LeEco is a technology company, not a bike company. But at the Consumer Electronics Show in Vegas this week they’re bridging that gap with their new Android-powered cycling operating system designed to integrate with the bike offering navigation of your ride & tracking performance. Dubbed the next generation of Smart Bikes, the new BikeOS debuts in two complete carbon bikes – the LeEco Smart Road Bike & Smart Mountain Bike – both of which fit in LeEco’s goal to more seamlessly link our web connected lives from your phone to your bike and even to autonomous cars…
The two Smart Bikes are to be offered in the US market only to start, powered by the Android BikeOS via an integrated touchscreen display, and join a commuter version already available in Asia. The Smart Road Bike, tentatively named the Shark, gets an aerodynamic focus for its T700 carbon frame, fork, and aero seatpost. It gets built up with a 1×11 SRAM mechanical drivetrain and will stick with standard rim brakes. It has lightweight aspirations continuing the carbon spec to the bar & wheels, with a claimed weight for the Shark is 8.4kg/18.5lb.
The Smart Mountain Bike also gets a T700 Carbon frame, this time adding on a SR Suntour XCR Air front fork and 27.5” wheels for a bit of off-road cred. Like the road, this Tiger also gets a SRAM 1x setup, specifying an 11-42 cassette which would suggest an entry-level NX drivetrain. Little more info is available yet on the carbon hardtail other than a claimed weight of 12.2kg/26.9lb.
The Smart Bikes follow up on the Super Bike, or Buzzard that LeEco soft launched earlier last year as their first go at the connected concept for the urban cyclist. The Buzzard goes with an alloy frame for entry models and more expensive versions also offer a carbon frame with a less conventional look that incorporates a dual-beam LED headlight and tail light into its swoopy design. While still not an e-Bike the commuter does combine a generator front hub so you won’t have to keep charging it daily to run the lights, turn signals, electronics, and laser lane markers. It even builds in heart rate monitor sensors in the grips and an electronic parking brake. It seems that the Super Buzzard won’t be making it to the US, but serves more as a proof of concept for the Smart Road & Mountain bikes.
All of the new bikes share the same BikeOS brain and the 4″ touchscreen display integrated into the stem. It is said to run on a quad-core Snapdragon 410 processor, and gets runtime via a 6000mAh battery.
Functionally the system provides turn-by-turn navigation made for cycling via HERE Maps (with voice commands), web-connected & offline music playback, bike-to-bike walkie-talkie communication with other LeEcos, and full ride metric data tracking. Through a connected smartphone app, there is also social ride sharing. For ride metrics, the bikes build-in sensors to log GPS/GLONASS position, compass direction, accelerometer, barometer, light levels, wheel speed, and cadence, plus also connecting to ANT+ heart rate and power meter sensors to round out ride tracking.
Safety, visibility, and security are also built in, with each model getting automatically controlled lighting, including integrated side lighting in the handlebars, plus a horn and a security alarm. Security pairs with your phone and allows you to track a stolen bike via mobile app.
Pricing isn’t yet set, but the Smart Bikes are expected to be available in the US market in the second quarter of 2017.
