Product news: MonkeyLink cornering light: A front light integrated into the head tube? Bulls surprises with a viewing window in the head tube through which an LED spotlight shines on various of the brand's new e-MTBs. Velomotion explains how it works and what it does. The MonkeyLink cornering light can already be seen at Eurobike 2024.
It's always good to have lights on your bike - not least because many e-MTBs are used in everyday life and some bike tours lead into the dark. The idea of installing permanently mounted lights that are powered by the drive battery is therefore not new - Bulls (like other brands) integrates bright rear lights into the dropouts of some models and calls the whole thing "MonkeyLink Twinlight". Doing something like this with the headlight is quite complex, however - Bulls has implemented it and the result is an interesting product that of course needs to be explained.
MonkeyLink cornering light: 120° total steering angle
How does the MonkeyLink cornering light work, as it is officially called? First of all, you need a little more space in the head tube. There is a clamp on the fork shaft that holds the metal lamp housing with the hemispherical lens. The steering angle is limited to 60° to the right and left, because otherwise the cable of the light would break at some point; however, you don't need to turn any further anyway.
Headlight integrated into the head tube
The head tube area of the frame has a wide, circumferential opening that is closed off by a transparent cover. This is clicked into the frame with two retaining lugs and looks like the visor of a motorcycle helmet. The opening is dimensioned so that the LED spotlight can shine out at a total angle of 120°.
Compared to known lights that are permanently mounted on the head tube, the MonkeyLink cornering light has the enormous advantage of being able to illuminate the curve like a normal headlight on the fork or stem. The successful integration, which is technically clean and not particularly complicated, is also impressive.
Suitable for everyday use due to reduced luminosity
What raises questions at first glance is the rather low illuminance of the spotlight of 30 lux. This marks pretty much the lower end of current LED lights; Bulls already installs spotlights with 50 lux and more on its inexpensive e-trekking bikes. And here it is important not to misunderstand the system: The MonkeyLink cornering light is primarily about completing modern e-MTBs in accordance with the StVZO, without the need to attach external lights. It is expressly not It is about equipping E-MTBs with night-ride-compatible front lights like those from Lupine & Co. – simply because mountain bikers who want to go on off-road tours in the dark have their own individual ideas about what the optimal lighting system looks like.
MonkeyLink cornering light: good visibility in complete darkness
At the same time, the 30 lux that the integrated front light shines on the road allows for sufficient visibility even in total darkness. If your summer bike tour turns out to be a little longer or you decide to head to the beer garden, you no longer have to worry about forgetting your battery-powered light at home and can instead make your way home safely and at a brisk pace. The system also works as a daytime running light when the E-MTB is used for other purposes than an everyday bike.
On the pre-production model, the MonkeyLink cornering light provides even illumination of the road with a clear light-dark boundary at the top, which means there is no glare. The lateral illumination is also impressive. However, the disadvantage is that the front brake line is illuminated and permanently casts a shadow. This raises the question of why the brake line on (E-)MTBs is not finally routed through the fork shaft tube - the Bulls cornering light could be a welcome opportunity to optimize this, especially since all other cables and lines on Bulls bikes already disappear under the stem in the frame.
MonkeyLink cornering light on carbon and aluminum models
Bulls is presenting the MonkeyLink cornering light on various new models at EUROBIKE 2024, including the Bulls Sonic AM 4 ABS and the Bulls Copperhead EVO AM 4. The new model year of the Sturmvogel EVO urban bike also comes with the cornering light, which is the main headlight here. This model is also interesting because it transfers the system to an aluminum frame and, thanks to the rigid fork, has a completely integrated front brake line. The cornering light is therefore definitely future-proof: it makes e-MTBs safer and represents the first really convincing integration of the headlight into the frame.
For us, this is already one of the highlights of Eurobike 2024!
