Week in Tech: Helmet heart rate sensors, Icedot text messages

Published October 2, 2015 01:52PM

Here’s the Week in Tech — all the gear news, tips, and announcements you need and none of the marketing gibberish you don’t.

Lifebeam partners with Lazer helmets

Wearable technology company Lifebeam provides a do-it-yourself heart rate tracking kit for several Lazer helmet models including the Z1, Wasp, Wasp Air, Blade, Magma, and the women’s Cosmo, Jade, and Elle. The DIY kit enables riders to measure performance metrics like heart rate and calorie consumption and syncs with fitness applications via Bluetooth and Ant+. Lazer helmets with the DIY tracking kit will be available in late November.

Icedot text message feature rounds out safety platform

Icedot — an emergency ID and notification service — is now offering a digital safety platform that sends text messages to designated contacts when you start and finish a ride. These notifications also include a tracking link with map features to track your route. With the Crash Sensor app, the system uses automated push notifications at the outset of a ride that users can choose to turn on or off the text messages notifications.

Umbo Helmets shoots to reduce traumatic brain injuries

A team of Colorado scientists and avid cyclists hopes to reduce the $76.1 billion that the U.S. spends on traumatic brain injuries each year with the newly designed Umbo Helmet. In most current helmet designs, the inside foam is hard, in order to provide structure to the helmet. But Umbo says this does not, in most cases, absorb enough energy to keep the brain from slamming against the skull, which can cause concussions. By moving the structural rigidity to the outside, and making the inside softer, Umbo claims these helmets can absorb and distribute the energy of an impact, reducing the amount of force that is transferred to the brain. The Umbo Helmet is priced at $300 or $350 for the signature Colorado-themed helmet and is only available through the Umbo Kickstarter page.

Dero Fixit map pinpoints public bike repair locations

Dero Fixit public bike repair stations provide cyclists the tools to perform basic bike repairs and maintenance, from changing a flat to adjusting brakes and derailleurs, while out riding or commuting. With locations across the globe, Dero now has a Fixit map to help cyclists find these stations in a pinch. The map currently features over 700 public bike repair stations with new stations added daily.

Enve carbon hubs and tubeless road clinchers available soon

Enve Carbon Road Hubs and SES 2.2 tubeless compatible road clincher rims are now shipping to Enve retailers worldwide. Launched earlier this year, the Smart Enve System (SES) 2.2 is the company’s first road clincher rim to incorporate tubeless compatibility. With matching geometries, the front and rear rims both measure 27mm in width and 25mm deep while weighing in at 410 grams per rim.

Also shipping in early October are the Enve Carbon Road Hubs that include DT Swiss internals and come standard with CeramicSpeed bearings. The front hub weighs 74 grams and the rear weighs 158 grams for a total set weight of 232 grams. The Carbon Road Hubs are available as a hub set ($1,350) or complete with any Smart Enve System wheelset ($3,500 for clincher or $3,300 for tubular).