We’ve covered a number of products designed to light up a bicycle to increase the safety of nighttime riding. Such devices usually involve adding lights to the pedals or spokes of a bicycle but a new invention from Night Bright Tyre Ltd. adds LED lighting to an altogether new part of the bike – the tires themselves. The Cyglo bike tires feature tough and durable LED bulbs that are built into the tread or wall of the tire to form a perfect ring of light when the wheel turns. Switched on using a motion sensor within the tire, the lights are powered by the spinning of the wheel and can be set to flash or be permanently on. Patented in the U.S. and U.K. by designer James Tristram, the tires are aimed at increasing safety for commuter cyclists, police officers, paramedics and postal delivery workers. For those more concerned with looks than safety, Night Bright also offers aftermarket colored and flashing light options for “trend setting BMX riders and fashionable mountain bike enthusiasts.”
We’re not sure what kind of life you could expect from LEDs built into the treads of a bike tire but, with the price of the tires not likely to be cheap, it might make riders think twice before laying down a skid in the local BMX park.
