Review - CYGLO Cycling Backpack Indicator Display

When you are riding in traffic, your lower back is by far the most visible part of your rear-facing silhouette. The innovative and unique CYGLO Cycling Rucksack, with its integrated indicator display, is designed to maximise your rear visibility and also provide useful warning signals about your movements to following vehicles.

Lightweight, packable, and practical

The CYGLO pack from eelo is a lightweight packable riding rucksack. The bag folds into itself to create a pack size little larger than that of a lightweight windproof, and weighs only 365 grams inclusive of the electronic indicator display (explained below). This compact size makes it ideal for stashing in a pannier or pocket, to provide extra carrying capacity on shopping trips or errands.

The pack is made from water-resistant rip-stop nylon. It is a lightweight fabric, and not designed for extensive use and abuse, but it does brush off showers and rear wheel spray with ease, and is durable enough for light loads.

There aren't a huge number of bells and whistles on the pack's design, for example there is no back padding or structure to the rucksack. However, it does have useful side mesh pockets for bottles, and reflective light loops on the rear. It also has a neat internal valuables pocket, which doubles up as the bag's stuff-sack.

The CYGLO is an ideal light and portable bag; perfect for travelling and running errands around town.


Safety benefits

The real unique selling point of the CYGLO is of course its indicator display.

This is a rechargeable LED display, which zips into a pocket on the outside of the bag. The LED display has four signals: turning left, turning right, hazard, and 'cycling'. You toggle between these signals using a compact control unit that sits on your handlebars or clips to the rucksack straps.

The LEDs are bright enough to definitely improve visibility. They will last for around 8 hours on constant flash, and 20 hours on intermittent signalling (and standby mode); recharging through a mini-USB connection.

For beginner cyclists, and those riding in heavy traffic, taking your hands off the handlebars and brakes to indicate can be difficult. The CYGLO indicator doesn't negate the need for hand signals, but it does mean that if you can only manage to quickly jab the control unit on your bars, rather than do a prolonged hand signal, then hopefully the following traffic will be better alerted to your intended turning ahead.


Summary

Fears about safety are noted to be the greatest deterrent for potential cyclists, so in my mind anything that increases your road presence and reduces the chance of an accident, is a worthwhile product. The CYGLO Cycling Rucksack certainly does that.

It is a lightweight bag, which provides a convenient means to carry home your mini supermarket shop, or your daily work wear (far better and safer than a plastic carrier bag on your handlebars). However, it is also a neat safety device; the LED display provides improved road presence and should help to make your intentions clearer to following cars.

Overall, this is a smart and innovative product, which would be useful to any urban or commuter cyclist.


The unit is controlled by this neat handlebars toggle switch


The CYGLO has four display modes on the LED screen


The LED screen is housed in a zippered pocket, which doubles as a stuff sack


There is no back padding or structure to the CYGLO bag, but it is good for light loads.


A lightweight and useful pack


A useful internal valuables pocket on the CYGLO bag


Turning right!

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Comments

  1. Simon Douglas Thompson7 October 2017 at 21:12

    Needs switches near the grips to be ideal for beginner cyclists, or those without great balance

    ReplyDelete

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