1-2-1: Cyglo Tyre

NAME: James Tristram
AGE: 47
NATIONALITY: British
CLAIM TO FAME: Inventor of the futuristic Cyglo Tyre
LIVES IN: Edge Hill, Liverpool

Twitter was alien to British inventor James Tristram just a couple of months ago. Like many 47-year-olds, social networking was all a bit, well, unnecessary.

That was until his latest invention, the futuristic Cyglo tyre, caused such a stir on the internet that, before he even had time to find out what a re-tweet was, his website had already received two million hits in four days.

James has even had A-List celebrities hungry for details on how they can get their hands on Cyglo, a product, it is predicted, could make the Liverpool inventor a millionaire by December.

The explosion in interest was triggered by a tweet from someone, somewhere, comparing the striking resemblance of Cyglo to the futuristic special effects in the upcoming Disney blockbuster Tron: Legacy, the sequel to the 1982 cult classic Tron, starring Jeff Bridges.

The hi-tech rings of light, synonymous with the movie, are the main aesthetic feature of James's creation, which was chiefly invented to keep cyclists visible on the road at night.

Now an internet phenomenon, the hype has left James bowled over. 4men caught up with him, ahead of the official launch of the product.

Where did you get the idea for Cyglo?

I was driving through Liverpool on a dark winter's night in 1998 and it was raining very finely and visibility was poor. As I drove across a junction, I narrowly missed a cyclist who had jumped a red light and, as I only saw him at the last minute, I must have missed his rear wheel by just a few inches. That moment fired my imagination, and made me think "if only there was a clearer way of seeing cyclists on the road at night it would prevent so many accidents".

So was safety your only consideration when you conceived the idea?

Absolutely. The initial concept was purely to improve road safety, but it has generated a lot of interest from kids and adults who like the appearance of the rings of light. And parents want to buy it for their kids to keep them safe. I'd say 80 per cent of the interest we get is from people who want to make their bikes more flashy, but if it can save lives and get more cyclists on the roads, then great.

So tell us how it works.

LED bulbs are built into the tread or wall of the tyre and can either flash or be permanently on, so when the wheel turns at any speed, it forms a perfect ring of light. We used LEDs because they are bright, durable and won't shatter.

So can Cyglo be attached to an existing bike?

We are working on an after-fit package which will be very affordable indeed. As things stand, the product is being manufactured as a tyre and lights package, with the lights already built into the tyre.

When will Cyglo be available in Dubai?

We have a US and UK patent and have started talking with distributors worldwide to see how quickly we can get it to the mass market to fulfil the incredible demand. We are also planning to sell Cyglo directly from our website www.nightbrighttyre.com and hope it should be on the shelves in the UAE, and everywhere else, by late 2010. But people can go to our website for all the latest availability news.

Why did you think to put it on Twitter?

Well, social networking seems to be one of the many ways to communicate your message to a mass audience, very quickly and at low cost. So I asked my daughter to set that up!

So it's fair to say that the interest has surprised you?

The last few weeks have been crazy. I just can't believe how much interest has been generated online, and it's all thanks to Tron. The power of the internet is incredible.

How did you get into business with publisher and entrepreneur Dominic Killinger?

I was due to appear on the BBC show Dragon's Den (a show where entrepreneurs pitch for investment to five venture capitalists willing to invest their own money in exchange for equity) in January 2010 to pitch the idea. But while I was watching the show myself I saw Dominic pitching his own business idea and I thought he'd be the perfect investor for Cyglo. He saw the potential in the idea and we've been in business together ever since.

What inspires you?

I just go about my everyday business like anyone else, but when I see a problem in life I try to fix it. That's my only philosophy.

Any other inventions in the pipeline?

Yes, but they're not patented yet so I can't tell you!

What advice do you have for any young inventors with a great idea?

I would always advise any young person to keep a pen and paper with them to write down any ideas that they get. My best ideas often come to me in the middle of the night, so I keep a notepad by my bed!

What should someone do if they are interested in purchasing Cyglo?

Anyone can register their interest on our website www.nightbrighttyre.com for e-mail updates or follow us on Twitter at @Cyglotyre. And we have a specific section for distributors, too.

Cyglo is set for commercial release in late 2010. log on to nightbrighttyre.com