Can you believe it’s already fall? Seattle has been hit by some nasty weather this fall: rain, clouds and wind storms. And most disturbing of all, darkness! Time to start pulling out our bike lights.
What type of lights do you use?
Even though we talk about upgrading to generator lights, we haven’t made the leap yet. We’re still using battery-powered lights. And not even bike-specific battery-powered lights, we use a variety of AA flashlights that we connect to our handlebars with DIY guy’s signature re-used/re-purposed inner tube mounts.
Bike Light Kickstarter
We’re not serial product testers and endorsers here at Car Free Days. We don’t blindly endorse every Kickstarter campaign that shows up in our inbox. In fact, the last time we got excited about a Kickstarter campaign, we were emotionally attached (a documentary by one of the Xtracycle founders). It’s been two years already and so far, the promised movie has yet to materialize.
That said, the latest Kickstarter campaign we’ve been asked to review looks pretty good. These guys have a track record for delivering on time and as promised.
When Slava Menn contacted us and suggested we check out his Kickstarter for indestructible bike lights, we were intrigued. The Kickstarter title alone was worth a click. “Fortified: Bike Lights that Last Forever. We Promise”
Forever? We Promise? Maybe we should at least see what this is all about.
We clicked the link, read about the product, watched the video and then spent a little time clicking around the web and reading other testimonials and reviews.
- A bike light backed with a “lifetime, no matter what warranty?” Hmmm
- A proprietary/custom security screw and allen key to protect from theft? That’s a good idea. I hate having to remove all of my lights when I park my bike on the street. It would be nice to be able to leave my lights on the bike and not worry about them getting stolen.
- Removable battery that uses USB charging? Nice!
Their Kickstarter is already fully funded. In fact, at this writing it’s 474 percent funded. They’ve already raised $113,758! Fortified certainly doesn’t need your pledge any longer. Even if Fortified’s bank account will be flush with Kickstarter pledges once the campaign ends in 19 days, pledging your support might be an opportunity to get some kick ass lights at a good price. At the same time you can show your support for a new company and product.
How about you? Do you back Kickstarter projects? Any duds? Or gems? Please share the good and the bad!
And please, have a good weekend! Looks like we might get some sun in Seattle this weekend!
- Anne
