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New cycling lights from Sparse, Augur Wolf and WingLights

An anti-theft light, handlebar indicators and a light that automatically dims when riding in a group

It's the season for lights and there have been some interesting new developments in this field in recent years, and here are three new products to add to that list, two of which are launching on Kickstarter today. 

Augur Wolf senses front lights behind you and dims accordingly

This is the Augur Wolf, a front and rear let combo which have has just gone up on Kickstarter, and designed for the collective safety of a group of cyclists riding together, which could be an evening chaingang or an Audax.

The Augur Wolf rear light can detect the presence of a front Augur Wolf behind it, and  automatically dims the light so the person cycling behind you isn’t blinded.  The rear light contains three Cree LEDs with a 35 Lumen output, but when it detects the presence of a front light behind, dips down to a safe lighting mode with just one LED illuminated, so the person behind you isn’t blinded.

The only downside is that the “intelligent communications system” in the light only talks to other Wolf lights, so you’ll be need to ride with people using the same lights for the theory to work in practice. It's a really nice idea and does solve a problem, one that has risen as rear lights have become ever brighter in recent years.

“As a cyclist, I've seen too many avoidable crashes, bumps and scrapes caused by the dangers (and thrills) of riding in a peloton,” say the inventors. “A clear view ahead becomes a dazzling brightness as another cyclist's light cuts across your vision. Cycling with your teammates, this is just dangerous.”

They’ve also developed a front light with a 135 Lumen output with four available modes from a Low Intensity Beam for twilight riding to a Full Power Beam for seeing through the darkness, and a High Intensity Strobe for letting everyone know you’re coming their way.

Both lights feature machined and anodised 6061 aluminium cases with an IP56 rating, silicone mounting straps and lithium polymer batteries charged via a USB lead.

The lights are currently on Kickstarter with a goal of $60,000 (at the moment they have only raised $375 but there are 38 days to go) so it will be interesting to see how it goes. Take a look at it on Kickstarter here.

WingLights launches on Kickstarter today

Cycl have developed WingLights, small handlebar clip-on indicator lights that the inventors say aim to improve cyclists safety on the roads by making sure you’re seen when changing lanes or direction, by bringing attention to other road users and designed to be used in conjunction with hand signals.

They are only compatible with flat bars, ruling out road bikes but still, ideal for city, urban and mountain bikes. The sleek aluminium cases clip onto the end of the handlebar, and they can easily and quickly be removed when you lock your bike up and lock together with a carabiner so you can clip them onto your keyring or bag.

The lights turn on by a simple tap on the exterior, so if you’re about to turn left off a main road, you first need to tap the light then make a hand signal. We’re not sure how practical that is when you’re cycling at speed through the streets of a busy city or town and making last-minute navigation decisions, but it would be interesting to try them if they succeed in hitting their Kickstarter goal.

WingLights launch on Kickstarter at 6pm this evening, where you’ll be able to pre-order a set for £19.

Sparse Fixed Bicycle anti-theft lights

Okay so they’re not brand new, but now UK distributor Nrg4 are bringing these Sparse lights into the country and since this is the season for lights, it’s worth talking about them. And we think they're pretty cool. What makes them anti-theft is the simple fact that the rear light goes around the seatpost, while the front light replaces a steerer tube spacer. That should be enough to stop the opportunist thief running off with them, and saves you having to worry about removing them when you lock your bike up somewere.

That does mean a trickier installation, but once in place you won’t ever need to worry about removing them when you lock your bike up somewhere. For a daily commuter or urban bike, there’s no reason why you’d ever want to take them off anyway, even in the summer.

Both lights are machined from metal with polycarbonate lenses. The front emits 200 Lumens via a 3 watt Cree LED, with three modes and a 4-8 hour run time. It fits 1” and 1 1/8” steerer tubes.  The rear 100 Lumens, three modes and will fit seatpost sizes from 27.2 up to 31.9mm,There’s no way of removing the rear light without removing the seatpost. Both lights are charged by a micro USB lead.

A set of front and rear Sparse lights cost £89.99 or you can purchase them individually for £47.99.

Find out more at http://sparse.cc/fixed-light-system and http://nrg4.co.uk/

David worked on the road.cc tech team from 2012-2020. Previously he was editor of Bikemagic.com and before that staff writer at RCUK. He's a seasoned cyclist of all disciplines, from road to mountain biking, touring to cyclo-cross, he only wishes he had time to ride them all. He's mildly competitive, though he'll never admit it, and is a frequent road racer but is too lazy to do really well. He currently resides in the Cotswolds, and you can now find him over on his own YouTube channel David Arthur - Just Ride Bikes

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7 comments

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kide | 9 years ago
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Those Sparse lights look interesting, but keeping them charged would be a nightmare. I'm sure they contain lithium batteries which must not be charged at below freezing temperatures or you will ruin them. So you must take the bike inside at least every 4 hours of riding. 200 lumens is just on the edge between see-where-you're-going and be-seen. I think they should have a low mode of around 40 lumens for 20 hours to be practical as a be-seen light.

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mellowmiles | 9 years ago
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Have to say got a pair of the sparse lights and quite like them. Got them as a pre order deal collected them on detour during our honeymoon (wife took it better than expected...). As one commenter says they're not the brightest but are comfortable in the 'been seen' category - i did get the black ones which didn't help. cable plenty long to get them charged in garage.
would i pay full wack for them... Jury out for the moment.

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KiwiMike | 9 years ago
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So: one light that's only good for Sky-esque levels of organisation and (probably) budget, one that makes you choose your bike park based on less than 6' proximity to 230V sockets whilst trusting the charger won't get nicked, and one that requires you to take your hands away from the brakes seconds prior to executing a typically risky maneuver, whilst relying on your bars being wider than your waist/bag/backpack/coat.

Oh, and will give victim-blaming legislators and media organisations yet another thing to insist become mandatory in the name of 'safety', now it's technically possible.

 39

Good on them for kicking new ideas about, but you kind of get the feeling Road.CC could bottle and sell a forum-powered Debunker Service for this sort of thing.

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jollygoodvelo | 9 years ago
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I love the idea but they need to sort out that battery life. 4 hours at full glow is not enough margin of safety for a two-hour return commute in the wet and cold IMO.

I wonder whether they would charge from a 'Pebble'-type backup charger?

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pepita1 | 9 years ago
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Lights come with a 6foot cable.

No electric in the garage?

I think they sound great though they don't seem to be very bright so might not work in areas with little street lighting. Back ups to go with something with more lumens.

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Dibdib | 9 years ago
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"For a daily commuter or urban bike, there’s no reason why you’d ever want to take them off anyway, even in the summer."

Do many people have access to a USB charger in their shed, or next to the bike racks at work?

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EddyBerckx replied to Dibdib | 9 years ago
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Dibdib wrote:

"For a daily commuter or urban bike, there’s no reason why you’d ever want to take them off anyway, even in the summer."

Do many people have access to a USB charger in their shed, or next to the bike racks at work?

First thing I thought  1

Great idea though if they can solve that problem...sure as hell wouldn't wanna take the seatpost off everytime I wanna charge it.

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