Homegrown brand Lumini Nights develops a modern bicycle accessory for the hours of darkness
As the dark season of the year begins, homegrown startup Lumini Nights has launched a stylish and functional product – a glow-in-the-dark bicycle strip that illuminates it during the evening and nighttime hours. The innovative strip is designed to be attached to a bicycle wheel rim, thereby combining an original and striking design with a concern for cyclists’ safety in the city and beyond. The new product is suitable for practically any bicycle and is one of the first steps in the Lumini Nights safe-mobility project, which is planned as a long-term initiative aimed at bringing together like-minded enthusiasts of a green and active lifestyle in Latvia and elsewhere in the world.
The reflective strip’s technology is based on luminescence, achieved through exposure to ultraviolet light. Therefore, the Lumini Nights set also includes UV lamps to intensify the glow, which bicycle owners can easily install at home, just like the strip. Equipping the bicycle is extremely simple: the strip is applied to a cleaned wheel rim and pressed firmly against the surface, while two lamps are attached to each side of the bicycle fork and frame , with the light beam directed at the covered surface. During the day, the strip, made of safety-sign material, is white; during the hours of darkness, it lights up bright green, making it visible to motorists and pedestrians from a distance.
The Lumini Nights brand was founded in the spring of this year, and its team consists of seven professionals in their respective fields, who are actively involved in cycling and promoting a safe lifestyle in their daily lives. The idea of developing a durable and tasteful reflective bicycle strip originated two years ago, when the enterprising brothers realised that the market lacked bicycle accessories that not only added an original accent to bikes but also helped make them more visible in the dark. Given the rapidly increasing number of road traffic accidents during the autumn and winter seasons, the idea of light-reflecting strips quickly won the approval of others as well, and the product-testing process was launched. It has now passed strict quality control and been adapted to the highest standards, with the aim of entering export markets in the near future.
“After several months of intensive work and countless trial versions, we can finally say with pleasure that Lumini Nights is ready to conquer the streets of Riga. Since we ourselves travel around the city by bicycle almost every day, the issue of safety during the hours of darkness has always been particularly important to us. We believe that this bright and modern nighttime technology will appeal both to young people and adults, serving as a unifying element for cyclists, creating a pleasant sense of community and highlighting the importance of safe mobility throughout the year. Through the movement we have initiated, we want to promote a green, active and healthy lifestyle, as well as dispel the myths that safety-enhancing accessories cannot be convenient and stylish,” comment the product’s creators and Lumini Nights founders, brothers Kristers and Kaspars Gulbis.
Currently, Lumini Nights luminescent bicycle strip sets can be purchased at the Lumini Nights shop-workshop at 51 Matīsa Street in Riga, on the website www.lumininights.com, as well as from selected retailers throughout Latvia. The bicycle workshop also offers every customer a free strip-installation service. The brand’s product range is soon to be expanded with other innovative nighttime technology products. Various campaigns and partnerships aimed at improving public safety are also planned, bringing together local and international companies and brands in pursuit of a common goal.
