The Paradox of Bicycle Lights

Look - I understand the point is to highlight the bike hub/wheel lighting system... but the rider should be smacked for not following safety 101. At a minimum there should have been a red taillight and the rider should be wearing reflective clothing or a reflective vest (or at least NOT BLACK). ... C'mon people. If we are going to enhance cycling, don't break rules to show solutions! That said - neat system as long as folks understand it. Still does not permit riding at night in dark clothing, or the absence of proper roadway lights on the bike. That's just stupidity.

First off let me say I like your lights. They're very cool. But a cyclist will still need a regular white headlight and red tail-light in addition to your wheel lights; both for legal and practical reasons. The wheel lights might meet the legal requirement for a white headlight, but not for a red tail-light (or red reflector, depending on the state). A motorists doesn't only need to know you're there, he or she also needs to know in which direction you're heading and how fast. Look at the shots of the bike from the front and rear. It's difficult to determine if one is looking at the front or the rear of the bike. (Keep in mind that older motorists have decreasing night vision capacity.) A motorist waiting to pull out of a driveway or cross street may have difficulty determining your approach speed with such a strobing effect. I've had motorists pull out in front of me when I was using a very bright, strobing headlight, but not when my light is running steady. (I save the strobe for dawn and dusk.) The changing color may also be confusing to motorists. Red is associated with the rear-end of the vehicle; white with the front.