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Velohub's Blinkers indicators hit Indiegogo

Yet more indicators for bicycles.

Velohub, a Swiss start-up based in Zürich specialising in developing smart technology for cyclists, today launched a crowdfunding campaign on Indiegogo for their Blinkers lights. 

It follows a steady stream of indicators for bikes that have been seeking funding in recent years.

Front Blinker close.jpg

The Blinkers lights indicate the direction of the turn the cyclist is taking, by blinking to the right or to the left. The rear Blinker also has a red light that becomes more intense when the cyclist is braking. As well as a laser that projects half a circle on the ground. All of this is controlled by a remote control on the handlebar of the bike

Laser projection 1.jpg

The Blinkers lights will available as just a rear light from €69 for early birds on Indiegogo, or as a set with front and rear lights from €119.

Brake light 1.jpg

The lights can be charged with USB and are designed to be used for a claimed 20 hours. They can be put on any bike with universal attachments on the handlebar, the saddle or the rack. Blinkers feature a magnetic attachment system, so you can take them whenever the bike is locked. There is also a light on the remote control which indicates when the Blinkers should be charged.

Most notably, indicators appeared on Dragons' Den where Nick Jenkins offered £45,000 for 15% of CYCL, the company behind Winglights indicators, and was negotiated down to 12.5%. A good day for the two young entrepreneurs behind the product, then.

Back in 2009 we reviewed Bicygnals, which put indicators on both the front and rear of your bike. We weren’t impressed and since then the product has vanished without trace. We also looked at Winkku that year, which combined an indicator with a mirror. It’s also long gone.

Then there was Spooklight, which provided indicators and a brake like triggered by an accelerometer. Shaun Audane called it “little more than a gimmick for the ipod age”. 

But indicators for cycling just keep popping up. In 2013 we reviewed Scute Design Lumin8a gloves. We were even quite kind about them. Scute Design folded in 2015.

Despite this questionable history for bicycle indicators, we'll be keeping a close eye on the Blinkers.

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10 comments

Avatar
PaulCee52 | 7 years ago
1 like

Surely it's not wide enough to give a clear indication of indented direction anyway?

Even motorcycle ones, which are much more widely spaced, can be a bit vague at distance...

Probably time motorists were shown how to use theirs correctly, rather than trying to inflict them on cyclists!

Avatar
Pub bike | 7 years ago
1 like

There's no substitute for putting your arm out as this is what other traffic expects you to do, and is a very clear indication of intent.  As such indicator systems like this are doomed to fail.   It is going to be nerve-wracking to do both as you'd have to press the switch and then put your arm out.

As such an indicator system that could tell when you've put your arm out and supplement the hand signal with a flashing light might be helpful, but then again why bother?

Avatar
wknight | 7 years ago
1 like

Having backed two projects on indiegogo I am now giving it a wide berth as they have both been utter disasters, only one has delivered anything, remember the Limits power meter, and both over eighteen months late. Kickstarter is much better because they demand a prototype, indiegogo doesn't 

Avatar
PaulBox | 7 years ago
4 likes

What a load of shit.

Avatar
beezus fufoon | 7 years ago
2 likes

looks like a dildo

Avatar
VeloPeo replied to beezus fufoon | 7 years ago
5 likes

beezus fufoon wrote:

looks like a dildo

Quite apt, because they can go and fuck themselves if they think I'm buying one 

 

Avatar
VonPinkhoffen | 7 years ago
6 likes

I'm going to start using white phosphorus flares on metal poles to "indicate" my intended direction of travel. 
Let's see how many close passes I get then...

Avatar
j1mmy76 replied to VonPinkhoffen | 7 years ago
0 likes

VonPinkhoffen wrote:

I'm going to start using white phosphorus flares on metal poles to "indicate" my intended direction of travel. 
Let's see how many close passes I get then...

None, because your eyes will be scorched out of their sockets.

Avatar
Morat | 7 years ago
6 likes

They're all pointless. Unless there's a single standard, bike indicators are merely confusing. And the single standard should be "Use your arm". Simples.

Avatar
danthomascyclist | 7 years ago
11 likes

More pointless shit to add to the arsenal of stuff that cyclists "should" have if they don't want to get maimed by drivers

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