The first “connected” smart bike, the Vanhawks Valour, is a commuter with a lightweight yet strong carbon fiber frame. The bike works with Vanhawks’ navigation and performance tracking app, which will be available for Android, iPhone, and Pebble devices upon Valour’s release. Connected via Bluetooth, the app records the bike’s bumps and turns, collecting data about potholes, blocked lanes, and closed roads and refining its recommended routes for the Vanhawks community. The more people ride Vanhawks Valours, the more precise and safe the maps become, so that, on an ideal day, the bike delivers stress-free navigation with the handlebars lighting up to show the way turn-by-turn.

For additional protection, the handlebars vibrate to signal when a vehicle is approaching in the bike’s blind spot. Also, in the case of theft, the app can help find the bike by turning on the “lost notification” system, which pinpoints the stolen bike’s location whenever it passes another Valour rider.

 

The Vanhawks Valour comes in small, medium, and large sizes as well as fixie and gear hub models. All have the same bold design, pairing a matte black frame with metallic red rims. The bike is designed, engineered, and assembled in Toronto, Canada, and the parts are sourced from China, Germany, and Pakistan. Currently, Vanhawks ships only to Canada and the U.S.A. Support this innovative design on Kickstarter.

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Holly

Holly is a poet from Kentucky. She grew up first in a Sears house, then on a farm. She studied English and Gender Studies at Mount Holyoke College and moved to Manhattan for love. As an occasional jewelry-maker and museum patron, Holly favors wearable and functional design but is eager to see work that challenges her aesthetics. Read more and connect by visiting her blog, Twitter, and LinkedIn.

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