Originally Posted by
frantik
I've been interested in trying out some of these devices, but it seems like you need at least 2 or more to get a full wheel, and it seems like they only display on one side, so you'd have to have a lot to get a full wheel on both sides. the cheaper ones seem to be only one color (or static multicolor, ie not changing colors)
Anybody have any of these devices and care to offer a review? Mostly would be using them for social rides, not continuous use
You generally want two or more not just because it works better but because you'll unbalance your wheel if you use only one, and some of them are pretty heavy.
The good quality ones -- Monkeyletric, Hokeyspokes -- are visible from both sides. Some of the cheap ones are indeed only visible from one side.
The good quality ones are great. They're highly visible and quite colorful and pretty. They're pretty rugged. If you're going slower, you might want three of them per wheel, but two will work. And yes, they are expensive, and being expensive and not easy to remove means you'll not want to lock up your bike anywhere for any length of time.
The cheap ones are hit and miss. They tend to look pretty good -- some do patterns, some don't, but they certainly make your bike stand out -- but they can be fragile, and some are only visible from one side (and they often don't make that clear.)