Head- and tail lights definitely help make bicycles visible from the front and back, but what about from the sides? The handlebar-plug-replacing SideLights are designed to address that shortcoming, plus they serve as headlights, tail lights and turn indicators.
Invented by Swiss cyclist Arthur Claessens, the SideLights are currently the subject of a Kickstarter campaign.
The setup consists of two aluminum-bodied light modules which slide into either end of the handlebars, then get locked in place to prevent theft. They're compatible with any flat bar, as long it has an inner diameter of at least 15 mm and a back-sweep of no more than 30 degrees.
If the bike's existing grips are open at the ends (where the bar plugs go), they can be left in place. If not, they need to be replaced with open-ended grips – system-specific ones are available as an optional extra.
The protruding LED section of each module has an amber turn indicator and a white headlight on the front, an amber turn indicator and a red tail light on the back, and a ring-shaped amber turn indicator/running light on the side.
The indicators are activated by a bar-end button on either module, which the rider can push without removing their hand from the grip. They automatically shut off after 20 seconds, or can be manually stopped sooner by pressing the button again.
Power is provided by a 1,500-mAh lithium battery in each module, which can be quickly removed for recharging. A single one-hour USB charge should reportedly be good for two hours of runtime at Full headlight output (300 lumens per module), four hours at Medium (150 lumens), or eight hours at Eco (75 lumens).
Assuming the SideLights reach production, a pledge of 89 Swiss francs (about US$102) will get you a pair. The planned retail price is approximately $190. You can see them in use, in the following video.
Hopefully the SideLights will fare better than a number of other bar-end-mounted bike lights we've covered in the past, which weren't successful in their crowdfunding efforts. One product that was successful was Cycl's WingLights, although they serve mainly as turn indicators, not headlights.
Sources: Kickstarter, SideLights
