It’s hard to know where to start and where to stop with a commuter bike: sometimes all the (literal) bells and whistles feel like so much bloatware.
But not with this one.
The Lyra, from the hometown heroes at the Mission Bicycle Company, is the just-right version of the commuter bicycle: gorgeous, GPS-enabled and capable of illuminating even the darkest streets.
Here’s how it makes you safer: 100 light-emitting diodes are integrated into the fork, providing you with nearly 360-degree visibility — not just the front funnel provided by traditional bike lamps. And additional LEDs are built into the seatpost, with three different settings: continuous light, flickering and wave.
When people can see you, they are less likely to drive into you. As a bonus: Both sets of lights are so well-integrated into the bike that Mission Bicycle feels comfortable calling the tech “virtually theft-proof.”
Speaking of tech: your bike will ping you its location every time it completes a journey — meaning that if someone takes it for a spin, you’ll know where to find it when they’re done. And the whole system is powered by a single lithium battery.
The Lyra is now being Kickstarted. Get in there now, while the getting is good.
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