For about eight years, nearly all of my weekday bike riding took place in dark morning hours before dawn. Riding in the dark presents a host of issues to deal with not the least of which is lighting - you need to see and you need to be seen. Bike Glow is meant to deal with the being seen part and it approaches the solution quite differently than anything I’ve seen before. Bike Glow is a battery powered, water proof light tube that can be wrapped around a bike frame or seat post to provide increased visibility with the added style of multiple colors and wrapping patterns. The light provided by Bike Glow is bright but not harsh to the eye and visibly different from the standard white and red bike lights I’ve used before. That is an important point to me. On many of our morning rides, we would discuss the lighting choices of our riding partners. Some people ride with almost no light - a tiny rear red flashing light with batteries past their prime and a similarly neglected front light that you can’t tell is on or not unless looking directly into it.  Others attach multiple rear lights flashing in random sequence and bright enough to induce seizures with head lights so bright they flood out all the lights of the riders in front of them and make it painful to look behind you to check traffic before pulling off the front of the line. It always seemed to me that both caused problems in being seen. Obviously, too little light makes a rider hard to see but too much light of varying intensities, blinking at different intervals causes depth perception issues especially in urban settings where environmental lights are present and in groups with the other flashing lights of other riders. Bike Glow offers a different type of light and different colored lights and the light is spread out over a much larger area than the typical bicycle light.  I think these features aid in differentiating a rider from the environmental light of an urban area and in perceiving the distance from driver to rider. If you are the type of rider who believes in being seen while riding in low light conditions, Bike Glow could be for you.

Setting up Bike Glow is a bit more involved that the typical light.  The battery unit houses two AA batteries and requires a screw driver (which is included) to access. While that is cumbersome it helps to ensure a water proof environment for your batteries and therefore helps to ensure your lights work no matter the conditions you ride in. Wrapping the light tube around a bike frame is a bit like wrestling an octopus but really doesn’t take long at all to try a few different routing options. Once in place, a few zip ties are suggested to secure the light tube. I’d suggest electrical tape if you plan to remove Bike Glow frequently as I did during testing. Beyond a bike frame, Bike Glow can be wrapped around handle bars and even a person or a helmet. The battery is attached to the frame by an included velcro strap and a quick release connector allows it to be removed without disturbing the light tube. At only 98 grams including batteries, weight is not an issue in the least.

I also think there are other uses beyond just on a bike frame. Wrapping the light tube around one’s torso and stashing the battery on a race number belt make a runner quite visible at night in both directions. How about marking your transition area at a crowded race? The 50 hour run time on steady mode and 120 flashing means you can run directly to your spot in even the longest events.

If you ride in low light conditions and are the kind of person who believes in making yourself visible to traffic, Bike Glow is a product you should consider adding to your visibility strategy.

Mark 

As always, I direct you to the company site for more details at bikeglow.com.

Description:

A bike safety light product, the brightly colored BikeGlow™ Safety Light will dramatically increase your bike's side visibility when it's wrapped around your frame.

• 10 ft. flexible light tube uses electroluminescent technology and features bright colors for increased visibility from side
• Choose between steady, slow flashing, and fast flashing modes
• 3-1/2" x 1-1/4" power unit attaches to bike with included strap; unit weighs less than 2 oz.
• Light attaches by wrapping around frame tubing and secures tightly with included attachment ties or tape
• BikeGlow™ is lightweight and secure enough to be left on your bike so you have safety lighting always at the ready
• Waterproof battery housing (pictured below)
• Batteries not included
• 1 year full-warranty
• Patent pending waterproof design

BikeGlow Safety Light Specs

Specification                  Description
Weight with batteries     98 grams
System                         Electroluminescent
Number of bulbs             1
Battery life flashing         120 hours
Battery life steady          50 hours
Batteries                       2 AA
Mounting                      Frame / handlebar / clothing
Colors                           Red, Green, Blue, Aqua, Pink, Purple, Yellow, White
Warranty                       1 year full warranty