We’ve seen plenty of devices that provide simple navigation for urban riding, but this latest Blubel aims to get you off the busy streets as well. Tucked inside a smart bike bell, Blubel uses a dozen intuitive LEDs to guide you, and a quick ring of the bell logs a hazard report to improve their ride routing data.
Blubel smart, urban bike bell with GPS navigation
The mission of Blubel creator Sasha Afanasieva, was just to help more cyclists like himself find their way through busy urban traffic and off the worst streets. Without much distraction, the simple device guides you wherever you ride (urban riding seems its best application, but the routing works anywhere in the world) with turn-by-turn directions and audible alerts. Based off a paired smartphone, it means you can set your destination and then keep the phone in your pocket. A planned future update will also let you upload a planned .GPX track to follow as well.
Blubel developed their concept first with the UK Department for Transport to figure out the best way to guide users on quieter/safer routes, for the most part using bike route & path network data as a base. But then Blubel riders also can report hazards, simply by ringing the core bike bell (and you can tag detail of the incident post-ride in the mobile app). Now they are compiling the bell ringing data and passing it on to appropriate municipalities to improve cycling infrastructure.
Details, Pricing & Availability
Blubel is pretty much a classic looking bike bell that clamps onto almost any handle bar from cruisers to your modern carbon bar (18-32mm clamp), and is easy to take with you when you step away from the bike.
Starting at £79, the smart bell comes in six different colored faces (fancy colors add a fiver). The USB rechargeable device will run for 3 weeks on a regular charge with daily use (or 3 months on standby. The device works paired with a free Blubel mobile app available for Android or iOS. The app will even pair with Strava to log your riding. Get one now direct from Blubel.
