Ever heard someone say the dreaded line, “Oh it’s as easy as riding a bike!” Well, if you’re like me and struggled to ever graduate from training wheels then you would hate it when people say that to you too. But whether you’re Lance Armstrong or me, we all appreciate the sport of biking and the incredible physical benefits it reaps on your (dare I say?) behind. And it’s not all about you … your bike also deserves a little glam for carrying you up those giant hills everyday. So let’s all give a round of applause because thanks to Monkeylectric, your bike will be decked out and the talk of the town during your next ride.
So what exactly does Monkeylectric do? They add a whole lot of flare to your ride. Basically, Monkeylights are lights that attach to your wheels to help make you more visible to oncoming traffic while also sprucing up your bike. We had the chance to speak with Phil Yip, an engineer from Monkeylectric, about some of the sweet lights the startup offers. He explained, “All of our lights have a line (or multiples) of LEDs that utilize the persistence of vision effect to create an image. When the bike wheel spins, the LEDs turn on and off at just the right moment to create an image in the wheel. We have simple, affordable lights that are more geared towards easy visibility and safety for a cyclist, and we also offer a professional unit that can show video on a wheel while the rider is in motion.” – So … basically you can become your own traveling movie theater.
You can find Monkeyletric worldwide, either in stores or online, but by and large, the company caters to the San Francisco Bay area. And business is booming, because this past year, Monkeylectric celebrated selling over 100,000 units since the startup launched a few years ago. Plus, we definitely can plan on seeing a whole lot more from Monkeylectric. The company recently debuted a Kickstarter campaign of a new product that stems back to their core mission “to make cycling safer and more fun.” So basically, the new lights provide really easy bike safety for everyday cyclists.
Think you’d deck out your bike with some pretty sweet lights from Monkeylectric? Tweet @StarterNoise to let us know!
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Katherine is a newbie to Denver. She recently completed her Masters in Peace and Justice Studies at the University of San Diego. When she isn’t trying to save the world, Katherine is all about trying any and all delicious foods, hitting up the beach but not actually swimming (deathly afraid of sharks), and taking as many hikes as humanly possible.