HokeySpokes

I just ran across this on Google when I was looking for lights. I hadn't seen any mention of this either here or on the lighting/gadget forum, but I'm also not looking at every post.

They seem pretty cool in a gawdy kind of way.

"Proper" lighting is becoming a debatable topic now. Do you plan on using them for night time visibility, or just something cool to have?

There is one camp that contends more lighting the better. The other camp is lighting should help signify what you are on the road. Usually that pertains to "what is the purpose of having them". If you feel it is something cool to have then buy em if you got the money.

I wasn't actually looking to buy them. They're way too hokey for me, (hence the name). But you have to admit you'll be seen.

Sort of off-topic, but I saw a cyclist with a set of blinky LED Christmas lights in his spokes the other night. He zip-tied the battery compartment to his hub and strung the lights outward through the spokes. A bit cheezy (which is why I liked it,) but cheap, and it looked great!

I kind of belong in both camps, slightly more in the second though.
I have plenty of lights, but, I tend to follow vehicle lighting guidelines, white to the front, red to the rear, amber on the sides.

As far as the Hokey Spoke lights and the Monkey Electric lights go, they are not my cup of coffee.

I just ordered a trio, so I'll let you know!

I also have a set of Monkeylectric lights on the rear wheel of my commuter, so I can offer some comparative insights on the two systems.

If you are trying for cool why not get spoke lights that you can customize the image to be what ever you want https://www.adafruit.com/index.php?ma...b3fa5a30ca572c

Having recently received my HokeySpokes--a Christmas gift for my wife, actually--I thought I'd post some initial impressions, although I haven't actually mounted them yet.

First off are my thoughts on the design. It's a tidy package with a thoughtful, airfoil shape and a welcome level of finish. The housing is transparent plastic, and the lights are inside, as is everything else save for two switches, "PWR" and "SEL". Two tabs with nuts and screws look like they'll mount onto the spokes easily.

Regarding function, the lights are small and moderately bright, and spaced closely together. There are only preset patterns, and few of them at that. I have the Rainbow array (multi-color) so it adds some dynamism to the display. It's easy to switch between modes, and these will also display a user-inputted, 16 letter maximum, word. The batteries are easy to install and remove, with just a screwed on cap holding them in-line along the spoke line.

Compared to the Monkeylectric lights I also have, the Hokeyspokes are rather disappointing. The Monkeys are much brighter and have a much more varied and dynamic light display. They aren't programmable for words, but are for pattern display. The Hokeyspokes are a more polished package, design-wise, and they cost less, so are appealing in some ways. They're also easier to install and operate than the Monkey's, and the battery access is simpler.

Everything weighted together, I think the superior brightness and dynamism of the Monkeys makes them the clear winner for my money. The design simplicity of the HokeySpokes is great, but let's be honest...if you're gonna run these kinds of things, you're doing it because you want the night time show--the bling factor--and that's where the Monkeylights really shine.

Here's a quick, crummy pic of the HokeySpokes: