This gadget is rapidly turning into a massive Irish success story, with interest spreading far beyond Irish shores.
By Myles McCorry
Review: See.Sense front & rear lights
The See.Sense sat on my desk waiting to be tested through the sunniest of Octobers. Every evening I planned to put this Irish designed and made light set through its paces.
But the sun shone and I stole bright spins under its shadows. I was wrong to have waited weeks for a dusk spin.
In the small plastic box that houses the light is not just a bulb and battery, but a mass of technology; a very small man who watches over you.
Either way, the brightness and flash frequency of the light changes via witchcraft or some very amazing design and technology
After an argument with a taxi last year, my return to the road months later was a nervous one.
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I bought a nice Lezyne rear light that, like the See.Sense, charges via a USB , is mounted on your seat post and makes you very visible.
It was comforting and calming to have the extra road presence.
Somewhere on every spin a vehicle passes you too close. Making yourself known while out training isn't just common sense - it is survival.
And the See.Sense has to be the best tool I’ve found for that survival.
An expandable rubber band mounts it securely to the seat post or handle bars.
An internal motion detector knows when the bike is moving and flashes to shout your presence. And the 144 lumen - retina boiling - yells that you are there and wish not to be run over.
An array of light sensors behind the lens pick up car lights or the change in day light and adjust the beam’s intensity to suit.
It was developed by a Belfast lad and refined University of Ulster. The result is just a great product.
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My metal shoulder reminded me all year to charge the Lezyne rear light the night before any spin.
It gives off a great regular flash for approximately three hours. So I arrive home on Saturday or Sunday with it flat.
This week I have done a two-hour spin, a four-hour session and a three-hour coffee run.
And with my tired legs and dreams of being fast and young, the See.Sense is still going strong at the end.
I feel more secure and less weary of the punch of a lorry braking late. With this mounted on, cars simply see you all of the time and give you extra space as a result.
A coffee stop commentator said it was too expensive to mount a €60 light on his seat post, which cost €130.
He should buy a €70 seat post and do without that second scone.
I’ve only used the See.Sense front light in constant mode. It’s bright enough to pick out any pot hole.
And because the light’s brightness and flash frequency are heightened in an urban environment as roundabouts and heavier traffic are detected by the sensors, this is a piece of kit perfect for commuting.
The unit has no buttons, which helps weatherproofing. Instead, it turns on and off with motion gestures; a pain at the start but very easy to master.
It will stay off in your pocket, but will stay on when you stop during a ride, including at traffic lights.
The way it looks and the fact it’s so clever and genuinely enhances the rider’s safety make this the best light I could imagine.
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