Rock The Bike

Lunar Lander Kickstand

Completely immobilize your Mundo, turning it into a workstation, display, or pedal power station.

No other kickstand we’ve tried comes close to the amazing stiffness, width and simplicity of the Lunar Lander. It’s danceably strong. The Lunar Lander is made of 2″ steel tubing, making it as strong and stiff as the Mundo itself. It weighs about 10 pounds for the pair, and can be easily strapped to your rig or rolled into a “long things bundle” with a shipping blanket.

Only a Mundo frame could handle the extreme rear positioning of this kickstand. The stiffness of the Mundo’s frame means you get no apreciable flex, front to rear, or left to right, while pedaling on the bike in stationary mode. That makes the Lunar Lander perfect for human power applications like generating power for our Pedal Powered Stage.


Above: Wilson, a 220-pound man, pedal powers Rock The Bike’s Halloween street party at Fair Oaks, on the Mundo 1000, which weighs 85 pounds unloaded. But it’s also carrying a 70 pound speaker and a go go dancer. That’s how strong and stable the Lunar Lander is. That’s danceably strong.

Please note: This is not a true kickstand, because it is not foot deployable. You have to use your hands to guide the notch into the triangular nook in the Mundo’s rack. It is somewhat awkward to do this without an assistant, though with practice you can get it down to about 30 seconds if the Mundo is not loaded.

You can also use the Mundo as a work station. Above, the Lunar Lander turns the Mundo into a sawhorse.

Spin Art for Fender Blenders

Amaze attendees at your event with Pedal Powered Spin Art. It’s so easy it almost requires no supervision.
Pedal Powered Spin Art

With just a few pedal strokes, you can get the platter of your Pedal Powered Spin Art station spinning at 1000-2000 RPM, enough to produce dazzling spirals, circles, and streaks as you squirt paint on the paper.

Our updated design features a drum made from recycled plastic: making it lighter to carry and easier to clean. It also features a new hand brake to stop the spinning art smoothly, as well as an elastic cord to make paper changing easy and fast.

Watch the video to see how to set up the Spin Art Machine

Fender Blender Pro with Spin Art

Comes with telescoping legs for big bikes or custom-length legs for small bikes.

Works with a Fender Blender Pro or Fender Blender Universale, so you can make smoothies and art at the same time–or easily swap between the two!

Kids flock to the station, staring in awe as the colors spin and splatter across the paper. Older kids or parents can pedal for youngsters. Children as young as five can enjoy this activity. Let them bring home artwork and memories from your event!

Fender Blender Universale & Spin Art

Kids get excited and want to use a lot of paint. To keep art looking good and clean we recommend watering down your tempera paint beforehand and giving kids smaller bottles of paint. Paper sized 8.5″ x 11″, 5.5″ x 8″, or 5″ x 7″ works best. For extra branding, use paper with the company letterhead, or a stamp with your logo on it.  You’ll also need a place to hang pieces as they dry, or a designated table to let them sit on. We use string and clothespins, but we encourage you to be creative! Click here to read Rock the Bike tips for a successful spin art station.

Customize your Spin Art attachment with your unique brand and logo!
The recycled-plastic Spin Art drum makes a nice branding surface that perfectly complements the custom branding of your Fender Blender Pro. Branding on the Spin Art drum is $110 for the layout, printing, and branding. If you’re placing an order for multiple bikes, each additional drum is $80.

bike powered Spin Art

You can make and submit your own artwork or hire Rock the Bike to do it for you.

To get the customization process going, please call us at 1-888-354-BIKE or email us your high-resolution graphics and ideas or sketches of what you would like.

View the Spin Art for Fender Blenders Photo Gallery

Rentable: yes
Status: In Stock, made to order. Allow a 2 – 4 day build time.

To Purchase: $600
With Branding: +$110 for the first drum, +$80 for all subsequent drums
This cost does not include a bicycle. The Spin Art attachment is compatible with any Fender Blender: Pro, Universale, or Xtracycle.

Happy Earth Day from Rock The Bike! Get on the Bikes and Ride!

We have been focusing on Pedal Powering events in a big way this year. What excites us about this work are moments like this one from our event today at USF. Many thanks to the student crew including Brittany for the warm welcome.

So we say Happy Earth Day to you and yours. Yesterday we Pedal Powered the USF Earth Day event for the 2nd year and had a blast the students. The Pedal Powered Stage was a 4-person system that included both of the recent custom fiberglass Soul Cycles from Fossil Fool: El Arbol and The Blue Whale.

Tomorrow we bike to the Civic Center Earth Day Celebration to Pedal Power some of the speakers and bands.

 

Modified JBL Loudspeakers

A Rock The Bike exclusive! Our DC mod eliminates the need for AC power for your loudspeakers, making Pedal Powered Stages up to 44% more efficient.

Pedal Powered Stage
Above:  Modified PRX 612 wedge monitors in use as the band ZH performs. Also shown in aerial configuration in Rock The Bike’s Pedal Powered Line Array (suspended from Bamboo Tripod).

An awesome combination of light weight, efficiency, and Pro Audio clarity. The Modified JBL PRX loudspeaker has been an essential building block of our Pedal Powered Stage, and is in use by the Pleasant Revolution, SHAKE YOUR PEACE!, University of Oregon, UC Santa Cruz, Cello Joe, and the Mobile Music Project. Not limited to Pedal Power use, the Modified JBL PRX line is an amazing Mobile Sound speaker as well. The applications are as broad as your needs: bike parties, press conferences, or full-on concerts. We can help you craft a selection that will handle crowd sizes from 50 to over 1000 people.

Pedal Powered Stage

Normally, Pro Audio equipment runs on AC power, which in outdoor use must come from an extension cord from a nearby building, a gas generator, or an AC-DC inverter. If you’re starting your Pedal Powered Stage from scratch or are ready to upgrade your loudspeakers, go with Rock The Bike’s Modified JBL PRX. They deliver great sound with no AC power and save you up to 44% in power usage.

44% power savings– how’s that possible?  It’s true! We scientifically measured the power consumption of these loudspeakers in AC mode and Modified DC mode, by running a bass-heavy tone into the speaker and confirming that the audio output level was equal. The speakers used 35% less power in DC mode, for the same audio output! Add to that that the 9-10% efficiency penalty that most AC-DC inverters take, and you get a 44% power savings by using them in DC mode. In practical event use, this means you get the same amount of clean, clear, danceable music, but with 40% fewer pedalers. You can do amazing things with even one pedaler. In the world of Pro Audio, 44% is an unheard of efficiency gain, and the PRX line, with its digital Crown amplifiers, was already known for being an efficient loudspeaker.

JBL did the hard work of creating a full line of great-sounding loudspeakers. We cracked the code of getting them to run on good clean Pedal Power. You can combine these loudspeakers in a number of ways to create a small or medium-sized festival stage, or mobile sound system. We modify the speaker, adding a power jack that accepts a DC Split-Rail Power from our Split-Rail Pedal Power Utility Box.

Normally pro-audio gear is well beyond the abilities of the average person, in terms of ease of setup and use. But because these are powered speakers, it’s fairly straightforward. A ‘powered’ speaker means that the amplifier is in the speaker. You simply connect the power cable and the audio signal, and turn the volume knob to the desired setting. The speaker does the rest. For a press conference, you can run a microphone right into the speaker — you don’t even have to own a mixer. Similarly for mobile sound, you can run an MP3 player right into the speaker.

LiveOnBike performance
Above: A Modified PRX 612 in use for a LiveOnBike performance by the Shook Twins.

We sell the full line of JBL PRX Loudspeakers, however due to space considerations we keep a very low inventory of this item. Please get your project started early with us in order to hit your key event deadline.  Here’s the rundown of the speakers in the PRX Line.

612 — great sounding wedge monitor for live bands. Also can be thrown on the back of almost any cargo bike.

615 — similar but with its 15″ woofer, it can be used as a respectable main speaker as well. Discontinued as of Fall 2013

635 — a dedicated 5″ midrange woofer in this speaker renders vocals and instruments with great clarity. 15″ woofer delivers plenty of bass.

625 — most bass  possible within a single loudspeaker. A towering main that is well suited to dance music. Slightly harder to carry due to its height.  Discontinued as of Fall 2013

618 XLF — The PRX subwoofer makes dance music come alive. To fully render the kick drum in live music or the beat in dance music, you need a subwoofer. For medium and large Pedal Powered Stages, there is no substitute. The sub also includes a built-in crossover that allows your mains to focus on mid-bass and higher. This way you get the best sound out of your mains and can run them louder before they distort. Discontinued as of Fall 2013

bicycle powered stage
Above: The Modified JBL PRX 615 is a solid main.

Most bike music projects use car audio componentry, because it is cheap, widely available, and will work on 12 volt DC power such as a motorcycle battery. However, car audio equipment cannot amplify musicians at a concert, because it does not have the efficiency, overall listening levels, and clarity required. It was designed for small enclosed spaces, not large open spaces. That’s why you need Pro Audio equipment. Our modified JBL PRX loudspeakers are the best of both worlds. They provide concert quality sound and are ready for DC power, i.e. Pedal Power!


Above: The Modified PRX’s are fairly lightweight and can be towed by trailer or hauled on cargo bikes.

The package: lightweight but great sounding. All modified JBLs are made out of quality plywood — not plastic — and have a durable coating for dings and drops.  They can all be carried by bike, and with the exception of the 618 subwoofer and the 625, they can all be lifted by one person.

Above: Engineer Jake reviews the modifications of our JBL PRX amplifiers.

bicycle powered stage

Above: Locura’s bassist Izzy Wise digs the punch of the Modified JBL PRX 618 XLF Subwoofer.

bicycle powered stage

Our latest generation of Pedal Power Utility Box has ‘Split Rail’ outputs that connect directly to these speakers. You can ignore the AC power sockets.

Elevating the speaker on a stand (or by using our custom Line Array) puts them above ear level, which dramatically improves the clarity of the music when there are multiple rings or rows of people listening.

human powered stage

Above, left: 3 modified JBL PRX 612 loudspeakers suspended in a Line Array configuration at Bicycle Music Festival.

Since we do modify the circuit board, your JBL factory warranty will be void. We offer a 2-year warranty on this item. Here are some points that should reassure you that your investment will retain its long term value:

  • We maintain a relationship with JBL’s official Bay Area service point, JK Sound, and can take care of any issues that come up. JK Sound has successfully repaired amplifiers and replaced drivers for speakers post-mod.
  • After our initial R&D phase in 2009-10, we have had very few problems with this line of speakers.

We have confidence in these loudspeakers and stand behind the DC mod. We have been selling these to sponsored musicians in the Bay Area with great results, and without any warranty problems. The modified JBL PRX loudspeakers are also the secret behind Rock the Bike’s most famous art bikes, including the Blue Whale and El Arbol below.

El Arbol the bike tree
Above: El Arbol, the Bike Tree, uses the active components from the PRX 635 and 612.

Pedal Power Utility Box

pedal power utility box
The Pedal Power Utility Box makes team efforts possible! Up to 10 people at once can convert their good clean Pedal Power to usable AC power, for devices rated up to 1000W.
pedal power utility box

A Pedal Power Utility Box in use at an event. All the essential circuitry and wiring needed for Pedal Powered events is safely beneath a polycarbonate panel, so wires don’t get yanked. A four-line LED ‘Pedalometer’ displays current power levels to pedalers, so they can adjust their effort to keep power ‘in the green’.

Dealing with wiring, protection circuitry, and power display is often the most challenging part of planning and building a Pedal Powered Stage. Why not let the pros handle it? Rock the Bike has been building Pedal Power gear and wiring up bike music systems since 2003.

The Pedal Power Utility Box has an ultracapacitor that stabilizes the spiky DC power coming from bicycle generators and makes it useable and stable power for lighting, music, projectors, and other devices to run dependably for hours at your events. Plug in anything short of a hair dryer or electric kettle into its standard 110V or 220V AC outlets. The integrated Pure Sine wave inverter provides up to 1000W of continuous AC power. Higher total power levels are possible when you use our Modified JBL PRX loudspeakers, or use the DC output ports, as these bypass the AC inverter.

Continuous pedaling is needed to keep devices on. There is no battery, only an ultracapacitor lasting a few minutes.

Pedal Power Utility Box and Pedalometer
Above: The Pedal Powered Utility Box can include an output for a 4′ tall Pedalometer, which is visible to more pedalers and to your audience. The Pedal Powered Utility Box shown above also features a Wattage Display, which is now available as an upgrade.

Features:

— 5 pedal power inputs (suitable for use with any of our pedal power generators like the Mundo 500 or Electric Fender Blender Pro). Expandable to 10 people by using a junction box

— 2 DC outputs for external devices such as our LED Stage Lighting Panels

— Over-voltage protection

— Ultracapacitor provides a 2 – 5 minute buffer of power (depending on consumption levels).

— 1000-watt Pure Sine Wave inverter with two outlets. Use a power strip to run more devices at once.

— Latched lid protects system during transport, retention strap, heavy duty handle

— Well labeled inputs and outputs

— Major components visible through clear polycarbonate panel, good for education purposes

— 4-Line LED output, or upgrade to a wattage display (+$600)

— Durable Neutrik twist-lock connectors — the gold standard in the event audio world. Yanked cables don’t disconnect.

 

See our Video Demonstration of the Pedal Power Utility Box

Status: built to order, please allow 3 – 4 weeks for build. Event deadline? We can do rush delivery with extra charge.
Rentable: no
Prices: $1,850 (600w) DISCONTINUED — $1,975 (1000w)
+$600 wattage display on any PPUB

Bike Culture DVD’s and Music

Share the best of Bike Culture video and music with your friends and family and give them a taste of the creativity and spunk of the bike community. Rock The Bike’s unique entertainment offerings include original music by bands in the Bay Area, performing at the Bicycle Music Festival. You’ll see videos of other rides and events and video documentation of custom projects and product development in the Rock The Bike workshop. Together these videos and songs tell the unique story of our growing movement.

So, what is Bike Culture? It’s a way to express our passion for community, music,
outta-the-garage innovations, art bikes, and of course the bicycle. And
it’s the subject of our new DVD, Bike Culture Blowin’ Up!, Vol. I.

Bike
culture is quintessentially local and street level, a modern day folk
culture. Everyday people like us are nurturing it; writing the songs,
planning rides and events, and fabbing up the art bikes, Soul Cycles,
and tall bikes that ‘amaze small children’ in our community.

It’s
also a perfect example of how the internet is helping people of niche
interests connect. Some of these DVD’s will go as far as Kazakstan and
Japan. Internet tools like YouTube (subscribe at
www.youtube.com/user/rockthebike ) and Flickr (befriend us at
www.flickr.com/photos/rockthebike/ ) are helping us reach distant
collaborators and fans.

The short segments on Bike Culture Blowin’ Up are
all available individually online, but the DVD has much better video
and sound quality. Some of the segments are product-oriented (we cover
the Down Low Glow’s Side Visibility, the Fender Blender product line,
and the Mundo Cargo Bike), but most are done for the art and to spread
the spirit of the bike.

You’ll notice several highlights from
the 2008 Bicycle Music Festival in San Francisco, sponsored and
co-organized by Rock the Bike. Last year we had folks training in from
as far as Seattle to join us for this inspiring all-day event. The 3rd
annual 2009 BMF will happen in San Francisco on June 20. Be There! And
if you’re inspired to get something started in your community, the
Rides & Events tool on the Rock the Bike web site is a cool way to
get the word out.

We hope you enjoy and share this disc with
bike people, event organizers, and friends. More info on this DVD and
its segments can be found at www.https://rockthebike.com/Bike-Culture-DVD , and
you can leave suggestions for future videos, events, or collaborations
there.

Unique Gift Ideas

This is our guide to great gifts for your favorite cyclist!

We’ve updated our selection of unique gifts with some great products that are sure to please your favorite cyclo-phile! Check out the links below to our selection of Rock-the Bike approved products. We select these products with thousands of miles of riding under our belts, so you can give them as gifts with confidence. Our recommendations are from the heart.

Here are some ideas to start with:

» Got a high-class cyclist in the family? A Brook’s leather saddle is sure to impress, hand made in England.

» Know someone who rides with headphones? An In-the-pocket SoulCycle Head unit will give them the ability to stay groovy, without compromising safety. It’s a plug-and-play handlebar audio amp that produces professional sound quality with easy set-up!

» Handmade Second Wind Chimes are a beautiful way to “shout from the rooftops” an authentic appreciation for gear ratios.

» Choppers, beach cruisers and low riders can add some flair with “Fire” or “Ice” colored Sweetskinz tires, which have relective designs for added safety.

» An Incredibell is a great gift for any rider!

» Anyone who commutes to work will appreciate a Multi-Tool.

» Night riders love to know you care: get them a Blinkie to prove it!

» Anyone who carries heavy loads on their bike will enjoy using our reflective cam-straps instead of bungee cords.

Still not sure what to get? Browse the “Available Products” section below for more ideas, or give us a call at the workshop and we can talk you through it. If you don’t see what you’re looking for here, we may be able to specially order it. All of these products can be shipped directly to the recipient.

Shimano’s M324

Shimano’s M324-Platform and clipless pedal all in one


Since switching to Shimano’s half-platform / half-clipless pedal, the M324, I’m now wearing street shoes about 98% of the time when I ride.

These were the things I loved about clipless pedals before using the M324:

  • I enjoyed the feeling, at the end of a hard day at work, of putting on my special ‘go fast’ shoes, and heading home with a purpose.
  • On long days in the saddle, clipless is more efficient because you can contribute energy on the full pedal stroke, not just the down part. You’re getting your hamstrings more involved.
  • The actual feeling of clicking in, the sound and sensation, is pretty cool.

But I always had these frustrations:

  • You are going out to the cafe. You don’t want to wear your special ‘go fast’ click-in shoes. So you put on street shoes, but the clipless pedals dig in and make them uncomfortable.
  • Ditto, but when there’s water involved your feet slip off the metal surfaces, or the pedals roll under your feet at unpredictiable moments, and they become a safety hazard.

If you’re in the situation where you don’t want to give up clipless because you love the performance, but you’re constantly wearing street shoes and riding in discomfort, you’ll love Shimano’s platform / clipless solution.

Contrary to many people’s first impression of this pedal, it is not hard to use. The pedal hangs the same way each time due to the relative weights of the flat and clipless sides. This means that when you’re wearing street shoes you can always step on the correct side of the pedal if you step down and backwards. When wearing SPD (Click-in) shoes, you can always step on the click-in side by stepping forward and down.

Magnesium Pedals

Fender Blender Bike Blenders

We’ve been using these pedals on our custom Soul Cycles for the past few years. They’re wide, grippy, stylish, and give a rockin’ look to both cruisers and commuter bikes. These pedals are compatible with all non-BMX bicycle cranks. It’s a nice upgrade or gift item if you prefer riding in normal shoes without straps and clips. Moving away from click-in and toe-clip pedals doesn’t have to mean a downgrade in performance. For shorter trips, a platform pedal can be just as fast. The grippy surfaces and pins mean your foot will never slip. And the target is so large, you don’t have to position your foot in just the right place. Just get on and stomp.

The Righteous Kickstand

Kickstands are Cool Again!

A quality kickstand won’t slow you down, won’t let you down, and won’t let you fall down. But it will make your entrance a lot cooler when you roll up to a cafe at night with your Down Low Glow laying down a cloud of purple neon beneath you. And when you step off your rig and flick the kickstand down, you can leave your lights on for a few minutes while you say hi to your friends, buy yourself a beverage, and take a seat. The ‘Righteous’ kickstand makes it all possible. Righteous!

Kickstands are cool again. The ‘Righteous’ kickstand is the coolest way to keep your bike upright when you’re stopped at the cafe. Stop looking for walls to lean against! With your Self-Righteous kickstand, you’ll always have a suave arrival.

Technically speaking, this kickstand is a real champ. It clamps on the rear of your frame, which actually makes it faster and more stable than the standard mounting point (behind the bottom bracket.) Plus, it doesn’t block the rear tube of a Down Low Glow Dual Tube System. It’s made of aluminum, and features a 4-bolt mount (rather than the usual single-bolt mount that is prone to loosening). It’s aluminum engineering is beefy enough to make it the kickstand of choice up at Xtracycle (where they carry heavy loads frequently). It’s got only one moving part. You’ll have it forever.

Why did kickstands go out of fashioned back in the nineties? It has to do with the anorexic mountain bike industry doing anything it could to sell lighter bikes. Anything that made bikes heavier was now taboo, even if it made biking much cooler in everyday life.

But get this — most of the people buying those lightweight mountain bikes were riding them around the city (or college campus), places where you really need a kickstand.

Now, if your wondering, will this kickstand make me slower? The answer is no. Yes, it adds a little under a pound to your bike. But this weight is low down on the frame. Where you really want to be concerned about adding weight is in your wheels. If you want to go faster, get strong, lightweight wheels with high-quality slick tires, and pump them up to 80 pounds of pressure. Compared to the minor slowing impact of mounting an accessory like the Righteous Kickstand, focusing on your wheels will make a major difference you can actually feel.

Soul Cycles

Soul Cycle Mobile Audio Systems

Add the element of music to your next social ride with one of our amazing Soul Cycle mobile audio systems. There’s nothing like walking down your front steps to a glowing, inviting Soul Cycle, setting your iPod on the handlebar-mounted control deck, flipping a couple switches for lights and music, and riding off to the bumping bass of a Bob Marley track. All Rock The Bike Soul Cycles offer powerful bass, amazing ease of use, durability, and great styling!


Fossil Fool and Lisa cruising on the Choprical Fish, a custom Soul Cycle.

We cut our teeth making Soul Cycles for San Francisco’s Critical Mass rides, and we’ve innovated some of the most powerful features in today’s exciting world of bicycle audio: handlebar mounted controls, backlit speakers, and streamlined looks. If you want to build the ultimate party bike, install your Soul Cycle system on an Xtracycle SUB. Then you’ll be able to carry a friend, bring the beer, chips, salsa, and the tunes!

Soul Cycle Slim in commuter mode.
A fully custom Soul Cycle with the Xtracycle FreeRadical, complete with Mahogany backrest, brushed stainless steel control deck, and Brooks triple-sprung saddle.

We offer a range of Soul Cycle systems to match your needs and your budget. From the ready to roll Soul Cycle Head Unit, to our affordable DIY kits and wiring harnesses, to our one-of-a-kind, fully customm handmade cosmic Soul Cycle cruisers, YEOW!

Until you’ve experienced a Soul Cycle social ride, you won’t understand the power of seamlessly combining bikes and music. Picture a group of friends (old and new) cruising to the sounds of Marvin Gaye, his lyrics of peace and love coming through rich and clear, while your friends sing along, “Brother, brother…” The scenes of the city flowing by, people giving you a thumbs up or a shout of support, spreading joy, pied piper style, as your group increases in size with more bikers.

Some people wonder “Why would you want to listen to music on a bicycle?” Read why a bicycle is actually the perfect place to listen to music.


Above: The Soul Cycle Mothership fiberglass cabinet.

We run each Soul Cycle design through a rigorous series of tests: the BART cop smile test, the bass-sets-off-car-alarms test, the screaming, dancing teenagers test, etc. Oh, and we test the wiring and battery packs of each one too. A lot of soul goes into our Soul Cycles. We know these bikes will help you spread your love for bikes and music in your community. Contact us to find out which design is right for you. Please call us toll free at 888-354-BIKE.

Fender Blender Bike Blenders from Rock the Bike


Above: A Fender Blender Pro with High Performance Upgrade is the center of attention

A bike blender from Rock The Bike is an amazing way to bring people together. You can raise money for charity, host a bike party, blend refreshments at a race, and teach kids about healthy eating and exercise in a way they’ll always remember.

All of our Bike Blenders are handmade in our workshop. Designed and assembled with love for you to crank out the smoothies and the pedal power.

The Fender Blender bike blenders options are:

FB Pro: Optimized in function and form for human power

and FB Universale: Compatible with any bike

Both models are compatible with the Pedal Powered Spin Art Attachment.

 

Single Tube DLG Systems: cool, safe, and simple!

Single tube Down Low Glow bicycle light

 

Great for kids and commuters.

When you want to experience Cool Safety in it’s simplest form, you’ll want to pick up a Single Tube DLG system. Single tube systems look great, are easy to install, and have long battery life when compared to our dual tube systems (5-6 hours versus 3 hours).

If you’re the type of person who likes to move lights from one bike to another, or take them off your bike because you’re concerned about theft, you’ll like the fact that the single tube system has fewer parts to keep track of.

Single versus Dual. One might quickly conclude that the Single tube system is half as bright because it has half as many light tubes. But consider the position and the angle of the light tube. The single tube system, mounted on the down tube of your bicycle, hits the side angles so that when you’re in an intersection, cars entering from different streets can see you.  When you look down to catch your own aura as you ride, the light from that forward mounted light tube stretches to the edges of your peripheral vision. As the rider, you won’t perceive the Dual Tube system to be twice as bright as the Single.

So if you’re looking for a great gift for a kid, bicycle commuter, or anyone who’s got enough things to worry about already, get them a Single Tube system.

If on the other hand, you’re looking to take the street glow to the max and create an all-out party mode for your bike, you’ll be more psyched about our dual-tube systems.

Dual Tube DLG Systems

Fossil Fool poses on a chrome bicycle chopper with Envy Green  Dual-Tube Down Low Glow.

Maximize your visibility and the curbside appeal of your two-wheeled thing.

 

The Dual Tube DLG systems give you the most possible light and help you pull in more “Cool Bike!” shout outs than any other bike light.

With one shockproof light tube under your front triangle (down tube) and one under the rear (left chainstay), you’ll be cruising on a full carpet of neon light.

 

The dual tube system provides almost three hours of bright light on a fully-charged battery. To extend this time, you can carry a spare battery, get the double-wide extended life battery or go with the Single Tube system instead.

 

Shockproof light tubes

A lot of people ask us if the DLG is suitable for the type of hard city riding they do. Fortunately, our patent-pending shockproofing technique that protects the superbright lamp from breaking inside its housing. You can ride offroad, down stairs, off curbs. Just ride how you normally ride.

The Down Low Glow is also made with a shatterproof exterior housing similar to the material used in bulletproof glass. Rocks and parking meters won’t break it. So relax, and ride.

Check the video below for more on shockproofing.

Down Low Glow bike lights  are shockproof.

 

The Down Low Glow’s lightweight components won’t slow you down

Just because you’ve decided to stay safe and stylish when you commute by bike doesn’t mean you want to load your rig down with extra weight. The kid inside you still enjoys edging out that spandex-clad racer to the last gleamings of a yellow light. You love tight turns and fast descents and you don’t want your bike to slow you down. Luckily, the Down Low Glow only adds a little over a pound to your bike. You can still lift it up on your shoulder for the flight of stairs to the subway, and you won’t notice the difference in your cruising speed.

Sure, some people pay hundreds of dollars to shave a couple ounces off their wheels, but weight on your wheels and weight on your frame are totally different due to a physics phenomenon called rotational mass. Adding a pound to your frame is hardly noticeable.

Let’s say you want to go on a fast daytime ride. You can remove the DLG’s battery with a quick tug on the wide Velcro strap, and you’ve instantly gotten rid of 85% of the weight of the product. Most people who hold the DLG’s shockproof light tubes in their hands at Rock The Bike trade shows say “Oh, this weighs nothing.”

So rest assured that adding the amazing visibility and cool safety of the Down Low Glow to your bike won’t slow you down. Keep your bike svelte and safe with the Down Low Glow.

No tools or zip ties required to mount your Down Low Glow

Many bike lights need to be installed with a screwdriver or a wrench. The Down Low Glow has a secure, shockproof mounting system that requires no tools to install. Just stretch the rubber straps around your frame and pop the DLG’s light tube into the plastic clip. We searched long and hard at industrial trade shows to find a clip that was easy to use, durable, and sleek. As you can see from the photo above, it doesn’t interfere with the brake and shifter cables on your bicyle.

For our dual tube systems, there’s are a couple velcro cinch straps to tighten in addition to this clip.

Lots of bike products use black zip ties.We could have used zip ties in our mounting system. But zip ties are a single use product. So you’d need more of them if you ever want to move the Down Low Glow to another bike.

A lot of our customers have more than one bike and want to move their lights from bike to bike depending on who they’re with, how far their going. On one night, I might take the cruiser. On another night, I might need to carry something, so I take the Xtracycle. If I’m leading a social ride, I’ll take the Soul Cycle. Our no-tools mounting kit makes it easy to have fun with your entire bike fleet, and loan your Down Low Glow lights to friends, too.

Unlock the portal of social biking

If you’re the bike guy or gal in your family or circle of friends, the Down Low Glow will help you pull people in to the social biking experience. They’ll see that biking is the perfect way to relax and get the night started. And with the Down Low Glow, you’ll be keeping them safe as you cruise the city or the neighborhood.

Many less experienced bikers worry about safety around sunset and after dark. And rightfully so. But with the Down Low Glow, you can calm their fears and show them the fun, social side of biking. Before you know, people will be gathering at your place on Friday night, wanting to cruise on the bikes in your garage.

Our single tube DLG systems are a great way to go if you’re interested in hosting social rides. They’re easy to install and move from one bike to another, and they’re our least expensive DLG systems, so you can buy a couple and have one ready for a friend to join you on your next cruise. Mix the colors to get beautiful color fades happening under your bikes as you ride.

 

Sleek, water-resistant light tubes

The Down Low Glow’s light tubes are lightweight, sleek, and very futuristic, with their chrome reflectors and end caps. They are shockproof, low profile, and water resistant(10 out of 10 recently passed a dunk test).

They weigh next to nothing, as nearly all of the weight in the Down Low Glow system is in the 1lb battery pack. Most of our customers choose to leave them on the bike all the time.

Winterize your rig with the Down Low Glow

 

Derek from Olympia, Washington is doing it ( www.bikerubbish.com ) . Racer Rolf Hebenstreit from Northern Idaho is doing it. Jeff Youngstrom will probably be doing it next time it snows in Issaquah, Washington, now that his Down Low Glow has arrived. Mary Arnesson will be doing it in Minneapolis this winter, given her penchant for riding all year round

If you’re the type of rider who heads out in the snow, we want to be right there with you.

“The snow reflects the DLG lights nicely.” — Mary Arneson. 

“Hey Paul, They’re awesome on the snow!!
Cars slow down a block before they get to me! They must think I’m a “UFO” !!!
I ride to work almost every day from -2 degrees to about 15 degrees in the morning.
“DLG” & Nokian studded snow tires ROCK! The extra waterproofing is doing the job nicely.
Thank you again for a great product and great service. Over the bars….. Rolf.
P.S. Sorry No photos yet, it’s too cold at 5AM!!!!”

— Rolf Hebenstreit, master-class mountain bike racer, all-season commuter. From 2004.

The ‘extra waterproofing’ Rolf talked about is now standard on all Down Low Glow systems.

 

 

Jeff riding in the snow.
Jeff riding home from work in the snow. That’s the spirit!

Once you get past your initial hangups about gettng wet, riding in the rain and snow can make you feel so alive! You’re out there, flakes hitting your face, landing on your hands, odd sounds coming from your tires as they get caked. Sure, you probably wouldn’t want to do it every day this winter, but you probably won’t have to.

The few cars that are out there with you in the snow will need to see you. So in addition to adding a UFO look to your rig, the DLG will be creating a wider buffer space between you and drivers. They’ll be more likely to slow down sooner and cut you a wide berth than with blinkies alone.