Biking is a big deal in Colorado. That’s because we have some of the most bike-friendly cities in the United States. Between the miles and miles of amazing trails through scenic hills and mountains, bike-sharing programs, and safe roadways, our towns have what any aspiring cyclist needs.
Discovering the Best in Bike Tech
From safety gear to trail maps, the cycling scene is buzzing with awesome new tech (some founded right here in Colorado) to make biking safer and more fun. Let’s take a look at some of our favorites.
Bike Streets
Bike Streets was founded by Denver tech entrepreneur Avi Stopper to take cycling to mainstream America. Stopper believes that more people would bike for fun and transportation if they had the right support. And that’s what Bike Streets offers.
Bike Streets maps out all the bike streets (surprise, surprise!) in Denver to help cyclists get around town safely. It focuses on routes through slow-speed, low-traffic side streets, so bikers don’t have to worry about cars rushing past them. Yikes!
Along the way, Bike Streets partners with bike-friendly stores and cafes to offer discounts, while also building a community of like-minded riders.
Hövding Airbag
Hövding is one of the coolest bike tech innovations to tackle cyclist safety. Invented by a company in Sweden, it’s proven so popular that they’re having trouble keeping up with orders.
Hövding protects your head from a fall, but it’s not a helmet. It’s like an airbag for biking that pops over the head. No more helmet hair!
The only problem is the cost: 300 Euros for one use. Wow!
Boulder B-Cycle Bike Sharing
Boulder has an excellent bike-sharing program called B-cycle. The concept is simple. Sign up for an account through their website or the app, and you’re ready to go.
Once you get to one of the 45 bike stations, you can buy a single ride or a pass (from 24 hours to a year). Unlock the bike, and you’re off — at least for a while. Most passes limit a rental to 30 minutes at a time so that you won’t ride across Colorado on one of these. (These are not the bikes for climbing mountains!)
Boulder B-cycle is an excellent bike tech solution to getting around the city without leaving a huge carbon footprint.
Denver B-Cycle Bike Sharing
Denver has a bike tech sharing program with the same name as Boulder’s, though Denver’s systems are a little more advanced. Like Boulder’s B-Cycle, there are stations all over town, and riders pick up a bike from one station and drop it off at another.
Denver’s B-cycle has a more complex fee structure, including different prices and rules for passes and kiosk rentals. But the 5280 program sets it apart. Denver gives away 5,280 annual passes on a first-come, first-served basis to residents.
Blubel
Blubel is a simple, safe bike tech solution for navigating the busy city streets. It's a useful bicycle bell/supercomputer/LED dial that gives directions without forcing you to hold your phone while you ride. Just type your destination into the Blubel app, and the tool will tell you where to go with a combination of signals and beeps.
Zackees Turn Signal Gloves
Sometimes, cars don’t see cyclists. And that can lead to devastating injuries. It doesn’t matter who’s at fault in a crash because the cyclist always loses.
Zackees turn signal gloves have flashing indicators built into gloves to let cars know you’re moving. The gloves are so simple. There’s a 54 lumen LED panel connected to a rechargeable battery. Bring your thumb to your first finger, and the lights turn on.
Sometimes it seems like tech solutions focus on big data and big business, but we forget how creative technologists and software engineers can make a real difference for real people. These bike tech solutions can change lives. Now let’s get out there and ride!
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