Pedal Lights FAQ

There are a number of questions that we are asked at Pedalite International on a regular basis regarding our battery free 360 degree visibility pedal lights. This page details these questions and provides answers to them. to help you go directly to the question you need answering please click on the following list of questions and you will be taken to the answer for that question.

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Problem with the Pedal Lights ?

 

How do you fit Pedalite 360 degree visibility pedal lights?

Do Pedalite 360 degree visibility pedal lights require any maintenance?

Do you need oil, grease or lube Pedalite 360 degree visibility pedal lights?

I received a box with only one pedal and some wires !

I fitted the pedals and one does not work !

The pedal lights worked then stopped and now work again - are they ok ?

One of the pedals flickers as an extremely fast rate - it does not seem normal !

What else should I know?

 

General Questions ?

Is there a Clipless version of the Pedalite 360 degree visibility Pedal?

What are the size and weight of the pedals?

Can you turn Pedalite 360 degree visibility Pedal lights off?

Do Pedalite produce any special edition products for the emergency services?

What are Pedalite 360 degree visibility pedal lights?

How do 360 degree visibility pedal lights work?

Why are the 360 degree visibility pedal lights unique?

What do cyclists think of the 360 degree visibility pedal lights?

Why is cycling safety such a big issue?

Are 360 degree visibility pedal lights only ideal for use in the winter?

Can 360 degree visibility pedal lights be used by children and adults?

What about 360 degree visibility pedal lights' green credentials?

Where can I find out more?

Are there any competitor products on the market?

How exactly do they work? be technical please?

What materials are Pedalites made from and how tough are they?

How do I know if they will fit my bike?

What testing and quality control do you do on the Pedalite 360 degree visibility pedal lights?

 

Information for Distributors of Pedalite Products

 

What is the size and weight of wholesale cartons?

What is the SKU/barcode of the pedal lights?

Where can I find tips and techniques for my Retailers?

 

Is there a Clipless version of the Pedalite Pedal?

At present Pedalite pedals are replacements for platform pedals, to be used with non-cleated shoes however you should also review our Anklelite product as an alternative solution. There are multiple different types of cleat and also competition between the Pedalite energy harvesting technology and the Cleat for position around the pedal spindle.

Our initial solution to this has been to introduce toe clips for Pedalite 360 degree visibility pedal lights, however, we also have a designer working on the potential for a clipless version of the Pedalite pedal. At this stage no timeframes can be given as to when or if such a pedal could be produced.

It is useful to us to know the views of riders who prefer cleats and therefore we would be grateful if you could email us with your views on the following:

1. Which clipless version do I use, SPD, Look etc.

2. Would you accept a platform one side (so that we can incorporate our mechanism) and a cleat on the other?

3. A Pedalite 360 degree visibility pedal with cleats would be larger (to incorporate the lights), more expensive (upto £10 per pair more) and heavier (to incorporate the moulding and energy harvesting system), would this be acceptable to you?

4. Do you have any other comments or suggestions regarding a cleated version of the Pedalite 360 degree visibility pedal with cleats?

What are the Size and Weight of the pedals?

Pedalite 360 degree visibility pedal lights are similar in weight and size to most other platform pedals:

The weight of the pedals (pair) is approximately 520grams

The size of each pedal is approximately 9.5cm by 9.5cm by 2.5cm

For folding bikes, the weight of one pedal is approximately 260grams

Can you turn Pedalite Pedal lights off?

Pedalite 360 degree visibility pedal lights are quite deliberately designed to not have an on/off switch for the following reasons:

1. The Pedalite 360 degree visibility pedal can never be forgotten to be turned on, when you are riding the lights are on. This is known as passive safety, i.e. you don't have to think about your Pedalite safety lighting system, it is always there and always on when you are riding

2. The Pedalite 360 degree visibility pedal can never be forgotten to be turned off (automatic turn off up to 5 minutes after riding stops).

3. During daylight when a storm cloud comes over, the sky darkens and most bicycles become virtually invisible, the Pedalite 360 degree visibility pedal automatically illuminates the rider. Most riders do not stop and turn lights on when storm clouds darken the sky during daylight.

4. At dusk and dawn the light fluctuates significantly depending on what you are riding near (tall buildings, under overhanging trees, etc.) the Pedalite 360 degree visibility pedal automatically illuminates the rider in all of these cases.

5. The Pedalite 360 degree visibility pedal is the emergency lighting system for your bike. While the Pedalite 360 degree visibility pedal does not replace your front/rear lighting system and riders should attempt to be as illuminated as possible, if traditional batteries fail, traditional bulbs blow or any other fault develops with traditional lighting systems then your Pedalite 360 degree visibility pedal is the emergency system to get you to safety.

6. The life of the Pedalite 360 degree visibility pedal LED’s is over 100,000 hours and so they will last longer than the bike.

7. If batteries were free and did not harm the environment then all riders would keep their lights on all the time. With the Pedalite 360 degree visibility pedals there are of course no batteries to run down and therefore they can and should remain always on to be your emergency lighting system.

Do Pedalite produce any special edition products for the emergency services?

Yes. Our work with the emergency services has produced a special edition product that can only be purchased by accredited emergency services (e.g. police, ambulance, paramedic, etc). These special edition Pedalite 360 degree visibility pedals provide amber light in normal operation and can be switched, though a simple back pedal, to flashing blue lights. More information on these special edition pedals can be found here.

What are Pedalite 360 degree visibility pedal lights?

Further information on the Battery Free 360 degree visibility pedal lights may be found here

How do 360 degree visibility pedal lights work?

Pedalite 360 degree visibility pedal lights require no batteries and uniquely, they are powered by cycling energy and light up as soon as the cyclist starts to pedal. The lights store this energy too, so even when a cyclist stops at traffic lights and junctions, the lights stay on so the bikes can still be seen by motorists.

Why are the 360 degree visibility pedal lights unique?

Pedalite is a unique and patented product, it harvests energy from the rotation of the pedal spindle, not taking additional energy from the cyclist, and stores this energy to not only flash the pedal lights but to uniquely continue to flash them after pedalling stops for a full 5 minutes. There are no batteries to run out or damage the environment and the old fashioned dynamo systems lose power as soon as you stop pedalling – which is exactly what you do at road junctions.

What’s more bikes fitted with Pedalites can be seen from up to 1km distance away and from any angle including the side, which is a major blind spot for cars.

What do cyclists think of the 360 degree visibility pedal lights?

In a survey, conducted at the national UK cycle show, 61% of cyclists complained that cars and lorries come too close to them, causing them to wobble or throwing them off balance. Because Pedalite 360 degree pedal lights define the width of the cycle, for the very first time, Pedalites create a virtual cycle lane for the cyclist and cars and lorries give bikes with Pedalite 360 degree visibility pedal lights a wider berth. In the same survey 51% of cyclists also said that their biggest worry was not being seen.

Why is cycling safety such a big issue?

There has a major rise in the number of UK cyclists in recent years in a bid to reduce carbon emissions and improve health. In London alone, an 83% increase in cyclists over seven years was reported by Transport for London in May 2007. But safety is still a major concern. Whilst the number of pedal cyclists who were killed fell 1% to 146 last year, the number seriously injured rose 4% to 2,296 according to the Department of Transport.

Are 360 degree visibility pedal lights only ideal for use in the winter?

This always-on lighting isn’t just ideal for winter – they should be used all year round. You saw last summer just how unpredictable our weather can be – with sudden rain storms appearing darkening the sky – with Pedalite Battery Free 360 degree visibility pedal lights cyclists will always be seen by cars whatever the weather, day or night. Pedalite 360 degree visibility pedal lights are an essential back up if other lights run out or fail. They ensure that cyclists are never without lights and can always be seen by motorists. Don't forget that Pedalite 360 degree visibility pedal lights are your PASSIVE SAFETY cycle lighting system.  Please also see out SHE campaign.

Can 360 degree visibility pedal lights be used by children and adults?

Pedalite 360 degree visibility pedal lights are the ideal product for all the family. They can be easily fitted to bikes and require no maintenance. They are ideal for cycling commuters, leisure cyclists and school children.

What about 360 degree visibility pedal lights' green credentials?

As they use no batteries, Pedalite 360 degree visibility pedal lights will appeal to any cyclists with an environmental conscience. Globally 15 billion batteries are thrown away each year; in the UK alone that is over 20,000 tonnes of batteries. Battery disposal has become a topical subject in the UK as we have become aware of the dangers and implications of disposing up to 300 million batteries in landfill sites each year. Pedalite pedals are protecting the environment by eliminating batteries and always on to help protect cyclists. Even the packaging for Pedalite 360 degree visibility pedal lights is made mainly from recycled cardboard with no plastic wrapper. You should also review the environment section of this website.

What else should I know?

Pedalite 360 degree pedal lights are easy to fit to any size bike, are a high quality product with a full 1 year warranty and are the ultimate “passive safety” product for all cyclists. Passive safety means that you need to remember to take lights with you if you go out cycling and will stay out until after dark, you need to remember reflective clothing, remember to take batteries, etc but with Pedalite you simply fit and forget them. They are always there and always on.

Where can I find out more?

There is a lot more information available about how these products help the environment, the quality control the products go through, cycling laws and regulations, the amazing supergrip studs and how they work on this website

Are there any competitor products on the market?

There is nothing on the market that quite like Pedalite 360 degree visibility pedal lights that harvest energy and then use this for a full 5 minutes after pedalling stops to project lights through 360 degrees for up to 1km, which is why they are being snapped up by consumers and by organizations such as the emergency services. The products are patented and unique, please do not be confused by any inferior copies that do not provide the level of quality and safety that Pedalite 360 degree visibility pedal lights do

How exactly do they work? be technical please?

The Pedalite principle is to convert mechanical energy into electrical energy from the movement of the pedal spindle. Pedalite pedal lights multiply the spindle rotation using a gearbox and generator. Sufficient energy is available to energise the LEDs immediately and charge a storage capacitor. The capacitor provides residual energy enabling the pedal to flash when the cyclist freewheels or stops. Even at a pedal speed of 40rpm energy is rapidly stored. A cyclist will expend less than 0.5% (0.3W) of their propelling energy to energise a pair of Pedalite pedal lights.

What materials are Pedalite Pedal lights made from and how tough are they?

Lightweight composite materials. The materials have been selected and tested to withstand harsh use in extreme conditions. The casing is Zytel, a nylon and glass material that is both stronger and lighter than aluminium. The lens is polycarbonate – the same material that is used to make police shields. The cap is watertight and is made of polyeurothane, known for it’s resistance and the same material rubber soled shoes are made from. Pedalite uses a Nichicon 2.2F energy storage capacitor rather than any form of chemical battery, making the system environmentally acceptable.

How do you fit Pedalite 360 degree visibility pedal lights?

Pedalite 360 degree visibility pedal lights are very easy to fit. An instruction leaflet is contained in each box and can be viewed at this link or downloaded from our downloads page. Please remember that all cycle pedal threads are handed which means that the Right hand pedal tightens clockwise BUT the Left hand pedal tightens anti-clockwise. If you look on the casing by the spindle you will see an R or and L indicating left or right pedal.   If you put a left pedal on to a right spindle you can cross thread the thread and ruin the crank.  Please be careful when fitting the pedals. We recommend that adults fit the pedals to the bicycle.

How do I know if they will fit my bike?

The thread is 9/16 20TPI. This is the world standard thread size for all cranks fitted to all bikes except bike deigned for very small children. There are some custom bikes and niche bikes (e.g. certain specialist BMX jump bikes use a half inch thread) that might have a special unique spindle size, therefore, if you buy a pair of Pedalite 360 degree visibility pedal lights and they do not fit your bike you can return them to us, with details of the bike, for a full refund, if returned unused with the original packaging, within 30 days

What testing and quality control do you do on the Pedalite 360 degree visibility pedal lights?

Our quality control programme is extensive from human testers, mechanical test rigs, random checks, etc. The easiest way to answer this question is to ask you to review the quality control section of our website.

Do Pedalite 360 degree visibility pedal lights require any maintenance?

There are no parts on Pedalite 360 degree visibility pedal lights that require maintenance of any kind. The Pedalite 360 degree visibility pedal light is specifically designed to be fit and forget. The watertight design of the Pedalite requires that the user should not attempt to open the casing for any reason. If you do ever have any problems with your Pedalite pedal lights you should contact us at customerhelp@pedalite.com.

Pedalite Pedal lights are sealed units that should not need any maintenance, as such, there is no maintenance sheet and the pedals should not be taken apart.  There is no need to grease, oil or lube the pedal lights, in fact there are not even any specific oiling points on the pedal lights, the product really is ‘sealed for life’ and is not customer-maintainable.

It is possible that the rubber seal at the rear-end of the pedal by the thread that is next to the crank can dry or stiffen a little in the cold or over time.  In which case a small spray of WD40 (or similar) at this point should solve this problem, it will take a little time to soak in.  However, it is very rare that this seal will dry or stiffen and most people will never need to consider any maintenance to the pedal lights.

I received a box with only one pedal in it and some wires !

I ordered a pair of these pedals but what I received was one pedal that appears to be hard-wired to a battery holder in the bottom box.  What has happened ?

It sounds like a retailer has accidently sent you one of their retail POINT OF SALE displays !  Please contact either the retailer you purchased the product from or us at customerhelp@pedalite.com with details of the retailer and we will get it sorted out for you.

I fitted the pedals and one does not work !

Pedalite pedal lights are designed to withstand all kinds of bumps and knocks, in addition all of the products undergo a significant quality control and testing process, therefore, it is very rare for a product to be sold with one of the pedals (or even both) not working.

The symptoms described here (lights function part of the time) would indicate that that the pedals probably have a microchip that was incorrectly set during manufacture with the tolerance to small, this would cause the symptoms of suddenly stopping working after limited use or prior to use. 

The microchips are designed to “reset” if there is a problem and should then remember this reset (correct) setting, meaning that if this situation occurs then after a 24 hour period you will should find that the pedal lights are working again and will carry on working normally permanently (possibly after a maximum of a couple of resets). 

If for whatever reason the pedal light does not reset and is therefore still not working after 24 hours, please contact us at customerhelp@pedalite.com and we will replace the product for you under the terms of our warranty.

The pedal lights worked then stopped and now work again - are they ok ?

The symptoms of the lights functioning intermittently would indicate that that the pedals probably have a microchip that was incorrectly set during manufacture with the tolerance to small, this would cause the symptoms of suddenly stopping working after limited use. 

The microchips are designed to “reset” if there is a problem and should then remember this reset (correct) setting, meaning that if this situation occurs then after a 24 hour period you will should find that the pedal lights are working again and will carry on working normally permanently (possibly after a maximum of a couple of resets). 

If for whatever reason the pedal light does not reset and is therefore still not working after 24 hours, please contact us at customerhelp@pedalite.com and we will replace the product for you under the terms of our warranty.

One of the pedals flickers as an extremely fast rate - it does not seem normal !

If one of the pedal lights starts to flicker at an unusual or very fast rate then it is NOT normal.  Pedalite buy many tens of thousands of electronic components for our products, from capacitors to resistors, unfortunately, even though we try to buy the very best electrical components some of these will fail.  One symptom of a pedal light electrical component failing is that the lights will flicker at an incredibly fast rate, if this happens, please contact us at customerhelp@pedalite.com and we will replace the product for you under the terms of our warranty.

 

 

 

 

 

Information for Distributors of Pedalite Products

What is the size and weight of wholesale cartons?

Pedalite Battery free 360 degree visibility pedal lights are supplied in wholesale cartons of 20 units that contain 2 inner cartons of 10 units each.  The sizes and weights of these units appear below.

Carton	Number	Size (cms)	Weight (gms)
Inner Carton	10	49x24x16	7200
Outer Carton	20	50x37x27	14600

What is SKU/Barcode of the Pedal Lights?

The Pedalite Battery free 360 degree visibility pedal lights have an SKU/Barcode of: 5060161480016.

Where can I find tips and techniques for my Retailers?

We try to provide a much assistance for distributors to retailers as we can.  On this website you will find a product photos page that contains photos and pictures that retailers and distributors can download and add to their website.  We also have a tips and techniques page for retailers and additional information regarding the environment, quality control and cycling laws and regulations.