Comments on: How to make bicycle handlebars that light-up

By: JenniferS

JenniferS — Mon, 23 Jul 2012 16:25:00 +0000

I’m female and was thinking the same thing :)

By: JenniferS

JenniferS — Mon, 23 Jul 2012 16:24:00 +0000

Yeah, but EL wire has a tendency to break :/

By: tyggerjai

tyggerjai — Sun, 22 Jul 2012 08:08:00 +0000

I love my adafruit, and there’s stuff they do that you can’t get anywhere else. But then there’s stuff they do that you can find on eBay in 5 metre rolls for $35 with free shipping. Just saying.

By: Bad Juju

Bad Juju — Sat, 21 Jul 2012 20:22:00 +0000

Let me get this straight, does it turn off TV’s as you pedal by, or do I need to stop? What sort of range can I expect?

By: subhan

subhan — Sat, 21 Jul 2012 17:28:00 +0000

Very cool idea, but at $25/1m strip that’s some expensive handlebars!

By: Diogenes

Diogenes — Sat, 21 Jul 2012 15:25:00 +0000

Reminds me of the little lights inside space helmets that movie costume designers use to light actors’ faces while blinding them to approach of attacking aliens.

By: Kimmo

Kimmo — Sat, 21 Jul 2012 03:18:00 +0000

I imagine it’d be okay in lit-up areas, but yeah, I bet riding in the dark would be close to impossible…

By: michael b

michael b — Sat, 21 Jul 2012 01:58:00 +0000

The battery pouch is neat, but as a dude I have only one response. Duct tape.

By: zarray

zarray — Sat, 21 Jul 2012 01:02:00 +0000

I was thinking you could make a shield with a reflective side on the reverse.

By: Aleknevicus

Aleknevicus — Sat, 21 Jul 2012 00:46:00 +0000

Absolutely. However, the principle is sound — just apply the LED tape to your seat tube or seat stays so that your bike is visible without blinding yourself.

By: Ian Wood

Ian Wood — Fri, 20 Jul 2012 23:52:00 +0000

Yes.

By: Anony Mouse

Anony Mouse — Fri, 20 Jul 2012 23:45:00 +0000

I am always thinking about new ways to conveniently make bike light up. More critical during the Winter months, I guess, but hook these up to a dynamo hub via a constant current device and you have a great piece of kit!

By: SedanChair

SedanChair — Fri, 20 Jul 2012 23:36:00 +0000

That battery pouch is super crafty.

By: Over the River

Over the River — Fri, 20 Jul 2012 23:24:00 +0000

I use a heat gun which I, walk across the shop, take down from the shelf, unzip the bag I store it in, find an extension cord, plug it in and the heat gun into it, turn on the heat gun, let it warm up, run it over the shrink tubing, lay it down on the bench to be ready for the next piece, either burn my arm or something on the bench, do the remaining tubing, let it cool, return it to the bag, zip closed the bag, walk across the shop, put it back on the shelf.

Easy as pie!

By: EH

EH — Fri, 20 Jul 2012 23:10:00 +0000

Don’t be distracted by the end-scene of her riding around on the street: this is for Burning Man.

By: Stewart Berntson

Stewart Berntson — Fri, 20 Jul 2012 22:38:00 +0000

Most important thing I learned from this: I thought you needed a butane torch for heatshrink, instead of a lighter.

By: Sam Archer

Sam Archer — Fri, 20 Jul 2012 22:37:00 +0000

I’m not a biker (IANAB?), but wouldn’t the LEDs shining back in your face make it harder to see the road ahead?

By: Jorpho

Jorpho — Fri, 20 Jul 2012 22:22:00 +0000

Can’t say I’ve heard of LED tape before, but electroluminescent (EL) tubing does much the same. You can get it cheap on eBay by searching for [el tube party] ; purveyors of cycling equipment will be happy to sell you the same thing at a 300% markup.

Also nifty are LED valve caps for the wheels.