Commuting to work in the busy city can really get you paranoid. I guess that’s a plus when you’re in traffic, but I just can’t stand that involuntary clenching my shoulders do when I hear a loud engine approaching. Call me nuts but I’m not a trusting commuter.

Lights can be a great eye catcher for stupid. And we all know there’s plenty of it out there so I jumped at the chance to try this item. The Reelight SL120 is a set of two lights, one white front and one red rear. By far the greatest feature of these lights is that they require no batteries. That’s what I call a green light…well, you know what I mean. Gotta like that.

It’s an electrodynamic system so you get two magnets per wheel that’ll power up the lights. Hey, your bike has pedal power why not your lights? The magnets are secured to your spokes with a screw on either side, in the circular path of the light’s sensor. It’s seated in a plastic clamp so it’s pliable and will reach around to tighten down nicely. Simple right?

The front light went on second. Pop your skewer out, put the light on, clamp it back down and your done. If you need to adjust the light horizontally closer to the magnet(or away) there are screws you can use to adjust to the recommended 2-3 mm from the magnets.

The rear light was a little more difficult to install . A lot of road bike frames have rear dropout guards which won’t accommodate the Reelight. The tab for the light is a 2 inch long, flat piece of metal that requires your dropout to be open and flat. If you are considering this light, check your rear dropout first. I was relieved to get my singlespeed back from a friend to get the light on, only to find the chain tensioners on the outside prevented the light from going on. No problem, I’m a rationale thinker. But even when I put the light on the inside of the dropout and adjusted the screws, it was still sitting on the magnet. I finally had to bend the metal strip evenly outward so it still lined up with magnet but gave it the proper spacing. Others may not have the same problems as a mechanically retarded person like me, but I still urge you, again, to check your frame. As you can see in the picture below, my setup isn’t straight but hey, close enough for government work.

Phwew. I was excited to get the wheel spinning and watch the light working but when I did, nothing happened. These lights take a little while to get the initial charge before blinking fresh out of the package. I did notice every following ride the lights began blinking almost immediately. And when you’re stopping at the light, the built in capacitor will use your conserved pedal energy to keep the lights blinking. Pretty cool. The icing on the cake are the two LEDs on each light. It’s obvious that the Reelight was made to last as LEDs are far more durable than regular bulbs.

Oh, and you know those springs stoppers they use to keep doors from hitting the walls? That’s the sound you’ll hear as you start from a stop, from the alternating magnets pushing off the light’s sensor. Once you get up to speed the sound goes away. Still I find that noise sticks in my head for a couple minutes after a ride.

Here’s the Reelight in action. I think if you listen hard you can hear the twanging sound.

While I had my beefs about the lights installation and the slightly annoying noise, I was extremely thankful for it. I did notice that with these and my glow tube, people would give me a little more room and even more-so at night. Not a lot more room, but enough to help me relax a bit while riding. I think it’s an ingenious little green device and I imagine it’ll pay for itself quickly. Did I mention it requires no batteries?. You can pick a set up for $39.95 Euro. What’s that in real money? About $55. Small price to pay to keep the skin on my back. Give Reelights a looksie…what a great little invention.

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Bike Commuter Essentials at PricePoint.com