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TECH NEWS

Cobi smart biking system launches at £100 + video

Designers say it's the world’s smartest connected biking system, adding over 100 intelligent features to your bike

German company iCradle is launching COBI, an all-in-one smart biking system that’s designed to be installed on any bike, starting at just over £100.

They call it the ‘world’s smartest connected biking system’ and say that it adds over 100 intelligent features to your bike.

The COBI system is partly hardware that gives any bike headlights, brakelights, and turning signals.

It’s also a smartphone app that offers GPS navigation, fitness tracking, weather forecasting, and Spotify integration.

COBI offers some features that are unprecedented in biking too – at least as far as we know. These include a security system that can only be unlocked with your smartphone password, and a battery pack that can charge your phone.

"I love biking, but I was so tired of looking down at my handlebars and seeing a whole mess of unintegrated gadgets, one for music, one for speed, another for heart race tracking,” said Andreas Gahlert, founder of iCradle. “COBI eliminates the clutter."

Gahlert has previous experience developing connected car systems for Audi, and has applied the same principles and functionalities to bikes.

COBI is being made available first via crowd-funding website Kickstarter. Of course it is!

You can get the system for US$159 – which is £101.47 at today’s exchange rate. iCradle are looking to raise pledges of $100,000 before 1 January 2015. As ever with Kickstarter, they won’t get anything unless they reach that target. Delivery is scheduled for May 2015.

Get full details on the Kickstarter page.

Mat has been in cycling media since 1996, on titles including BikeRadar, Total Bike, Total Mountain Bike, What Mountain Bike and Mountain Biking UK, and he has been editor of 220 Triathlon and Cycling Plus. Mat has been road.cc technical editor for over a decade, testing bikes, fettling the latest kit, and trying out the most up-to-the-minute clothing. He has won his category in Ironman UK 70.3 and finished on the podium in both marathons he has run. Mat is a Cambridge graduate who did a post-grad in magazine journalism, and he is a winner of the Cycling Media Award for Specialist Online Writer. Now over 50, he's riding road and gravel bikes most days for fun and fitness rather than training for competitions.

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14 comments

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Dave42W | 9 years ago
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Hi truffy,

Actually with either a battery included, a dynamo connection or an ebike battery connection it should solve the smartphone battery issue for many users.

The Cateye Strada Smart does not help with route finding.

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truffy | 9 years ago
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But it's not a challenge to the Garmin (or Mio etc for that matter). GPS will still rely on your smartphone, with all the battery concerns, and there are already solutions out there (e.g. Cateye Strada Smart) if all you want is a gutless head to your phone.

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Dave42W | 9 years ago
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As competition for a Garmin 1000 I would think they would be very worried. Will be seen by many as a game changer.

Kind of like comparing an iPod to HiFi separate components. Those who have invested in and carefully chosen the separate components won't get it. Everyone else will get lots of extra functions and won't notice the specific limitations over dedicated lights/gps etc while also saving a fortune.

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Bez | 9 years ago
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"I love biking, but I was so tired of looking down at my handlebars and seeing a whole mess of unintegrated gadgets, one for music, one for speed, another for heart race tracking,”

Oh. Take 'em off then  1

Seriously, "100 intelligent features"? The mind boggles.

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Reg Molehusband | 9 years ago
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Great idea. Lovely bit of kit. A lot of potential for future add-ons and technical enhancements. I would defo have one - if it was it was around the £50 mark. Unfortunately I don't have a money tree in the garden. Bike clothing, accessories and components are so expensive these days (never mind the bike).

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chokofingrz | 9 years ago
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It would work well on a dynamo hub, because what sort of mega-battery would power all those features without needing a nightly recharge?

"I wish I hadn't taken that call from my boss and listened to the Lady Gaga album on the trails, because now my headlight won't come on and I can't even ring my digital bell to console myself."

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LinusLarrabee | 9 years ago
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Looks neat. I could put that on my fixie / commuting bike.

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Timsen | 9 years ago
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The reason I prefer separate devices is that each knows how to do its own job best & you don't have an issue with battery life. To keep that lot going I suspect you may have to look out your old rusting dynamo & try to get it working or spend £00's on a new hub. Also if it's nicked/broken/starts raining, you've lost the lot !
Don't let me put you off investing tho'

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tom_w replied to Timsen | 9 years ago
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Timsen wrote:

Also if it's nicked/broken/starts raining, you've lost the lot !
Don't let me put you off investing tho'

for info, there is a rain cover

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whuppingboy | 9 years ago
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Would i take away what cycling is all about? The feel and sound of the wind in your ears, finding new routes, getting lost in the countryside, leaving for a century not knowing if you are going to get rained on 20 minutes later etc etc these are the pleasures i ride for. Not to 'looked after' by a phone app. I ride to escape my busy life, forget about phones, weather, work and everything else apart from the sound of my gears and tyres on the road. Saying that i think its ok, but i wouldnt have one. OLD SCHOOL all the way for me.

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Phil T replied to whuppingboy | 9 years ago
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whuppingboy wrote:

Would i take away what cycling is all about? The feel and sound of the wind in your ears, finding new routes, getting lost in the countryside, leaving for a century not knowing if you are going to get rained on 20 minutes later etc etc these are the pleasures i ride for. Not to 'looked after' by a phone app. I ride to escape my busy life, forget about phones, weather, work and everything else apart from the sound of my gears and tyres on the road. Saying that i think its ok, but i wouldnt have one. OLD SCHOOL all the way for me.

What he said  1

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LarryDavidJr | 9 years ago
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Braking and turn signals? No car driver is looking for those, so you still have to signal turns with your arms.

Headlight? Don't see why you need to control that from a smartphone, they're either on or off.

Everything else can be done on your average smartphone anyway.

Nice technology, but ultimately no better than what's around already IMO.

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jasecd | 9 years ago
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"One for music"?

Rubber on tarmac sounds good enough to me.

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redmeat | 9 years ago
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Ok that's pretty cool.

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