The BikeSpike - GPS/Tracker for your bicycle

It's on kickstarter. It's from Chicago. It looks like a small and great idea, and I'm backing it. It fits in a custom water bottle cage that they give you.


Just thought I would share.

BikeSpike

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Permalink Reply by S on March 15, 2013 at 10:06am

The other thing to note is that antennas generally need to be tuned to the frequencies they operate on, e.g. if you're going to use the 700Mhz frequencies, you need an antenna that's the right size otherwise you get horrible reception and transmission.  A bike frame wouldn't work since they vary in sizes and are almost certainly not the right size to transmit or receive in the correct frequencies.

Jaik - 4.3mi said:

Thunder Snow: Antennae all operate @ different frequencies, unless they're identical. Cellular in the US is commonly broadcast on 700MHz, 800MHz, 850MHz, 1900MHz, 2100MHz & 2500MHz.

Think of your bicycle frame as a Faraday Cage. A microwave uses the same concept to contain microwaves. Your frame will block signal from transmission. You may be able to attach an external antenna.

Then again...I may be wrong about all of this. I'm just a backer for the this.

Permalink Reply by Agnieszka Z. on March 21, 2013 at 8:06am

I love this idea--and I can't wait to get the device! 

Permalink Reply by Three Man Rocket on March 21, 2013 at 8:10am

Thank you sooooo MUCH for the kind comment. We're working around the clock talking to folks, trying to tell our story.  I've found several new grey hairs.  Hopefully we will be able to make it!  Thank you!

The hardest part is getting the word out on social media accounts and highlighting the other BikeSpike features that you can use when times are good.  Our on-board accelerometer it separates itself from a Garmin or just pure software on your smartphone like Strava. It has the unique ability to broadcast your ride to friends, family, loved ones and social media followers. Plus it can report a crash, in addition to helping you recover your bike if it gets stolen. 

:-)

Permalink Reply by Thinman on March 21, 2013 at 9:12am
Permalink Reply by Three Man Rocket on March 21, 2013 at 9:30am

HA!  Stuart, we've seen that puppy for a while and we are a totally different product.  We don't blame people for looking to the 800 pound GPS gorilla in the room.  We LIKE Garmin!  But The BikeSpike is much different.  First, if you look at our features side by side, we offer far more for less.  Garmin has two plans on their site, (the deluxe plan is hard to find and required), but our Urban commuter plan (3.99/monthly) actually has WAY more features than their deluxe plan.  PLUS The BikeSpike has an on-board accelerometer and the Garmin does not....so right there you lose the tamper alerts and automatic crash reporting.  Hope this clears up any confusion between the two products Stuart.  Keep the questions coming, we want to make The BikeSpike wonderful for everyone so feedback is always welcome.  

Stuart said:

Permalink Reply by daWillinChi on March 21, 2013 at 10:04am

As for someone who have had a bike stolen, this sounds like an awesome idea.

I did some research on bike GPS trackers after I had my bike stolen, and several things hindered me from actually getting one or built one on my own:

  1. Data plan: In order for anything to submit something somewhere, some kind of data capability should exist. One readily accessible is cellular data plan. Or a subscription to the company that makes the GPS product.
    Caveat: another thing you'll have to pay monthly.
  2. GPS and cellular antenna: It works great when it's outdoor. But when inside most houses in Chicago that are made of bricks, GPS (unless it's cellular assisted - AGPS) suck. Same goes for cellular antenna for data communication. Most cellular plan for data is using higher frequencies and thus will have the same issue.
    Caveat: antenna woes will probably make it unusable
  3. Battery life of device: If you had a smart phone with GPS you know that it won't last very long.
    Caveat: will probably need to change/recharge the battery every few hours. What happened when it's missing and the battery runs out?
  4. OpenAPI: Yeah! Let me know if you want to give this to your spouse so you can keep track of him/her. I'll help you with that
    Caveat: privacy?

So the biggest challenge is that this is not something you set and forget and just be available to use anytime you need it.

My solution: Carry a couple of locks and get a renter's/home owner's insurance :)

Oh, and don't get me started on Kickstarter projects. I've only had a couple of successful projects that I've funded (one of them is from a guy here on Chainlink). But the rest, they have been never ending sob stories of how their production woe is slowing down progress, blah, blah, blah, and never come to fruition. Where's my damn Torch helmet???

Maybe this one will be different.

Permalink Reply by Zach Roberts on March 21, 2013 at 10:34am

Another random security related idea. I know in Atlanta at least (and presumably similar elsewhere) there is a reserved cellular frequency used by alarm system companies, which sell a device that automatically signals the Police and Fire departments when the alarm is triggered. This is primarily targeted at homeowners who don't have a traditional phone line to tap into for the alarm system. Combining the accident / theft capability of this GPS device with a means of alerting authorities using the reserved cellular alarm system, that would be fantastic.

Yes, cost would get crazy (the home alarm modem is over 300$ right now), and battery life would suffer more by adding a cellular transmitter and required circuitry, but 5 years from now I don't think either of these issues is a significant blocker. Patent it up and wait for the implementation to become more reasonable.

Permalink Reply by Three Man Rocket on March 21, 2013 at 11:06am

Hey J.A.W.

A few notes on your comments:

1. Data Plan: Yup, bummer, we wish there was a way around it.

2. GPS/Cellular Antenna: We've got some tricks up our sleeve on this one. Not only are we using some killer antennas, we're taking advantage of the US GPS system, QZSS, and Russian GLONASS system to boost our positioning precision and reliability. Don't worry, we're using A-GPS as well. We've even gotten access to some preproduction positioning modules as well that use GPS, GLONASS, and the Chinese COMPASS positioning satellites. If you're in a bunker, it's not going to work. That's just physics. But we can tell you where your bike was right before it went into the bunker, and as soon as it leaves.

3. Battery Life: Nice thing here is that we're not a smart phone! We don't have a powerful processor here, and we don't need to waste power on super fast cellular modems. Our positioning module sips only 60mW, and only 9mW while sleeping. We're also playing some tricks with hardware interrupts allowing us to be nearly completely powered down until your bike is moved. In our tests so far casual users need to recharge about once a month. 

4. Open API : Users need to opt-in to be tracked. You'll have to sign-in to an app for it to use your data. We will be offering completely anonymized data points with a time delay to those interested in doing research. Nothing that could be tracked back to you unless you specifically ask. 

Paired with a hub dynamo, this really is something you can set and forget. No replacement for a bike lock, but we hope it'll be a lot more fun. 



J.A.W. 15.08 km said:

As for someone who have had a bike stolen, this sounds like an awesome idea.

I did some research on bike GPS trackers after I had my bike stolen, and several things hindered me from actually getting one or built one on my own:

  1. Data plan: In order for anything to submit something somewhere, some kind of data capability should exist. One readily accessible is cellular data plan. Or a subscription to the company that makes the GPS product.
    Caveat: another thing you'll have to pay monthly.
  2. GPS and cellular antenna: It works great when it's outdoor. But when inside most houses in Chicago that are made of bricks, GPS (unless it's cellular assisted - AGPS) suck. Same goes for cellular antenna for data communication. Most cellular plan for data is using higher frequencies and thus will have the same issue.
    Caveat: antenna woes will probably make it unusable
  3. Battery life of device: If you had a smart phone with GPS you know that it won't last very long.
    Caveat: will probably need to change/recharge the battery every few hours. What happened when it's missing and the battery runs out?
  4. OpenAPI: Yeah! Let me know if you want to give this to your spouse so you can keep track of him/her. I'll help you with that
    Caveat: privacy?

So the biggest challenge is that this is not something you set and forget and just be available to use anytime you need it.

My solution: Carry a couple of locks and get a renter's/home owner's insurance :)

Oh, and don't get me started on Kickstarter projects. I've only had a couple of successful projects that I've funded (one of them is from a guy here on Chainlink). But the rest, they have been never ending sob stories of how their production woe is slowing down progress, blah, blah, blah, and never come to fruition. Where's my damn Torch helmet???

Maybe this one will be different.

Permalink Reply by Steven Vance on March 21, 2013 at 11:25am

The API, to me, is the coolest part. 

Legacy Frameworks said:

This is great guys - I hope you do well. I can see the API going in some very cool directions.

If you want to explore anything with a builder, let me know.

Levi 

Permalink Reply by Joe Guzzardo on March 21, 2013 at 4:46pm

So this is like a Lojack for bikes and/or a Nike + iPod. Pretty cool. I like the idea of utilizing a hub dynamo to generate power for the device. Thinking about it a bit, it's inevitable that we will find intelligent devices integrated into next generation bikes. Almost literally blazing new trails. Maybe you can rig up a capacitor to the ULock that will discharge stun gun voltage into anyone who tampers with the lock. Sure, there will be plenty of liability suits but it'd be worth it, especially if we have camera surveillance overhead. Go forth and conquer.

Permalink Reply by Three Man Rocket on March 21, 2013 at 6:03pm

For those about to rock we salute you.....maybe?  Thank you Joe.  I think we both will out live that level of brutality, but hey, that what the sequel to demolition man is for, am I right?  Seriously, thank you for your kind support.  We really are trying make the world of cycling better.  Our goal is to change the way WE ride forever.  Keep in touch and keep the ideas flowing.  If I'm lucky I'll put this thread in a time capsule and a hundred years from now my granddaughter will open it and say "hey, we should just stun those creeps".  

Best,

Clay

Permalink Reply by Joe Guzzardo on March 21, 2013 at 7:04pm

Women Rocketeers United, local 357, have filed a lawsuit against Three Man Rocket, Inc., alleging discriminatory hiring practices. Attorney's for both organizations have refused comment pending the outcome of ongoing litigation.

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