Stuff: Nano Bike Light
You know that feeling when you see something and think "why didn't anyone think of that before?" Well that's the reaction the Nano Bike Light gets. This little doohickey is made by a company called Ilumenox and can be bought online from eBay, Amazon and in some bike shops for a couple of bucks.
I first spotted this light on a club ride when the person in front of me applied rear brakes. Something bright and red caught my attention. When we came to a full stop I looked down to see what it was and asked "what's that?" while pointing at their rear brake caliper.
Click the pics below to open them up in a larger lightbox.
The Nano Brake Light weighs just 5 grams (about the same as a bottle cage bolt) and attaches to the exposed brake cable in the rear caliper and is secured by a small clamping bol. It has a small LED light that comes on when the rear brake is applied. What a smart idea. Here is why. While we know that when riding in a group you should be looking above the shoulders of the rider in front of you, but there are too many people who don't. They are usually the ones who run right into the back of you. So what do you do? How about a brake light!
It works simply by squeezing completing a small electrical circuit when the brake caliper is squeezed and this then turns on the red LED light. When you release the brakes the brake caliper expands and the tab on the brake light expands and the electrical circuit is open again so the light turns off. Simple and rad.
My brake light came from a fellow club member via a shop in Montreal and cost about $15 CDN. I don't know of any shops here in Toronto that stock them but based on the reaction it gets, it won't be long before someone does. If you know of a shop that has these, comment below and share the info.
