Helios: Transform Any Bike into a Smart Bike

I already told you about the cool technology created by Darkside Scientific and Lit Motors, both part of the Apron Project put together by Progressive.  Well, another company in the Apron Project that’s doing great things is Helios….and this time it’s all about bicycles.

Helios makes handlebars, and they are the first company to integrate a headlight and blinker system for bicycles.  The bars also include Bluetooth® smartphone connectivity, visual speedometer, GPS tracking, turn-by-turn navigation, and more.

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The bars will fit on any bicycle, but I see this as something designed for the urban and commuting crowd.  I can’t say that the Helios idea is the best one I’ve ever heard of, but what I like best is that these guys are focused on evolving the bicycle more than simply adding another accessory option.  Fresh ideas are always cool.

If this interests you, I’m sure you’ve got a bunch of questions.  They just so happen to have a bunch of answers to FAQ’s on their website.  But I had some different questions for them, so I asked Tony Belmontes (Helios Co-Founder and Engineering) for his response.

1.  How will Helios change cycling?

Helios has given the stale bike industry a technological boost. The truth is the bike has remain unchanged for a century, and despite technological advancements in other forms of transportation, the bike was stagnant with innovation. There’s good reason for this – the bike is the most efficient human transportation and many would argue that the simplicity of the bicycle is what makes it so special, and we agree.

We wanted technology to enhance our riding experience but not interfere with the overall joy of cycling in its current form. The design of Helios Bars was carefully thought out as to remain as standard a handlebar as possible with comfort, ergonomics and safety in mind but also boast many features that warrant any cyclist to put on their bike.

2.  Who do you feel is your primary market?

Our people are definitely those who use their bikes as a main form of transportation. More & more people are going green and ditching their gas guzzlers for more efficient and healthy lifestyle of commuting by bike. Commuters definitely enjoy the piece of mind of a GPS locator being baked right into their bike when they install Helios. This coupled with turn-by-turn navigation, turn signals, and a super bright CREE LED mounted in the handlebars, put the rider on par with standard features built into cars today – which makes sense, since we all share the same roads.

3.  Where can you buy Helios bars?

Helios is currently available on our website.  We’re working hard to get into stores now via several north american distribution partners and expect to be in bike shops nationwide before the end of summer.  As of now though, the fastest way to get your hands on some Helios Bars is through our site.

I’m not an urban rider and also not much of a night rider, so I’d love your feedback on what Helios is doing.  Let us know what you think of their technology, and if it’s beneficial and something you’d like to use.

Disclosure: This post was written as part of Progressive’s Apron Project, helping tell the story of people and their initiatives making progress towards a greater good. I have been compensated as a contributor to this project, but the thoughts and opinions in this post are my own.