10 of the most interesting cycling gadgets

There's a plethora of cycling-specific gadgets available these days, so we've rounded up 10 of the most interesting gadgets, from lights to crash sensors and navigational aids. Whatever your need, there's probably a gadget for it.

Hammerhead £TBC

The Hammerhead is a unique navigation device that uses a series of LED lights to provide turn-by-turn directions when cycling. The aim, say the inventors, is to provide safer cycling routes, and the device syncs with their smartphone app so you find or plot a route. Send it to the Hammerhead, and it’ll guide you through all the turns. An extra feature is a 15 Lumen light built into the front of the unit. It’s also compatible with any of the large number of Garmin computer mounts.

http://hammerhead.io/index.php

iCradle COBI $159

Here’s a gadget that promises to be an all-in-one smart system for adding a raft of intelligent features to your bike. It costs £100 and features front and rear lights, turning signals and brake lights. Which is pretty cool on its own. But it does more, there's GPS navigation, weather forecasting, a security system, even Spotify integration. The chap who designed it has a background in designing entertainment systems for cars, so you can see where he's coming from. The COBI was successfully funded through Kickstarter and should be available in May.

http://www.cobi.bike

iceDot Crash Sensor £110

Small and unobtrusively mounted to the back of a cycling helmet, the innovative ICEdot Crash Sensor uses onboard sensors (accelerometer and gyroscope) to detect an impact from a crash and uses Bluetooth to sync to a smartphone to alert emergency contacts setup in the online account that contains basic information on the cyclist.

Find out more here in our indepth review /content/review/139601-icedot-crash-sensor-and-band

Copenhagen Wheel - £TBA

Launching this spring, the Copenhagen Wheel replaces a regular rear wheel and transforms just about any bicycle into an electric bike, with all motor and batteries neatly contained inside the red hub. It’s clever too - the inventors reckon the onboard sensors learn your pedalling style boosts your power accordingly, and it can be controlled via a smartphone app. It gets cleverer yet, braking or freewheeling downhill results in the Copenhagen Wheel recovering and storing energy.

/content/news/137038-copenhagen-wheel-launch-spring-video

ReconJet heads-up display glasses $699

If you like to keep a close eye on data when you’re cycling, then the nifty ReconJet glasses provide a heads-up display. They look like regular cycling glasses but they have a small attachment that displays a screen very low in your line of sight, so you don't have to take your eye of the road to see how fast you're going or how far it is to the next cafe. With integrated GPS and the option to connect to other bike sensors, you can have a wealth of information available without having to take your eye off the road.

/content/news/97171-reconjet-heads-display-computer-coming-uk

Fitbit Charge HR fitness band £119.99

Fitness trackers have become really popular in the past couple of years as a really easy and unobtrusive means of tracking and recording activity levels, on and off the bike. Useful if you do other sports beside cycling too. The new Charge HR from Fitbit offers continuous heart rate monitoring with simplified heart rate zones, without needing to wear a chest strap. As well as exercise tracking and long battery life (5+ days), the Charge HR can sync to a smartphone to receive call notifications and syncs automatically to your computer.

www.fitbit.com/uk/compare

Siva Atom $129

The Siva Atom  attaches to the rear wheel and harnesses kinetic energy as you cycle, and can be used to power any device while you’re cycling. Alternatively, a removable battery pack lets you charge up any device away from the bike. We can see it being really useful for long distance, touring and Audax cyclists who want to power a GPS navigation device or bunch of lights through the night or for several days or weeks away from a power source.

http://sivacycle.com

Wahoo Blue SC Speed and Cadence Sensors £49.99

If you like to know how fast you’re cycling and pedalling, the Wahoo Speed and Cadence sensors clip onto the bike and use Bluetooth or ANT+ to relay the data to a compatible smartphone or cycling computer. With more people using smartphones instead of traditional cycling computers to record rides, and most packing Bluetooth, there are an increasing number of cycling sensors available to provide more data from your ride. They’re compatible with most popular apps like Strava and Map My Ride.

http://uk.wahoofitness.com/devices/wahoo-blue-sc-speed-and-cadence-senso...

Fly6 rear light/video camera £175

The Fly6 is a unique gadget in that it combines a rear light with an integrated video camera, so you can film while you're riding. Why might you want to film what's behind you? The inventors came at the idea from a safety angle, and reckon other road users behave differently if they know they're being filmed. It films at 1280x720 resolution, the light outputs 30 Lumens with three modes and four dimming options, and lasts for up to 6 hours.

/content/review/139075-fly6-mk2

Skylock solar powered cycling lock $159

The Skylock is a solar powered lock featuring Bluetooth and WiFi so you can lock and unlock it from your smartphone, so it’s keyless, and it can alert you in the event of somebody trying to make off with your pride and joy. Connect the Skylock to a local WiFi network and it’ll fire you an alert if the internal sensors detect somebody tampering with the lock.

https://skylock.cc