Whether the urban landscape has simply become too difficult for the average cyclist to navigate, or life has truly become one big “application”, there seems to be no shortage of small, cycling GPS devices trying to make their way into the marketplace.
The small, handlebar mounted BeeLine is the latest device to emerge on scene – touting easy of use and simplicity.
According to the designers, instead of using “fuzzy” navigation screens or the need of toggle through features, the BeeLine aims points cyclists in the right direction by simply using an arrow.
Here’s part of their campaign from Kickstarter….
About this project
BeeLine is a handlebar-mounted device that helps you find your way on a bike. It strips back navigation to the bare basics, turning convention completely on its head and resurfacing your natural instinct to find the way.
Cycling has always been a great way to get around the city, but it came with challenges. Getting lost could make you frustrated, late and even unsafe. Finding your way often meant regularly stopping to check maps or following prescribed instructions that don’t work so well in a chaotic urban environment. Not to mention they spoiled the fun. Then came BeeLine…
At the core of BeeLine is the stripped back concept of fuzzy navigation. In the city, being told which turns to take is a hindrance, not a help, so BeeLine simply points you in the general direction to your destination and tells you the distance to go – no instructions. Imagine a compass that knows where you want to go and points there instead of north.
This makes riding fun again. You become more engaged in your journey and discover all kinds of hidden gems you would never find on the major (and often longer) routes. As you can never take a wrong turn, riding becomes completely stress free.
It’s also safer. By being free to take turns that feel safe, when they feel safe and never being pushed into certain junctions or routes that you don’t feel comfortable. Checking how you’re doing just takes a quick glance leaving you free to focus on the road and your environment, not looking for street names or working out which is the right turn.
For the occasions where you have to go via a specific point, e.g. a bridge over a river, we’ve built in the option to add intermediate way points to your journey to ensure you never get stuck.
To set BeeLine up, simply snap the device onto your bike, select a destination in the free app and off you go. You can even save frequently used destinations for a one tap service.
BeeLine is as happy off the bike as on it. When not in use, the innovative design protects the screen so it can be thrown in your pocket or bag without worrying about damaging the screen. It also comes with a beautiful aluminium buckle so you you can attach it to your keys when not in use.
BeeLine has been designed in collaboration with Map Project Office, one of London’s top industrial design agencies. As well as thinking hard about the electronics and the software, we’ve spent a huge amount of time on the way BeeLine looks and feels. We hope you love it as much as we do!
To keep things fresh, BeeLine is available in a range of colours. Cool grey or something with a bit more flare? What will you go for?
Bikes come in as many shapes and sizes as their riders. So we’ve made sure BeeLine fits onto any bike using its flexible strap, and the display can be rotated to work whether attached to the handlebar or stem. With its elegant design, BeeLine is as at home on a battered run-around or a hire bike as it is on a treasured vintage fixie or a lightweight racer.
You and your bike take the rough with the smooth, so BeeLine does too. BeeLine’s backlit e-paper screen is visible under any conditions. It’s weather proof to take on the elements and shock proof so you can put it through the wringer.
In a time when charging devices every day is the norm, BeeLine breaks the mould. With an ultra low power screen and componentry and software optimized for efficiency, it keeps on going. BeeLine will last for 1-3 months of use between charges! (Based on 20-60 minutes of use every day)
Despite all of the above, BeeLine is incredibly affordable. By harnessing the power of your phone, we’ve been able to cut down the cost of the device so we can sell it at a price comparable with a bike light or lock, not a GPS navigation system. All without compromising on quality or looks. On top of that we’ve cut the reward prices to as low as we can possibly afford on Kickstarter. We’re not on Kickstarter to make a big margin, we’re here to build a huge community of early adopters who will help us decide what BeeLine will do next…
At its core, BeeLine is about finding your way and exploring. However, it’s been designed with versatility in mind at every level. This is why BeeLine uses a fully flexible screen that we can adapt to do much more.
When you don’t need navigation, BeeLine can show you your speed and distance travelled, or simply act as a clock. But this is just the tip of the iceberg…
That versatile little screen is capable of so much more, and this is where you come in. By backing us you’ll become part of our BeeLine owners’ community, which we’ll turn to to help decide future features. Join us and tell us what you want BeeLine to do next! (We don’t really like turn-by-turn navigation, but if the community tells us that’s what you want, we’ll make it).
https://beeline.co
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