Hasta La Ideas

Photo by Adam Day

The criteria for the ultimate urban bicycle varies widely from rider to rider, but cyclists, pedestrians and motorists alike can agree that visibility is paramount. We see plenty of lights—Sparse is just the latest of many—but there is growing interest in alternative illumination for alternative transportation.

Photos ©2012 Constance Winters unless otherwise noted

As a bike law specialist, Boston’s Joshua Zisson combines his passion for cycling with his JD, extemporaneously sharing his thoughts and experiences on his blog, Bike Safe Boston. He recently posted his long-awaited custom city bike, featuring hub dynamo-powered lights, an ad hoc brake light (activated by decreasing voltage from the dynamo), internal gearing, fenders and a chainguard—in a word, the works.

But the most salient feature of the bicycle isn’t visible to the naked eye: the frame and fork (built by Ted Wojcik) are powdercoated with a custom retro-reflective paint job by Halo Coatings. “Unlike existing retroreflective tech that’s produced as a laminate (think 3M Scotchlite), Halo came up with an ultra-durable reflective coating that can be applied to just about anything (metal, plastic, rubber, etc.) at a fraction of the cost of reflective tape.”

Yes, he also got his glasses Halo-coated

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