The market of cycle commuters is not huge, and not as sexy as road or mountain bike racing. Typically underserved, Kickstarter has offered a way for a lot of ideas for commuting cyclists to come to life, offering exposure and funding for these ideas, as well as a quick test of the market reaction to the idea. With these three parts of going-to-market rolled into one service, its a nice easy way to get ideas out there. The service requires that inventors make a design and prototype before posting on the site, which can already help weed out the good from the bad. It is also a lot easier to pitch an idea with pictures and physical samples to show. For instance, did you know the jacket above features LED lighting so the rider can be seen better?
Check out the ideas for clothing, gear storage, foldable helmets and more after the jump…
Lumo
Lumo is building wearable technology, with a jacket and a bag that increases your visibility on the road with integrated LED lighting. With design inspiration from classic British outerwear, they have combined this design style with wearable technology features to help keep cyclists safe. According to Lumo, the built in LED lights make you more visible than a fluorescent jacket.
Cool technology for sure, but they wanted to make sure that it didn’t look ridiculous when not in use, or while off the bike. To start, the LED lights are not visible when shut off, and they decided to use fabrics that look more like designers clothes, and less like a space suit.
They are also making several other products with the integrated lighting. Right now, they are only on Kickstarter, and have a very robust campaign with a lot of options to join their quest for funding.
Morpher Helmet
Similar to Kickstarter, Morpher got its start on Indiegogo. The $140 helmet folds & unfolds quickly and simply so it’s easy to carry around. Morpher says it has been designed to surpass all relevant safety standards, and the design is patented worldwide. All components of the helmet are completely recyclable, and one of the neater side effects of a folding helmet is that it could also be easily sold in the vending machines popping up outside of shops to help commuters with tubes and small tools.
Morpher says they are the world’s first fold-flat helmet. The reason for this helmet is a mission to get commuting cyclists to wear helmets more often, by making it easier for them to do so. The inventor, Jeffrey Woolf was involved in an accident where a helmet saved his life, and he though if he could create a helmet that could fold flat, it might save lives. His campaign is about encouraging helmet use by making them simpler to carry around when one isn’t actually on a bicycle.
Ellaspede
Ellaspede has just launched a Kickstarter campaign for the Helmet and Gear Hanger, a device to keep gear like helmets, jackets, keys and gloves organized. Keeping your gear organized makes it easier to ride to work, so you don’t need to track down an errant jacket while you are running late.
B-Link Bicycle Safety System
The B-Link system is a combination of a front and rear light, and an app that integrates with them. Consisting of powerful LED lights, it makes you visible, has a blinker system, can send notifications to your loved ones when you have arrived at your destination and can let others know if you have been involved in an accident. Most interesting is that it can link your turn-by-turn directions to the lights, and automatically signal your turns for you.
