BikeBiz Bicycle and cycling retail news
Placing LEDs in bicycle wheels is nothing new. Over the years there have been a variety of wheel-placed LEDs which, with a bicycle in motion, create circles of light. There are LEDs to place on valve caps and LEDs which snap on to spokes. In May BikeBiz.com reported on the Project Aura system which we said was Tron-like. And now here’s another Tron-like system: Revolights.
The Revolights lighting system consists of two narrow rings of LEDs that mount directly to each wheel using a series of rim-specific clips. Polymer lithium-ion batteries, bracket-mounted to the front and rear hub, supply power to the LEDs. The batteries are slim and lightweight, and can be charged via USB. A small, fork-mounted magnet provides speed data to the rings, allowing the LEDs to blink on only when oriented at the front or rear of the bicycle.
A magnetic timing mechanism calculates speed and, based on an algorithm, maintains a consistently illuminated arc.
When it was placed on micro-funding website Kickstarter.com, the Revolights system raised $215,621 following an initial goal of $43,500. 1442 backers pledged they’d buy the product. Inventor Kent Frankovich said Revolights would be available on the market in March 2012.
