Support road.cc

Like this site? Help us to make it better.

TECH NEWS

Updated: SpeedX aero bikes reach crowdfunding target in two hours

Go via Kickstarter and you could get Shimano Ultegra Di2 equipped model for as little as £1,345

SpeedX is launching two aero road bikes, the Leopard and the Leopard Pro, with inbuilt technology that measures and displays your performance data as you ride. They were revealed on Kickstarter yesterday and achieved their crowdfunding target in just two hours.

With 29 days of the Kickstarter campaign remaining, SpeedX has achieved 332% of the US$50,000 (around £35,500) funding goal.

The Leopard Pro is equipped with a Shimano Ultegra Di2 groupset and looks amazing value.

SpeedX Leopard Pro 1 - 20.jpg

The Leopard, priced at US$1,599 (about £1,130, but see below for Kickstarter prices), includes pedal and wheel sensors that measure your speed, time, distance, altitude, temperature, cadence, and more – fairly typical bike computer fare. The difference here is that the measurements are shown on an integrated 2.4in display that lives at the front of the stem.

SpeedX Leopard Pro 1 - 6.jpg

The Leopard can also offer route suggestions and GPS navigation, and “a built-in coaching system with professional training courses and global ranking tables”.

SpeedX Leopard Pro 1 - 9.jpg

You can connect ANT+ sensors to the computer to show more data, such as heart rate.

The bike is built around a T1000 carbon-fibre frame with internal cable routing and brakes that are positioned for aero efficiency, the front one at the back of the fork and the rear one behind the bottom bracket.

SpeedX Leopard Pro 1 - 10.jpg

Those brakes are TRP TTVs (V-type) while the groupset is Shimano 105. SpeedX claim a complete bike weight of 18.5lb (8.4kg).

SpeedX Leopard Pro 1 - 12.jpg

The geometry is aggressive, the 54cm model coming with a 549mm stack (the vertical height between the centre of the bottom bracket and the top of the head tube) and a 403mm reach (the horizontal distance between those points).

SpeedX Leopard Pro - 1.jpg

The Leopard Pro, priced at US$2,499 (about £1,765), is built around the same frame and offers all of the built-in specifications of the Leopard with the addition of SpeedX’s own carbon-fibre handlebar and 50mm deep wheels. The groupset is Shimano Ultegra Di2 (electronic shifting). SpeedX claims a full bike weight of 17.4lb (7.9kg).

SpeedX Leopard Pro - 3.jpg

We’ve not ridden either of these bikes so we can’t comment on the ride, but on paper they look astonishingly good value.

SpeedX Leopard Pro 1 - 14.jpg

SpeedX reckons the battery that powers the computer will record your data for up to 40hrs and that it requires 30mins to recharge completely.

Both bikes come with a seven day return policy, 30 day free exchange and a lifetime warranty. 

SpeedX has just launched a campaign on Kickstarter with a view to going into full production in the next few weeks. All the usual Kickstarter rules apply, of course.

Go via Kickstarter and you can get a SpeedX Leopard for as little as US$1,199 (about £850) and a Leopard Pro for US$1,899 (about £1,345).

https://speedx.com/smartbike/product/en/

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. We send him off around the world to get all the news from launches and shows too. 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.

Add new comment

17 comments

Avatar
Bradfasta | 7 years ago
0 likes

Surely this is NOT a kickstarter project, but a well established Far Eastern bike manufacturer looking at an innovative way to boost sales.  The frame is a known frame.

Avatar
matthewn5 | 7 years ago
0 likes

So as I see it, if the computer goes kaput, you have to change the bike?

Genius. They'll sell loads.

Avatar
CharlesMagne | 7 years ago
0 likes

You guys are on form with your comments. It's a privilage to be part of this community.

Avatar
Darkhairedlord | 7 years ago
0 likes

in for a penny, in for someone elses pound

Avatar
daustin | 7 years ago
0 likes

especially their estimated delivery date of July 2016.  there are always manufacturing partners and then it turns out they can't meet demands are there are quality control issues or other production issues. 

Avatar
Nzlucas | 7 years ago
6 likes

Why didn't they just make a carbon stem with integrated computer? 

Avatar
surly_by_name | 7 years ago
0 likes

S'bit ugly and not very aero having that computer screen stuck out the front like that. Also, am I allowed be skeptical that final production bikes will include what appears to be a carbon railed Arione CX (which is a >£200 saddle I think). And the long gloves with short sleeves is a bit fixie. 

Avatar
JoshCroxton1 | 7 years ago
7 likes

Anyone who doesn't know to put it in the big ring for a photo cannot be trusted. 

Avatar
danthomascyclist replied to JoshCroxton1 | 7 years ago
0 likes

JoshCroxton1 wrote:

Anyone who doesn't know to put it in the big ring for a photo cannot be trusted. 

 

Aha! I knew something didn't look right, I just couldn't put my finger on what it is!

Avatar
part_robot | 7 years ago
2 likes

The problem as I see it is that they are biting off more than they can chew whilst giving themselves far too low margins to iterate and support a Mk1. There's some great ideas here, but they really should have stuck with the nav/training head unit. That alone would keep a team of their size busy and it's something the market wants.

Avatar
therevokid | 7 years ago
1 like

I see I'm not the only one to see a Canyon resemblance there  3

Avatar
usedtobefaster | 7 years ago
4 likes

What the prices don't include will be the VAT that customs and excise will add when (if) the bike is delivered into the UK

Avatar
Jonomc | 7 years ago
1 like

If it looks too good to be true it probably... is an absolute bargain?? Is that how the saying goes?

Avatar
darrylxxx | 7 years ago
0 likes

There are a few options at that pricepoint. The Merlin Cordite for instance: merlincycles.com/merlin-cordite-ultegra-di2-road-bike-84138.html

Avatar
Swindaloo | 7 years ago
2 likes

Seems (incredibly) similar to Canyon's smart android computer.

http://road.cc/content/news/162482-canyon-smart-computer-using-android-w...

Avatar
flathunt | 7 years ago
10 likes

Call me cynical, but...

 

No, I'm cynical.

Avatar
Dr_Lex | 7 years ago
4 likes

Couldn't believe the price, then read "Kickstarter".

Latest Comments