brake lights

calonuk

I found these on the web and thought that if the were availible i would buy one.

what do you all think?

http://lucidbrake.com/

optimisticbiker

I think thats pretty neat and an obvious development (now he's seen it, why didnt i think of that) with the advent of cheap accelerometers for the phone/satnav industry linked to the microcontrollers than most good LED lights have in them now.

However, its a bit tacky in the mechanical design... clearly hasnt had the development a CatEye could give it. but wouldnt surprise me to see a someone like CatEye licence the design, or buy it outright if patented already... doesnt mention a patent tho...

optimisticbiker

update...

they may have a problem... SunGo Maxxonalready have a US patent for the same idea...

calonuk

OptimisticBiker wrote:

I think thats pretty neat and an obvious development (now he's seen it, why didnt i think of that) with the advent of cheap accelerometers for the phone/satnav industry linked to the microcontrollers than most good LED lights have in them now.

However, its a bit tacky in the mechanical design... clearly hasnt had the development a CatEye could give it. but wouldnt surprise me to see a someone like CatEye licence the design, or buy it outright if patented already... doesnt mention a patent tho...

The reason i started looking was i thought I wonder if there are brakes lights out there and if not i will make one LOL.

found their direct ebay site
http://cgi.ebay.com/Maxxon-WIRELESS-Bik ... 3ef975e3e2

I personally think these are a great idea.

optimisticbiker

calonuk wrote:

The reason i started looking was i thought I wonder if there are brakes lights out there and if not i will make one LOL.

Ah another tinkerer like me

calonuk wrote:

found their direct ebay site
http://cgi.ebay.com/Maxxon-WIRELESS-Bik ... 3ef975e3e2

I personally think these are a great idea.

Ok, so you buy one and let us know how it goes

Confusedboy

It's a good idea, but the Lucid one seems a bit bulky; I like to be able to take the lights off the bike and stuff them in a pocket.

The brake light part will have to be very bright though to be effective in daylight, and ideally the thing should include a sensor to reduce the brightness for night use. Battery life could be extended by making the light flash very quickly under braking. And it has to be pretty good as a rear light as well.

Not buying this off the net; I want to see it before I part with my cash and entrust my life to it. But if one appears in my LBS, and I buy it, I will let you all know what I think.

But, why is it that light manufacturers insist that mounting a rear light on a seatpost is a good idea. It isn't. Some people do not have sufficient post exposed to allow it, the light is in line with the rear wheel and all the crud it throws up, and is likely to be obscured by the rider's jacket or stuff on a rear carrier. Ideally, the light needs to be mounted off centre to the right of the wheel, and the best place for that is the right stay above the brakes.

rolf_f

Is it a good idea? I'm not convinced. Why do we need vehicles behind us to know when we are decelerating when they are already assuming we are moving very slowly in comparison to their speeds?

If there are good reasons why we should have brake lights, I doubt that they are the same ones that justify motorised vehicles having them.

I'd rather just have plenty of very bright rear lights.

cyberknight

Clever idea but not very bright imho, the lucid lists a 50 m visible distance in normal mode.

I think i will stick with my 3 smart superflash rear lights , if they cant see me with that they should not be allowed near a vehicle !

The second one claims their light does not dim rchargables , mm from what i read rechargeables do not dim anyway they just cut out and you can run and forget most rear LED lights for months anyway !

Both sound like good marketing for a product that you do not really need comapred to what you can get for a lot cheaper !

this one made me laugh ...

Unlike most European countries, most roads in the States don't have bike lanes

most roads i have seen do not have 1 either and when they do they are on the pavement ...

nintendo wii technology

can i play mario when riding please ....

video for maxxon..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K2lHJYYlFhY&feature=player_embedded


video for a superflash ..( i have 1 on rack and 1 on each pannier bag )

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xc0TPyzBgxw&feature=related

Just and edit i also have one of these on the front for any unlit country lane rides...

Confusedboy

Twice in the last year I have been rear-ended by other cyclists, in daylight, having pulled up fairly quickly because the lights changed. In both cases no harm was done, but it was the other cyclists' fault because a) they were intending to RLJ and expecting me to do the same, and b) riding to close to me and not paying attention to what I was doing.

As I say in both those cases no harm was done, but it could have been more serious and next time might be. You could make a case that a good brake light will draw attention to my slowing down and enable avoiding action or at least lessen the impact.

Some years ago when I did shift work and cycled a lot at night, and before led lights were generally available, I had a fairly effective brake light, I think made by Basta, which worked by having a probe attached to the rear brake cantilever which completed a circuit grounding through the frame when the brake was applied. Sounds a bit Heath Robinson but it was actually quite reliable given the tech of the period, and adjustable as well. Van drivers in the Post Office where I worked commented on its effectiveness.

prj45

Confusedboy wrote:

Twice in the last year I have been rear-ended by other cyclists

I often use this signal on the left which confuses the hell out of everybody, but it's the correct signal to use in the situation, obviously impossible to use if you need to stop sharpish though!:

pst88

Problem is most people won't actually realise it's a brake light because you don't expect bikes to have them. Wouldn't you just be better off with a normal rear light?

Agent57

Yeah, prj45, the problem with the slowing down/stopping signal is mostly that it's relatively tricky to do while actually slowing down, especially if needing to steer or use both brakes at the same time. Besides, as you say, it seems few people even know what it means.

Headhuunter

prj45 wrote:

Confusedboy wrote:

Twice in the last year I have been rear-ended by other cyclists

I often use this signal on the left which confuses the hell out of everybody, but it's the correct signal to use in the situation, obviously impossible to use if you need to stop sharpish though!:

I remember being taught that arm wave signal when I did the cycling proficiency test at school back in the 80s, problem in reality is that you don't really have time to stick your arm out and wave it all about in heavy stop start traffic with mopeds dodging in and out in front of you, taxis and buses pulling out etc. Personally I like to keep my hands near the brakes rather than waving about in the air!

notsoblue

Headhuunter wrote:

prj45 wrote:

Confusedboy wrote:

Twice in the last year I have been rear-ended by other cyclists

I often use this signal on the left which confuses the hell out of everybody, but it's the correct signal to use in the situation, obviously impossible to use if you need to stop sharpish though!:

I remember being taught that arm wave signal when I did the cycling proficiency test at school back in the 80s, problem in reality is that you don't really have time to stick your arm out and wave it all about in heavy stop start traffic with mopeds dodging in and out in front of you, taxis and buses pulling out etc. Personally I like to keep my hands near the brakes rather than waving about in the air!

Its quite useful if you find yourself being drafted by someone and you're anticipating having to slow for a traffic light or some other hazard.

Headhuunter

notsoblue wrote:

Headhuunter wrote:

prj45 wrote:

Confusedboy wrote:

Twice in the last year I have been rear-ended by other cyclists

I often use this signal on the left which confuses the hell out of everybody, but it's the correct signal to use in the situation, obviously impossible to use if you need to stop sharpish though!:

I remember being taught that arm wave signal when I did the cycling proficiency test at school back in the 80s, problem in reality is that you don't really have time to stick your arm out and wave it all about in heavy stop start traffic with mopeds dodging in and out in front of you, taxis and buses pulling out etc. Personally I like to keep my hands near the brakes rather than waving about in the air!

Its quite useful if you find yourself being drafted by someone and you're anticipating having to slow for a traffic light or some other hazard.

On club rides, the standard slowing signal to warn people drafting you is to wave your palm towards the ground, close to your side....

SimonAH

Brake lights is really a bit of a weird one - I can see arguments for and against.

1) For; Car drivers are hardwired to respond to brake lights and aren't generally aware of how fast modern bike brakes can haul you up.

2) Against; I don't want car drivers to treat me as a motorised vehicle. By making them confused / alerted with various high intensity flashing LEDs I hope they are treating me with more concentration than they would, say, a moped which they are filing as 'just another vehicle'.

Difficult one....

AndyOgy

Brake lights on bikes are a terrible idea. Think about it.........

mudcow007

i had a brake light years ago on old Townsend MTB, litrally i must have been about 13 years old

it had a sprung wire that you would you would connect onto the canti, so when you pressed the brake the canti would move an make contact, lighting the light

it was more of a novelty when i was younger though