British brand Hi-Tail has A New Hope when it comes to rider visibility, with its safety beacon offering a novel approach to nighttime riding.
The device, which is hard not to liken to a lightsaber, features a telescopic mast that extends upwards and is illuminated by a light at the bottom.
Founders Brian McIntyre and Paul Costigan say the device has been in development for over a decade, with the idea first coming to McIntyre when he was working with underground machinery in mines.
In those prototyping stages, the brand says stability was an issue, with robustness added to the Hi-Tail at every stage.
The brand is based in Southampton, with manufacturing taking place in Little Hampton.
Hi-Tail offers 360 degrees of visibility, with the telescopic mast sitting higher than the rider.
While the device is aimed at all riders, the brand has a version that is designed specifically for recumbents, cargo bikes and adult trikes, all of which often have a lower profile than regular bikes. This version features a clamp that connects directly to the bike's frame.
The two other variants mount via the seatpost, with the rack version rated to 10kg for those looking to be seen when touring or commuting. All versions are priced at £98.
The glowing portion is interchangeable, with a bayonet fitting attaching it to the separate mounts.
There are three modes for the beacon, with the brand saying you can expect up to 14 hours of battery life per charge.
Charging is easy, with the device using USB-C.
Should you wish to lower your visibility or pack it away for storing, the beacon collapses down with the cap on top keeping everything together tightly.
First impressions
The Hi-Tail is unconventional in how it attracts attention, but there’s no arguing that it does.
I had the rackmount version, and while I didn’t use panniers with it, there was no movement from the rear whatsoever.
To start with, I put the device on a hack bike because I was keen to see if it affected the handling in any way, and during my short test, it was hard to tell any discernible difference.
My initial scepticism of the device was quick to disappear when the sun went down, with the telescopic pole offering an impressive amount of visibility.
These pictures of it on my Merida One-Sixty go some way to showing how bright the maximum setting is, but up-close, it looked as if the bike was being beamed up by aliens.
The Hi-Tail offers a level of visibility that I’ve never seen before, and while it’s not something I’d ride with all the time, it impressed me.
If you’re too cool for hi-vis, you’re probably too cool for this, but for those who feel vulnerable riding at night, there is very little that comes close to this.
