Hi guys !

I wanted to know what are the features that you like on bikes and also which ones are the most useful.

For example what do you think that about an integrated GPS system also used in a security purpose ?

Thank's

Haven't we seen this thread before with the consensus being "Integrated technology on a bike is stupid because eventually that technology will be outdated and will be nothing more than dead weight."

a good derailuer, comfy grips, not automatic but just quick release seat dropper, pedals, seat, steering are pretty useful.

Climate control

I thought all bikes had this? Pedal harder = more AC, pedal easier = more heat. Or, in the case of people who ride with cycling jackets/jerseys. Put on jacket = warmer, take off jacket = colder?

Integrated to me, means proprietary, which means when something breaks, I don't have that many options to fix it. I think some things are just better as addons...and the industry seems pretty good about universally being able to addon just about anything anyone could want to just about any bike anyone could want.

Thank's for your answer.

Let's just forget about the integrated part. What about some addon GPS device transmitter used in cities to prevent accidents ?

If you still not convinced do you have any improvement or something else ?

A GPS transmitter to prevent accidents? Do you mean like a device that announces you're going to be somewhere so people will please not hit you?

Tell you what. I like that I can go to a bike shop, pick out a bike I like, and ride it. I got mine because I like the way it handles and fits me, and because it's comfortable. Also I like that it has wide tires for a road bike so I can take it on dirt and gravel roads. I like my GPS computer because it has maps right there on the device, they're useful even in places I can't get a signal. There are other GPS bike computers that don't have that, and those are great for people who don't ride in places they aren't familiar with. It's really nice to be able to get a bike that's right for you, and a computer that's right for you (or no computer if that's best), and pair them according to your needs.

Is this intended to be part of the "vehicle to vehicle" communications network so vehicles can share info about how fast they are going, when they are braking, etc., so nearby vehicles can be pro-active in responding instead of waiting until the vehicles almost hit each other?

There might be value in that sort of thing. It's a lot of infrastructure to hang on a tiny vehicle like a bike, though. Was that system designed with bikes in mind? Would it understand that bikes are very small and may not be moving in the same traffic lanes as cars?

What about making the bike more visible to the collision avoidance radars that are so common on cars nowadays? Maybe some retro-reflectors to create a larger reflection from the bike? Seems like the size could be tuned for the radar frequency and might not be more complicated than a bit of foil that could be stuck onto a carbon bike's tubes?

Otherwise... I tend to value the simplicity of bikes and hate to see people adding cost and complexity to it just as a way to differentiate this year's model.

Steve in Peoria

The aim is to decrease the risk of accident in this kind of situation and to remain simple (not that many costs and complexity).

Really appreciate your advice.

I'm curious to know how the GPS will help us avoid an accident in that situation, or the risk of one? Also, I'm not sure what the risk we are trying to avoid is? Yes there are are quite a few bicyclists in the pic, but I doesn't look like a particularly dangerous situation.

Fishing for kickstarter ideas?

1. Maybe something similar to Tile? Ideally 3G/LTE enabled, concealed, coupled to an integral lock (such that it'll activate iff the bike is moved while locked).

2. Integral lock, inspired from framelocks. Locking the steerer might deter thieves as well as if not more than heavy and inconvenient U-locks.

3. Universal hitch. We have an extrawheel trailer and a follow-me tandem. Both attach to a modified rear skewer. Would be great if they, and other trailable accessories, could share similar brackets.

I think the key to reducing risk in this sort of situation is training the cyclists in both skills and rules/laws/courtesy. I don't see any way for electronics to make a person aware of the person immediately next to them.

I'd like a GPS bike computer with a readable screen which actually works for training and navigation. Not integrated because I'll replace it when it wears out (I only got 20,000 miles out of my Edge 500 before the buttons failed which wouldn't be two years at my current monthly mileage) and am not going to get rid of a $1000+ frame because I want to upgrade the computer.

My six year old Garmin Edge 500 (final firmware version) doesn't do maps or give next way point name and distance as main screen data fields. The power connector is on the back where it can fall out when charging while riding which is essential for long rides. The bugs I see are getting stuck on the power meter calibration screen, not not displaying the route after a departure into a store, and being sluggish indicating passing a way point. Otherwise it's fine at what it does.

The brand new Wahoo ELEMNT does maps, has a readable screen, and the UI is good. It wasn't accurately reporting or recording data. It barely does courses - they show up on the maps with chevrons indicating direction of travel, but you don't get way point alerts, distance to next way point, next way point, or a screen listing the next several with distances. The maps lack street and won't pan the map which is a big deal because minor roads good for cycling are invisible when zoomed out. It doesn't do any sort of navigation which is required for turn-by-turn directions following .gpx files lacking cue sheet entries. I sent mine back and bought a Garmin Edge 810. The USB connector is also on the bottom not the back.

The Garmin Edge 800/810 screen isn't very readable in sunlight but they do courses, maps, and navigation. Their USB/power connector is on the bottom.

The 3-year old 810 (they're being closed-out so it's close to as good as the software will get) has spontaneous power-downs, sometimes crashes navigating/following courses, will only display the name of the next GPS guided turn not the way point, tries to navigate backwards on out-and-back courses although the waypoint cue sheet is correctly ordered, sometimes truncates .fit files so they need repair, and has a horrid menu structure - I need to poke the touch screen a dozen times to calibrate my power meter before each ride. I'm going to send it back to replace it with a refurbished Edge 800 released 6 years ago for better reliability.

The 2014 Garmin Edge 1000 might be OK but has poor battery life. Given Garmin's history of releasing buggy software I'd wait a few years before buying one. It's also bigger than it needs to be.

All those have ANT+ support so they communicate with peoples' expensive power meters.

Numerous companies make GPS computers which don't do maps so they're not useful for unorganized long distance rides.

Phones have big screens, but bad battery life - I can't ride a few hours using mine as a bike computer, and it's so power hungry a 3W dynamo hub can't really keep up yielding a string of external power lost messages as I speed up and slow down. Samsungs have ANT+ support in hardware, but the applications don't support it. 4iiii has a ANT+ to Bluetooth LE bridging heart rate monitor, but it sends "composite" messages which the applications need to specifically support

Something is really wrong with technology products when alternatives 1-2 generations older work better.

Lateral stiffness and vertical compliance.

Agreed; the cyclocomputer market is pretty lousy right now. I really don't get why phones do a better job of navigating than dedicated nav systems! Seriously, we have both Garmin and TomTom units at work, and they are so clumsy to use, usually I just pull out my iPhone and use that, either native Maps, or Waze, choosing one or the other depending on whether I want to get conditions alerts or not. Either is vastly superior to the dedicated units from a UI perspective.

The Garmin 520 appears to be at the top of the heap right now, although I was hoping ELEMNT would deliver, but it doesn't. How, or why, they would release it without any nav is beyond me.

Especially considering the price point.

Sounds like market research. Or related to a school assignment...

Do you even know what GPS is?

The navigation stuff is hard. Especially in a device that is supposed to be cheapish, small, and last a long time. Garmin is a leader in navigation and it's hard for them to get it completely right on the cycling units.

The phones do better because they are much faster computers with much more memory. Routes on google/waze/etc are not even calculated on the device.

I don't get what any of that has to do with why they don't make the UI better in nav units. What's holding them back from getting better chips and more memory? My feeling is that they're just behind the curve. TomTom are on track with the 6100 model, but they just introduced it last year. Put a damn SIM card in these things, guys!

Ill get the Wahoo unit when they get it up to speed so to speak. Without the ability to at least give turn by turn directions from a GPX file its a deal killer. As soon as they get this Ill jump ship despite already owning a Garmin 1000. Garmin is famous for unfixed bugs and a lack of customer service/responsiveness. To the OP: couldn't really understand your question sorry!

In the cycling units? Cost and power consumption. Cost is an issue for the car units (power isn't).

https://www.tomtom.com/en_gb/sat-nav...o-6100-europe/

300 pounds (US$ 450).

I wonder how many people want to spend that much.

You'd be surprised what kinds of decisions are made for battery life. Especially in the UI department. Compare a Garmin Fenix 3 watch where the battery lasts a month and a half without using GPS against an Android watch where the battery doesn't usually last a full day. A big part of that is UI.

That's what current model navigation capable Garmin bike computers with full ANT+ sensor support cost - Garmin's Edge 1000 is $500, and prior to the spring sale the Edge 810 was $400 plus maps at least $40 extra (although you can install your own free maps built with Open Street Map data).

There isn't any reason to expect that the car navigation market and the cycle navigation market work the same way.

The cycle navigation market is smaller and less competitive than the car navigation market. Those things work to make the cycling products more expensive.

The cycling units have to be much smaller with battery life. That means they either will cost more to have the same features or lack features to keep the costs down.

Another problem that car and cycling navigation markets are contending with is that many people already have cell phones that work as navigational units. Something that costs $450 might just lead people to use their cell phone instead. It's easier to use a cell phone in the car than on a bicycle.