You wanna get around SF? Bicycle.
You wanna survive an evening commute? Bicycle with very bright lights.
This is that: Mission Bicycle Company’s retroreflective Lumen city bike, taking pre-orders now.
Retroreflective is a hoity-toity word for the way street signs — and cats’ eyes — redirect light back to the source.
In this case, the headlights along The Wiggle.
The entire bike — frame, fork and rims — is the reflector.
The Lumen’s paint is permanently fused to the body — gray by day, white by night in the xenon glow of an oncoming Mercedes.
The tech is exclusive to the Lumen thanks to Mission’s partners in the nanotech coating industry.
The bike itself is handmade by Mission from lightweight, sturdy steel. It’s stamped with a fifty-year guarantee.
Available in single-speed and geared configurations as well as a bare-bones, frame-only option, the Lumen is scheduled to ship to backers in late Summer.
Call it your Summer of Love.
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