Co-Creation Part 5: Accessorising Firefly

Co-Creation Series:


Let’s catch up since the last update

Okay, so after re-reading through the last Co-creation update (#4), I realised that I kind of left you hanging. We were supposed to talk about a bunch of stuff and coming to Kickstarter was one of them. I had the post in a rough draft, but we became so busy with our launch that it got left behind in the mad rush. But worry not - we’ll try to style it out as if we didn’t miss an episode.

We’re coming came to Kickstarter!

I saw a few comments asking us to please not go to Kickstarter, but the reality is that Kickstarter has been the platform that has allowed us to do what we do and take the risk to develop and deliver the best product in its category. We owe a lot of our success to the Kickstarter community and will continue to keep supporting the platform the way it supports us. I want to take this opportunity to thank everyone who turned up and helped to make our campaign launch a huge success!  

I will briefly address the elephant in the room again, which was the delay with the previous campaign. We ended the campaign with a few learnings and things we promised to do better next time. To jog everyone’s memory, here’s that list along with how we’re addressing each item.

1. Be closer to tooling

As Eu-wen mentioned in the Kickstarter video, we’ve already started tooling and are getting first shot samples soon. We’re a lot further along here with Firefly parts and will begin testing the initial units as soon as we can. Of course, you’ll be the first to see those updates right here.

2. Be better at logistics

I don’t need to remind everyone about the craziness of COVID, but there were definitely a bunch of learnings on our end and things we felt we could’ve done better. We’re a lot more prepared this time around and due to the size of Firefly, our shipping options have increased significantly. We’re working hard on making the packaging as compact and as space efficient as possible so that we’re able to keep the size of each shipment down and can keep those options open. I’ll be sharing more updates on packaging in a future post.

3. Have a backer-facing shipment tracker from the very beginning

We’re currently building a tracker similar to the previous one and so should have something to share once the campaign ends and we move into fulfillment. You’ll be able to follow along with where your batch is in the fulfillment process so that you know roughly when to expect it.

4. Continue to take an uncompromising approach to product design and development.

As you’ve seen, we’re still listening intently and are trying to incorporate as much feedback into the products as we possibly can. I think we’re mostly there with the base functionality and design of Firefly, and everything we do now is just further refinements. We’re still hoping to get your thoughts and wishes for the product so that we can answer as many of them as we can before we ship out the final product.

5. Start the conversation with our backers even earlier

The whole Co-Creation series is the manifestation of us trying to live up to this promise. We asked for your feedback early and you have helped us to create a great product. Hopefully it’s been fun and insightful following the progress and having a chance to help us define the product together.

Beyond this, we’ve also started giving our optimistic and pessimistic timelines for delivery, which is something that we found very useful the last time around. I think it’s important to be really clear early on about what we’re expecting even if it means delivering much later than we would like. As long as you know the timeframe, there (hopefully) shouldn’t be any surprises.

I personally believe that going through this process and getting all your feedback before we commit to tooling is what allows us to make our products the best they can be. I’m also amazed at the sheer amount of useful feedback we do get from you all. It really has been truly helpful and Firefly certainly wouldn’t be as awesome if not for you folk, so thank you to everyone who’s stuck with us.

Okay, onwards to accessories!

Wireless Chargers

Honestly speaking, we did not expect the 4x bundle to be our most popular reward when developing Firefly. We only began to discover this trend a couple of weeks before the Kickstarter launch through our surveys and it was finally confirmed on day 1.

Our product team soon after launch

We’ve been trying to figure out what to do with the wireless chargers and it seems like the dual charger I gave a sneak peak in an earlier update is not going to cut it for the majority of our backers.

We actually made quite a bit of progress with it and had 3D printed samples to share, however, it’s looking like a 4x charger might be more appropriate. The problem is that our resources are really limited and we have a delivery timeline that we’re determined to meet, so to develop these accessories we need to be really careful about which charger we commit to. So, I’d like to just share the options with you all and have you tell us which one excites you the most.

Option 1
A dual carry case wireless charger

This is an option I shared earlier and is able to charge 2 Firefly at the same time, but also doubles up as a sleek carry case. There’s no integrated battery as that would add bulk and increase complexity, so you can’t charge on the go unless you plug it into a power bank, just like the charging cradle. However, it nicely holds your Firefly in a compact and sleek package.

Option 2
A 4x carry pouch charger

We couldn’t resist the idea of a vegan leather wallet that holds all of your Firefly in a beautiful carry case. This will definitely be a little more expensive option, but I think the idea is pretty cool and if there’s demand, we’d love to do it.

So, like I mentioned, we really need your help in filling out this survey and letting us know which option would get your vote and thus which charger we should focus our attention on.

Magnetic Mounting Power

I’ve been seeing a lot of chatter around the strength of the magnetic mounting and so I’d like to address this with some fun product demos.

The gold standard we’re trying to achieve is to have them survive mountain biking and so I’d like to present you with a video of Firefly in action on a mountain bike … at some point. We’re currently getting the production samples ready to ship out to our mountain biking beta testers and will share that footage with you once we have it. Until then, this is what the current version of the mount can withstand without popping out…

 

A ride over cobblestones
    
A ride in the park with a few curb drops
    
Down a flight of stairs
 

Granted, these tests are not that scientific, but here are some more non-conventional tests to show the staying power of the magnetic mounts.

If you’re confused at what’s happening, we’re lobbing a Firefly down the stairs whilst still in its mount. I’m actually surprised about this one myself.

This is us making full use of our tumble dryer. Again the Firefly lights tend to stay put within their mounts and don’t really separate from them even when bumping into each other.

We even converted our gym equipment into a makeshift test-rig as we try to evaluate the strength of the mounts and make refinements to make them even stronger.

In all our regular riding tests (some a bit rougher than usual) the Firefly units always stay put securely in their mounts. However, they are magnetic and there is a threshold at which they come out when enough force is applied, but that amount of force is really quite high and we don’t expect your bike will ever experience those types of forces, unless you’re doing crazy jumps with your bike.

Rest assured, that we’re working to over-engineer these mounts to ensure a really really secure fit and once we have a demo with actual tooled parts, we’ll be very excited to share it with you.

If you can think of some fun experiments you’d like to see us do, then also let us know and we’ll try to get them done.

Firefly Mounts

I’m sure you’ve seen some of the footage on Kickstarter of our mounts but I’d like to do a deeper dive here to ensure we’re getting it right.

Universal Mount

Here’s what the Universal Mount currently looks like.

It will come with a set of 2 paddings to allow for a straight attachment as well as an angled attachment.

The strap that it comes with will allow it to be mounted on diameters ranging from 25.8mm to 35mm, and on aero bars with a similar circumference.

Here’s how it attaches to something other than a bike frame. We tried to make it as versatile as possible, so that you can literally mount it anywhere. 

Turn Signal Mount

Here’s what the Turn Signal Mount looks like.

This is how it attaches to the seatpost.

As you can see, it requires the Universal Mount that comes with every Firefly to be attached. One of the ways that we’re reducing the amount of waste that we’re producing is by making parts reusable for different attachments. This means if you’re purchasing a Turn Signal Mount, you won’t have 2 spare Universal Mounts just lying around without a purpose.

This mount works on some front setups, but we’re currently finishing up a more inclusive and versatile design for attaching the Turn Signal Mount to the front of the bike. Here’s a little sneak peak at how that will work.

Note: This is still a prototype and the final details are to be confirmed

All of these parts will be included in the Turn Signal Mount package, leaving it up to you to decide how to best mount your turn signals.

Handlebar End Mounts

We’ve also seen a bit of feedback regarding the Handlebar End Mounts regarding their staying power.

Whilst the current tooled version is pretty solid, we had the same thought regarding the locking mechanism and wanted it to be rock-solid so have already started on a V2 of this particular mount. We’ll be updating the design to incorporate a bolt mechanism that tightens once placed into the handlebar ends.

We’re prototyping it up now for testing, and will provide updates on this when we can. This is again something we’re implementing based on your feedback, so it’s really helpful to get that as early as we can. In this case, we have the time for the retooling, so we are updating it as we go.

Let’s wrap it up here

I’ve seemed to have gone way over my self-imposed 1000 word limit, but there’s just a lot to talk about. There will be a lot more to share as the campaign progresses and as we finish up the development of Firefly so stay tuned for more updates and please do let us know your feedback to help us improve the product even further. There are already a bunch of suggestions that we’ve seen in the comments and surveys that we’re working on and will hopefully be able to share soon. Before you leave, a gentle reminder to cast your votes on the charging solution hereThank you!

Until next time!

Lumos Firefly is live on Kickstarter now! Enjoy up to 35% off with our Early Bird discount before the campaign ends.

16 comments

Jeff… Vegan ‘intimates’ it’s vegan. Nothing else. It’s good for animals. Therefore it IS good for the world.

Fabian June 09, 2023

Where Can I buy the Turn Signal Mount?

Jess June 09, 2023

Wondering whether the fact that the turn signal lights have to stick out to be effective might cause difficulty in using crowded bike racks etc?
Any thoughts on allowing the mounting brackets to temporarily twist/rotate vertically (without needing to use tools) in case of need?

Lucas September 11, 2022

As to the prototype front mount, can you discuss why you angle the lights outward and not to the front? It’s as if you are trying to target the 4 light customers who elected not to get 6 FFs (2 side lights).

Point a front light to the side angle does not make a useful light for night or dusk riding. I want to be able to see what is in front, not to the side. Of course if the beam is a wide spread, it might work.

You have not addressed the beam spread, please consider adding some info here.

William Gale September 04, 2022

Like how you are thinking with 4x charging simultaneous. In my case I will run 6 FFs per bike, 2 rear, 2 front, 2 side, for 2 bikes. At home this would mean 3 chargers, that’s great. At work, 1 bike would require 2 chargers, I would purchase additionally and leave at my desk.
It looks like the foldable design assumes you want to transport your FFs in the case. This is definitely not how I envision it. I will throw my FFs into my cycling backpack, and transport to my desk. So I would prefer a folds flat case, think folding the opposite direction to your photo, folding outward and flat instead of inward and bulky form.

William Gale September 04, 2022

I’m going to need to mount turn signals on the back of my top peak carrier. Hope you’ve thought of that. I’ve already needed to change my rear light mount that came with my e-bike conversion kit. Just saying 🚲

Chris Speakman September 02, 2022

Have been an early supporter of both the helmet and now the lights. My question is this – I would love to mount the rear turn signal mount but am unsure how to also mount my Varia radar as well. Can it be attached to the rear turn signal mount?? Thanks for coming up with such great products.

David Diskin September 02, 2022

As a funder I appreciate very much hearing about your design-build, thorough & rugged beta testing, actual user input-incorporating process. I bought two original Kickstart helmets for their proven safety features, including MIPS, Dutch ebike safety certification, highly-noticeable colors, and of course, the lights that increase our visibility to others – especially, but not only to motorists.

1. I’ll buy a combination of 4-light Firefly packages to supply two of us riders. As one example, we own heated ski gloves & have found that chargers that can handle 4 chargeable batteries at once seem to hit the sweet spot of maximum convenience & time-saving efficient charging. So your 4-charging pad option is a terrific decision.

2. Your criterion of flexibility is key. Lights like Fireflys (& their means of attachment) are highly practical for uses beyond only biking, such as on arms/legs/clothing/daypacks/equipment & other sport helmets for nighttime exercise walkers, skiers, rollerbladers, wilderness adventurers, photographers, & on & on.

3. We are primarily daytime riders. We don’t often use the turn signals for a variety of reasons, but having the ability to customize the brightness level, steady/flashing & color patterns of the lights is a primary function.

4. Due to the many & compelling pros & cons to each option, I’m ambivalent about cabled or wireless charging, as I am about whether rechargeable batteries should be user-replaceable. But battery life is key. I can’t worry about how long my lights will last on a full charge when I’m on a multi-hour nighttime ride through the Everglades.

5. Your careful & deliberative product development is invaluable. I’m happy to wait for clever, innovative, beautifully-designed & well-built products that meet my needs. Delays to market pale compared to consumer disappointments & dissatisfactions with rushed items that miss their mark. Keep up the top-quality work!

6. Dreamlist: it would be special to also have lighted bike wheel rims for added recognition of cycling riders.

Barry September 02, 2022

Hello, great progress you got going.

Please make the rear turn signal mount pivot up and down. People with rear mounted batteries will have issues that they cannot use this system because of the limited place. If the saddle has suspension, the problem gets worse. If it where possible to pivot the lights up, many will thank you for this little feature. Grtz

Steven Monteyne September 02, 2022

Your link to the page to vote for the chargers takes you to a page that has pictures of each charger but NO WAY to record a vote. Please fix.

John Loesch September 02, 2022

Love these updates.

Thoughts on a charging pad? Amazon has a couple that roll up and you can place theee or four qi charging devices at a time. Would make it cool to be able to plug it in at a stop and charge everything at once rather than haveing to pop a box into your jersey pocket.

Adam Z. Ramroop September 02, 2022

Thanks for the update! Great information shared and eliminated several unanswered questions/insecurities!

When will the mounts, for the back of bike, be offered/listed for purchase?

Cheers

Steven September 02, 2022

How can I order a turn signal mount? I did not notice any add-ons when I made my pledge.

Vicky van Santen September 01, 2022

Will the firefly lights have a memory of where they were previously located on your bike? For example I am hoping to use 4 firefly lights on my bike, two in front and two mounted to the bar ends. Will I have to assign the position of each light on each ride, Or will the the lights remember, Front left, Right rear etc?

It would be really cool if the app/lights could communicate with their mounts, that way the light would know automatically where it was located on the bike and the mounts could stay attached permanently.

Riley September 01, 2022

Thank you for these posts! The details on the mounting brackets are really helpful and it’s nice to see a look behind the scenes on how you’re developing the lights and accessories.

Kevin September 01, 2022

Please stop using the term “vegan leather”. It is created from oil, and therefore not a sustainable product. While there are many problems with the industries that provide leather, but ‘vegan’ intimates ‘good for the world’, which this product most certainly is not.

Jeff Poretsky September 01, 2022

Leave a comment

All comments are moderated before being published