Anyone has seen the "down low glow" lights?

[pll]

A rider in Evanston has this very visible green light under her bike, which illuminates the area surrounding her bike and also let's you see the bike. After seeing the previous post about being afraid on commuting in the dark (http://forums.teamestrogen.com/showthread.php?t=20306) , I "googled" and found it is called the "down low glow":

http://www.rockthebike.com/lights/downlowglow

It definitely catches your eye while driving a car. Anyone here use it?

On an unrelated issue, a quick rant: Evanston painted some bike lanes on one way streets at the end of October and now I see more cyclists, no helmet nor lights, riding against traffic in those lanes (there are also huge arrows painted on the lanes, so it should be evident to anyone that they are riding against traffic)!! Needless to say, I have already seen dangerous encounters where drivers do not expect someone against traffic at crossings.

[velogirl]

one of my teammates got them for her and her husband last season. she put them on her commute bike. they're very cool and very visible.

[Geonz]

Too pricey for me - and I think for here, perhaps a little too much. My Christmas tree seems to be doing the trick :) (No pics yet 'cause I haven't added anything else.) I'm also dismayed at just how many batteries I go through... but I like the way they look!

[GLC1968]

Wow, very cool! I'd love to glow blue or green when I ride!!

[Blueberry]

Too pricey for me - and I think for here, perhaps a little too much. My Christmas tree seems to be doing the trick :) (No pics yet 'cause I haven't added anything else.) I'm also dismayed at just how many batteries I go through... but I like the way they look!

Can you get rechargeable batteries for it? :)

[Trek420]

they also make beautiful wind chimes :D

www.rockthebike.com/windchimes

[kfergos]

I have a down low glow on my bike.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2010/1765644233_28053424da.jpg

I have always been a little nervous about how visible I am in the dark -- and I do a lot of riding in the dark, both morning and evening, in the winter. Riding with the down low glow helps me feel much more confident that cars see me; I actually ride more confidently with it on and now I look forward to night riding.

You're really impossible to not see from the side with this light on; drivers don't turn into me when I'm going by, and I often have them pass me with a much wider margin than before. It basically lights up a dark road on the sides dazzlingly, although the front wheel (I have fenders on) blocks it from shining in the front at all.

The light comes with a rechargeable battery and charger, plus stuff to mount it on your bike. It's easy to switch from one bike to another, too, which is a perk for people who switch between bikes. It's also waterproof, and I've proven that myself by riding in driving rain with it on.

In short... I'm in love. :D

[RoadRaven]

I soooooo like the idea of these

They look impressive - and thanks kfergos for the comprehensive "review"...

I'm going to ask my LBS about these puppies!

[jobob]

Likewise !!!

I might need to bop up to Berkeley to check them out ...

[pll]

Thanks kfergos! Your picture shows exactly what struck me when I saw these: the light was highly visible. The front and rear lights, by contrast, are almost invisible. The rider I saw had one attached to the chain stay (I hope my bike anatomy is correct!).

BTW, looks like a very nice bike. Maybe we can see a picture with the room lights on. :D

[Tri Girl]

Wow- that's a GREAT invention! If commuting through the dark winter works out for me, that's a definite on my "list" to get for next winter. Wow!!!
Thanks for sharing that- I love the idea. I have one question, tho. Some cities ban that kind of lighting under cars/motorcycles. Would bikes have the same restriction do you think? (guess I'll be checking my city codes before I lay down the cash...)

[jobob]

The vendors touched on that a bit on the website, at least with respect to the color of the light. Supposedly the amber color is 'street legal'.

[PscyclePath]

Wow- that's a GREAT invention! If commuting through the dark winter works out for me, that's a definite on my "list" to get for next winter. Wow!!!
Thanks for sharing that- I love the idea. I have one question, tho. Some cities ban that kind of lighting under cars/motorcycles. Would bikes have the same restriction do you think? (guess I'll be checking my city codes before I lay down the cash...)

Look at the way your state and community define the term "vehicle," and how the lighting laws apply to "vehicles." For example, here in Arkansas, bikes aren't "vehicles" by definition (since the statutes are written for "motor traffic"), and there is a separate section of the state Code which specifically applies to lights on bicycles. The light color restrictions, etc. all appear in another section of the code for motor vehicles.

Colors to beware of are blue (restricted to cop cars), and sometimes red (cop cars, fire trucks, and other emergency vehicles). There are a few exceptions for vehicles that need extra identification and caution when passing, and it's a good argument that this category should include bikes, should they try to apply the vehicular design standards to us.

I've got one of the "Envy Green" Down Low Glow sets on order... shipped on 11/28, FedEx was supposed to deliver it yesterday, but still no light yet. Will try to get & post some pictures when it gets here and I get it rigged up.

Tom

[KnottedYet]

I've really been thinking about one of these.

That, and the Hokey Spokes.

[bikerHen]

I got some Hokey Spokes last month. :D They are so fun and REALLY make me stand out in the dark, as long as I'm moving. They don't light the ground up though. Makes me feel like a kid when I have them going. I think I even pedal faster just so they'll look better. :D bikerHen

[PscyclePath]

Got mine Monday... single-lamp rig in "Envy Green."

Setup was very simple... The battery came at least partially charged, so I plugged in the trickle charger, connected it to the battery, and let 'er stoke up overnight and most of yesterday while I figured out how to mount the lamp on the Fisher MTB (green bike, green lights... go figure :D ) It comes with a hard rubber clip-on mount that goes on the down tube, then the lamp snaps snugly into that and is locked in with another rubber strap. There's a small black control box attached to the lamp unit, and the battery plugs into that. Plug the lamp to the battery, and the light's on -- no switches. For now, the battery and control box went into the lower bottle cage and secured with a strip of velcro. Took a short test ride out past the Big Dam Bridge and down some stretches of the River Trail where there's no lights and it's usually darker than the inside of a black cat inside a sack with the lights turned off... and was very pleased with how much got lit up. Coming back up past the bridge to Cook's Landing and the parking lot, another rider commented, "Dude, if they can't see you, they're ####### blind." In addition to the DLG, I was also running a twin-beam Cygo-Lite NiteRover headlight, a white Frog blinkie on the front, Planet Bike superflash tail light, red/white/blue Tire Flys on the valve stems, helmet tricked out with reflective tape all over, one of those new Voler jerseys with the ScotchLite tape on the sleeves & tail, tights with reflective piping, and Glo-Gloves... ;-)

No pictures yet, but will post as soon as I find a willing accomplice...

Tom

[lph]

Oh, you don't need to post a picture, I think I saw you all the way over here... :D

j/k would love to see pics

[Possegal]

i sent the link on these to my sister who bought them for her husband and my nephew, i can't wait to hear what they say on Christmas! my nephew loves to get anything that the other 11 yr old boys in the neighborhood don't have, and this should really make him stand out. should be fun to see. then i may have to buy one too, can't have them having something i don't. :)

[KnottedYet]

I need to ride my bike, even if my commute is in the dark. (I'm a much nicer person if I get to ride my bike.)

Trying to decide between amber and green. Which color is brighter or more attention-getting?

Is the green "green light, go!" color, or "screaming lime caution" color?

Edit: I might need these, too: http://www.cyclelicio.us/2005/11/glo-gloves.html

[Zen]

this might help you decide on a color
http://newsbiscuit.com/article/cyclists-furious-as-council-paint-everything-else-luminous-green

[PscyclePath]

I need to ride my bike, even if my commute is in the dark. (I'm a much nicer person if I get to ride my bike.)

Trying to decide between amber and green. Which color is brighter or more attention-getting?

Is the green "green light, go!" color, or "screaming lime caution" color?

Edit: I might need these, too: http://www.cyclelicio.us/2005/11/glo-gloves.html


The green is quite attractive (and noticeable)... sort of like Yoda's lightsaber, if you're a Star Wars fan... I went for the green mostly because I was going to put it on a lime-green bike, but also because it stands out at bike/street level; the amber can look a lot like street lights or those little lights that folks use to light up sidewalks or keep you from stubbing your toe on something.

I stapped mine on, plugged it in, and took off down the darkest sections of the local trails to see how well it really worked... and it was great!! Since it goes under your down tube, the front and rear wheels, as well as my front fork blocked a bit of the direct light both fore and aft, but the visibility from and to the sides was phenomenal. It was dark, moonless, and raining last night, but a highlight of last night's ride was watching the deer stand at the side of the trail watching me go by... This one big doe was standing there, with her head cocked a little to the right, one ear forward and one ear back, sort of like a mule, like she was wondering "What in the woods is that?" I usually see a good bit of wildlife on this route anyway, but the DLG lights up about five of six yards to either side, so you can see a whole lot more than just what you're used to in your headlights. If you ride real slow, at cruiser bike speeds, it's a good supplement to your headlight, but at road or MTB speeds it's real easy to outrun the length of what you can see to the front.

FWIW, I was introduced to the Glo-Gloves by a fellow student at the Louisville LCI seminar back in October, and went out immediately, googled them up, and ordered a pair. I've been using them for about 2 months, and they are fantastic, not only for signalling at night, but just for improving overall visibility. Even if you just hang your hands over the handlebars or the brake hoods, the yellow panels on the front light up well. If you ride at night, especially in town, I highly recommend them. Glo-Gloves are just little light polyester open-fingered shells; one sixe fits all, and you wear them over your regular riding gloves -- whether long- or open-fingered. Mine were about $20 from www.nightgear.com, and I got them within three days or so of ordering.

Tom

[csr1210]

First of all -- thank you for introducing me to a fabulous, must have, can't live without, wonderful product! I knew at once that I NEEDED the down low glow light (even though the name is pretty funky). DH just ordered the amber for me for Christmas, and I am so excited about getting it. I will be waiting to intercept the delivery guy so that I can at least gaze upon the package before DH hides it away....

My big decision was color -- I wanted purple because I have purple on my bike, but it was the least bright color, so then it was between green and amber. I chose amber because it was supposed to be the brightest, and the pictures made it look like it was a pretty intense orange. I hope I'm not disapointed -- I really liked all of the colors.

Thank you again for posting about these -- I had never seen them, and I really like them better than any of the other cool lighting systems I've seen.

Oh, and the article Zen posted is pretty great too....

Christy