With the every growing popularity of the Tour de France, and the success of the Team GB in the 2008 Olympics, cycling’s popularity continues to grow. It can be practised as a sport, or as a method of transportation. It is considered a good way of keeping fit as it is a low impact sport. To make the experience more enjoyable, there is a good range of cool gadgets designed for to that end. Here are some of the best we’ve picked out.
New Universe Dolphin Rider MP3 Player
Listening to music while cycling is on the whole a dangerous affair. Headphones not only can become tangled with handlebars and clothing, they also shut out a riders hearing, which can make them oblivious to oncoming traffic. This bike speaker however, plays crisp music to the rider, without the use of headphones. So the tangle factor, and hearing impairment is no longer is an issue. The device works by uploading your tunes to it, and it is easily controllable while riding, where adjusting the volume and skipping tracks is easy. It has 4GB of memory, and it is waterproof so no worries about the rain!
The Garmin Edge essentially provides a rider with two things. Navigation via GPS, and training information that can be analysed later. Heart rate, times, speed, calories burned, are just some of the metrics measured by this device. It also provides information about terrain where elevation and descent is concerned, together with an altimeter if you are wondering just how high up the mountain you are. The Garmin Edge can connect wirelessly with other Edge devices, and the data can be transferred to a PC via an SD card. Maybe a bit excessive for a ride in the park, but if you’re serious about cycling, tracking your progress cannot be charted more accurately than this.
The HYmini personal wind turbine charges up small digital devices such as cameras and phones via the power of wind. This makes it ideal for cyclists, as forward momentum generates plenty of wind to power the device. It has been specifically designed for joggers and cyclists, and is suitable for many makes of phones such as Nokia, Samsung, LG, Sony Erricson, and Motorola. Unlike solar power, the HYmini can power devices during the night. A good addition for long journeys.
GoPro Digital Hero 5 Waterproof Camera
There is a wide range of cameras designed to be used while practising sports. There are some that are specific to cycling which can fasten to a helmet. This camera caught the eye as it is a little more versatile in where it can be fitted, and it is also waterproof, so if you also enjoy kayaking, fastening it to a paddle is not out of the question. From a cycling perspective, this gives a better range of angles as the camera can be fastened to handle bars or a saddle to show rear shots. The camera can take still photos or 54 minutes of film footage. Both are transferable to a PC via an SD card.
Riding bikes has never been more fun! Which cool cycling gadgets do you like?