Bicygnals
 

I've just "celebrated" another birthday and my wife was stuck for what to get me. "What do you get a 59 year old who has everything?" she said! Well she bought me a novelty item for my bike. I say "novelty" because it is not something I would have thought of. The item in question is called "Bicygnals" and is a set of battery operated lights and indicators. I have seen things like these advertised but have not given them much thought.

They comprise two units; one for the handlebars and one to clamp around the seat post. The front unit has a line of very bright LEDs across the middle and amber indicators at each end. The rear unit has red LEDs plus indicators. They are wireless and the rear indicators flash in sync. with the front ones. As you can see from the photo's they do look rather space age - my 4 year old grandson thinks I'm the new Buz Lightyear - but they are very affective.

The front bracket bolts onto the 'bars very easily and the unit simply clips into place. The rear bracket bolts round the seat tube and again the unit clips into place. I had to remove some rubber padding from the rear clamp to acommodate the 34mm seat tube of my Xootr Swift. My first impressions were that the brackets seem very brittle. They are made of some type of plastic and I don't think they would survive a fall. The protruding clip, onto which the light units slip, feels pretty vunerable to damage and I'm not sure how they would stand up to a bicycle being ridden along rough or cobbled surfaces on a regular basis. The makers also state that the units are not 100% waterproof which, in the UK, could be a problem. The instructions also mention that wirefree communication between the front and rear units may be affected by external conditions. I have a wireless computer on my handlebar stem but a short trial has not thrown up any problems between the technology. The front and rear units are paired and coded, to prevent interference with other nearby units so if the front or rear lights are damaged I assume that both will need to be replaced. They are not street legal in the UK in that they must be used in conjunction with a BS6102/3 approved light and reflectors. Both units have their own reflectors attached.

If the above sounds as though I don't think much of my gift you would be wrong. With the winter months drawing closer and poor lighting conditions prevailing these Bicygnals may come into their own. The front light is very bright - almost painful to look at - so anyone who says "Sorry I didn't see you" needs to be registered blind! The front and rear lights can be set to constant or flashing. Each unit has its own on/off switch so you could have the front on constant and rear on flashing or vice versa. Only the indicators are in sync. These units will certainly get you noticed and could be a very good safety feature for anyone who commutes in busy traffic.

I must say that after a short trial I am begining to like having them on board my bike. The indicators are very easy to operate with a thumb and the position and brightness of the lights adds to safety. The front light does throw quite a beam but it is more to be seen than to see (if you see what I mean!). You will need another front light to illuminate your path. The units can be quickly released from their brackets and clipped together when leaving the bike and a storage pouch is provided to protect them.

All in all, I am quite impressed with them although I do feel that the brackets are not strong enough and I would prefer the bodies of the lights to be "rubberised" to give more protection in case of a spill. I will put them to good use over the next few months and report back about their performance.

I'm from the "light up like a Christmas tree" school of bicycle safety so from that aspect I think it's cool, but I do have a question for you. After you've ridden with them for a while, would you mind posting a review? Cagers don't expect bicycles to have turn signals and I'm curious as to how much attention they'll pay to them. Essentially, are bicycle turn signals intuitive enough to be useful?

Seems to be a great idea and I've seen them advertised occasionally here in the states. I too would be greatly interested in your opinion after having used them for a while.

Unless they're easily identified as a turn signal from >100 meters in noon sunlight in a 60mph zone, I'm afraid I'll be sticking with the good ol' arm signals :) Cute, but... no thanks.

I believe they aren't marketed directly in the US anymore (I suspect a patent dispute may be the reason). I looked at these before I decided to make my own turn signals and brake signal. The reviews of the first generation version complained that the wireless signal between the front and back units was blocked by the rider's body. I would expect that kink to have been worked out.

Even if the units had been available in the US, I ultimately wouldn't have purchased one. Price and the size of the turn signals (too small--each of my turn signals, front and rear have 22 super bright LEDs) coupled with user complaints about the batteries turned me off, although the concept is interesting.