It's every cyclist's nightmare: You approach the spot where you carefully locked your bike and all that's left is the mangled remains of a lock.
Nothing can ensure such villainous scum won't make off with your prized ride, but the guys at BikeSpike in Chicago have launched a Kickstarter to make it just a bit harder for them to get away with it. They've come up with a slick bit of kit that notifies you the moment something goes amiss, and tracks your bike's whereabouts via GPS if some sleazeball has absconded with it.
In addition to a tiny GPS chipset, BikeSpike features an accelerometer and GSM cellular chip so you can pinpoint your bike's location and monitor it via the web, iOS, or Android device. Once you've physically and digitally locked your bike, you'll be notified if moves beyond its geofenced location. You can even adjust the accelerometer settings to know if it's been bumped or fallen over.
If your bike is stolen, you can share its GPS location with friends and followers via social media to help get it back. It can also alert various people if you've been in a collision.
BikeSpike follows Spybike and Spylamp2 in the bike GPS tracking scene. Spybike fits into the steerer tube, while Spylamp2 goes in the taillight, and you can get them for around $130. But BikeSpike co-creator Harvey Moon found existing trackers like Spybike lacking.
"Installing the Spybike is difficult, and not all bikes will work with the product because it requires a specific handlebar," Moon explained. It also requires the user to purchase their own data plan with the product and install the SIM card themselves. Recharging is also a pain because you need to remove the device then reinstall it.
Moon said BikeSpike is simple to use and easy to set up. Two tamper-resistant screws keep it attached to the bike, and you can even hide it within a custom-designed carbon fiber water bottle cage to maximize stealth.
The BikeSpike team has talked to government officials in the Windy City about using data collected from the device to track bike usage in the city; such data could be used to determine where to install bike paths and the like. The team also plans to open the API so devs can integrate BikeSpike data into their apps. One software development group is interested in using accelerometer data to locate potholes.
Pledging $150 or more on Kickstarter will get you the BikeSpike, which is slated to start shipping in October.
