Tonight, a bus full of schoolchildren excitedly waved at me. I got compliments and applause as I rode through town. I struck up conversations with complete strangers. All because of an amazing bike light.

I’m always looking for ways to make my rides more safe and fun. Nighttime visibility is becoming even more important to me as winter approaches and the sky during my commutes grows darker. So I set out to research bicycle lights, and I came across a light that promised to not only ensure that I’m seen, but also bring smiles to people’s faces.

This light is called the Down Low Glow, and I’d almost rate it a must-have for people who like riding at night. For $130 you get two neon tubes and a rechargeable battery. The components look like they were pieced together by hand with love. The whole unit is water and shock resistant. And when it’s mounted on a bike and turned on, it bathes the street with a 10-foot glow visible in all directions.

I ordered a Down Low Glow last week and it arrived today. I was hoping to receive it before last Friday’s Critical Mass, but at least I got it in time for Wednesday’s Halloween ride. Rock The Bike offer the Down Low Glow in 6 different colors; I chose Envy Green because I thought it looked the coolest.

That’s not me! Image posted by Rock The Bike on Flickr.

I mounted it on my bike with the included mounts (the whole process took me about 15 minutes). As I started my commute it was only dusk - the Glow on the pavement was barely visible. But as it grew darker, the effect grew stronger, and by the time I had reached downtown it looked cool enough for me to start hearing “nice bike” from pedestrians. The Glow is perfect for people who are starved for attention.

And I can’t scientifically test this, but it definitely felt like motorists were giving me more room as they passed me than they otherwise would without the Glow. I’ve become familiar with white-knuckling it down Culver Road at night as I pass the busy expressway intersections, then two lanes become one, then construction zones and parked cars are added to the mix. Tonight, I felt worry-free. It’s as if someone was laying out a green carpet for me as I traveled down the road.

A few people stopped to talk to me as I ran some errands in the city. The most common question I got was “How do you power it?” as if something so cool couldn’t possibly run off a rechargeable battery. That’s really how cool the Down Low Glow is.

My camera is currently out of commission, so these Flickr photos will have to suffice for now. If you want to see the Down Low Glow in person, I’ll see you on Wednesday!

Let’s start right off with the whole “Made In The USA” thing. As I’ve mentioned before, I’m a union organizer. The union I work for, UNITE HERE, started off way back in the day as a textile union (on the UNITE side). So it matters to me where things are made and how. Walz Caps are made in the USA by a family. If you look on their Web site, you can see a picture of Jackie Walz. She makes the caps. I didn’t say, “she oversees the factory where poorly paid immigrants make the caps.” I said, “SHE makes the caps.” That’s right, all by herself.

One of my neighbors asked me, “Why do you wear that thing? Does it make you go faster?” Yes, but that’s not the only reason I wear it. I’m a cycle commuter. I ride every day. That means I’m always walking into stores, friends’ houses and other places where a helmet or “helmet head” is less than ideal. I keep my cap in the rack trunk on my bike and stick it on whenever the helmet comes off. I already look like a geek, so the cap doesn’t hurt. And I think if I were cool-looking, the cap would accentuate that. Win-win, as far as I can tell.

Now let’s talk about the workmanship. My cap is a cotton-blend cap. The quality is excellent. Strong stitching, good materials and a great fit.

Like any other product for your bike, the real question is, “How cool does this make me look?” As with the Power Grips, the evidence is incontrovertible:

I’m ready for my closeup, Mr. DeMille

And the customer service? Fageddaboudit. I have an enormous head. I ordered a yellow and black cap. Then I saw a posting on a blog (I can’t find it again) saying that the writer had ordered a custom XL cap because he has a big head. So I wrote to them and ordered an XL. As it happened, they accidentally shipped the regular cap to me anyway, so they charged me for one cap, even though I kept offering to pay for two. Pretty amazing. And I talked with a member of the family multiple times via e-mail. You’re not going to find service like that in too many places these days.

Brim down … for formal events

Walz offers a big range of caps in different materials and styles. I’ll be ordering quite a few more, and you should, too.

Visit their Web site, and tell ‘em RocBike.com sent you.

If you see this man, call the authorities immediately

P.S. — Apparently it looks good on a 9-year-old, too. My neighbor grabbed the cap off my head and tried it on herself:

I bought a set of Power Grips this month on the advice of a column in The Practical Pedal, which said they’re great for bike commuters. I was looking for a good pedal that didn’t involve clipping in or other things that seem like a pain in the neck when you’re stopping every 100 yards at a traffic light. I’ve now been riding the Power Grips for a couple weeks, and they’re fantastic.

Easy on, easy off

Power Grips were designed a couple decades ago for mountain bikers. In this era of technological innovation, anything more than 10 minutes old seems hopelessly outdated, but Power Grips shouldn’t get chucked on the scrap heap, particularly if you’re an urban cycle commuter. As you can see from the picture above, they couldn’t be simpler. A strap made of Space-Age-Lex or some other top-secret material runs from one corner of the pedal to the other. When you stick your foot in at an angle, the strap is loose. When you straighten your foot, it tightens. Got that, all you engineering majors out there? Like I said, simple.

You can adjust them to your preferred level of “power-grippiness”^TM

They’re fully adjustable. If you’re actually a mountain biker, you might want them tighter so you stay attached to the bike as it hurtles off the cliff and down the side of the gorge to end up in a crumpled … er … anyway, you might want them tighter. If you’re like me, you’re more concerned with ease of removal than with vice-gripping your tootsies to the pedals. You never know when you’ll have to ditch your commute-o-cycle to avoid that Hummer.

As with any piece of cycling equipment, the real question is: “How cool do these make me look?” As I’ll think you’ll agree, the evidence is incontrovertible:

Big Daddy McCool and his Power Grips

A word of warning, the Power Grips Web site was fairly craptacular when I ordered mine. It seems to be better now, but you can also just call them toll-free at 800-999-8277.