See.Sense is a UK-based company that creates smart cycling lights, and in exciting news for local consumers, the brand is relaunching in the Australian market in partnership with Bikebug.
Founded in 2013 by husband-and-wife-team Philip and Irene McAleese (the latter growing up in Brisbane), See.Sense’s award-winning products are used by more than 70,000 cyclists worldwide, and the company is also the official bike light and ride insights supplier to both British Cycling and Cycling Ireland.
But what makes See.Sense’s lights special?
In short, See.Sense lights flash brighter and faster at riskier moments on the road. How? The patented technology inside uses sensor and communications technology, along with proprietary algorithms to monitor their environment at a rate of up to 800 times per second. This enables the light to react in riskier situations to help you be seen.
In practice, this means that at riskier moments on the road (e.g. at traffic lights or, when the lights sense approaching car headlights), See.Sense lights react by automatically flashing brighter and faster to make sure you stand out.
In addition to its lights keeping you safe out there on the road, See.Sense has also developed a smartphone app which lets you customise your lights, receive important alerts, and have your say in making the roads you cycle on better.
How does it make the roads better, you might ask? Well, technology within your light detects any road issues or unsafe routes you face on your ride. You can then share these ride insights via the See.Sense app to help planners upgrade roads and improve cycling safety.
Hang on, it’s nearly summer -- do I still need lights?
While the mornings might be getting brighter and the days longer, that doesn't mean it’s time to put away your bike lights. In fact, according to See.Sense, 80% of cycling accidents occur in daylight when most bike lights aren’t visible, yet research has found daylight-visible bike lights significantly reduce collisions.
After all, a car’s lights shine during daylight so why not a bike’s? If something as large as a car needs to be seen during daylight hours, See.Sense believes cyclists need to be kept visible with daylight-visible lights too! In other words, you should try to make yourself seen out there on the roads no matter the time of day.
What are the different See.Sense product options?
At Bikebug, we offer the two core See.Sense models: the Icon2 and the ACE.
The Icon2 is brighter -- with 300 lumens in the rear light and 400 lumens in the front -- and gives you 16 hours of run-time in full power reactive flash mode, shining powerfully in all lighting conditions, both day and night. Thanks to its intelligent battery, the Icon2 can also adjust brightness levels to conserve battery life and is easily recharged with any standard micro USB charger.
The ACE is marketed more towards commuting cyclists -- with 125 lumen LEDs in the rear and 150 lumen LEDs in the front -- and in 10 hours of rechargeable battery life. Both the Icon2 and the ACE automatically turn on when you move your bike and off after 3 minutes of inactivity, and both connect to See.Sense’s proprietary app to share your data and make the roads safer for everyone.
Check out the See.Sense range right here at Bikebug, or check out the video below for an explainer on how the smart lights work.