Most bike lights shine primarily forward or backward, with some side visibility thrown in as a bonus. The Orb MKII, on the other hand, is specifically designed to make cyclists more visible from the sides … and it takes the form of a fully functional water bottle.
Currently the subject of a Kickstarter campaign, the Orb MKII was designed by British cyclist Andrew Phillips. He previously brought us the Droid, a theft-resistant headlight that replaces the faceplate on a bike’s existing handlebar stem.
The Orb MKII fits in a standard frame-mounted bottle cage, and has a 650-ml HDPE (high-density polyethylene) main body combined with an ABS lid. Four orange OSRAM LEDs in an electronics module on the underside of that lid put out a combined 80 lumens, causing the whole bottle body to glow – Phillips tells us that the setup works equally well with or without water.
The idea is that by illuminating the rider’s legs (and being intermittently obscured by them), the Orb MKII will make its user more readily identifiable as a cyclist, as opposed to being just another light on the road. Similar functionality is offered by the Flock Light tail light, which partially shines downward to light up its user’s moving legs.
And yes, there is a MKI version of the Orb. Improvements in the MKII model include brighter LEDs, USB-C battery charging, plus an electronics module that can be removed when washing the bottle. Additionally, the individual components of that unit can now be user-replaced with available spare parts as needed. Battery life runs from a claimed five hours at maximum-power/continuous output, up to 20 hours at half-power/flashing.
Some readers may recall another bike light/water bottle known as the Candea. Although the device is still listed on Amazon, it doesn’t appear on the websites of its manufacturer or distributor, so it’s hard to say if it’s still in production – we’re waiting to hear back.
Assuming the Orb MKII reaches production, a pledge of £26 (about US$32) will get you one of your own. The planned retail price is approximately £35 ($43).
Orb MKII puts bicycle lighting in a water bottle [New Atlas]