Written by Enid Burns on 06 December 2011
What’s the one thing that comes standard on a bike? Reflectors. Yet many of us remove reflectors to shave weight, reduce drag and remove encumbrance. You can add a light to your bike. But we’re waiting for a better solution that effectively lights the road, alerts traffic to our presence and has a decent battery life.
Revolights might be our solution. This Kickstarter project is a set of front and rear lights installed on the bike’s rims. When turned on, the LED lights glow white in the front and red in the back. The lights are coordinated to your speed, so while they flash, the lights are in sync with the ride and serve their purpose of making you visible, and lighting the road ahead.
Revolight Official Website
[via CNET: Revolights inventor lights the way for safer cycling]
Tags: commuter, Cycling, KickStarter, Revolights, safety
Posted in Cycling | No Comments »
Written by Peter Suciu on 07 July 2010
Today putting on a cycling helmet is something most serious riders do whether going for a long training ride, or just when they’re taking the bike out for a short spin. But Harvey Echin of The Vancouver Sun brings up an interesting question, and that is whether wearing a bike helmet actually makes you any safer? One point that is brought up by Colin Clarke, a mechanical engineer is that helmets can actually be subjected to more impacts than a non-helmeted helmet – in part because the helmet is larger and thus an otherwise near miss becomes a hit.
The other point that Echin notes is that some sources have noted an increase in cyclist accidents as more riders wore helmets. The argument here could be made that riders have a greater sense of security and thus take greater risks. In this case, we can kind of agree. In those times when we’ve rented bikes – such as biking in Paris or Rome (where helmets were not available) – we were trying to be a little more careful, in part because we weren’t familiar with the bikes, but also because we didn’t have a helmet.
Finally, there is the debate about freedoms and whether laws should be passed that make it mandatory to wear a helmet – as is the case in Canada. To weigh in on the issue, we’ll only say that we suggest everyone wear a helmet but to generally try and ride as safely as possible.
Wearing a bike helmet might not make you any safer [Via The Vancouver Sun]
Tags: Cycling, Helmet, safety
Posted in Apparel, Cycling | 2 Comments »
