don't really allow me to tell who/what/how fast/how slow they are going.

I think it would be a good feature for roadies. Think of the massive pileups in road races that could be avoided.


*snort* i hope you're being sarcastic with that comment.

this wouldn't do a thing to prevent road race wrecks. the speeds/closeness involved would make them useless in any case. road racers need to pay attention to what the riders around them are doing, not a little blinking red light. i could see this idea causing more pileup in road racing, not fewer.

Im not a roadie, never have been either. It seemed like a reasonable assumption when i thought of it, but i guess not. :)

I thought it might help like it does with cars, but i didnt consider the super close proximity road riders are from each other.

Use infrared signals instead of regular wires. This will be lighter and quicker. New cars use this technology. Also consider a helmet mounting option for increased visibilty.

Then think of the number of crashes it would cause. The distraction would cause a lot of crashes. When you are completely concentrating on everything else around you the light would actually break your concentration which could result in slight swerving which is a very bad thing when riding in a large group.


it just acts same as the brake lights of cars. If your claim goes, does it also mean that cars should not be equipped with brake lights to avoid distractions....?

it just acts same as the brake lights of cars. If your claim goes, does it also mean that cars should not be equipped with brake lights to avoid distractions....?

If you are going to compare it to cars then think nascar more than driving down the road in your car. That is a better comparison because of how fast reaction times need to be due to the fact that you are riding within an inch or two of the rider in front of you. I do believe that brake lights on a race car would be a distraction as well.

In a high speed group ride or road race people are supposed to know how to ride. You have to have trust in those around you. If you screw up it can lead to a lot of people being hurt.

There are four or five versions of this already on the market. Use google.
Search the forums for more on the subject. It's been discussed a lot.
There is no riding condition that they really help.
They have been around for years. You can buy one if you want to try it.

I think it should be simpler than what was proposed, a brake light might be an ok idea, but if it is switching from blinking to solid and back and forth, i can see how that would be very distracting.. I agree with drunken chicken, saying that it should stay with "Normal - blinking", "Braking - solid red"..

On the road a bicycle should have a blinking light just like all other slow moving vehicles to alert drivers to a slow moving vehicle coming up. All the cars need to slow and pass even if you don't have your brakes on, even if the bicycle is accelerating. A steady light might be mistaken for a motorcycle going the same speed as traffic. Then they may not slow in time. Oops! Really quite a bad idea.

They continue to manufacture them, and the brake switches stick sometimes. Most use a switch that works off the back brake cable and it increases the work that the brake return springs have to do. This causes cable sticking fairly often.


http://cgi.ebay.com/7-LED-Bicycle-Turning-light-Brake-Night-Light_W0QQitemZ7219666841QQcategoryZ22689QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem



http://www.totalfitnessfl.com/flex/coupon?fs=1&au=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.qksrv.net%2Fclick-1585711-5463217%3Floc%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252Fcgi.ebay.com%252Fws%252FeBayISAPI.dll%253FViewItem%2526item%253D7 218466339%2526category%253D22689



http://www.totalfitnessfl.com/flex/coupon?fs=1&au=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.qksrv.net%2Fclick-1585711-5463217%3Floc%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252Fcgi.ebay.com%252Fws%252FeBayISAPI.dll%253FViewItem%2526item%253D7 219244262%2526category%253D22689



http://www.nashbar.com/profile_moreimages.cfm?category=101&subcategory=1068&sku=10516&brand=

Hi All,

This is for group mountain biking. I am going to design a wireless brake light that can respond to both front and rear brakes, no matter what types of brake types. When bike is in regular running or accelerating, the light blinks. And when bike is decelerating (in braking condition), the light would turn into solid red. This is especially useful during downhill riding in groups, isn't it? On the otehr hand, when bike hit big bumps or dips, it would also turn into solid red to warn the bikes behind even if brakes are not activated. Moreover, in regular running, the blinking frequency will become faster as the road gets steeper.

How do you like these ideas? Hope to hear your voices here......................
sweet. i want one for my commuter bike! but the blinking would draw unwanted attention

On the road a bicycle should have a blinking light just like all other slow moving vehicles to alert drivers to a slow moving vehicle coming up. All the cars need to slow and pass even if you don't have your brakes on, even if the bicycle is accelerating. A steady light might be mistaken for a motorcycle going the same speed as traffic. Then they may not slow in time. Oops! Really quite a bad idea.

They continue to manufacture them, and the brake switches stick sometimes. Most use a switch that works off the back brake cable and it increases the work that the brake return springs have to do. This causes cable sticking fairly often.


http://cgi.ebay.com/7-LED-Bicycle-Turning-light-Brake-Night-Light_W0QQitemZ7219666841QQcategoryZ22689QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem





http://www.totalfitnessfl.com/flex/coupon?fs=1&au=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.qksrv.net%2Fclick-1585711-5463217%3Floc%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252Fcgi.ebay.com%252Fws%252FeBayISAPI.dll%253FViewItem%2526item%253D7 218466339%2526category%253D22689



http://www.totalfitnessfl.com/flex/coupon?fs=1&au=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.qksrv.net%2Fclick-1585711-5463217%3Floc%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252Fcgi.ebay.com%252Fws%252FeBayISAPI.dll%253FViewItem%2526item%253D7 219244262%2526category%253D22689



http://www.nashbar.com/profile_moreimages.cfm?category=101&subcategory=1068&sku=10516&brand=


Thanks for the info, dude........... But what I want to devise is a wireless one that will not have the sticky problem on switch, and it works for both front/rear brake, not just rear brake...and also, it works for all types of brakes including disc brake, not just V-brakes..... would u be interested to get one?

good idea but im not sure every rider would benefit from it, but its totally beneficial when you are cycling in a cross country competition where some riders will go slow during downhill

My friend with epilepsy is sensitive to bright bllinking lights. Brings on a seizure.

My friend with epilepsy is sensitive to bright bllinking lights. Brings on a seizure.


My design can be also in an operational mode in which light is off during regular running or acceleration, and it turns into solid red during braking....... In such case, there will be no blinking lights.......

good idea but im not sure every rider would benefit from it, but its totally beneficial when you are cycling in a cross country competition where some riders will go slow during downhill

In all the races I've entered I have never had a crash because I couldn't tell how fast a rider was that I came up on. On top of that good luck getting a cross country racer to add the extra weight to their bike so that someone behind them can see them hit the brakes. When I'm in a xc race I don't want people to know when I hit my brakes.

IMO this brake light should offer a rainbow/strobe or black light effect, and should be required equipment for bikes that have those wheels that light up.

IMO this brake light should offer a rainbow/strobe or black light effect, and should be required equipment for bikes that have those wheels that light up.


what are rainbow and black light effects? and may I know why you think it should be required for bikes that have those wheels that light up?? Thanks..........

Hi All,

This is for group mountain biking. I am going to design a wireless brake light that can respond to both front and rear brakes, no matter what types of brake types. When bike is in regular running or accelerating, the light blinks. And when bike is decelerating (in braking condition), the light would turn into solid red. This is especially useful during downhill riding in groups, isn't it? On the otehr hand, when bike hit big bumps or dips, it would also turn into solid red to warn the bikes behind even if brakes are not activated. Moreover, in regular running, the blinking frequency will become faster as the road gets steeper.

How do you like these ideas? Hope to hear your voices here......................


Solid red things will stand out in your vision, the thing is, in day light it can be hard to tell, especially with optics on. Another issue is price....

Solid red things will stand out in your vision, the thing is, in day light it can be hard to tell, especially with optics on. Another issue is price....


How do you think of a price between US$20-30 ?

Hi All,

This is for group mountain biking. I am going to design a wireless brake light that can respond to both front and rear brakes, no matter what types of brake types. When bike is in regular running or accelerating, the light blinks. And when bike is decelerating (in braking condition), the light would turn into solid red. This is especially useful during downhill riding in groups, isn't it? On the otehr hand, when bike hit big bumps or dips, it would also turn into solid red to warn the bikes behind even if brakes are not activated. Moreover, in regular running, the blinking frequency will become faster as the road gets steeper.

How do you like these ideas? Hope to hear your voices here......................

I've thought about this problem. My concept was a magnetic pickup mounted on the top tube and a sensor array that would register it's position. This concept could be generalized to provide a complete telemetry on the rear brake and shifter positions.

I've thought about this problem. My concept was a magnetic pickup mounted on the top tube and a sensor array that would register it's position. This concept could be generalized to provide a complete telemetry on the rear brake and shifter positions.


to make it simple, my invention even needs not to get radio transmission stuff involved.....it can sense the speed of the bike automatically, and know when it is slowing down and give appropriate warning signals......... PATENTs APPLIED.