valve and spoke lights
#1
Thread Starter
pointlessone
Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 28
Likes: 0
From: London, UK
Bikes: Ridgeback Genesis Day 2, Kona Stinky
valve and spoke lights
has anyone any personal experiance of valve or spoke lights, like tyreflys? wandering if they really help you to be seen or just make you a target for roadside humiliation? They do look a bit 'odd' im sure you will agree. www.tyreflys.com
#2
Senior Member

Joined: Sep 2002
Posts: 236
Likes: 0
From: Tucson, Arizona
They worked good for me, but didn't always come on on smooth pavement if riding a slow-medium speed. If they made some that could be manually turned on and off, I would use them in a second. They are very effective.
#3
I bought a pair last year's fall, found them to work erratically, since they work by sensing motion, somehow didn't sense my bike wheel rotations. I ended up chucking them.
If they were bullet proof and of better quality I guess they'd be terrific, has potential as a concept.
Corsaire
If they were bullet proof and of better quality I guess they'd be terrific, has potential as a concept.
Corsaire
#4
Senior Member

Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 416
Likes: 0
From: Podunc, Minnesota
Bikes: '14 Bacchetta Corsa, '93 Ryan Vanguard, Action Bent SWB USS
I put one of these on each hub. As the wheel rotates it creates an interesting strobe effect. I have intentions of putting reflective tape on my rim so the LED can illuminate the tape. They weigh next to nothing and they are close to the center of the wheel so it doesn't induce any vibration/wobble when cruising. I bought the Pyrimid brand at my LBS for $5.00. Replacement batteries for mine are $3.00 and I would guess the batteries last 20-25 hours of constant burn.
https://www.performancebike.com/shop/...tegory_ID=4320
https://www.performancebike.com/shop/...tegory_ID=4320
#5
I bought a couple of sets of tireflys. They work as advertised. I had a bit of trouble keeping up with battery use though. I wish they used AAA cells instead of the little watch battery type things. The only other complaint is that they would turn on and off at odd times, sometimes you needed to hit a bump to activate them.
I finally got tired of swapping batteries and just ditched them.
Dan
I finally got tired of swapping batteries and just ditched them.
Dan
#6
Just riding
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 651
Likes: 0
From: Exeter, UK
Bikes: Cannondale Bad Boy / Mercian track / BOB trailer / Moulton recumbent project
We've got both Tireflies and Hokey Spokes.
The Tireflies we run on the trailers - just to add some more attention-getting redness to the back of what is, to drivers, a weird load. We use the Tirefly Ultras, which are always-on with a light and motion sensor, and come in sensible vehicle red. I don't think I'd run them on my bikes, though.
And we have a set of Hokey Spokes which I used on the Dunwich Dynamo (125 miles overnight) this year. They're great fun - a spinning disc of chequerboards and spirals and rude words. Horribly expensive (£25 a blade), stuipidly heavy (each blade takes 3xAA batteries, we have three blades, it stacks up), almost perfectly useless as a safety device. They're perfect bling.
The combination of the two looks really weird in fog, too - you look like a UFO coming in to land.
The Tireflies we run on the trailers - just to add some more attention-getting redness to the back of what is, to drivers, a weird load. We use the Tirefly Ultras, which are always-on with a light and motion sensor, and come in sensible vehicle red. I don't think I'd run them on my bikes, though.
And we have a set of Hokey Spokes which I used on the Dunwich Dynamo (125 miles overnight) this year. They're great fun - a spinning disc of chequerboards and spirals and rude words. Horribly expensive (£25 a blade), stuipidly heavy (each blade takes 3xAA batteries, we have three blades, it stacks up), almost perfectly useless as a safety device. They're perfect bling.
The combination of the two looks really weird in fog, too - you look like a UFO coming in to land.
#7
Senior Member

Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 1,888
Likes: 0
From: portland or
Originally Posted by pointlessone
has anyone any personal experiance of valve or spoke lights, like tyreflys? wandering if they really help you to be seen or just make you a target for roadside humiliation? They do look a bit 'odd' im sure you will agree. www.tyreflys.com
#8
Senior Member
Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 96
Likes: 0
From: takoma Park - PG co., MD
Bikes: Felt F55, Leader bike Road, Trek 2100(composite), Haro MTB, Cannondale m800, Devinci mtb.
My neighbors just gave me a pair of valve lights from the LAS (local AUTO store)
They Rock!!! Moving light is always better for visability.
The Tireflies are outrageously expensive and MARKETED to take advantege of bikers.
Go to the Auto store and get 'em for a song!!!
They Rock!!! Moving light is always better for visability.
The Tireflies are outrageously expensive and MARKETED to take advantege of bikers.
Go to the Auto store and get 'em for a song!!!
#9
Commuter
Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 45
Likes: 0
From: St. Louis
Bikes: Giant OCR2
I use them now that Walmart is selling the UV ones. I use yellow but green seems a bit brighter. The local laws require that auxiliary lights be yellow so I wanted to be as conforming as possible.
They work by having a little spring bounce around and touch a metal plate to activate a circuit. I had to pull out the little circuit board and bend the little tabs really close to make them as sensitive as possible.
I've had friends tell me that they are pretty visible from the side, but are invisible from the front and rear - not surprising.
They do look pretty dorky, but looking different is a good thing in traffic. At $8 for a pair with a set of replacement batteries, they are pretty cheap.
They work by having a little spring bounce around and touch a metal plate to activate a circuit. I had to pull out the little circuit board and bend the little tabs really close to make them as sensitive as possible.
I've had friends tell me that they are pretty visible from the side, but are invisible from the front and rear - not surprising.
They do look pretty dorky, but looking different is a good thing in traffic. At $8 for a pair with a set of replacement batteries, they are pretty cheap.




