Which Smart Cycling Features Actually Make Riding Better?

[livall-loen]

Hi everyone,

I’m with the LIVALL team, so full disclosure: we work on both smart helmets and e-bike technology. Rather than turning this into a product pitch, I’d like to ask a broader question about cycling technology.

Which smart features actually make riding better — and which ones are mostly unnecessary?

When people talk about cycling technology, the conversation often starts with power, speed and range.

Those things obviously matter, especially with e-bikes.

But I think there is another interesting side to the discussion: visibility, communication and rider awareness.

Cars have brake lights, turn signals, mirrors and increasingly sophisticated driver-assistance systems.

Cyclists traditionally have much less built-in communication with the traffic around them. We rely heavily on hand signals, basic lights and our own awareness.

That creates an interesting opportunity for cycling technology — but it also creates the risk of adding features simply because they are possible.

Some examples I’m curious about:

• Turn signals — useful additional communication or unnecessary complexity?
• Automatic brake lights — genuinely useful in traffic?
• Better front and rear visibility — more important than most other “smart” functions?
• Fall detection / emergency alerts — valuable safety backup or something most riders would never use?
• Bluetooth communication — useful when riding with others?
• Navigation prompts — helpful or distracting?
• Electric assistance — where should technology stop interfering with the natural feel of riding?
• Connected devices — does having the helmet and bike equipment communicate with each other actually add value?

At LIVALL, these are questions we think about when working on products such as our smart helmets and PikaBoost 2 e-bike conversion system.

But being involved in the product side also means we’re obviously not neutral, which is exactly why I’m interested in hearing from experienced riders here.

I’d especially like to know:

If you could choose only three pieces of cycling technology to keep, what would they be?

And on the other side:

Which “smart cycling” features have you tried that turned out to be more gimmick than genuinely useful?

For me, the best technology should probably disappear into the ride most of the time and only become noticeable when you actually need it.

I’d be interested to hear where everyone here draws that line.

Thanks for the feedback — critical opinions are welcome as well.

— LIVALL Team

 

[stompandgo]

Hi everyone,

I’m with the LIVALL team, so full disclosure: we work on both smart helmets and e-bike technology. Rather than turning this into a product pitch, I’d like to ask a broader question about cycling technology.

Which smart features actually make riding better — and which ones are mostly unnecessary?

When people talk about cycling technology, the conversation often starts with power, speed and range.

Those things obviously matter, especially with e-bikes.

But I think there is another interesting side to the discussion: visibility, communication and rider awareness.

Cars have brake lights, turn signals, mirrors and increasingly sophisticated driver-assistance systems.

Cyclists traditionally have much less built-in communication with the traffic around them. We rely heavily on hand signals, basic lights and our own awareness.

That creates an interesting opportunity for cycling technology — but it also creates the risk of adding features simply because they are possible.

Some examples I’m curious about:

• Turn signals — useful additional communication or unnecessary complexity?
• Automatic brake lights — genuinely useful in traffic?
• Better front and rear visibility — more important than most other “smart” functions?
• Fall detection / emergency alerts — valuable safety backup or something most riders would never use?
• Bluetooth communication — useful when riding with others?
• Navigation prompts — helpful or distracting?
• Electric assistance — where should technology stop interfering with the natural feel of riding?
• Connected devices — does having the helmet and bike equipment communicate with each other actually add value?

At LIVALL, these are questions we think about when working on products such as our smart helmets and PikaBoost 2 e-bike conversion system.

But being involved in the product side also means we’re obviously not neutral, which is exactly why I’m interested in hearing from experienced riders here.

I’d especially like to know:

If you could choose only three pieces of cycling technology to keep, what would they be?

Bluetooth connectivity with ANT+ for ANT+ LEV functionality on the bike
GPS cycling computer with ANT+ LEV functionality
Rear radar light with cycling computer integration

I won't ride on the road without these things.

And on the other side:

Which “smart cycling” features have you tried that turned out to be more gimmick than genuinely useful?

Incident detection systems
Text alerts on the display
Ride auto-start function

For me, the best technology should probably disappear into the ride most of the time and only become noticeable when you actually need it.

I’d be interested to hear where everyone here draws that line.

Thanks for the feedback — critical opinions are welcome as well.

— LIVALL Team

 

[6zfshdb]

In the electric assistance category, cruise control with throttle override is most important. It allows me to set a comfortable speed and pedal to assist the bike, rather than it assisting me. This has the additional benefit of increasing range by eliminating wasteful current spikes caused by erratic pedal effort. I ride mostly trails and this cruise feature has all but eliminated my need for PAS.

This feature wasn't available on many bikes in 2018 when I bought mine, so I had to make my own.

 

[Jeremy McCreary]

Welcome aboard! Interesting questions.

You're going to get a lot of very idiosyncratic answers, including mine. As I'm sure you know, all of this depends strongly on experience, on what, how, and where you ride, and on how comfortable you are with all of that.

Some examples I’m curious about:

• Turn signals — useful additional communication or unnecessary complexity?
• Automatic brake lights — genuinely useful in traffic?

My ebike has basic, always-on front and rear lights. Alway use hand signals, but really wish it had these features. My wife's ebike came with both at ⅓ the price.

• Better front and rear visibility — more important than most other “smart” functions?

Most of my rides are on good bike infrastructure with few to many cars around. My biggest threats (after oblivious pedestrians) are drivers coming up on my left with thoughts of beating me to the right turn just ahead.

My mirror covers that threat well enough from the bike lane, but if I had to share lanes with cars more often, I'd want a rear-facing radar paired with my head unit.

• Fall detection / emergency alerts — valuable safety backup or something most riders would never use?

Not for me. As a 78 year-old who no longer bounces well, some kind of fall alert might be wise. But I seldom ride far from help, and I definitely don't want the missus to know about minor mishaps.

• Bluetooth communication — useful when riding with others?

Big yes here. My voice is soft from a prior surgery, and riders right next to me usually have a hard time understanding it.

Some kind of light, compact, hands-free, and reasonably priced comm device that I could hand to a single riding partner would be fabulous.

Thinking of something like my very light and comfortable Shokx bone conduction headphones with added short-range comm. No reduction in ambient sound, seldom feel them on.

• Navigation prompts — helpful or distracting?

Generally don't use it. The vast majority of my rides are from home and under 40 mi. Don't need or want audible cues for those.

For one thing, I don't mind stopping to memorize the next 5 moves from my head unit's excellent GPS map. I like looking at maps and knowing a little about my surroundings.

But glad my head unit has voice nav when I want it. Will be handy some day on a long tricky route through unfamiliar territory.

• Electric assistance — where should technology stop interfering with the natural feel of riding?

Not an issue for me. The power delivery on my higher-end power-sensing mid-drive ebike feels utterly natural. But the power delivery on low-end cadence-sensing ebikes can be jarringly crude.

My ebike has an auto assist feature that doles out just the assist needed to go X miles with Y% battery left. I'm way too hands-on for that, but other forum members find it useful.

• Connected devices — does having the helmet and bike equipment communicate with each other actually add value?

My head unit will pair with my ebike's fairly sophisticated operating system, but the data sharing isn't perfect and doesn't meet my particular needs. So I don't pair them and use the bike's own excellent display for bike data like cadence, rider power, and battery level.

My heart rate monitor connects to the bike and head unit simultaneously via Bluetooth. That has its uses.

Otherwise haven't thought about this possibility.

I’d especially like to know:

If you could choose only three pieces of cycling technology to keep, what would they be?

Head unit for at least GPS and nav services on the handlebars, the rider power and cadence readouts on my bike's display (from built-in sensors), and a heart rate monitor.

That pretty much covers my current riding needs.

And on the other side:

Which “smart cycling” features have you tried that turned out to be more gimmick than genuinely useful?

My head unit has many hardcore training features I'll never use. But they may not be gimmicks for folks who take their training seriously. Nothing beyond that.

 

[fooferdoggie]

I like all my lights to be automatic. So that's nice on a e bike since they are all wired. so on my regular bike all my lights and radar are ANT+ so I turn on my GPS they all turn on, and when the battery is low I get a notification.

 

[LandoftheGiants]

Most of the new stuff is just placebos to my mind, tech that makes you feel good but doesn't really enhance the ride itself. "Which smart features actually make riding better? " Modern suspension I feel, but that's what you guys are about is it.

 

[McApple]

How about a screen, probably your phone, divided into quadrants, to display such things as: route(s), rear-view, riding stats, weather radar, etc.

If it could be designed so that inputs could mesh seamlessly with the host (phone, ), and be displayed on a selection menu that those of us in the 70+ age-bracket could understand, and use, you would have a winner.

 

[fooferdoggie]

Most of the new stuff is just placebos to my mind, tech that makes you feel good but doesn't really enhance the ride itself. "Which smart features actually make riding better? " Modern suspension I feel, but that's what you guys are about is it.

yep the only real one I found was the garmin radar but even that has been around for awhile.