Not to be confused with the mobile bike shops of essentially the same name, the intuitive Beeline navigator (reluctant to call it a cycling GPS) takes the precision out of following a set route to your destination while still ensuring you find your way there in the end. The device’s designer says it is more about encouraging cyclists to actually experience the world around them instead of just blindly following turn-by-turn directions. The small handlebar mounted display pares back navigation to the most elemental – which direction do you need to go & how far away that destination is – then leaves the rest up to you to follow the path that is most interesting as you make your way to your destination. Bringing adventure and exploration back to our time on the bike…
We’ve covered the Beeline a bit over a year ago as it went through a Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign. That British start-up story was ultimately successful, and now they’ve made it on to regular production. The small Beeline device is a directional display that you can take with you everywhere you go, and then quickly strap around your handlebar to help get where you need to go. It pairs with its own Beeline app for iOS or Android, where you can set your intended destination, plus any waypoints along the ride if you want to stop somewhere along the way or to just take in a specific locale en route.
The Beeline uses a low-power e-paper screen with a back light, than ensures a long battery life, plus good visibility in a wide range of lighting. Plus it gets a USB-rechargeable 350mAh battery that claims up to four weeks of regular daily commuter use (30 hours of ride time, with an on-screen battery status monitor).
In its silicone case, it is both water & shock resistant to survive everyday use on the bike. Inside the electronics that make it tick are a magnetometer, accelerometer, gyroscope, and Bluetooth receiver. That means the device itself is just pulling data from your synched mobile phone and then determining which direction you should be headed. When you aren’t navigating to a set location, the Beeline can be set to receive speed and time data from your paired mobile phone.
Beeline is available now for purchase for just £99 with free international shipping. It comes in three colors – gray, red & blue – and can safely & easily hand from a key chain or bag when not in use. Time for us cyclists to put a bit of adventure back into our journeys.
