BrightSpark is one of those brands that makes me look forward to attending Interbike. I’ll walk past the latest exotic road bikes with their electronic shifting, to find products like this. I’ll skip downhill bikes with more suspension than my first motocross bike to see this sort of innovation. Because expensive bikes are fun to look at, but gear for commuters always gets my attention. And the BrightSpark Bike Indicators are kinda cool. By kinda, I mean that they are different, clever, and have tech with a purpose.
If on-road safety is important to you, you’ll like the BrightSpark feature list. They start with grips that have a “USB thing” on them. Really, that is the best way to describe them. Here’s what that “USB thing” contains:
First, each one has a 300 lumen ultrabright LED headlight. That gives you up to 600 lumens of light per pair. So whether you need to see far ahead, or just want to be seen, they get the job done. And having two lights will get the attention of motorists better than a single light does.
Frickin’ lasers! I’m going out of order from what is on their website, for a reason. Who doesn’t love lasers on their bike? You’ll be seen when your BrightSpark indicators project lasers on either side of you. That bright red arrow on the road lets everyone know you’re turning. Also, lasers!
At both the front and back of each unit is a flashing orange (amber?) light as well. They remind me of motorcycle turn signals. But cooler. For a motorist traveling towards you, behind you, or approaching from the side, they offer extra visibility.
You already use your opposable thumb to shift up, down, and make dogs and cats jealous. So in addition to shifting and working doorknobs, you can use your thumb to operate your BrightSpark Bike Indicator. And you don’t even need your whole thumb. Just the tip.
Good vibrations. It’s not just a song. Rather than a visual indicator, the BrightSpark vibrates to confirm you activated a function. And it also vibrates to let you know when you complete a turn and forget to cancel the signal. So smart, yet ironic in a light. Don’t ya think?
Fact: the United Kingdom has crappy weather. It’s the opposite of Southern California. And since BrightSpark was designed there, they made sure these clever lights could hold up to the weather. Bad weather. Like rain, snow, freezing hail, and the kind of heat where the road starts to shimmer and your tires melt. All that.
Clearly, these are starting to sound like some pretty cool lights. You might even want some. Chances are, someone else could see them on your bike, and want them too. So BrightSpark made them theft-resistant. It only takes a moment to pop them off and throw them in your bag if you park someplace sketchy. Like Australia. (Just kidding, mates!) More smart design.
All that wrapped up in a durable, adjustable housing. Oh, that USB port? Yeah, they’re rechargeable. Less batteries to buy and throw away.
I can’t see everything at Interbike. We’d need a small army to cover it all. But gear for the common cyclist, that appeals to me. And while the BrightSpark may not be for everyone, they are clearly on to something. Thinking outside the box was a start. We’ll have to wait and see how they actually perform (and what they cost) when they finally make it to prodcution. But I suspect this is the start of something good for those that ride to work, school, the store, or just for fun. brightsparkglobal.com
Brian
At first when starting to read about this I thought, well those are something i’d never use. But the more I read the cooler these things sound. Looks as if they thought of darn near everything and adapted it into such a small package. The indicator being left on and it alerting you is quite neat for a bicycle. I’m not even going to begin to think about how they made that work.