Each one us a keen cyclist, we at The Test Pit know all too
well about the dangers of getting around on our bikes at this time of year.
What only a couple of months ago was a pleasant evening commute home through
the city, has now become a fight to be
seen and stay safe. Always looking for innovative cycling accessories, we
jumped at the chance to give the very clever, very brainy Brainy Bike Lights a
spin.
The trouble with traditional cycle lights is that they are pretty much the same as every other vehicle on the road; white at the front, red at the back. That means that the average motorist driving through the city on a dark evening is being bombarded with by several hundred different lights each minute, confusing them enough to make discerning a thick metal car from a soft fleshy cyclist. That is why cyclists need something other than just lights.
The Brainy Bike Light was born of the notion that other road
users would react better (and quicker) to a universal symbol, rather than just
a light; therefore each of the two included lights illuminates a cycle image. While
still being a bright light and conforming to the red/white convention, the
clear symbol immediately identifies the vehicle as a bicycle, allowing drivers
to act accordingly.
The lights themselves are fairly blocky affairs (as you
might expect), being much wider and taller than normal lights. They are
thankfully very shallow, and with use of the included adjustable fasteners, can
be placed just about anywhere on your bike. We found the best places to be slap
bang on the centre of the handlebars and tucked up under the seat, allowing you
room for other lights and torches.
In practice we were massively impressed and noticed a definite
change in motorist behaviour around us. It isn't that these are brighter and
more visible than other lights, it is that the message being put out there -
that you have to be more careful around me, mate - is clearer, and that will
save lives.
Check out their website below to read up on some fascinating
research carried out by the University of Oxford on the effect of symbol
recognition and, after buying yourself a pair of lights, you'll have a real
added sense of confidence while pedalling the mean urban streets this winter.
£19.99
Available from www.amazon.co.uk