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TECH NEWS
Otto GaugeVR_0.jpgAdjusting your gears? There’s an app for that + video
If you’re not confident about adjusting your gears, the Otto Tuning System is a voice-guided iPhone vision App and tool that allows you to check and tune your rear derailleur easily.
We all know the feeling of dodgy shifting. The chain doesn’t move from one sprocket to the next as crisply as you’d like, or it rattles as if it’s unhappy about the gear it’s in.
13 of the Best Smartphone Cycling Apps for Android and iPhone
If you’re an old hand at bike mechanics you’ll probably have your bike running smoothly again in no time at all, but if you’re not, the Otto Tuning System could help out.
“The Otto Tuning System de-mystifies and simplifies the derailleur adjustment process, giving everyone the power to adjust their bicycle with professional precision,” says the company behind the design.
“Otto operates from the simple principle of ensuring the bicycle derailleur jockey pulley is parallel to and aligned directly below the cassette gear selected at every shift. A vision alignment system built on the iPhone front facing camera platform and Siri’s voice guidance is used in combination with a set of Otto gauges to precisely locate all critical components of a bicycle’s drive system.
“The Otto app offers progressive levels of functionality with both ‘check’ and ‘tune’ options… Simple enough for the weekend cyclist or bike racer to use, yet precise enough to earn a spot on the mechanic's workbench, it's ideal for pre-ride/pre-race shifting confirmation, after wheel changes, or for regular maintenance.”
Product Demonstration from OTTO DesignWorks on Vimeo.
You fit a gauge to your rear mech and show it the app via the iPhone camera. Then the app talks you through what you need to do in order to get everything set up right. It covers both the limit screws and the barrel adjuster. The makers say that the system offers accuracty to +/-0.125mm.
Now, if you’re a past master at getting your gears set up perfectly, you might think that an app is unnecessary. Well, you might be right, but this system might well help people get involved in sorting out their bike. Of course, you could get the info you need from a whole load of different sources, but some people like using apps.
The Otto Tuning System won’t work with every rear derailleur. Check out the list of compatible 9-11 speed Shimano and SRAM (not Campagnolo) options.
The Otto Tuning System is priced £27.98 while the iPhone app is free. There is no Android version.
For more info go to ottodesignworks.com/product or www.bikebug.com.
Mat has been in cycling media since 1996, on titles including BikeRadar, Total Bike, Total Mountain Bike, What Mountain Bike and Mountain Biking UK, and he has been editor of 220 Triathlon and Cycling Plus. Mat has been road.cc technical editor for over a decade, testing bikes, fettling the latest kit, and trying out the most up-to-the-minute clothing. He has won his category in Ironman UK 70.3 and finished on the podium in both marathons he has run. Mat is a Cambridge graduate who did a post-grad in magazine journalism, and he is a winner of the Cycling Media Award for Specialist Online Writer. Now over 50, he's riding road and gravel bikes most days for fun and fitness rather than training for competitions.
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11 comments
I like to sound of this and would like to see how it work in practice, shame its only available in the USA.
Nah. I don't want every Tom, Dick and Harry knowing how to adjust their derailleurs. My reputation is largely based on the ability to perform this simple trick but I make it look as difficult as possible to keep the customers coming back.
I don't want my phone to become too talented. Life is busy & the repairs I cannot handle on my own are some of the only excuses I have to raise a bottle with the lovable freaks at my LBS.
Seems to solve a problem that doesn't exist. If you're not confident, nip down your LBS. At £30 for a guage and £3/mo, that the equivlent of having your LBS tune it for you about four times a year.
Saw this on GCN a while ago. Seems a bit cheeky that they are going to start charging a monthly fee unless you buy before the end of the year.
Also seems the site says they don't ship outside of US, so it's not relevant to a lot of the readership.
It's not cheap, when you consider that the gauges are £30, so if you have a 9-speed bike and a 10/11 speed bike that's 2 gauges you need to buy. Secondly, whilst the app is free, the Tune part of the app will be on a £3 per month basis. Another question not answered is when the Android version is released will the gauges be compatible with both iPhones and Android. If you decide to switch from the dark side of iPhone will you need to buy more gauges?
OK, so did anyone at road.cc actually download and try it?
Target base - Shimano equipped Iphone users. Campagnolo option is not required as we know our stuff
I'll give you a troll rating of 2/10.
Your cliches are so tired and boring that most people won't even bother to respond. Next time try something a bit more controversial...
The only thing that's tired and boring is your complete lack of humour.
I'd have thought that they've made a grave error - surely the iphone users all have Campag, as it's the "pay over the odds for the extra shiny option" demographic?