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Comment by scoot | Hacker News Reader

The single biggest problem seems to be that the adhesive phosphorescent strip is attached to the rim, which on most bikes is what the brake blocks press against to stop the bike. If you look closely in the video, his bike has no brakes!!! (You even see him use his feet to stop.) So much for "saving lives"!

Disc brakes would overcome this, but that's going to be an expensive retrofit for most cyclists.

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As it's a cruiser the more likely explanation is that it's equipped with a rear coaster brake. Not sure why he's not running anything up front, however.

I wasn't familiar with that type of braka, and had to look it up. I can't see a hub on the back wheel, and I don't see him using any type of back-pedal or braking action to stop (just his feet).

So, yes, for those few bikes that don't have conventional brakes, this lighting system may be an option.

That doesn't change the fact that this product will be useless to the majority of people who might purchase (sorry, sponsor :-) it through KickStarter, at least without sacrificing the ability to stop.

The fact that this isn't called out in the video or text is deceptive. There's no way he isn't aware of this serious shortcoming.

It's entirely possible that you could mount the strip below the brake track.

The one demonstrated in the video or described in the pledge page wouldn't. I've since learned here is an alternative flawed solution in the updates section.

Other than for the "cool" factor (which suits his old-fashioned bike), good old fashioned clip-on reflectors will do a far better job.

In the "updates" section, he shows that there is a new system to attach some phosphorescent plastic between the spokes next to the rim. It isn't clear if these are included with the standard backer price, but it does allow the system to be used on bikes with brakes. Hopefully he updates the front page to make this more apparent, since it was my first question also.

Thanks hadn't spotted that - it really should be on the front page. So it seems when he first put this kick-starter up he really had overlooked the obvious (despite having no brakes himself) or hoped everyone else would overlook it, until potential backers pointed out that it wasn't going to fly.

Now he has a bigger problem - his new system appears to work by wedging into the spokes where they converge at the rim, so he will need to supply the correct radius of strip for every size rim on the market.

There's a flat part right by the tire where the brakes contact the rim, but there's also a partially sideways-facing surface as the rim curves around to the other side. You can put tape on that surface without affecting the brakes.

That's generally only true on road bikes made for going fast. The rims are deep like that for aerodynamics. Cruisers (like shown in the videos), hybrids and most other transportation bikes tend not to have those deep rims.

i think coaster (hub) brakes are much more common in the usa than elsewhere (i didn't know of them until i used one in the states).

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