Home > Other Fun Stuff > Gadgets & Hacks

LightSKIN & Schindelhauer make integrated commuter lighting more accessible together

LightSKIN integrated commuter bike headlight taillight, StVZO-certified hidden internal LED seatpost handlebar lighting, on Schindelhauer
4 Comments
Support us! Bikerumor may earn a small commission from affiliate links in this article. Learn More

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.

LightSKIN integrated commuter bike headlight taillight, StVZO-certified hidden internal LED seatpost handlebar lighting, 2020 Red Dot design award
photos c. Schindelhauer

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

LightSKIN integrated commuter bike headlight taillight, StVZO-certified hidden internal LED seatpost handlebar lighting, post on

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

LightSKIN integrated commuter bike headlight taillight, StVZO-certified hidden internal LED seatpost handlebar lighting, post details

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.

LightSKIN integrated commuter bike headlight taillight, StVZO-certified hidden internal LED seatpost handlebar lighting, post options

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

LightSKIN integrated commuter bike headlight taillight, StVZO-certified hidden internal LED seatpost handlebar lighting, bar light

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.

LightSKIN integrated commuter bike headlight taillight, StVZO-certified hidden internal LED seatpost handlebar lighting, bar detail

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.

LightSKIN integrated commuter bike headlight taillight, StVZO-certified hidden internal LED seatpost handlebar lighting, micro-USB

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.

LightSKIN integrated commuter bike headlight taillight, StVZO-certified hidden internal LED seatpost handlebar lighting, bars

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.

LightSKIN integrated commuter bike headlight taillight, StVZO-certified hidden internal LED seatpost handlebar lighting, Schindelhauer

LightSKIN.org

Subscribe
Notify of
guest

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

4 Comments
Oldest
Newest Most Voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
yogibimbi
yogibimbi
3 years ago

what oh what is the rationale in this? You need 2 m USB cables for each light to connect to a powersource, if you use saddle bags or mount anything on your handlebars, they are going to block your lights, there are holes in weight-carrying structures, you need special seat posts and handle bars (printer-ink alert!) just to get your lights going and water can sneak into your tubes. Did I forget anything?

lihtan
lihtan
3 years ago
Reply to  yogibimbi

I’m happy to see that there’s more integrated lighting hitting the market. If I was designing the handlebars, I would install an internal trim screw so that the headlight aim could be adjusted independently of the handlebar position. I would also add an amber lights on the end caps.

This isn’t going to be everyone’s cup of tea. These would also make great backup lights in the event the power goes out on the primary lighting, or your bike ride goes longer than you planned, and you didn’t bring any other lights with you.

ted
ted
3 years ago

commuter bike with rim brakes won’t be cool for at least 20 years when it becomes retro

Joenomad
Joenomad
3 years ago
Reply to  ted

It’s a German Fixie/single speed bike brand where you could remove the rim brakes so you can do major skids.

Subscribe Now

Sign up to receive BikeRumor content direct to your inbox.

Subscribe Now

Sign up to receive BikeRumor content direct to your inbox.