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TECH NEWS
brightspark 5.pngBrightspark 600 lumen light and turn indicators with lasers seeks crowdfunding support
Despite the history of bicycle indicators suggesting there really is no demand as John Stevenson argued in this blog, they keep on coming.
The latest is Brightspark and it’s hailed by its creators as the “ultimate lighting safety for cyclists” and has so far received nearly £20k of funding, but it’s got some way to go to hit the £85k target. Still, two months remaining so you never know.
The Brightspark has been designed in London and combines dual headlights with indicators and lasers - yes frickin’ lasers - to project signals onto the road. The idea is that you run a pair on one bike.
The lights are neatly integrated into the handlebar grips with a quick release so you can easily whip the entire grip and light assembly off the bike. You get up to 600 lumens on the brightest setting, plenty bright enough for commuting.
The turn indicators are a combination of lights and lasers, the latter projecting onto the ground either side of you which is aimed at increasing your perceived size on the road. It’s a similar idea to that used by the Blaze Laserlight.
You activate the indicators by pressing small controls within easy reach of your thumb when gripping the handlebar. Vibration alerts provide extra feedback that you’re indicating and ensure you won’t forget you’ve switched them on.
Because they’re integrated into the grips they’re only compatible with flat bar bikes, but then the company is targeting the commuting market where flat bar bikes are very common.
They’ve been designed to withstand all the weather a British winter can throw at them. Charging is via a micro USB lead.
Interested? A super early bird offer will get you a pair of Brightspark indicators for £169 plus UK shipping, with delivery estimated for November 2017, just in time for the winter.
Take a closer look here www.indiegogo.com/projects/brightspark-ultimate-lighting-safety-for-cycl...
David worked on the road.cc tech team from 2012-2020. Previously he was editor of Bikemagic.com and before that staff writer at RCUK. He's a seasoned cyclist of all disciplines, from road to mountain biking, touring to cyclo-cross, he only wishes he had time to ride them all. He's mildly competitive, though he'll never admit it, and is a frequent road racer but is too lazy to do really well. He currently resides in the Cotswolds, and you can now find him over on his own YouTube channel David Arthur - Just Ride Bikes.
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18 comments
Do we really think the average red light jumper is going to shell out £200 for a pair of indicators? They won't even get a pair of strobes from Tesco for a fiver.... and on another note. Why do you need to know how wide a bike is? Is it so drivers can better judge their close passes? And in a video advertising a product aimed at road safety it may be an idea to have your 'model' not wearing all dark clothing riding around the streets without adequate rear lighting... Chancer.
hahahah oh my just noticed they're using Indiegogos "flexible funding", so they get all funds pledged whether or not they meet their target.
Presumably the target is based on what it will cost to go to production with a minimum order run.
So what do backers get if it fails?
Indiegogo Flexible Funding is the choice of the chancer that knows they've got a bad idea.
Most commuters have drop handle bar so not sure how this is for the masses.
Mountain bikers wouldn't need this so I am baffled by the design.
Silly design, but are you sure that 'most commuters have drops'?
I have to say that looking at the bike racks at work that 60-70% are not drop bars
These lights aren't enough imo, what these cyclists really need is a box like fairing surrounding them entirely, maybe with a proper seat and backrest with safety belts. If you make it large enough you could include an engine too, saving all that hard work. I think I've just had a eureka moment!
Tell me how he would have been better off had the cycling RLJer had indicators. What? His example in the video not mine. Also take note the 'model' in the video doesn't go through the garden gate without an incy bit of difficulty. They are unnecessarily wide. They'll be smashed to smithereens in any UK city within days.
A 'eureka moment' one night having dinner with friends? No mate, you were pissed and lost a bet.
Crowdfunding really needs to filter out all these rubbish products. If they were any good, people like Lezyne, Fenix, Cateye etc would be biting his hand off. He wouldn't have to ask for donations from the public. A bit like the mum and dad bank, only I wouldn't want a kid like him. Bless him though.
Looks like he's updating the Tacx Lumos idea and applying it to flat bars, which I noted he had missed red lights facing the rear.
Why are you giving this character the oxygen of publicity?
Why don't boats have indicators? Or planes, shouldn't they have indicators too? Also, will there ever be a human boy born who can swim faster than a shark?
Let's hope that helmets become as common as these other stupid things.
"I had a near collision with a cyclist who jumped a light and my first thought was "why didn't he indicate""
Really?
Couldn't quite believe what I heard either! Also "there's nothing worse than a cyclist going down a straight road indicating when they're not turning". Well, I don't know where to even start with that one there are so many daft things about it!
The chap doesn't come across as a very bright spark in the video IMHO.
Having said all that, I can see that having two well separated lights *might* help get you slightly more room from oncoming vehicles If they don't misjudge distance thinking you're a car. Not at all convinced about the indicators or lasers though.
I hope the grip QRs are impossible to release by accident!
Look like they could easily get smashed even if they are well built, too. Just a vulnerable location.
I was also thinking that the adoption of two well separated lights isn't a bad thing. People judge the speeds of things traveling towards them by how quickly two points move apart. In the case of motor vehicles at night this is headlights. The fact that bikes generally only have one front facinglight has been attributed to why vehicles pull out of junctions in front of bikes. (This of course only accounts for the times they couldn't judge the speed, not when they weren't looking!)
I like lasers - is there a weaponisable version ?
But what happens if you cross the lasers?
oh god I was taking the piss put of them last night and hadn't even noticed the price BLOODY HELL
Holy Batwing, Batman.