Core77

Lumineer: A Stem-Dwelling Bike Light

A streamlined bike accessory and a plea for better bike research

By Kat Bauman - March 28, 2016

in Cars | Case Study | Crowdfunding | Bikes

Something almost magically bad happens when an ardent amateur bike rider designs bike gear. Chalk it up to beginner's audacity, or thinking unclouded by industry norms, but the outcome is often a strikingly simple solution to a much more complicated issue. And it almost always causes more problems in the process.

Please consider the Lumineer, and then consider talking to a mechanic before you redesign a bike accessory. The Lumineer is a bike light from the designer of the Kranium cardboard bike helmet. It is a bike stem with a light built into the front plate. This light is meant to streamline the look of your cockpit, eliminate complicated light brackets, reduce the amount of things you have to take with you, and deter theft. It's milled from aluminum, comes in black and chrome, and it runs on two CR2032 batteries. Simple!

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On the other hand, you'll have to replace your stem, and take the front plate entirely off–leaving your bars dangling–just to change the batteries. You get exactly one option for stem length, rise, and bar diameter, despite the wide array of bodies and bike types it might appeal to...and despite the oddly confident and genuinely puzzling claim that, "it fits almost every bike." The "cool infographic" with general dimensions does almost nothing to describe the compatibility with different sizes of steer tube or bars in laymen's terms—absolutely crucial information for users who are expected to install this component themselves.

"Not that you really need to know this, because Lumineer fits on practically every bike with a stem measuring 22-26 mm." We do, Lumineer. We do need to know this.

And you "Eco Geeks" are instructed not to worry, because though the Kickstarter campaign is off and running, they are currently looking for a way to incorporate USB charging ability. Not only is "eco geeks" an unpleasant way of referring to people who appreciate responsible design, USB recharge saves your customer money and effort. In an era when you can get a 100 lumen sub-$30 rechargeable light at a modestly stocked LBS, relying on batteries is a sign of underdeveloped market research and underdeveloped design. But don't worry, they're also looking into brighter LEDs! And that's great, but if the light is the heart of your design, don't half ass the light.

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This brings me to my favorite part of novice design: the downplaying of well-tested engineering. The stem is a very important part of the bike, and its strength and proper adjustment are vital to you having a nice ride and having teeth at the end of it. By assuming that this stem will fit "most bikes" the designer has already outed himself as unaware of bike subtleties, or totally uninterested in meeting potential users halfway. Installing a stem isn't a stand-alone process, and the ability to do headset bearing adjustment is not fair to expect from a casual rider, especially one put off by the minimally technical task of installing a mass-produced plastic headlight.

By addressing this central component as an easily added accessory, with no structural/fit/adjustment issues of its own, the designer seems willing to compromise the ergonomics and entire functionality of the bike itself for the sake of sticking some LEDs in.

Interested in how that battery cap blocks moisture.

Currently, the only question in the campaign's FAQ asks whether there is any vertical angle adjustment on the light. This is important since the angle of each bike's head tube dictates where the actual beam of the light will hit, and since there's only one stem angle offered, it might not hit where you need it. The answer is no, and so the official Lumineer solution is to over-tighten and under-tighten the bolts on the stem's faceplate to pitch the plate up or down. Not only is that a truly obnoxious way to adjust a light, it also compromises the strength of the stem itself by overloading a threaded system. An over-stressed stem bolt can easily strip, which endangers the security of the bars, and by extension your steering, braking and teeth.

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Bike mechanics and design aren't unknowable dark arts, but the layperson buying a bike light intended to simplify a system shouldn't be required to know more than average, and the average still isn't much! If you want to test this, walk your two-wheeled whip into the nearest shop for service and mention that you've "done a lot of work on it myself." If your mechanic looks impressed I'll eat a truing stand.

Can this design be salvaged? Is it more practical than it appears? What would you have done differently?

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Comments

Mackey Smith

8 years ago

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I think this relates to our problematic "disruption" culture in design. Designers are taught to revolutionize every item instead of comprehend 200 years of incremental developments that have lead to the bicycles we all know and love. The truth is though that bike accessories like lights and locks still leave a lot to be desired...

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- Sean Horita
  
  Mackey Smith
  
  8 years ago
  
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  Couldn't agree more. On top of that, you have a design culture that values the surface-level disruptive ideas, over the incremental ideas that can actually work and make a difference.
  
  Kind of kills me how so many bike accessory design proposals use a stripped down fixie as the platform for showcasing an add-on component. Its like putting an air-conditioned cup holder in a race car. Hey fixie guy! You know what would make your cycling life better? Brakes! Gears! Helmet!
  
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  - Kat Bauman
    
    Sean Horita
    
    8 years ago
    
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    The fixie-as-model is one of my favorite lazy tropes. It's a very efficient way to see which designers didn't bother learning how derailleurs work or doing much market research.
    
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Christopher Hanks

8 years ago

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Genius.

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Furious Filipino

8 years ago

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One of the few critical Core77 articles that have technical merit. On the design of bike head lights, the handle bar, stem or forks are actually not the best places to mount a light; it needs to be separate from bar movements, which is why they are typically supported by the frame on motorcycles. We need a non-integrated way to universally mount lights to bike frames and still offer the same efficacy and adjustability of a bar mounted light.

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- Horst Graben
  
  Furious Filipino
  
  8 years ago
  
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  You might be interested in the bicycle lighting options from Busch and Muller. www.bumm.de/produkte/
  The B&M lights generally mount onto the front fork where the front mudguard (fender) is attached but you could have a mounting thread brazed onto the steerer tube.
  
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Dee An

8 years ago

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It is good to see a critical article on Core77! Very often designs are featured here without any real critique, especially designs for bicycles and cycling accessories.
I don't want to see a Core77 that is always making snide comments about designers' efforts, but some constructive criticism would be good for Core's readers and the designers alike.

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Ani Rao

8 years ago

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Dear Kat,
Thanks for reviewing the Stem.
As Promised,
We have already addressed the issues mentioned above in our recent updates. We have also engineered to include a USB rechargeable Battery in the Bike stem as well as included a New LED chamber which delivers 300LM. We have also updated the running times in the different modes according to the new LED and Battery setup. The new battery being used is a Li-ion rechargeable battery (3.6V-2500mAh), chargeable by USB 2.0
We have two variations of the stem to hold two separate Bar Diameters Namely 22-26mm and 31-33mm bars. We have also updated this info after a few of our customers have asked for the clarification.
At the moment, the only way to tilt the LED is to use the slight amount of play you have in the screws which is why We have mentioned that there are only 15degrees of play. This is without effecting the integrity of the Handlebar.
We apologise for the delay in getting these updates up. We hope that we managed to atlas dress a few of your concerns.

Regards, Ani

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- Kat Bauman
  
  Ani Rao
  
  8 years ago
  
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  Hey,
  Thanks for the additional info, Ani! Glad you've updated your campaign copy too. My biggest caution to folks working on bike products is to investigate the end user very very carefully. Riders range so widely in their technical knowledge and mechanical abilities that making a product appeal to both the savant and the newcomer is an uphill battle. (This is particularly true because everyone thinks of bikes as simple machines... apart from grouchy industry vets. *cough*) So if it turns out you're really aiming at a select sub-group (fixie-riding mechanically-inclined city-dwellers?) it can pay off to lean into that specificity in the product and pitch, instead of stretching to reach people who won't be well-equipped users without a lot of education. Hope your work goes well!
  -Kat
  
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- Ani Rao
  
  Ani Rao
  
  8 years ago
  
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  The LED infographic with the 2 CR2032 cells was to show what the prototype was using.
  
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Sean Horita

8 years ago

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Trek or Specialized need to take a comprehensive look at a project like this, and knock it out of the park. This implementation stinks. Tightening or loosening bolts to adjust the angle of the light is a comically bad idea. It might be salvageable if it was made more 'niche' - like just for commuters, or just for mountain bikes.

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J B Bell

8 years ago

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Twice a year, like clockwork, design students post their grad projects to bikeforums.com (and, doubtless, other forums as well). The parade of bad design is amusing or infuriating depending on your temperament and how long you've put up with it. (Why, why does everyone want to get rid of spokes? They're nice!)

This one takes the cake for not looking terrible at first glance and then falling completely apart on examination. Kudos for the entertaining take-down.

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- Kat Bauman
  
  J B Bell
  
  8 years ago
  
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  Nailed it. It's almost my favorite season for bike news just for the entertainment! Young designers sure love to eliminate what they don't understand. :)
  
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