We’ve seen neatly integrated LightSKIN LED bike lighting for many years, but now they’ve become much easier to get ahold of, added German StVZO certification for both front & rear lights, and take home some new awards. Now tucking high-visibility lights into both standalone alloy handlebars and seatposts, you can upgrade the on-board lighting or your urban commuter bike in either classic shiny silver or modern stealth matte black…
LightSKIN StVZO-certified integrated seatpost & handlebar lights
Founder of LightSKIN Jaeyong Lee has partnered with urban bike maker Schindelhauer for several years to add integrated lighting solutions to the sleek modern design aesthetic of their city commuter bikes. But this year also saw their cooperation result in the tough German road traffic StVZO certification of LightSKIN’s integrated post & bar lighting. And ten years after their first Red Dot seatpost, the new road-certified post & bar win another Red Dot in 2020.
While we have seen the integrated, theft-resistant lighting setups as OEM on a number of complete city bikes from Cannondale to Lekker to Urwahn to Schindelhauer themselves, LightSKIN says they’ve often had difficulty keeping up with demand. That’s made it difficult for cyclists wanting to upgrade their own city bikes, especially with the new StVZO-certified lights. But they’ve now ironed out the kinks, ramping up production numbers significantly and with Schindelhauer handling much of the consumer & industry sales.
LightSKIN StVZO seatpost taillight
The latest StVZO-certified integrated taillight seatpost tucks 5 rear-facing LEDs with 122 lumen output into the alloy shaft of the post, powered by an internal battery and electronics. For maximum visibility from all angles, the top two LEDs protrude slightly from the shaft
At the top of the 2-bolt clamp, a micro-USB port in the seatpost’s head allows recharging the 750 mAh internal battery. Solid runtimes range from 10-15hrs (5 or 3 LEDs illuminated), with the second LED acting as the on-off switch.
The 380g aluminum post is available in 25.4mm, 27.2mm & 31.6mm diameters, and in shiny silver, black ano, or painted white finishes for 69€.
LightSKIN StVZO handlebar headlight
While it was relatively simple to fit tiny red LEDs into holes drilled into a seatpost, getting enough light out of a headlight inside of a handlebar was a more complex task.
The LightSKIN LED handlebar apparently features the smallest headlight lens to earn StVZO-certification – just 13×18.5mm – hiding a light capable of 150 lumens of output inside a 31.8mm diameter flat bar. At 150 lumens, the LightSKIN is bright enough to light the path in front of you and ensure that you are seen, but don’t expect high-speed nighttime trail illumination.
But you’ll be hard-pressed to find a sleeker setup to upgrade your flat bar city bike.
The 31.8mm flat bar features 6° of backsweep, 5mm of rise, and is available in 640mm & 700mm widths (which can be trimmed down at most to 600mm). Inside the alloy bar are all the heat-dissipating electronics and 2000mAh battery, micro-USB rechargeable through the front facing port opposite the headlight. There’s 60mm between the two for clamping your stem and any mounts.
Solid runtime on full power is 4hr, with a reduced power mode bumping that up to 6hr.
The bar with integrated lighting sells for 99€ in shiny silver or matte anodized black. A version that can be run by a hub dynamo is expected to be available at the end of 2020.
