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TECH NEWS

8 cycling gadgets from the CES tech show 2020

Some of these products look really cool, others are just waaaay out there.

There are always some interesting bike-related products at the CES consumer technology show in Las Vegas, and here are the most notable from this year's event. Of course, the word 'interesting' can cover a lot of different things...

Benjilock bike lock 

Benjilock - 1.jpg

Benjilock now offers U-locks that you can open using biometric technology – it recognises up to 10 different fingerprints. 

Each lock – 6in and 8in versions are available – features a case-hardened steel shackle and is powered by a lithium battery that can last up to six months on a single charge.

The office sceptics point out that phones that unlock with fingerprint technology can have a hard time in wet conditions. We've no idea if that'll be an issue here but a traditional metal key can be used if necessary.

benjilock.com

Invoxia Bike Tracker 

Invoxia Bike Tracker (1)

An issue with many GPS bike trackers is battery life, but the makers of the Invoxia Bike Tracker reckon theirs is good for up to a month on a single charge. That sounds promising. 

The tracker goes inside a reflector and alerts you in case of a theft attempt. It allows you to geolocate your bike on an associated app if it is taken away. You can also set up security zones – encompassing the area where you live, for example – and be alerted whenever they are crossed. 

The Invoxia Bike Tracker includes a three-year subscription. 

www.invoxia.com

HiRide suspension 

HiRide front and rear suspension Arenberg 2019 - 1.jpg

HiRide is a smart 'eSAS' full-suspension system specifically for road and gravel use that is designed to improve comfort without losing efficiency. The system will be familiar to those who recall the rear-suspension only Pinarello Dogma K8-S road bike launched back in 2017, but HiRide's latest 'eSAS' system now incorporates a front suspension unit as well as rear suspension on a frame of its own making. 

HiRide front and rear suspension Arenberg 2019 - 7

HiRide's party trick is the way the system automatically locks and unlocks the suspension depending on what you're riding over, meaning that you get the comfort of full suspension when you need it and the efficiency of a rigid bike when you don't, all without the rider having to do anything.

We showed you the system last year when we rode it on the brutal cobbles of the Arenberg in northern France.

hiride.bike

Suunto 7 smartwatch

Suunto 7 smartwatch - 1.jpg

Suunto has launched a new sports smartwatch that offers a wrist heart rate sensor and GPS mapping. 

"Discover the world around you using the free offline maps with terrain details, trails and contour lines," says Suunto. "It is easy to glance at the maps at any time, and they are always one swipe away during exercise. Built-in heatmaps for 15 activities including running, swimming, and cycling show you the most popular routes so you can train where others have trained or choose to stay away from the beaten track."

It's certainly an interesting concept and we'd be very interested in giving it a spin.

www.suunto.com

Rider+ bone conduction headphone 

Partron Rider+ bone conduction headphones - 1.jpg

Rider+ bone conduction headphones from South Korean brand Partron are designed to allow you to listen to music while you ride without blocking out traffic sounds. On top of that, they're motion gesture controlled and, used with a GPS app, they can give you directions as you ride.

Ao Air Atmos Faceware 

Atmos Faceware CES - 1 (1).jpg

The Atmos is designed to provide you with filtered air in a polluted atmosphere. 

"Our patented PositivAir technology utilises fans to create a positive pressure clean air environment for you to breathe freely, requiring no seal around the mouth and nose," says Ao Air. "This system allows clean, cool air to comfortably escape the mask around the face creating a continuous, one way outflow that keeps outside air out. This means unparalleled protection (up to 50x better than current market leading solutions)." 

The Atmos uses what AO Air calls its D'Fend Multistage Filtration system.

"Our prefilter removes the largest particulates while our active Nano-Filter was designed from the molecular level and provides the ultimate in protection from fine dust particles, pollen and ash."

It's not cheap, though. Due for delivery in July this year, the Ao Air Atmos Faceware is priced $350 (around £270), and you'll need to replace the filters over time.

www.ao-air.com

Wello Family electric trike 

Wello Family.jpg

This solar powered trike is designed to carry you plus an adult passenger or two children on urban trips (so you might think that the word 'Family' in the product name is pushing it a bit).

French brand Wello says that the produces zero CO2 emissions per kilometre travelled and only 6.37g / km of CO2 taking its production into account its production. 

www.wello.io

Manta5 Hydrofoiler XE-1 e-bike

Manta5 Hydrofoiler XE-1 - 1.jpg

"Hey road.cc, has anyone invented a hydrofoil e-bike yet?"

It's a question we get asked on a daily basis*. Well, feast your eyes on the Manta5. To be fair, it does look like it could be fun – given the right water temperature.

The variable pedal assist can be dialled up or down, and you have a top speed of up to 12mph.

We've told you about the Manta5 before, but it's now almost ready for delivery at a price of £5,790.

manta5.com

*Possibly untrue.

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. We send him off around the world to get all the news from launches and shows too. 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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12 comments

Avatar
ktache | 4 years ago
1 like

I'm guessing it's mostly electric powered, with the pedals being used for power control.

Avatar
froze | 4 years ago
0 likes

The Manta 5 Hydrofoil seems like a fantastic idea, my question is that since water takes more power to do anything vs on land, just how difficult it is to pedal it, and then try to get it to 12 mph, it seems like it would take a track cyclist to make it fo fast enough to get it up onto the hydrofoils.

Avatar
Xenophon2 | 4 years ago
1 like

The Air Atmos gimmick sounds like pure BS-ware to me.  Don't see how it could work and of course, the filters won't come for free.

Avatar
RobD replied to Xenophon2 | 4 years ago
0 likes

Xenophon2 wrote:

The Air Atmos gimmick sounds like pure BS-ware to me.  Don't see how it could work and of course, the filters won't come for free.

I get how it's supposed to work in principle, I just wonder how strong a stream of air it needs to generate to create the 'bubble' of filtered air for you to breathe, especially if it's not a tight fitting mask.  I can see it making you really thirsty after a while too.

Avatar
peted76 | 4 years ago
0 likes

Ref the Hi-Ride suspension system... to be fair it sounds pretty good. But very niche. As in you've got to really ask yourself why you'd want a gravel bike with this suspension over a modern HardTail XC bike.

 

Avatar
TheBillder replied to peted76 | 4 years ago
0 likes
peted76 wrote:

Ref the Hi-Ride suspension system... to be fair it sounds pretty good. But very niche. As in you've got to really ask yourself why you'd want a gravel bike with this suspension over a modern HardTail XC bike.

 

But what if you wanted a cheap way of mimicking the Specialized Roubaix for the price of a new fork?

Avatar
Cyclolotl | 4 years ago
1 like

Much prefer a tracker that is "hidden" inside something like a reflector/light/etc to ones that stick out like a sore thumb. However, as long as the tool for removal remains the same across the devices it's not particularly secure, especially given that a motivated thief is going to be familiar with the security tech available to their targets. I'd much rather see something like this, but with a key required to detach it. A little like the lockable bracket on the Hamax children's seat.

Avatar
hawkinspeter replied to Cyclolotl | 4 years ago
1 like

Cyclolotl wrote:

Much prefer a tracker that is "hidden" inside something like a reflector/light/etc to ones that stick out like a sore thumb. However, as long as the tool for removal remains the same across the devices it's not particularly secure, especially given that a motivated thief is going to be familiar with the security tech available to their targets. I'd much rather see something like this, but with a key required to detach it. A little like the lockable bracket on the Hamax children's seat.

Yeah - I'd like to see a device that can be hidden within a bike frame yet be easily recharged - possibly either wireless charging (if the frame is CF) or by linking up to Di2 or similar.

I'm awaiting the See.Sense AIR device (https://seesense.cc/collections/shop/products/see-sense-air-pre-order) later this year after joining their KickStarter campaign.

I'm not convinced by the electric hydrofoil bike - maybe a fun toy, but not as practical or as easy to use as a kayak.

Avatar
Cyclolotl replied to hawkinspeter | 4 years ago
1 like

hawkinspeter wrote:

Cyclolotl wrote:

Much prefer a tracker that is "hidden" inside something like a reflector/light/etc to ones that stick out like a sore thumb. However, as long as the tool for removal remains the same across the devices it's not particularly secure, especially given that a motivated thief is going to be familiar with the security tech available to their targets. I'd much rather see something like this, but with a key required to detach it. A little like the lockable bracket on the Hamax children's seat.

Yeah - I'd like to see a device that can be hidden within a bike frame yet be easily recharged - possibly either wireless charging (if the frame is CF) or by linking up to Di2 or similar.

I'm awaiting the See.Sense AIR device (https://seesense.cc/collections/shop/products/see-sense-air-pre-order) later this year after joining their KickStarter campaign.

I'm not convinced by the electric hydrofoil bike - maybe a fun toy, but not as practical or as easy to use as a kayak.

 

As soon as I started reading your comment I thought "wonder if it could hook off the Di2 battery" then continued reading and you were there ahead of me.

 

The external option still has the benefit of it would be easier to swap between bikes, rather than require purchasing 1 for each bike, for those budget-conscious individuals. 

Avatar
crazy-legs replied to hawkinspeter | 4 years ago
1 like

hawkinspeter wrote:

I'm not convinced by the electric hydrofoil bike - maybe a fun toy, but not as practical or as easy to use as a kayak.

It would be good if it was actually a normal (or relatively normal...) bike that had hydrofoil capabilites.

Kind of like that quad bike that converts to a jetski that Top Gear played around on a while ago:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D6ATAVqgp0U

As it is it's kind of a cool toy that a beachfront hotel or a watersports resort might buy for guests to mess around on for 20 mins but not really a practical transport option!

Avatar
rjfrussell replied to hawkinspeter | 4 years ago
0 likes

hawkinspeter wrote:

 

Yeah - I'd like to see a device that can be hidden within a bike frame yet be easily recharged - possibly either wireless charging (if the frame is CF) or by linking up to Di2 or similar.

 

 

could shimano integrate a tracker into its Di2 systems that would be fed from the main Di2 battery?

Avatar
hawkinspeter replied to rjfrussell | 4 years ago
0 likes

rjfrussell wrote:

hawkinspeter wrote:

 

Yeah - I'd like to see a device that can be hidden within a bike frame yet be easily recharged - possibly either wireless charging (if the frame is CF) or by linking up to Di2 or similar.

could shimano integrate a tracker into its Di2 systems that would be fed from the main Di2 battery?

Seems feasible to me. The biggest issue would be that the tracker would likely use a lot more power that the gears, so they may have to increase the battery size or warn people that they'd have to charge it up every couple of weeks.

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