Commuting - Wheel Leds

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kylecrispin
10-27-06, 08:14 AM
These http://www.hokeyspokes.com are kind of cool but seem to be a little "Beta" and very expensive. Anyone know of an alternative? I was even thinking that single leds with something to attach them to a spoke much like the spoke magnet thing for my bike computer would look neat if you had enough of them. It also seems to me that the hokey spokes are big enough to seriously change the aerodynamics of your wheels. I call upon all things geeky to help me in my quest for cool looking safety.

RonH
10-27-06, 08:57 AM
We've discussed hokey spokes many times in the past.
Do a BF search and you'll find lots of information.
ModoVincere
10-27-06, 08:59 AM
Wonder if I could get paid to be a rolling bill board with those? Since it says you can display messages with these. Maybe i can talk some businesses into an adevertising deal....hmmmm.

lyledriver
10-27-06, 09:27 AM
I've built up a few Ladyada kits. They're pretty fun, but you need two in order to display images at low speed.

When I put them on my spokes I generally just have a really simple pattern like a big sprocket or a star.

Here it is on boingboing:

http://www.boingboing.net/2006/07/21/persistenceofvision_.html
kylecrispin
10-27-06, 10:13 AM
So lyle, I kyle, would like to ask you if you have felt any impact on the overall performance of your bike?
lyledriver
10-27-06, 11:33 AM
Like.. Do I feel that they're on there?

Not really.

The Ladyada Spoke POV kit is designed so that the board zipties to the spokes. However, its got battery holders for two AA batteries on the board. This throws the wheel out of balance, and you CAN feel it at higher speeds (which you need to acheive in order for the image to persist)..

So I purchased some separate AA battery holders, and extended them about a foot from the board.
..now I zip tie the battery holder opposite from the board, on a spot where the spokes cross. This pretty much balances them out.

Occasionally they will glitch out from missing the hall effect and you get some really funky patterns before the image returns a few revolutions later... and also, sometimes road vibration will turn the switch on or off for you.. which is easy enough to correct at the next light.

The only disadvantage to running them, is that motorists often stop to view them even when they have the right of way.