Cycling Tech Trends To Watch In 2020

By Mike Lacroix

While some cycling purists prefer just a bicycle, a helmet, and the open road (or trail), many of us are excited by the recent technological advancements being made in cycling.

Whether you’re looking to improve your times, hoping for sturdier, safer, and more comfortable equipment, or just want to navigate the streets easier, cycling tech is being designed to solve your challenges.

Below, we’ll break down some of the most exciting cycling tech of 2020 in the following categories: Analysis, Bike Tech, and Accessories.

Analysis

If you are interested in improving your times, analyzing your speed, distance, or pulse (among other things), and knowing how you can improve as a cyclist, here are a few gadgets to check out this year.

Leomo Type-S Sensor Kit

This sensor kit was created to help cyclists improve their form. Included is a central unit, mounted onto the handlebars, and two motion sensors. The motion sensors will detect pedaling smoothness, leg movement, and pelvic movement.

While perhaps not necessary for the everyday commuter, this is a revolutionary piece of equipment for competitive cyclists and can help ensure minute improvements – such as 5mm saddle height differences – make a big difference on race day.

TYPE-S Sensor Kit

Withings ScanWatch

Withings, a company that designs fitness trackers that look more like casual items than fitness equipment, has made the ScanWatch to monitor the vitals of a rider. The watch also has an ECG and a sleep apnea detector.

This is perhaps the smart watch that looks most like a traditional and elegant time piece, while still packing a major technological punch. If you’re looking for something to both track your rides and look great at the office, the ScanWatch is a fantastic option.

https://www.withings.com/us/en/scanwatch

OnTracks Guide Watches

And on the complete opposite end of the wearables spectrum in terms of aesthetics, we’ve got the OnTracks watches.

These watches (yes, you wear two of them) are specialised for use for navigation during bike riding. They will connect to your smartphone and direct you to a preprogrammed destination while riding the bike, preventing you from having to stop and check your phone for directions.

https://www.ontracks.co/#pack

Bike Tech

The humble bicycle has come a long way over the years. These companies are pushing the limits even further, with amazing tech advancements in eBikes, Conversion Kits, and Virtual Training.

Hydrogen Fuel Cell Bikee

The H2Bike is powered by a hydrogen fuel cell instead of a battery like a regular e-bike. The fuel cell in question converts hydrogen and oxygen to electricity, powering the bike.

This fuel cell technology is an improvement over normal batteries, because they can be charged much faster, and they don’t use potentially environmentally-insensitive methods of recharging from the grid like normal batteries do. Unfortunately, long distance rides will be impossible until more hydrogen cell chargers are more common.

https://h2tec.co/

CYC Motor X1 Pro Gen2 Motor Conversion Kit

This motor conversion kit is much simpler to use than most existing eBike conversion kits. After installation, this kit will turn your bike into a Class 2 E-bike (meaning it has a throttle).

It adds 10 pounds to the bike, but requires no major alterations. Using this device, you can switch from motor-assisted cycling back to leg-only power with ease.

https://www.cycmotor.com/product-page/x1-pro-gen-2-36-72v-5000w-extreme-mid-drive-conversion-kit-with-torque-sensor

RealDesignTech Ultiracer Trainer

The RealDesignTech Ultiracer is an indoor station designed to replicate riding outside…mostly. While it gives a great real-world feel, it allows you to play games like Space Invaders.

Some people will love this gamification, and others will wonder why they bothered doing anything more than adding a hyper-realistic landscape to mimic real cycling. Either way, it’s one of the smartest trainers we’ve seen, allowing for a natural side to side motion on high quality rollers.

https://www.realdesigntech.com/

Accessories

These cycling accessories are designed with safety and comfort in mind.

Helite B’safe Airbag Vest

These airbag vests are meant to protect your vital organs from being punctured during a bike crash. In the event of a crash, the vest will detect the event, and within 300 milliseconds, inflate your vest in the front, back and over the shoulders.

Safe-Tec SK8 Plus Helmet

A newer entry into the smart helmet market contains lights in the front and rear, headphones that allow you to listen to music and make phone calls, and integrates with Amazon’s Alexa. The Alexa compatibility could open it up to many third party extensions in the future, meaning it may get even more useful the longer you have it.

https://safetechelmets.com/shop/product/?prod=sk8-Plus-commuter-helmet-bluetooth-lights-black-grey

Rothem Smart Bike Rear Light

More than a regular bike light, this light also contains an HD camera, a buzzer, radar, speakers, and it connects to your phone to display the data. The point of this is to create a safety “bubble” around the rider, whereby any vehicles or objects that get too close are detected, with both the rider and the vehicle getting warned with noise and/or vibrations. The founder hopes to reduce cycling injuries and fatalities.

https://rothembike.com/#a6

Mike Lacroix is a cycling advocate and lover of green technology. He enjoys exploring new places on his electric bike, and encouraging others to get out there on two wheels. His goal is to encourage a broader adoption of cycling, so he writes about the best gear at BoxerCycles.com.

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