A cyclist who invented the World’s loudest bike horn is set to reach incredible sales figures this year, despite having been rejected on Britain’s version of Dragon’s Den. The episode was screened earlier this week.
Tom de Pelet thought of the idea after being involved in a series of near misses on his cycle to law school and his job in London.
He told The London Evening Standard “I had so many near-misses while commuting and Ironman-training on London’s streets, and one frustration kept popping up: if a driver hasn’t noticed me and I’m in danger, I need something to make them see me.”
Mr de Pelet quit his job in 2011 and invested £60,000 of his savings to design, trademark and produce the horn which costs £30. At 140-decibels, the Hornit can be heard by drivers over the noise of a radio and the sounds of the city.
Since Mr de Pelet filmed his Dragons’ Den appearance 10 months ago, turnover of the horn and his new mini Hornit for children’s bikes and scooters hit £500,000. This year, he expects to reach £1.2 million in sales.
