Last year, Argon 18 showed off a drag detection and body motion analysis system that was completely integrated into a prototype bike. By Taipei Cycle Show this spring, it had shrunk to a bar-mounted design. Now, it’s in its final form factor and ready to show you all the ways you could be better.
The device looks much like the air speed indicators on fighter jets, but it builds in 20 different sensors and metrics to measure everything from speed, wind speed, bike sway, bicycle dynamics, and environment. The result is a device that’ll transmit data on your overall efficiency…and the efficiency of your bike. By correlating speed with wind speed, it knows your drag, giving you a number you can immediately change by modifying your position on the bike, wheels, clothing, helmet, etc.
So, what’s new? First of all, Notio Konect is the new subsidiary brand of Argon18 that’ll develop the tech. They’ve entered into a licensing and development agreement with PowerPod, which has been developing wind speed-based power and drag detection and analysis for years. And the device itself has gotten smaller and completely self contained, relying on external Bluetooth sensors for things like power, cadence and heart rate to help it paint a complete picture.
Only thing not included in this unit is the braking forces, because those required on-bike sensors not currently available from others…and they wanted this to be a self-contained unit.
It’s coming early next year, and retail price is not set, but expect something between $1,000 and $1,500. The device has been in development almost two years, and there are now 10 people working on it full time. Some of that is software, because they want to provide more than data, they want to provide insight, making it easy for more people to understand what all the data means and give them actionable advice.
