A bike isn’t something you expect to be smart, but BiCi is a new project that does just that. BiCi features a strong carbon fiber frame, 22-inch wheels, and your typical bike shape. That’s where the familiar ends. BiCi features remote locking, anti-theft features, vibration-based GPS guidance, and it also tracks your exercise on it. The bike was designed by AOAO Studio of Tibet as the result of a crowd sourcing project.
If this sounds interesting, they are building 140 units of the BiCi for $643 a piece. You can find the link in the release below.
BiCi is a bicycle with brains
Quick features:
- Tracks speed, distance and elevation through inbuilt sensors
- GPS guiding through directional handlebar vibrations and lights
- Lock and unlock remotely
- Powerful anti-theft system
- Carbon fibre frame, 30 times stronger than regular steel alloys
- Concept crowdsourced by cycling community
- Only 140 units available for preorder starting at US$643
23 December, 2014- If you’re a serious cyclist, you’ve probably had a favourite app or fancy wristband to track your rides for a while now, as well as a decent lock to keep opportunists at bay, and a system for subtly referring to your GPS without crashing into oncoming traffic. But what if you could have all this shipped ready with your bike in a single, unified experience?
The Bici is a smart bicycle, with inbuilt sensors that track your cycling stats, guide you along your route, keep you safe and offer powerful anti-theft protection. The Chinese creators believe that having these sensors designed and calibrated specially to be used in the body of the bike makes them far more accurate than companion apps and wearables.
With a carbon-fibre frame and versatile 22-inch wheels, the features and design of the bike were a result of a crowdsourcing expedition by makers AOAO Studio into Tibet’s Qizi Mountain. Cycling enthusiasts were enlisted to participate in 4 months of cycling, leisure activities, and focus grouping, all while contributing crucial data on what the perfect bike should be. “It was so much fun. The feeling of community and that we were all building an ideal together – it was an amazing experience,” said creator Minchen Jiang.
Bici records your speed, elevation, cadence, heart rate and more. It maps your route in real-time but also allows you to chart a course before you start, with directional vibrations and lights in the handlebars that tell you where to go as you ride. “Glancing at a phone while cycling because you’re checking your GPS can be incredibly dangerous on the road, where accidents happen in a fraction of a second. We wanted to tap on other senses and keep our users’ eyes and ears focused on the surroundings, where they belong.”
The Bici is also virtually theft-proof, with a security system that you can activate when you leave your bike that will trigger an alarm if the bike is moved before you return. Add to this the ability to lock and unlock your bike remotely through the app, and a GPS locator with a standby time of up to a month, and it’s going to be pretty hard for anyone to get away with stealing your bike.
The Bici is now crowdfunding a limited run of just 140 units at pozi.be/bici, with both a basic and expert version available.
