Tag: safety

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Proviz Neutron Lights

Proviz Neutron Lights

Proviz Neutron LightsThere’s really nothing Cyclo likes more than simple efficiency and the Proviz Neutron Lights perform – quite literally – brilliantly. The Neutron is part of the Proviz own-brand range of bike lights and for those of you not in the know Proviz specialise in the retail of all things hi-viz from helmets to reflectives and cycling jackets.

 

Proviz Neutron Lights – one front, one back – are dinky water-resistant rubberised nodule-lights not unlike the Knog (Cyclo review here), which use a double LED to produce 36000MCD (millicandela) per light visible up to 650m. Of course that’s the distance at which the light is visible not the distance at which it provides visibility, but it does produce a decent crisp white light to front with a decent spread – there are also a choice of three modes: rapid flash, slow flash and solid.

 

The Neutrons attach quickly to pretty much any part of the bike by wrapping the silicone loop around and slipping it over the plastic clip – it’s a neat enough system although the plastic, the weakest point, is vulnerable in the case of a spill and is fairly unforgiving against the frame, so watch for scratches over time.

 

The Proviz Neutron Lights, whilst somehow not quite up to the sleek design aesthetics of the Knogs, are bright, light (just 22g each) and small enough to slip into a jersey pocket for those ‘just in case’ moments when the weather catches you out. At just £14.99 for the pair they are also cheaper than other similar manufacturers – compare the say the Lezyne Femto Drive LED Light Set at £21.99 or the Knog Frog Stobe Light pack at £19.99 (both available from Wiggle.co.uk)

 

Full details and online purchase of the Proviz Neutron Lights at provizsports.com Follow Proviz on facebook and Twitter.

 

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Extras

Wind Blox

Wind Blox

Wind BloxBike, shorts, jersey, shoes. Good to go, right? Of course not there’s a host of extras and gadgets out there just waiting to be purchased and the latest to cross the Cyclo desk is the dinky, slightly mysterious, Wind Blox.

 

Put simply Wind Blox help to eliminate the rushing sound of air as you cycle and whilst you may not have considered this a particular problem that needed solving, the difference they make is both very noticeable and potentially hugely beneficial to safety. To be reductive the Wind Blox (they come in pairs so Wind Bloxes?) are little padded cuffs that attach with Velcro around the front straps of a cycle helmet and partially shield the ears; the manufacturers claim that: ‘Tests have measured a reduction of well over half of the perceived wind noise and often much more…’

 

Hard to disagree – though not precisely measure – on test. Even at relatively slow speeds the Wind Blox did make a really noticeable difference in how audible vehicles approaching from behind were as well as how far in advance they were audible. As a really low-tech impromptu test we tried riding with only one of the pair in place – the things we do for you…

 

The Wind Blox fit quickly and stay pretty much in place; they do sit slightly in the peripheral vision, which is noticeable on the first few rides but quickly becomes part of the norm. Their relative bulk against the straps, whilst perfectly comfortable, doesn’t do much for the aesthetic of a helmet but when all things are considered safety has to trump looks and Wind Blox certainly tick that box.

 

Wind Blox are American and you’ll have to make contact via their website wind-blox.com to discuss shipping outside of the States until a UK distributor picks these up, which in Cyclo’s opinion won’t be long. They retail at $15 (£9) for a pair and are available in black, grey, pink and neon green.

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News

Useeme Set for Manufacture

Useeme

UseemeAfter three years of research and development the Useeme ‘wearable turn signal’ wristbands are a step closer to general availability with the launch of an IndieGoGo crowd funding campaign looking to raise €25,000 (£20,000).  Invented by Laszlo Nyiradi out of a desire to provide a cycling safety feature for his daughter the Useeme Bicycle Turn Signals are made with layers of flexible, form-hugging plastic, which make them easy to take on and off, with no clasps required. Set for manufacture in a small plant in Hernád, Hungary, they will be available in three different sizes and are designed to fit comfortably over clothing.

 

The first 2,000 pairs of the Useeme wristbands are only available to sponsors of the crowd funding campaign but for those who would like the bands ahead of general release, Useeme is also offering a tester series. There will be 200 test editions (which may differ slightly from the final design) available to those who pledge €33 with a 50% off coupon for the final product given to those who feed back test results to the manufacturers.

 

Further details of Useeme at useeme.eu and for the crowd funding campaign at indiegogo.com

 

Cyclo will be bringing you an early look review in the coming months.

 

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News

Swedish Inflation

Swedish design company Hövding have developed something of a unique solution to cycling safety with the launch of their airbag helmet designed to deploy in case of collision. International studies, say the company, show that bicycle helmets reduce injuries by at least 60%. 40% of people who die in bicycling accidents would have survived if they had been wearing a helmet. Worn around the neck, the device which looks like a collar, contains a folded airbag made from an ultra-strong nylon fabric that won’t rip when scraped against asphalt. Using sensors – a combination of accelerometers and gyros – the device detects a fall or impact and uses a tiny cold gas inflator to inflate the hood in 0.1 seconds completely encasing the sides, back and top of the head. The system also contains a unique ‘black box’ which records a rolling 10 seconds of data which can be analysed following an accident. Being Swedish there’s a fashion element too – the visible shell which covers the collar can be interchanged to match your cycling outfit…

 

Further information at www.hovding.com

 

 

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Extras Reviews

Vendante Pop Bands

Vendante Pop Bands

Vendante Pop BandsSometimes the simplest solutions are clearly the best. Such is the case with the Vendante Pop Bands, uncomplicated reflective strips that can be ‘snapped’ onto arms or legs for instant reflective safety. Created by Barbara Kantor – who founded her company 5 years ago after witnessing an accident – the Pop Bands are made of highly reflective 3M Scotchlite (the go-to product for most on-garment sports reflectives) which are flexed across their width to straighten then tapped against the arm/leg to wrap them firmly in place without the need for Velcro, or similar fastening.

 

Available in a range of colours for the fashion-conscious – blue, green, orange, pink, white and yellow – the latter two provide the greatest margin of safety, reflecting up to 450meters, although even the other four will provide 130meter reflection. The bands, sold in sets of two (for around the £12 mark online) and come in two sizes: medium at 30cm and large at 38cm.

 

Although other, sometimes cheaper, ‘snap-style’ bands are available, the Vendante are, in Cyclo’s opinion, the best on the market – less expensive versions have, in our experience, been prone to flimsiness and over an extended period lost their ‘snap’. You can add as many lights to your bike as you like (within reason we’d recommend that you do) but the biggest target area on the bike is your body and the ability to transform whatever you are wearing into a safety garment, particularly in the event of sudden deterioration in weather when you can be caught out without lights, is invaluable.

 

Vendante Pop Bands are distributed in the UK by 1000Mile, see store.1000mile.co.uk for details and purchase.

 

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News

First Cycle Superhighway Death

A 50-year-old cyclist has died in a collision with a lorry on the roundabout at the Bow flyover on one of London’s cycle superhighways, a Transport for London spokesman confirmed that this marks the tragic first fatality since the scheme was officially launch in July, 2010. A man has been arrested on suspicion of dangerous driving in connection to the death.

 

The cycle superhighway scheme, the aim of which is ultimately to create continuous routes into central London for cyclists, was first announced back in 2008 by then-Mayor Ken Livingstone. Four routes are already in operation – Bow to Aldgate, Barking to Tower Gateway, Merton to the City and Wandsworth to Westminster – with 8 more due to come online by 2015.