These are the ArcLight city biking pedals with smart lights. They know which way is forward, giving you a white light in the front and red light in the back no matter what. They go to sleep when they aren’t in use. They add a pretty nice level of safety to the sides of my bikes in the dark.
A couple of weeks ago, I reached out to the company that makes them, RedShift, for some clarifying questions as I finished reviewing the original pair that I had backed on Kickstarter. They said, ” Hey, Arleigh, we have a newer version coming out with more traction—do you want to try them?” Well, my only complaint with the first model was the traction, so I said heck yes, and they just showed up today.
Before I install them on a bike, I want to show you how they work and what makes them different from the originals.
How Do Arclight Smart Pedals Work?
The basics of all Arclight pedals are that you have a pedal shell and then 4 rechargeable lights that slide in. They can tell the direction with a magnet inside the pedal, which also holds the light inside. After riding the original versions for a few hundred miles, I had no problems with the lights sliding out. The other feature that makes them pretty smart is that once you turn them on after installation, they will go to sleep when not in use, waking up when the bike is moved, making them a nice, thoughtless, but amazing safety product to add to your favorite city bike.
Run and Charge Time
I found that on the slower blink setting, I get about 30 hours of run time, with slightly less time when it is cold outside.
The charging setup is pretty nice. Sure, it’s annoying to pull out four different lights, but they just pull out with a tug. Then, you plug them into the USB hub provided with the pedals. The charge time is 2 hours.
New Pedals from Redshift
I mentioned these are the new models because they have an MTB version, the Pro Flat, and an SPD version called ProClipless, launching this week.
The new Pro Flat versions have replaceable pins to grip the bottom of your shoes a bit better. A couple of pins and the tool to replace them comes with the pedals. Now, these may be overkill for some folks, if you are wearing dress shoes, they will scuff up the bottoms. If you are new to riding if you get caught in the shin with these they will draw blood, but if you are riding in all conditions, these may provide the traction you need.
Final Thoughts – Are they worth it?
This isn’t a formal review yet, I would like a couple of thousand miles to know how the pedals hold up but I do have some thoughts.
The Arclight City pedals are $140 and fairly heavy—706 g compared to my other favorite city biking pedal, the MSW Thump, at 368 g. I’m a big fan of adding lights in the right places to my and my family’s bikes. I think $140 is worth it for a bike that is ridden often at night. RedShift is a small but good company with great customer service.
I would love to hear from you. What do you think about the pedals, and are they worth it? Let me know in the comments.
Until next week, stay well, stay good, and remember to bike more and worry less.
-BSG
Buy Online
Arclight City Pedals (affiliate)
Arclight Pro Flat Pedals (affiliate)
