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Light Meets Technology, Xlerad Produces The Smartest Light That’s Ever Been Seen

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Xlerad_Smart_Light

As the purists that we cyclists tend to be, when we encounter the crossroad of quality and cost, as we often do, it is quality that usually wins out. And this is a good thing; it’s why you read BikeRumor, to keep apprised of the latest and greatest. Well, we’ve got another one for ya. Xlerad is reinventing the lighting game and they want you in on the ground-level.

How do you improve something as relatively straight-forward as a light? Recently everyone has been answering that question by making the light brighter. And that’s kinda like camera manufacturers jamming more and more megapixels into their point-&-shoots; it made sense up to a point, but then it became just another marketing ploy. See how Xlerad has revolutionized your next light with auto illumination (sans any ploys) next…

Auto Illumination utilizes several integrated sensors including temperature, battery and a three-axes accelerometer. Xlerad states this technology allows its buttonless light to sense riding conditions (plus its own internal performance) and self-adjust into the best possible lighting level for its top-end CREE single-die LEDs. Your light will now think for itself. But in the case you wish to do the thinking yourself the Xlerad is manually override-able via tapping the light itself. (Checkout the above Kickstarter video for further details.)

Xlerad_Smart_Light

And the complex algorithm that this baby runs data through spits our some common sense. Picking up speed on the downhill? Xlerad turns up the lumens. Hitting a banked turn, or simply taking a left at the intersection? Xlerad bumps up the brightness. When you are simply cruising Xlerad will drop the power down and conserve juice. All this ramping up and down (200 to 1000 lumen range) occurs in an elegantly seamless manner. And with the aforementioned internal assessment Xlerad will grow more conservative in its lumen output as its 5000mAh Lithium-ion battery approaches depletion – meaning a highly impressive battery life of 3.7 to 45 hours (depending on how you ride).

Xlerad_Smart_Light_Road_Handlebar

Now let’s mention size, cuz, it matters. Xlerad takes up little handlebar real estate. And with its ability to self assess and auto adjust, this waterproof light will never overheat (a longterm performance risk with high-output LEDs). What does this mean for you, the cycling purist? It means the Xlerad has the highest maximum power (1000 lumens) of any light in its size category. Xlerad can be yours exclusively through Kickstarter until January 1 for a highly reasonable $189 (March 2014 delivery). Merry Christmas to you!

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Johnny Hall
Johnny Hall
10 years ago

I see you, and raise you a Reflex.

http://www.use1.com/exposure-lights/cycling-lights/front-lights/reflex-mk2

Not that another (cheaper?) option isn’t good. Just don’t pretend it hasn’t already been done.

Davey Jones
Davey Jones
10 years ago

Or. you could just get an exposure one thats already developed and in the market place

http://www.use1.com/exposure-lights/cycling-lights/front-lights/reflex-mk2

yogibimbi
yogibimbi
10 years ago

USD 189 highly reasonable? Ummmmm….where do I start?
Then, when I am cycling at night and stop at a dark intersection for navigation, I just take my light and point it at the street signs….oh, wait, my light thinks I am too slow (well, because, after all, I _am_ standing) and I have to walk up to the sign, jump across the ditch on the way (luckily not twisting my ankle), cut through the undergrowth with a machete (oh, wait, I don’t have a machete) until my light is finally bright enough to read the damn thing.
Intelligence is nice, but manual override sometimes is nicer.
Just for additional info: How waterproof is it? Can I also use it as a dive light up until, say, 20 m depth (I tend to do that with my bike lights)? That would add some use to the USD 189, although my current USD 15-light is also capable of this, admittedly at a much lower lumen count. But sometimes you really don’t want to see everything around you on a night dive (too unsettling) but just make sure you don’t bump into stuff.
But, still: USD 189…. Forget the “1” and it’s at the upper end of my consideration if it were really, really good.

yogibimbi
yogibimbi
10 years ago

oK, just got back from their Kickstarter-page: You can change modes on the light, just not with a switch, but a tap. You might want to reflect that in the article, because a light with no switch doesn’t make much sense, no matter how smart it is.

Segg
Segg
10 years ago

I was going to write how pointless it is, then I saw it’s a kickstarter campaign and suddenly everything started to make sense.

ChrisW
10 years ago

The latest top-end dynamo-powered light, the Luxus IQ2 from B&M, does something similar to this – when riding at slower speeds, it puts more light on the ground closer to you, and at higher speeds it automatically adjusts itself to put the extra light in the distance. If you leave it in the on mode, then it automatically starts when you start riding and turns itself off a few minutes after you stop not moving (the auto on/off functions are standard on all dynamo-powered lights).

There is also a remote, bar-mounted switch that you can hit to activate an overdrive mode that gives you a limited period of extra-bright illumination. Plus, it has a USB output for keeping all of your other gadgets charged up (works for Garmins, iPhones, etc.). I’ve had mine for about a month and love it (after having a couple of other decent dynamo-powered lights before); the beam is bright enough and wide enough to descend down mountain roads in the pitch dark at decent speeds, but I haven’t yet taken it on the trails.

Having dynamo power frees you worrying about batteries, and decent dynamo hubs are so efficient that you don’t really lose any pedal-power, at least it’s not noticeable while riding (about 5W lost with lights on, less than 1W when off).

Dave
Dave
10 years ago

What about the exposure Reflex?

ah
ah
10 years ago

It is still just light from your bars, which means long shadows that distort and hide things, and that it isnt always pointing the way you are going to go. Better to spread the light between bars and head so you get a more even spread of light and light where you are looking not just where your bars are pointing…

LMStuff
LMStuff
10 years ago

Great idea for an upgraded bike light, nice features (auto brightness with speed, wide angle lens, waterproof, capacitance touch buttonless control to switch modes, Cree LED, Li-ion battery)! In my opinion the price is way out of line for these features. It needs to come down to $99 ($129 highest), market it and support it/back it 100% with a 2 or even 5 yr warranty. Keep your name strong and focus on your core markets and push hard getting local support. They have done a great Kickstarter website and homepage! I would want to buy one of these after reading about it if I didn’t have/know about the one I currently own.

Now here is the big challenge I see. This bike light appears to be outsourced to the big overseas manufacturers that basically make this cree light already in many different flavors. The only 2 features that really distinguish this bike light apart is the auto brightness and the buttonless operation that’s it! Maybe they are using a better Li-ion battery but maybe not. These features are going to be knocked off by other overseas manufacturers before you know it and they will be selling the light for $49 or less!! I know this because I bought basically almost the same 1200 lumen bike light minus the auto brightness, buttonless operation and the wide angle less back in Nov of 2012 for $39 shipped via Amazon, it has been dropping price every since. I just check the price and it dropped down to $18.48 shipped via prime!!! ( http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B006QQX3C4/ ) That’s crazy, I clicked the same link in my old online Amazon receipt! There are so many flavors of these Cree bike lights claiming lumens of 5000 or more with much bigger batteries for around $50. Be very careful when buying one and read the reviews, some are cheap crap but many work great and do last. To get the wide angle lens its $5 dollars more: http://www.amazon.com/Angle-MagicShine-Gemini-Lights-Headlight/dp/B004WLCLQY . I have been using my trusty light extensively in the winter months (carry a backup helmet light always with any brand you use), during camping and working around the house (comes with a great headband mount) for over a year now and it still holds it charge just as good as day one it seems. I swear it last 6+ hours solid on high. I do 3 1-2hr night rides before risking it further without charging it lately. I have never ran out of juice and leave it on the high setting most of the time when night MTB’ing or road biking because I am usually going fast enough most of the time anyway and love the extra light. Never having heat/overheating issues. I have also been using it on my road bike this fall/winter for longer night rides and ride just as hard and fast as in daylight. Cars can see me a mile away and my super bright blinking red tail light finishes it off for road safety at night. Since the price is so low now I am going to buy another as backup, to have one for each bike and to try it out with two on my handlebars! I an going to try one spot and one wide angle.

Ok enough of that. So if these guys want to make it for the long haul they need to come down price a good bit (value), market it hard (social media, grassroots, word of mouth),support it/back it 100% with a 2 or even better a 5 yr warranty, build a strong name and focus on core markets and pushing hard getting local support. They can and will succeed in this niche market that is definitely big enough for them. They need to undercut the other bigger bike light companies out there and do what the other overseas Cree bike light manufacturers can’t (strong support and long iron clad warranty).

Good luck and safe riding everyone!

Clancy
Clancy
10 years ago

Am I missing the weight. Isn’t posted on KS or their website that I can see.

Buster and Bailey
Buster and Bailey
10 years ago

Petzl has been using reactive lighting on their higher end headlamps for a while now. I can testify, it works really well. It’s about time the bike industry caught up with this technology, this is really the way to go if you want to maximize burn time in the smallest package possible. The way the light switches intuitively from bright and focussed to wide and flood when you need to be, is really great.

ACE
ACE
10 years ago

Am I SOOOO stupid now i cant decide for myself to put a light on high medium or low? If you want to improve bicycle lights GENIUSES !! make a light that that has LEDs on the side or front that you can turn on and off to change beam patterns wider or maybe a better spot.Let the user decide how he wants to use his battery runtimes.

Tandumb
Tandumb
10 years ago

good one Segg! +1

velorider
velorider
10 years ago

I have to take my gloves off to tap the light? Let’s all move to SoCal I guess.

Dan
Dan
10 years ago

velorider sounds bitter about the climate he lives in. In watching how he tapped the light to change to output I bet the accelerometers are what is used to manually change the light output…not skin contact…dummy

John
10 years ago

Hey all! This is John from Xlerad.
Regarding a few comments.
The sensitivity works just fine with gloves on. It is actually the internal accelerometer that is sensing a small “bounce” when you tap it that activates. The 3 axis accelerometer can tell the difference between the vertical bouncing expected during riding, and a horizontal tap which is used to change modes.
Weights, housing: 107 g / 3.8oz Battery: 200 g / 7 oz
Anyways any more questions feel free to contact me though the website. Thanks!

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