Every cyclist dreams of riding light motorcycles from the movie “Tron”.Revolights, a set of LED lights that attach to the wheels, brings this dream closer to reality, and the new integrated version makes this system simpler and lighter than the original bolt-on set.

The set consists of red and white lights, which are ring-shaped LED lanterns installed along the bicycle wheel rim. With the help of a pair of clever devices, the light only emits from the front part of the wheel (in the case of the front wheel) or from the back (in the case of the rear wheel) when the wheels are spinning. As a result, beautiful arcs of light are created, making you visible from all angles – according to co-founder and CFO of Revolights, Adam Pettler, this effect was discovered by accident.

Inventor Kent Frankovich, the creator of Revolights, did not set out to create light arcs, but rather thought about how to improve the design of headlights so that they illuminate obstacles more clearly even at low angles of illumination. And the synchronized flashing was done in order to not bother the cyclist’s eyes.

“There was none of this when he created the first prototype. But soon we realized that these lights significantly increase the visibility of the cyclist,” says Pittler. “And he immediately started making a set for the second wheel for symmetry.”

The device uses two mechanisms that communicate to the LED lights when to turn on and when to turn off. At low speeds, an accelerometer comes into play, which determines the position of the lights based on the force of gravity. And at high speeds, the lights switch based on the rotation time of the wheel. This allows the system to synchronize the descending cascade of the light pattern.

This is already the second Kickstarter campaign for Revolights. The first one ended in 2011, exceeding the initial required amount to start the project by five times. According to Pittler, the second campaign is organized to celebrate the release of the second version of the product. Interestingly, the updated Revolights City v2.0 sets are not the only product in this campaign.

“With City, we are introducing our second product, designed to make Revolights more accessible,” says Pittler. “And although it is completely new, unlike Revolights City, which you install on your own wheels, we thought that if we organize a separate Kickstarter campaign for it, it will seem similar to the one that was two years ago to the patrons.”

So, the inventions have moved forward. The current Kickstarter campaign is raising money for the development of wheels with built-in LEDs. This project is created in partnership with Mission Bicycle Company – another Kickstarter graduate.

“We have embarked on the development of Revolights wheels in order to tackle one of the most challenging design tasks: installation and compatibility,” says Pittler. “While many cyclists like their own wheels and at the same time want to install Revolights on them, there is still a large group of people who do not want to install them themselves.”

This is not a very reasonable way to use Kickstarter. If you are planning to make a small update to your product, organizing a whole crowdfunding campaign for it is excessive. Moreover, you may be misunderstood. However, if you combine in one campaignnew ambitious productAnd by updating what already exists, as a creator, you get the best of both worlds.