Aside from stringing your bike and entire body in flashing holiday lights, it’s hard to find an elegant solution to the cyclist night visibility problem. Enter Mission Bicycle Company’s new bike, the Lumen. The cycle, which comes in eight-speed or single-speed, is a normal charcoal gray during the day and shines radiantly when night drivers’ beams glance over it. Wired explains:
The entire bike — frame, fork, and rims — has been sprayed with a retro-reflective coating. Hundreds of thousands of tiny transparent spheres are embedded in a top-layer of powdercoat. This trick was mastered by a company called Halo Coatings, which joined Mission Bicycle Co. to develop the Lumen.
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Or as Mission says, “Dark gray by day, bright white at night.” Genius, no?
Like most cool things on Kickstarter, this one ain’t cheap. The frame’ll run you $499, the single-speed is $1,245, and the eight-speed is $1,595. (Just imagine your mom saying, “But can you REALLY put a price on safety?”) Donating to the Lumen Kickstarter means you’ll get your bike in July, and Wired writer Michael Calore notes that Mission is unusually prompt with delivering rewards. Just in time for leisurely bike rides on warm summer evenings.
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