8 ms·

World’s First Connected Bike Grips

60 points by conner_bw 12y ago

thret 12y ago
I imagine this would be extremely useful for bike couriers. Less so for people who ride the same route each day, but still pretty cool if you ride for fun.
moe 12y ago
How often will I have to charge it? How do I prevent it from getting stolen?
slug 12y ago
Funny the video talks about safety, but none of the riders wears a helmet. Also no mention of power/battery longevity.
- andreasvc 12y ago
  Here in the Netherlands almost no one wears a helmet on a bicycle. There have been studies that suggest cars are less careful with cyclists who wear a helmet.
  - nkozyra 12y ago
    Part of the reason you wear a helmet is to reduce reliance on what drivers do as it relates to your safety. Helmets are pretty universally known to reduce traumatic brain injuries. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bicycle_helmet#Meta-analyses http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bicycle_helmet#Meta-analyses
    - phaemon 12y ago
      There are on only two paragraphs about this in the Wikipedia link you gave, and the second one ends: Elvik writes "When the risk of injury to head, face or neck is viewed as a whole, bicycle helmets do provide a small protective effect. This effect is evident only in older studies. New studies, summarised by a random-effects model of analysis, indicate no net protective effect". I'm guessing you didn't read it and assumed it supported your preconceptions?
      - nkozyra 12y ago
        (Going to politely revoke my snarky response to your snark) I specifically mentioned head injuries (TBIs) - there are two meta analyses listed, the point you listed went beyond that (to include neck and face injuries). The other meta analysis also supported its TBI-reducing benefits. Edit: If you're looking for the pertinent line from the analysis: "With respect to head injury, the answer is clearly yes, and the re-analysis of the meta-analysis reported by Attewell et al. (2001) in this paper has not changed this answer."
        phaemon 12y ago
        Apologies for any snark. What you actually said was, "Helmets are pretty universally known to reduce traumatic brain injuries." This is wrong and not what you are now saying. You are now saying that among people who have suffered brain injuries, helmets are known to reduce traumatic brain injuries. If the helmets make it more likely that you suffer an injury in the first place, it's not really a consolation that they mitigate the effects. There are actually reasons why many people oppose compulsory helmet laws.
        nkozyra 12y ago
        I'm sorry, but I'm having a hard time parsing what you're saying. Both meta analyses supported my initial point.
  - ams6110 12y ago
    There is also evidence to support that cyclists are less careful when they are wearing a helmet (theory of "risk compensation") though some studies differ.
    - disputin 12y ago
      I've found that cars drive closer to me when I wear a high visibility jacket. Seems that because they can see me better they feel comfortable driving closer.
  - barkingcat 12y ago
    that's a poor excuse to not wear a helmet. I guess if you are in a city and the only thing that you worry about are cars then it's reasonable. Where I am, there are more things than cars that will take me out, and a helmet is one thing that protects me. Low hanging or falling branches, massive potholes that can kill your tires and bike wheel, people carrying large objects out of the trunk of their car - so even if they are driving safely, it only takes one snapped bungie cord to have a piece of furniture come at you... Always wear a helmet regardless of how safe you think cars are being!
    - Chronic30 12y ago
      Most people live in cities, so your anecdote does not help.
      - tmuir 12y ago
        Roughly 80% of americans live in urban areas. That still leaves 60 million people. According to http://www.bicycling.com/news/advocacy/ride-smart http://www.bicycling.com/news/advocacy/ride-smart almost half of car-bike accidents are due to cars turning left, and NOT seeing the cyclist.
        kimburgess 12y ago
        Roughly 4.4% of the world's population lives in the USA. That still leaves 6.8 billion people. There are many, many places where the option to ride without a helmet does wonders for cycling culture.
        tmuir 12y ago
        If we consider the entire world, the percentage of city dwellers drops to roughly 50% I'm genuinely interested in the benefits of forgoing safety equipment that is readily available, easy to use, and proven to save lives. Perhaps my experience is skewed because I almost exclusively do mountain biking. You couldn't pay me enough to ride on urban streets contending with cars.
  - Animats 12y ago
    The average speed on Netherlands bike paths is 8 MPH. The US runs around 20 MPH. There are several videos of cycling in the Netherlands on YouTube. Most of them have been speeded up because they look so slow.
    - gnur 12y ago
      Because EVERYONE in the Netherlands rides a bike, not just the super healthy sport types.
- joshfraser 12y ago
  In countries where people bike a lot, biking isn't treated as an inherently risky behavior. Instead, it's more akin to how we treat walking or driving a car, which we feel comfortable doing without helmets even if they would save lives on occasion. This alternative attitude to biking risk encourages more people to bike, which makes it safer for everyone as drivers become more accustomed to seeing and watching out for bikers. Keep in mind, most people don't die from accidents, they die from disease. Riding 20 miles a week on a bike cuts your chance of heart disease in half. Given that heart disease is our biggest killer in the US, we'd do well to stop treating biking as a risky behavior and instead encourage people to bike whether they choose to wear a helmet or not.
  - deleted 12y ago
    [deleted]
  - hyperbovine 12y ago
    Do you actually bike? I ask because the statement "in the US, we'd do well to stop treating biking as a risky behavior" will come as a surprise to anybody who spends any amount of time in the saddle on US roads. https://sites.google.com/site/bicyclehelmetmythsandfacts/ https://sites.google.com/site/bicyclehelmetmythsandfacts/
    - joshfraser 12y ago
      I don't own a car and my bike is my primary form of transportation. I live in San Francisco and bike almost every day.
      - hyperbovine 12y ago
        So based on your experience biking in the most bike-friendly city in the nation, you're recommending that everyone in the U.S. go sans helmet? This seems, at best, naive.
        joshfraser 12y ago
        I never said people should ride without helmets. And there are way more bike-friendly cities than SF.
- santacluster 12y ago
  Every damn time. Could we please stop equating dangerous behavior with cycling being dangerous? If both cyclists and other traffic behave normally wearing a helmet whilst cycling is as idiotic as wearing a bullet proof vest while walking. Not everyone lives in the US where the cycling culture is a mix between cyclists racing through traffic where the drivers can legally get away with murder.
ukandy 12y ago
I'm surprised they are using smrtgrips.bike when they own smrtgrips.com.
radley 12y ago
A smart watch with Google Maps already provides haptic navigation. Not sure I'd want two more things I have to charge daily.
Jugurtha 12y ago
From the video (at around 2:02, CadSoft EAGLE frame) they're using Nordic Semiconductor's nRF51822 Bluetooth Low Energy & 2.4GHz Wireless SoC.
- kawsper 12y ago
  I don't produce electronics that much anymore, but I very fondly remember working with EAGLE. I hope they have fixed the issues with redrawing that we had.
  - CamperBob2 12y ago
    5.0 was pretty messed up but they've gotten the display issues sorted out since then.
  - Jugurtha 12y ago
    Yeah. It rocks now :D I use EAGLE to make the breadbord, Proteus for simulation, and NI Multisim to produce the schematic to print on paper (they look nicer than Proteus' or EAGLE's schematics). I also use LT Spice for simulation. It depends.
andrewljohnson 12y ago
If these get popular, I wonder if they will be a target for theft, and then what can be done to fix that.
- IneffablePigeon 12y ago
  Let the app register each set to an account, and don't let the grips work with any device not authenticated with that account.
  - davvid 12y ago
    That's a good idea, but people will steal them anyways. Sometimes things get stolen for no reason ~ e.g. my bike seat got stolen. I'm pretty sure they didn't need it.
bennettfeely 12y ago
If I have a phone in my pocket with the capability to call out directions verbally, I sure don't feel compelled to buy some overpriced bike grips that'll have to be charged, and might get stolen.
bbarn 12y ago
A quick look around my living room and the bar end of every flat bar bike I have is beat up and chewed up. Not a stellar place to put important pieces. Much like most "bike innovations" these don't seem to cater to those who use their bikes on a regular basis.
r109 12y ago
Can they make a model wear the grips pick up your heart rate? PLEASE!?!? This would be the coolest most insanely awesome mod I'd to to my bike! v2 v2!
- johnny99 12y ago
  Watches with heart rate monitors have been available for a while, and you can use them when running, or walking, or sitting on your ass. Built into handlebars seems limiting, and error prone--what happens when you're wearing gloves, or braking
legatoninja 12y ago
I think this is interesting, bike has to be more smart. Yes, I know many device like smart watches have similiar features already, but I personally like those features are in my bike, not on me. By the way, I hope this smart bar can be inserted in Motoped.
rishabhsagar 12y ago
Does any one know how is this device secured to the handlebar? From the video it looks like it's just 'insert, twist and go'; but then won't it be prone to theft?
- fulafel 12y ago
  Like most bike parts.
jbob2000 12y ago
Cool, but it's not really solving a problem anyone had. Did anyone really have a problem with directions when biking? I mean the great thing about a bike is that it's pretty easy to come to a stop and grab your phone if you get lost. I've never had a problem finding my bike, even amongst a rack of hundreds. Getting the bike out... now that's a problem worth solving! And connected biking? Wtf? Nearby friends? If I'm out on a ride and one of my friends is nearby, but I'm not biking with them, why the fuck do I care? Am I going to stop my ride to pull them over and say hello?

60 points by conner_bw 12y ago

thret 12y ago

I imagine this would be extremely useful for bike couriers. Less so for people who ride the same route each day, but still pretty cool if you ride for fun.

moe 12y ago

How often will I have to charge it? How do I prevent it from getting stolen?

slug 12y ago

Funny the video talks about safety, but none of the riders wears a helmet. Also no mention of power/battery longevity.

andreasvc 12y ago
Here in the Netherlands almost no one wears a helmet on a bicycle. There have been studies that suggest cars are less careful with cyclists who wear a helmet.
- nkozyra 12y ago
  Part of the reason you wear a helmet is to reduce reliance on what drivers do as it relates to your safety. Helmets are pretty universally known to reduce traumatic brain injuries. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bicycle_helmet#Meta-analyses http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bicycle_helmet#Meta-analyses
  - phaemon 12y ago
    There are on only two paragraphs about this in the Wikipedia link you gave, and the second one ends: Elvik writes "When the risk of injury to head, face or neck is viewed as a whole, bicycle helmets do provide a small protective effect. This effect is evident only in older studies. New studies, summarised by a random-effects model of analysis, indicate no net protective effect". I'm guessing you didn't read it and assumed it supported your preconceptions?
    - nkozyra 12y ago
      (Going to politely revoke my snarky response to your snark) I specifically mentioned head injuries (TBIs) - there are two meta analyses listed, the point you listed went beyond that (to include neck and face injuries). The other meta analysis also supported its TBI-reducing benefits. Edit: If you're looking for the pertinent line from the analysis: "With respect to head injury, the answer is clearly yes, and the re-analysis of the meta-analysis reported by Attewell et al. (2001) in this paper has not changed this answer."
      - phaemon 12y ago
        Apologies for any snark. What you actually said was, "Helmets are pretty universally known to reduce traumatic brain injuries." This is wrong and not what you are now saying. You are now saying that among people who have suffered brain injuries, helmets are known to reduce traumatic brain injuries. If the helmets make it more likely that you suffer an injury in the first place, it's not really a consolation that they mitigate the effects. There are actually reasons why many people oppose compulsory helmet laws.
        nkozyra 12y ago
        I'm sorry, but I'm having a hard time parsing what you're saying. Both meta analyses supported my initial point.
- ams6110 12y ago
  There is also evidence to support that cyclists are less careful when they are wearing a helmet (theory of "risk compensation") though some studies differ.
  - disputin 12y ago
    I've found that cars drive closer to me when I wear a high visibility jacket. Seems that because they can see me better they feel comfortable driving closer.
- barkingcat 12y ago
  that's a poor excuse to not wear a helmet. I guess if you are in a city and the only thing that you worry about are cars then it's reasonable. Where I am, there are more things than cars that will take me out, and a helmet is one thing that protects me. Low hanging or falling branches, massive potholes that can kill your tires and bike wheel, people carrying large objects out of the trunk of their car - so even if they are driving safely, it only takes one snapped bungie cord to have a piece of furniture come at you... Always wear a helmet regardless of how safe you think cars are being!
  - Chronic30 12y ago
    Most people live in cities, so your anecdote does not help.
    - tmuir 12y ago
      Roughly 80% of americans live in urban areas. That still leaves 60 million people. According to http://www.bicycling.com/news/advocacy/ride-smart http://www.bicycling.com/news/advocacy/ride-smart almost half of car-bike accidents are due to cars turning left, and NOT seeing the cyclist.
      - kimburgess 12y ago
        Roughly 4.4% of the world's population lives in the USA. That still leaves 6.8 billion people. There are many, many places where the option to ride without a helmet does wonders for cycling culture.
        tmuir 12y ago
        If we consider the entire world, the percentage of city dwellers drops to roughly 50% I'm genuinely interested in the benefits of forgoing safety equipment that is readily available, easy to use, and proven to save lives. Perhaps my experience is skewed because I almost exclusively do mountain biking. You couldn't pay me enough to ride on urban streets contending with cars.
- Animats 12y ago
  The average speed on Netherlands bike paths is 8 MPH. The US runs around 20 MPH. There are several videos of cycling in the Netherlands on YouTube. Most of them have been speeded up because they look so slow.
  - gnur 12y ago
    Because EVERYONE in the Netherlands rides a bike, not just the super healthy sport types.
joshfraser 12y ago
In countries where people bike a lot, biking isn't treated as an inherently risky behavior. Instead, it's more akin to how we treat walking or driving a car, which we feel comfortable doing without helmets even if they would save lives on occasion. This alternative attitude to biking risk encourages more people to bike, which makes it safer for everyone as drivers become more accustomed to seeing and watching out for bikers. Keep in mind, most people don't die from accidents, they die from disease. Riding 20 miles a week on a bike cuts your chance of heart disease in half. Given that heart disease is our biggest killer in the US, we'd do well to stop treating biking as a risky behavior and instead encourage people to bike whether they choose to wear a helmet or not.
- deleted 12y ago
  [deleted]
- hyperbovine 12y ago
  Do you actually bike? I ask because the statement "in the US, we'd do well to stop treating biking as a risky behavior" will come as a surprise to anybody who spends any amount of time in the saddle on US roads. https://sites.google.com/site/bicyclehelmetmythsandfacts/ https://sites.google.com/site/bicyclehelmetmythsandfacts/
  - joshfraser 12y ago
    I don't own a car and my bike is my primary form of transportation. I live in San Francisco and bike almost every day.
    - hyperbovine 12y ago
      So based on your experience biking in the most bike-friendly city in the nation, you're recommending that everyone in the U.S. go sans helmet? This seems, at best, naive.
      - joshfraser 12y ago
        I never said people should ride without helmets. And there are way more bike-friendly cities than SF.
santacluster 12y ago
Every damn time. Could we please stop equating dangerous behavior with cycling being dangerous? If both cyclists and other traffic behave normally wearing a helmet whilst cycling is as idiotic as wearing a bullet proof vest while walking. Not everyone lives in the US where the cycling culture is a mix between cyclists racing through traffic where the drivers can legally get away with murder.

ukandy 12y ago

I'm surprised they are using smrtgrips.bike when they own smrtgrips.com.

radley 12y ago

A smart watch with Google Maps already provides haptic navigation. Not sure I'd want two more things I have to charge daily.

Jugurtha 12y ago

From the video (at around 2:02, CadSoft EAGLE frame) they're using Nordic Semiconductor's nRF51822 Bluetooth Low Energy & 2.4GHz Wireless SoC.

kawsper 12y ago
I don't produce electronics that much anymore, but I very fondly remember working with EAGLE. I hope they have fixed the issues with redrawing that we had.
- CamperBob2 12y ago
  5.0 was pretty messed up but they've gotten the display issues sorted out since then.
- Jugurtha 12y ago
  Yeah. It rocks now :D I use EAGLE to make the breadbord, Proteus for simulation, and NI Multisim to produce the schematic to print on paper (they look nicer than Proteus' or EAGLE's schematics). I also use LT Spice for simulation. It depends.

andrewljohnson 12y ago

If these get popular, I wonder if they will be a target for theft, and then what can be done to fix that.

IneffablePigeon 12y ago
Let the app register each set to an account, and don't let the grips work with any device not authenticated with that account.
- davvid 12y ago
  That's a good idea, but people will steal them anyways. Sometimes things get stolen for no reason ~ e.g. my bike seat got stolen. I'm pretty sure they didn't need it.

bennettfeely 12y ago

If I have a phone in my pocket with the capability to call out directions verbally, I sure don't feel compelled to buy some overpriced bike grips that'll have to be charged, and might get stolen.

bbarn 12y ago

A quick look around my living room and the bar end of every flat bar bike I have is beat up and chewed up. Not a stellar place to put important pieces. Much like most "bike innovations" these don't seem to cater to those who use their bikes on a regular basis.

r109 12y ago

Can they make a model wear the grips pick up your heart rate? PLEASE!?!? This would be the coolest most insanely awesome mod I'd to to my bike! v2 v2!

johnny99 12y ago
Watches with heart rate monitors have been available for a while, and you can use them when running, or walking, or sitting on your ass. Built into handlebars seems limiting, and error prone--what happens when you're wearing gloves, or braking

legatoninja 12y ago

I think this is interesting, bike has to be more smart. Yes, I know many device like smart watches have similiar features already, but I personally like those features are in my bike, not on me. By the way, I hope this smart bar can be inserted in Motoped.

rishabhsagar 12y ago

Does any one know how is this device secured to the handlebar? From the video it looks like it's just 'insert, twist and go'; but then won't it be prone to theft?

fulafel 12y ago
Like most bike parts.

jbob2000 12y ago

Cool, but it's not really solving a problem anyone had. Did anyone really have a problem with directions when biking? I mean the great thing about a bike is that it's pretty easy to come to a stop and grab your phone if you get lost. I've never had a problem finding my bike, even amongst a rack of hundreds. Getting the bike out... now that's a problem worth solving! And connected biking? Wtf? Nearby friends? If I'm out on a ride and one of my friends is nearby, but I'm not biking with them, why the fuck do I care? Am I going to stop my ride to pull them over and say hello?