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news
Steven Ransom with Brighter Bikes on Dragons' Den (BBC screenshot).JPGHelmet-mounted bike indicators and brake lights backed on last night's Dragons' Den - but investors later pull out
The inventor of a product for cyclists that comprises indicators and a brake light that secured backing from two entrepreneurs in last night’s episode of the BBC Two reality series has revealed that the pair subsequently decided to pull the plug on their investment – although there was no hint of that in the programme screened yesterday.
Sussex-based Steven Ransom already has an established business called Traffic Angel, which develops and markets sensors and CCTV systems for lorries and is used by household names including Tesco and Renault Trucks, and also complies with Transport for London requirements and those of projects such as Crossrail and HS2.
His latest product, Brighter Bikes, is a wireless unit comprising indicator and brake lights that can be fitted to a cycle helmet, bag or backpack, or a seatpost and is operated using buttons mounted on the bike’s handlebars – the latter being a unique feature, according to Ransom.
He arrived at his pitch with a bike and a cycle helmet fitted with the device and was seeking a £90,000 investment in return for a 20 per cent share in the business – filmed in May, you can watch the episode which aired last night on BBC iPlayer, with the segment beginning around 15 minutes 20 seconds into the programme
In an attempt to overcome objections among the potential investors regarding pricing and sales forecasts, Ransom said that his experience from his existing business was that “proven technology drives legislation.”
It was the already successful Traffic Angel business that whetted the appetite of two of the dragons to invest – but which ultimately led to the proposed offer falling through.
Touker Souleyman asked Ransom whether he would consider including a stake in his existing business as part of any deal – momentarily thrown, he regained his composure quickly and replied, “yes.”
Deborah Meaden was the first of the dragons to make an offer. Acknowledging that it “wouldn’t be right of me” to make an offer for 20 per cent of the entire business, with Traffic Angel already showing a healthy profit, she offered £90,000 for a 15 per cent stake in the whole company, an offer subsequently matched by Peter Jones.
Souleyman meanwhile offered the full £90,000 in return for 10 per cent of Traffic Angel and 40 per cent in Brighter Bikes.
In the end, Ransom negotiated that both Meaden and Jones would invest £45,000 in return for a 7.5 per cent each in the entire business, and for viewers of last night’s show, that seemed to be the deal that was struck.
But in a blog post published on the Traffic Angel website, he revealed that the pair had subsequently “dropped a bomb on us” after they “pulled out of the investment.”
He wrote: “At first, we were shell-shocked. And for what reason? All the due diligence was carried out with no issues.
“So, why the turnaround? The principle reason we have been told is that the Dragons PR team had looked at the Traffic Angel equity share the Dragons had asked for in the Den and it was felt they had got too good a deal out of Traffic Angel!
“Their cash injection for 15% of the business undervalued the company and therefore it could be viewed that Peter and Deborah were taking advantage of an already established business in which they had also made nil contribution.
“Fair enough but that was our decision in the Den to have them on board,” he continued.
But Ransom believes his company can turn that apparent setback to its advantage.
“The more we thought about it, the more we asked ourselves, would this really be such a blow? Could Peter and Deborah’s withdrawal actually be that harmful? Was it a blessing in disguise? And on reflection, we really do think this is the case. Yes, the Dragons can open doors that we could never open and we would have welcomed their partnership. But with no Dragons on board, there are still huge benefits.
“We avoid the attendant pressures of being associated with such huge profile names, we retain the equity in the business, we gain national exposure and the icing on the cake – as a result of this whole process, we have put systems in place that have made us much tighter as a business,” he explained.
“All in all, it is a win-win situation. But investment or not, I wouldn’t have swapped this Dragon experience for anything. From all at Traffic Angel and Brighter Bikes, we wish Peter and Deborah well, and thank them for their confidence in the business,” he added.
Indicators for cyclists, or cycle helmets incorporating lights, are nothing new on Dragons’ Den, of course, such products cropping up regularly.
But as road.cc’s John Stevenson wrote in this blog post last year, “The inventors of indicator systems almost always say they’re trying to make cyclists safer, but they’re solving the wrong problem.
“The assumption is that drivers hit cyclists because we can’t be seen. But the majority of crashes involving cyclists happen because the driver simply didn’t look, and adding small flashing orange lights is going to make, at best, a tiny, tiny difference.”
Simon joined road.cc as news editor in 2009 and is now the site’s community editor, acting as a link between the team producing the content and our readers. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, he has reported on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, the latest developments in the bike industry and the sport’s biggest races. Now back in London full-time after 15 years living in Oxford and Cambridge, he loves cycling along the Thames but misses having his former riding buddy, Elodie the miniature schnauzer, in the basket in front of him.
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29 comments
What a shit idea.
They put them on cars and significant number of drivers can't be arsed to use them. What in heaven's name makes the inventor thinks that a) cyclists need them and b) cyclists will use them?
True. When I'm near a roundabout, I sometimes look at the number of drivers who indicate properly; it's never more than 40%. A lot of them can't even summon up the energy to flick the indicator stalk at T junctions; must be so tiring driving a car.
I have a Livall Smart Helmet which has lights in the back and indicators, theres 3 light strips, one is a red line of leds and then there's another line above each side, all on the rear of the helmet.
This would work better as it will show the change from red on one side to blinking amber lights, but...
I still don't trust it for many reasons. Firstly how do I know it's working? Secondly they're in a position that most people won't necessarily be looking and aren't commonly looked for. And finally, as people have suggested, the don't give a shit attitude.
I have the helmet (cause it was cheap), the speakers allow me to listen to podcasts well (and hear traffic) and the additional lighting. It has the indicator functionality and I don't use it.
I'm out!
Which version of the Livall do you have?
I found many of the same problems - there wasn't a clear way to tell if the damn thing was actually working, though I really like the SOS features and the speakers - microphone is utter shite, though. The only Livall helmet I still use is the BH81H, and that only because it has the heartbeat monitor and intercom for when I'm out with SWMBO.
I'm currently using the Lumos helmet, which is much better - It's also got lights at the front, and there are a set of LEDs that are just visible at the top of your vision to tell you if it's indicating. Also, it beeps.
I do use the indicator functionality, and I've found it works quite well - much better at night, obviously. The big advantage over the Livall helmets is that they're big dumb unambiguous arrows, rather than a single thin straight line. That doesn't even go around to the edge of the helmet. With no lights at all on the front bit. And no way to tell if it's actually working.
Of course, I'm a handcyclist, so indicating with my arms is a bit more, uh...awkward, particularly from a standstill.
It's worth mentioning, though, that where possible I do still stick my arms out, and I wear either day-glo gloves with reflective bits, or the Reflect360s that you can see from bloody orbit - I have to wear gloves, so I may as well have useful ones, right?
Indicator glove are absolutely worthless trash, though.
I've had a motorist overtake me on chevrons as I prepared to move into the filter space to turn right at a junction, having already indicated. I think this product would be as much use as bollocks on a rocking horse.
This. My daily commute requires me to turn left (im on the continent) into my street. Ive lost count of the number of times idiots have squeezed past me, in some cases brushing my outstretched indicating hand, as I motion that I am TURNING LEFT YOU TOTAL BASTARD!
Ahem. So yeah - bollocks on rocking horse levels of not - neededness here.
As often as not, indicating I am about to make a right turn causes the car behind to hit their gas pedal in a mad attempt to pass before suffering the indignity of being temporarily delayed by someone they perceive to be lower than them in the pecking order.
Also, Dragons' Den is a hateful piece of propaganda. To quote Frankie Boyle, the only version I'd be interested in watching is a Super Dragons' Den in which Evan Davis, dressed only in gold paint, tells Peter Jones and the other vile self-promoting millionaires that they have go in front of a panel of billionaires, to beg for their place on the space ark that is fleeing the Earth once it has been ravaged by largely unrestrained capitalism.
I've almost invariably had the opposite, such is life.
Having watched the programme I am happy to see the investment pulled. The version shown on screen was idiotic, having indicator lights on the back of a cycle helmet. Given that the left and right indicators can only be 4 or 5 inches apart, and the fact that cyclists do actually move their heads around a bit, I can see it not being immediately obvious what the light is trying to indicate. Certainly not as obvious as 2 feet of extended arm! Then of course there was all the worrying nonsense about "once the product is available this will force legislation...."
How far apart are indicators on motorbikes?
Usually a good few inches to the side of a great big rear/brake light, kind of gives you a clue which one is flashing.
That's not the point. On a motorbike they are always to the left or right of the bike, they don't move when the rider looks right or left.
Which if you're conveniently the most high profile product thanks to backing from dragons den wouldn't be an incentive to push for legislation 'for the good of cyclists' at all....
Lost count of the number of times I've been overtaken whilst indicating to turn right. Some people just don't care.
even worse is being overtaken by a car that is indicating left - that also happens too often.
Couple of weeks ago, I had a car right on my back wheel approaching a mini roundabout. Put out arm to indicate I was turning right, car overtook me, risking a head-on with anyone coming off the roundabout, and then turned left at the roundabout.
Another one that just doesn't give a toss.
Last week on a steep climb in Yorkshire somewhere I nearly got taken out by an Asda van. The road turned sharp right but there was a junction meaning a left turn was effectively straight on. As I approach the bend and start to turn, the Asda van passes me and goes straight on, no indicators and zero awareness. I had to stop to avoid him/her which meant that I couldn't get going on the climb again (my bike was loaded with luggage and pretty heavy). I have no doubt that had I been a metre in front, they would have hit me.
Best thing about the indicators I have is they don’t run out of batteries.
Now, if every motor vehicle was controlled by a BTBS AI, what a wonderful world this would be.
“So, why the turnaround? The principle reason we have been told is that the Dragons PR team had looked at the Traffic Angel equity share the Dragons had asked for in the Den and it was felt they had got too good a deal out of Traffic Angel!"
Nothing whatsoever to do with the fact that the product has been tried and failed a thousand times before then? Maybe the dragons read the assessments of it on cycling websites and realised that their money would be better invested in the lottery.
The only indicator for cyclists I could get behind is a yellow light that straps to the back of your gloves and blinks automatically only when you put your arm out to indicate. That way you're still doing what's in the highway code. Me thinks if you solely relied on indicator lights someone like Mr Loophole could quite easily say "well they didn't stick their arm out" in a court. Besides which, what if the batteries on your indicator had ran out?
Please someone make me a magic yellow blinky light to put on my gloves, I'd buy it!
I had one a few years back, ebay, more trouble than it was worth. There are some out there.
wear a couple of mood rings. When you're in the mood to turn right, the ring on your right hand will start to glow the appropriate colour, you can stick out your hand, and all the amazed drivers will halt immediately nad allow you to continue your stately progress. As you ride away from them they will be rewarded with a sight of your ring glowing with contentment.
How about these https://www.useeme.bike/en
There is NEVER an obligation to indicate, not even for motorvehicles, I would far rather a cyclist in front of me be holding on to the handlebars and be in control and position themselves correctly to make a turn than not be in control by waving a hand about.
I don't need to see a cyclist hold their hand out to know not to overtake them at a junction which IS in the HC as a rule for motorists. And by see, I mean I can see them by my own headlights/bike light because I will be travelling at a speed I can stop well within the distance I can see to be clear, IF they do indicate I don't need a signal on a hand or reflective strip to see that. Any driver or indeed cycle user who can't drive to that basic standard shouldn't be on the road, ever.
Reliance on indication only is lazy and dangerous by any road user.
Edit to add, the person in front always has priority, it's encumbent upon you to ensure you do not make the other person feel fear of harm or harm them by your actions, anticipating and reading the road and posing what ifs is your basic lawful duty especially when operating a killing machine.
That right there ^ If enough people took that particular guidance on board, then the roads would be a paradise
(Unfortunately, as we know from the stories on this site, far too many motorists in particular think that the person in front is "in their way" rather than "in front, so has priority").
Even simpler is to wear gloves with reflective material on the back. No wires, no batteries, works in all weathers...
https://road.cc/content/review/234732-altura-thermo-elite-gloves
As John Stevenson wrote, these indicator and brake light gizmos are a solution looking for a problem. The problems out on roads is most definitely NOT about whether (or how) cyclists indicate their intentions.
Small quibble; For handcyclists, the majority of gloves out there don't work - they're either too slippery, or not strong enough to stand up to the action of handcycling.
Irritatingly, the only ones I've found that really work are Altura Nightvision II's, which tend to have the sides of the index fingers blow out, and the Reflect360's, which have split in the heel of the left hand after only, oh, three weeks. Every other reflective glove, I've lost my grip on my handles or just blown through them damn nigh instantly.
More importantly - we often can't put our arms out to indicate because we also have to propel and steer with them.
I realise I'm an edge case, but more options for us, made cheaper by mass adoption? Yes please.
From their PR video "communicate in a universal language that everyone understands" ... erm, an arm pointing in the direction you are going is pretty universal and been around long before blinking lights.