There comes a time every year where the darkness comes earlier and earlier, it gets colder and drivers may not expect to see a cyclist on the road. If you’re a commuter, it’s time to pay attention to making yourself safe on the road. Fortunately, there are several new smaller companies starting up to help make your commute better, and some of the products and ideas are really, really good…
The Veglo Commuter X4 is an X-shaped lit harness that is said to help drivers judge your size and distance from them. The light is USB rechargeable, fits over your backpack or your shoulders, is reflective and has multiple modes for blinking or fading light. Luminescent straps wrap around the sides, giving visibility from many angles, not just the rear. The Veglo Kickstarter campaign was successfully funded, and you can now purchase it direct from the company for £49, with items shipping any day now.
Haztevisible (video and website are in Spanish) is a Chilean company building a wearable blinking light and turn signal system. Wirelessly controlled from a set of buttons you mount to your handlebar, it will act as a blinking visibility light until you press a button, and then it’s a turn signal. The system seems pretty reasonably priced at $29,990 Chilean Pesos, or about $51.25 USD.
Students are also actively taking to cycling issues as design challenges to solve. Emily Brooke has formed a company called Blaze to sell a product called the Laserlight. Using a highly visible green laser, it projects a bicycle image on the ground in front of the rider, making it well known that a cyclist is in the area, telling drivers to use caution. For $200, it also includes a 300 lumen LED headlight and USB rechargeable battery integrated into the package. They have investors lining up, including Richard Branson. Video of the Laserlight in action below:
The Orfos Flare, seen above, is a Kickstarter project that has already exceeded funding by over 200%. Made in the USA, and entirely encapsulated in silicone, waterproof and USB rechargeable, these check off all the standard features of modern lights. However, they use a magnetic mounting system that promises to be much easier to remove and install regularly for charging. If everything goes well, they hope to be shipping before Christmas, and are $119 each.
