A frame would be difficult (although not impossible) - but it would be expensive, perhaps prohibitively so.

Go buy yourself a small sheet of electroluminescent panel, a cheap inverter and some wire, you can wire the sheet up in 15 minutes, then you can play around with it to see what is possible, it can be cut to any shape you want (once you don't cut the connectors to the power supply off) rolled into a tube or folded however you like, it is pretty robust stuff and difficult to break/ruin - for example if I were to take a hammer to my seatpost above and give it a good strong smash, I would have a dented seatpost but the light would be unaffected.

Whatever you do don't forget to tape over all cut edges with something like sellotape - otherwise you will get a mild electric shock when you touch those edges ! :) And don't forget to unplug the power before cutting, you don't want to be like me and throw a pair of scissors across the room from the shock :eek::eek::trainwreck:

I don't know how the inverter is going to go down the seatpost. You still need the wires to come out to plug in to the EL, and the seatpost clamp makes for a pretty tight squeeze. I would just try for compact to go under the seat.

It would be an easy solution to just run a very small seatbag and put a hole in the back of it.

The top part of the clamp is not load bearing, my plan is to drill a small hole in the centre of this part and run the wires through that - but maybe you are right if I can sort out a more compact inverter/power unit it might be less hassle to just zip tie it between the rails at the rear (??)

Seatbags aren't allowed on tarck bikes, it's the law !!!! :p

How long does it last on a full charge?

It is super simple if you can handle a pair of scissors and the occasional electric shock - see my reply to Cynikal above.

Get some EL panel - cut it to the shape of your seatpost - get out the sellotape and insulate the edges - wrap it around your seatpost (I made a tube that can be slid on and off when the seatpost is taken out of the frame) - plug it in - ride around the streets like you are in Tron :thumb:

I am not sure how long it lasts, I have only switched it on for a few times (perhaps 6-7 hours in total?), last night I rode from Greenwich to Camden (London/UK) I took a fairly long route so it took around 2 hours, it was as bright at the end as it is was at the start.

(running on four little AAA 1.5v batteries)

If this stuff is anything like electroluminescent wire it is pretty good on power usage, I might be able to tell you in a few days/weeks ?

i love it
it's just that i don't like the way the "inverter" hangin on your saddle

someone should experiment this on their backpack/messenger bag or whatever u guys use

Yes me too ! I am trying to shrink the inverter/power and have it inside the seatpost.

I have !! :)

My bag is like a funfair :)

nice!
is it waterproof?

Yes, as long as you buy a bit of that heat shrink stuff that you put over electric connections and heat with a lighter so it shrinks and seals the join.

I could see top tube pads being made with this stuff. and, as much as I personally don't care for TT pads, this could be really smart for riding at night. is it possible to run one of these off of a dyno hub?

I thought for sure that this thread would be about *****s.

I am no expert in electrics but you need an AC source (hence the inverter) I am not sure how that would work with a dynamo **********

Hmmmm. . . that's given me an idea :twitchy:

Thanks for the info. I'm rethinking the frame idea but the cover of a mess bag would be cool.

Someone cover a read fender or a side of your rear triangle with this stuff.

http://www.glowhut.com/electrolumine...-inverter.html

How visible are the gaps in the EL sheets? If I patched 2-3 sheets together side by side (and was particularly neat about it) would the gap show at all? I'd be interested in making my top tube glow at night, though, having gaps would ruin the effect.

P.S. brilliant. I was thinking of doing something similar but hadn't considered EL materials. Well done :D

This seems really pointless to me.
Why modify your bike in such a way when there are simpler and more useful lighting set-ups?
Just to look cool?

Is it as good as it looks, or some sort of trompe-l'oeil from the camera and the lighting? Because if it's as good as it looks you are a genius, I thank you for posting this. :love:

The pictures are pretty accurate, the best way to describe it is that in the flesh it looks almost identical to a fluorescent tube.

You should be able to get it pretty tight as you can cut (with a scalpel or craft knife) directly into the light source, no real need for gaps - and once switched on small imperfections are somewhat lost.

Why comment on something you find pointless ?

Why is simpler better ? I think it is pretty simple in the respect that you switch it on with a switch like any other bike light.

Yes I think it looks cool, I like things that look cool.

this would be so awesome to have on your bag for night riding