Cycling in the night of the city can be perilous.

Vehicles move too close to you, as they cannot judge your width. Signalling your intention to turn is impossible on dark roads, making executing turns near vehicles dangerous. Even after the journey, bicycle lights that are left on the bicycle can be stolen, or damaged from exposure to the elements. 

The benefits of cycling are aplenty, and with more people adopting cycling as a form of commuting and leisure, we need to make this healthy activity more safe and convenient. 

As industrial design majors from National University of Singapore seeking to provide a solution to these problems, we have created a unique set of bicycle lights that we believe can enhance the experience of night cycling.
 

INTRODUCING 

What is it?

Uon lights are not passive bicycle lights. They also function as signal lights to allow you to signal your intentions to execute a turn while cycling safely. Coupled with Uon bar end plugs, the magnetic bicycle lights can be attached and removed conveniently, while staying strongly adhered to your bicycle while riding. 

Usage

1. Install the Uon bar end plugs onto your bicycle bar ends.

2. Secure the bar end plugs with a hex key.

3. Attach Uon lights to the bar end plugs.

4. Activate lights by pressing the power button on the bottom.

5. Activate signal lights by pressing the top button

6. Remove lights from plugs for storage or charging.

FEATURES

Expandable bar end plugs

Uon bar end plugs are designed to fit into most handlebars with inner diameters of 22mm (7/8"). The cap is designed for road & track bicycles, with a diameter of 25mm (approximately 1''). The plugs can be tightened using a hex key.

Structure

Uon lights are made of anondised die-casted aluminum and the overall body will be weather-sealed to withstand the elements while riding. That means you can work the buttons even in rainy conditions. Strong neodymium magnets will be used to ensure that the light stays on even during the roughest of rides.

Light modes

Uon lights have 3 modes: on, flashing and off state. Each light unit contains frontal white light and a rear red light, both that are triggered simultaneously. These lights are engineered to adhere to road traffic conventions, so any road user can understand them.

Signal lights

When the signal lights are in operation, a yellow blinking light will be triggered for 5 seconds after activation, after which the lights will revert to the previous setting.

Brightness

We are using 4 bright directional one-colour LEDs in our prototype, and we will be using RGB LEDs for our final product to maximize brightness.

Charging

To make charging convenient and reduce the environment impact incurred from using disposable batteries, we intend to use lithium-ion polymer batteries in our lights, that can be charged by using our USB cable.

DEVELOPMENTS

Technology

Currently the size of our prototyping materials is large due to the current circuit board and battery unit we are using for testing. Once we have the funds to invest in reducing our component size, we will be improving 

With regards to battery life, we are looking into using rechargeable batteries that can be charged via USB / Micro USB cables, so as to the environmental impact of our product and eliminate the need to purchase new batteries. 

We will be tapping on current technology to create a more sustainable system, such that future Uon add-ons can be used with our current lights in the future without modifications.

Design

After minimizing the internal components as much as we can, we will continue to make improvements to our light design to deliver a sleeker, cooler product to you. We intend to slightly reduce the overall size of our lights so that they are more portable, and look sleeker on your bicycle.

In addition, we will be adding prisms to the lens face so as to diffuse light and make the lights more visible in different directions. 

FUNDING

We need US$60,000 in funds, and here’s where the money will go: 

Product development + Further testing

The technology is already out there, but we need funds to access it and create the optimal build that we have envisioned this product to be.

Manufacturing & processing

We will be using manufacturing at minimum order quantities (which usually means thousands of units) as required by factories. The money also goes into assembly and packaging to complete the experience of receiving your Uon lights and bar end plugs.

PERKS

WE NEED YOUR SUPPORT

We came up with this concept and design to enhance the experience of cycling in the night, and we believe that all road users (including both of us) can benefit from this product.

Producing an industrial product like this requires an investment, and we could not have imagined how we could make this happen (and still remain within our control) without the advent of crowdfunding.

Please support us by funding this project, and spread the word! Whether this project comes to fruition, or remains simply a designer concept lies in your power.

FAQ

How much will shipping cost?

To reduce shipping costs and our impact on the environment, we will optimise our delivery system by determining it after we find out where the majority of our customers are. That way, we can ensure that our goods reach you as early as possible, and that the shipping costs are at the minimum.

I have a drop handlebar bicycle, can I use this?

Unfortunately, this product is designed for flat/riser handlebar bicycles, so at the time being, this is unsuitable for drop handlebar bicycles. Do help us spread the word of this project however, because if we are successful with this project, we might work on a compatible solution for drop handlebar cyclists after!

Why is the shipping date so late?

To ensure that our product is released at its optimal quality, we need time to do additional research and testing. As industrial designers, we abhor poor quality in products, and to stand by our beliefs that mass production should start only when the design is fully complete, we will have to release our lights later. Your patience will pay off when you receive our lights at their best quality!