The Consumer Electronics Show is back this year with a whole load of new innovative gadgets being showcased from the likes of Garmin, Shokz, Echelon and more.
There are always some interesting bike-related products at the CES technology show, and here are the most notable from this year’s event that look pretty helpful for keeping fit on the bike and staying motivated to ride. Of course, the word 'interesting' can cover a lot of different things…
Echelon EX-8s
Echelon showcased its new EX-8s Connect Bike which rivals Peloton’s Bike+ indoor spin bike. The EX-8s features a new 24-inch 1080p curved touchscreen that can also be flipped 180-degrees for off the bike workouts, which is pretty neat!
Apparently we all care about our wheels lighting up… we showed you Zwift’s incoming smart bike earlier this week which looks like a real-world Tron bike thanks to an illuminated LED ring around each wheel, and now Echelon’s offering also has two light-up flywheels that can be customised by colour and lighting pattern thanks to 15 LED lights.
32 levels of motorised magnetic resistance are included, and the EX-8S also has a patent-pending digital resistance controller built into the handlebar. Echelon says this can be used to easily adjust resistance while standing.
Echelon’s membership is similar to Peloton’s, giving you access to live and on-demand classes, as well as the opportunity to compete with family and friends.
The bike will be retailing at $2,399 (that’s around £1,800) with a monthly subscription to Echelon’s digital content costing $34.99 (that’s around £25).
Garmin Vivomove Sport and Garmin Venu 2 Plus
Garmin launched two new watches at CES this year.
The Vivomove Sport is the latest entry-level addition to Garmin's range of hybrid smartwatches, which uses an analog dial with a hidden digital touchscreen display.
> Read the road.cc archive of smart watch reviews here
It features lots of health and wellness tools, including Body Battery energy monitoring, all-day stress tracking, advanced sleep monitoring and built-in sports apps with connected GPS.
Also new is the Venu 2 Plus which is Garmin’s GPS smartwatch that lets users take calls and use their compatible smartphone’s voice assistant to send texts and ask questions.
These connected capabilities join the collection of health, wellness and fitness features of Garmin’s Venu 2 Series, including: sleep score with insights, stress tracking, energy monitoring, Pulse Ox1, women’s health features and a wide variety of fitness and workout options
The Venu 2 Plus also includes Garmin’s safety and tracking features like automatic incident detection and manually triggered assistance alerts, both of which send a message with the user’s location to their emergency contacts. The LiveTrack feature lets friends and family track the user’s outdoor activity.
The Vivomove Sport costs £159.99 and the Venu 2 Plus is priced at £399.99. We’ll be getting these in for review, so watch this space for more on how useful they are for cyclists.
Jabra Elite 4 Active earbuds
Jabra revealed the latest model in its range of wireless earbuds for working out, which feature active noise cancellation technology and IP57 dust and water resistance rating for sweaty sessions.
These definitely seem to include some useful tech for staying alert and motivated while cycling. Jabra's transparency HearThrough technology is said to allow you to hear your surroundings, and there’s also the option to use one earbud at a time with Jabra’s Mono Mode.
They are well priced too at £119.99.
Apeman SEEKER series
Apeman announced the debut of its new SEEKER series, a line of smart cycling cameras that feature a dual screen and built-in safety features.
> How to buy the best bike camera, plus 7 of the best
The SEEKER R1 is designed to address the vulnerability of cyclists by providing riders with a clear view of any incoming vehicles from the back.
The R1 features the new SEEKER Smart Tail Light which is said to combine an intelligent brake light system, an automated taillight and an anti-collision laser bike lane. Then there’s the SEEKER F1 which has a mountable front facing camera.
The SEEKER ONE is a 4K HD action camera that comes with both the SEEKER R1 and F1.
Shokz (formerly Aftershokz) OpenRun Pro
The bone conduction headphone brand which recently rebranded from Aftershokz to Shokz revealed its new flagship model at CES, which comes with improved sound quality thanks to new bass enhancers.
The new OpenRun Pro features larger buttons that are designed to make it easier to control the volume and switch tracks while on the move.
You’ll get 10 hours of music on a single charge. It also comes with a five-minute quick charge for up to 1.5 hours of battery life, just in case you’ve forgotten to charge them up beforehand... we’ve all been there!
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Good find.
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