Here’s your Week in Tech — all the gear news, tips, and announcements you need and none of the marketing gibberish you don’t.
BMC launches new Speedfox Trailcrew
The bike world moves quickly. It was only a few days ago we reviewed BMC’s Speedfox SF01 mountain bike, and now the Speedfox has a new brother. Dubbed the Speedfox Trailcrew, BMC’s new offering features 27.5-inch wheels and a RockShox Pike RC Solo Air up front with 150mm of squish. It’s purported to be a whippier ride with a slacker head tube, shorter chainstays, and a lower bottom bracket, so if hucking and and roosting is your game, the Trailcrew might be worth checking out. It will be available in both a carbon/alloy version with SRAM X01 for $5,899 and a full alloy option with Shimano SLX for $3,899.
Polar offers M450 Computer at competitive price point
The amount of technology in cycling computers today would take up several rooms in top-secret buildings decades ago. Polar’s new M450 Computer bundles much of that technology and offers it at a price point for all riders, so even if you’re not a pro, you get many of the benefits top riders enjoy like GPS, Bluetooth compatibility, barometric altitude, and more. Polar is also planning integration with Strava for your KOM pursuits. While there’s nothing groundbreaking about the included features, the $189.95 price tag ($219.95 with the H7 heart rate monitor) is pretty refreshing for a cycling computer loaded with most of the features the wider cycling audience wants.
Tile knows you’d lose your head if it wasn’t attached
If you’re like us, you’ve spent plenty of your valuable time looking for your glasses before a ride, or your keys. Those less-fortunate among us have even had our favorite bike stolen. Tile aims to help you keep track of your stuff by using a Bluetooth signal between your smart phone and a small plastic tile you can attach just about anywhere, from your bike seat to your key chain. And if someone does run off with your bike, Tile crowdsources Bluetooth signals on its network to search for your ride. If you’re extra forgetful, the Tile app supports up to 8 Tiles. One tile will cost you $25, with percentage discounts the more you buy (up to 12).
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Pedalsooner would like to introduce you to your next bike
Buying a new bike can be a strange courtship routine between you and a bike shop, and Pedalsooner wants to be your matchmaker. The website lets you find a bike shop that carries the brand, type of bike, or even specific model of bike that you’re looking for, all in your area. Pedalsooner has even vetted the bike shops it connects you with, though it’s unclear based on the info provided on the company’s website how exactly it does this. And if you’re looking to demo a bike, Pedalsooner has a demo finder page, too.
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Not ready for a long-term relationship? Rent with Spinlister
Like Pedalsooner, Spinlister wants to get you in touch with your next ride, but Spinlister focuses on rentals instead. It functions sort of like Airbnb: Bike owners list their bikes and the rates they want to fetch from you to use their bike, and you book it through Spinlister. That way, if you’re out of town on a business trip and need to get some training rides in for your next triathlon, you won’t have to do it on a mountain bike from the local shop’s rental fleet. You can rent out your own stable too, but be sure to read through how the service works first: Spinlister insures your bike up to $10,000 if it’s damaged or stolen. You can list surf and snow equipment for rent as well.
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The post Week in Tech: Find your stuff, meet your next shop, rent gear appeared first on VeloNews.com.
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