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smrtGRiPS: World's First Connected Bike Grips

Never get lost again. Handy directions right at your fingertips.

smrtGRiPS: World's First Connected Bike Grips

Never get lost again. Handy directions right at your fingertips.

1 Campaign |

Montreal, Canada

$28,707 USD 404 backers

57% of $50,000 Flexible Goal Flexible Goal

Story

FAQ

Updates 26

Comments 134

“…a clever and sorely needed innovation.”

As seen on:

“Cyclists plug in…and the grips can take it from there.”

smrtGRiPS seamlessly integrates eyes-free navigation, haptic feedback notifications and a bike tracker. iOS and Android Ready. All right in your hands.

“Imagine riding in a new city and never having to worry about getting lost”

“smrtGRiPS connect riders to community-sourced biking data…”

“Smarten up your bike.”

We went all the way 8-bit old school for our device, using state-of-the-art 32-bit Bluetooth System-on-a-Chip Smart Technology, because sometimes less really is better. It works just right, and we're pretty proud of our technologically minimalist approach.

Thoughtfully minimalist, integrated and balanced, this is technology that will doesn’t stick out. It's all about improving that symbiotic relationship between you and your bike, so you can have a ride that’s smart and connected, but frees you to enjoy that immersive experience called The Ride.

Look at it this way – you can squint at a screen, or you can ride – take in the view, be with your friends, and fully enjoy the trail.

smrtGRiPs Connect App's unique features improve and perfect your Eyes-Free Connected Biking Experience:

Eyes-Free Navigation
Right and left haptic feedback custom notifications
Notification prioritization and customization for your Google Maps, Google Fit and Apple Healthkit notifications
Highly audible custom alerts
Crowd-sourced Bike Tracking
Separation alert (up to 10 riders*)
SmrtGRiPs Connect Navigation enabled by Telenav's Scout SDK. (Turn-by-turn directions, Bike lanes, Popular Routing, Buddy Radar (nearby Friends) and more.

Compatible with iPhone 4s & later, iPad 3rd Generation & later, and Android 4.4 devices with Bluetooth 4.1.

*For iPhone and iPad. For Android, it depends on model.

The smrtGRiPS Indiegogo Featured Perk includes the smrtGRiPS Grips, the smrtGRiPS devices and charger. The smrtGRiPS Grips will fit into any standard handlebars (except drop downs. Drop down version available in Q2 2015). Made of a durable and grippy rubber that will give you all the control you need. And when paired with smrtGRiPS devices, you'll have all the foresight needed to make any bike trip an enjoyable one. Add an upgrade. Get your reward. Quantities are limited.

Preorder on our site.

smrtGRiPs MTB/BMX Upgrade

When going on the trail, we love our Lock Clamp Grips. They stay on, don't rotate and they can be removed and reinstalled as needed. They are tough and reliable on carbon and aluminum handlebars, like smrtGRiPS. We have designed a lock ring for Lock Clamp Grips, so you can enjoy smrtGRiPS wherever the trail brings you. And we are making them with the highest quality alloy and grippiest rubber. They won't disappoint. If you want the smrtGRiPS version with the greatest staying power, then choose the smrtGRiPs MTB/BMX Upgrade for only $23 or you can get the Upgrade for free by bringing in $200 in referrals. Simply log in to Indiegogo to get your personal tracking URL, then press the share buttons or share your unique URL (below the main video at the top of the page).

smrtGRiPs Brooks* Slender Grips Upgrade

We love Brooks England* Bike Accessoires and we wanted the smrtGRiPS to have the same high quality look and feel. We designed a lock ring for our smrtGRiPS that is truly inspired by the Brooks Slender Grip. It fits and matches perfectly. If you have Brooks Slenders Grips, get the Brooks Slender Grips Upgrade for only $18 or you can the Upgrade for free or you can get the Upgrade for free by bringing in $180 in referrals. Simply log in to Indiegogo to get your personal tracking URL, then press the share buttons or share your unique URL (below the main video at the top of the page).

This perk only includes the external lock rings (2) designed for the Brooks* Slenders Grips, and not the grips.

Unscrew both lock rings. Pull out grip assembly.
Replace the external lock ring with the provided external lock ring and tighten. Make sure not to overtorque the screw especially if you have a carbon handlebar. No more than 7.5 Nm in most cases. Please check with manufacturer's recommandations.
Insert the smrtGRiPS device into the grip and tighten.

The Specs

Get a close look and find out why smrtGRiPs are actually light sabres in disguise.

Aluminium casing
300ft bluetooth range
Waterproof up to 10m
High capacity rechargeable battery (3.7v/700mAh)

Diameter: 15.8mm

Length: 152mm

Battery life: One charge will last 3 months under normal use (2 hours of riding per day/Beacon in operation 24/7 ). Good for 800 cycles (at least 3 years).

Connectivity: Bluetooth Smart 4.2

Connector: IP68 micro USB connector

Over-the-air Download Firmware Upgrades: The Bluetooth Smart SoC (System on a Chip) component on the smrtGRIPS is OTA-DFU (Over-the-air Device Firmware Upgrade) enabled, so you'll always be the first to have the most recent version of the smrtGRIPS available.

Device Compatibility: iPhones 4s & later. iPad 3rd Generation & later, and Android devices with 4.4 or above

smrtGRiPS Connected Bike Grips is IP protected.

About us

You’ve met smrtGRiPs. Now meet us.

smrtGRiPs are developed by Boréal Bikes, headquartered in Montreal, with its R&D group in Berlin, Germany. We were working on the bike of the future – an electric hybrid ebike – and the smrtGRiPs were one of the bike’s key features.

We soon realized that the applications of the smrtGRiPs were not limited to the bike of the future – it was perfect for the bikes of today.

We believe that eyes free navigation with haptic feedback notification, the security of a global bike tracker, and the ability to find your bike in a crowd could have a huge impact on the safety and the riding pleasure of many. Right now.

So – for right now – we’ve turned our focus and efforts to smrtGRiPs. We want to get it ready for the bikes of today.

The goal? Give everyone the ability to make their bike – or their mobility scooter, electric scooter, push scooter, moped, motor bike, snowmobile, personal water craft, ski poles, Nordic walking poles – smarter, safer and more fun to use.

We want to put the future in everyone’s hands today.

	Louis-P. Huard - Co-founder, Designer and Team Leader First and foremost, Louis is a cycling and tech enthusiast. A seasoned marketing professional that loves great design and smart innovation. He has extensive experience in the development of new products for several Fortune 500 companies. He's been involved in the launches of innovative products from Blackberry, Unilever, ABInBev, among others.
	Matthias Budzinski - Co-founder, Mechanical Prototyping Matthias is a hands-on builder. Any piece of metal or wood, he turns it into elaborate furniture or the tiniest prototype. At Boréal Bikes, his skill are much appreciated because he's building component by component the future of cycling. M.Sc. Candidate at the Technical University of Berlin.
	Uli Westhoff - Co-founder, Mobile and Embedded Systems Engineering Uli is our Tech Guru. An embedded system engineer and developer that has developped embedded measuring devices for F1 Racing. He has done lots of works for the auto industry, but his true passion has always revolved around bikes.
	Dr Sylvia Niebruegge - Customer Happiness Product Specialist at one of Germany's fastest growing biotech companies for the past five years. Sylvia's knows everything you need to know when it comes to launching innovative tech and making customers happy.
	Slobodan Visnjic - Product Engineering Bodan is helping us cruise along the prototyping and manufacturing process. A Solidworks Native, he has already helped several members of the maker community transform their inventions into market ready products. He knows what it takes to turn a good idea into a great product.

Risk and Challenges

We have lined up valuable and expert partners that will be involved in important areas of product development and manufacturing. The prototypes we have produced have helped us confirm that we can manage risks associated to their development and production.

Supply Chain

We reduced the number of parts required to manufacture the smrtGRiPS by choosing high quality and highly integrated components. By doing so, we believe that we have reduced our exposure to delays that could potentially occur by longer than expected lead times.

Crowdsourced Design: Making it Perfect

As soon as the campaign gets going, we will be looking into what our backers have to say regarding the final design. We have included this step in our production process so you can help us create you the best smrtGRiPS ever. We believe that your contribution will maximize your ROI (Return On Investment). There is nothing more valuable than having a product that you really want.

The Great Outdoors

smrtGRiPs are designed to work in the most extreme weather conditions, and even under water (10m). Once we are certain that the smrtGRiPS can perform as expected in severe weather conditions, we will initiate pre-production. We accounted for testing in our schedule. Our first pre-production samples will be submitted to a battery of tests. It's difficult to predict the exact outcome. It is a possibility that testing may take longer than expected, in order to make the modifications needed to reach the standards we are aiming for.

The Litmus Test: Certification

Following the pre-production run, the smrtGRiPs will undergo all the necessary steps for certification. These are the the governing bodies’ mandatory requirements that we must comply with in order to ship to the different countries. These tests will need to happen before delivering smrtGRiPs to our backers. Even though several of our team members are well versed in these requirements, there is a risk that we may face delays in the eventuality that some of the components parts have to be reworked or adjusted.

Ok. Any questions?

How big are smrtGRiPs?

We designed the smrtGRiPs to be so small that it can be attached discretely to virtually any handlebar. It’s only 16 mm in diameter and 150mm in length – about the size of a standard felt pen – and weighs less than 95 grams. That’s about 3.5 ounces.

How long do the batteries last?

Under normal use (2 hours of commuting per day/beacons on 24/7), the smrtGRiPs batteries will last over 3 months.

How do I recharge the batteries?

Recharge the smrtGRIPs using the smrtGRIPs charger or connect it to a USB power source using micro USB cable.

What is smrtGRIPS' range?

smrtGRIPs' range is approximately 100 meters (330 feet).

How do smrtGRiPs attach to your bike?

You simply insert it into your handlebar and screw it to the provided grip or the lock ring.

How are smrtGRiPs unique?

First ever all-in-one eyes-free navigation, haptic feedback notifications with bike tracker grips.
First bike app designed for optimal eyes-free user experience. Be safe and enjoy your journey by keeping your eyes on the road, not on your display.
Super stealthy. They're really, really, really, ridiculously integrated. No one will notice it.
Bike Tracker: Technology that allows users to locate their items after they have been lost. The smrtGRiPs Connect App is designed to work on the world's largest crowdGPS network, currently locating lost items 8 times every minute.
Redundant Beacons: Unlike single item trackers, your bike gets two devices acting as beacons for increased reliability and availability. If one fails, you'll still have another smrtGRIPs signaling away.
Separation Alert: Notifies you when a member of your family or bike tour group loses his way.
Bike Finder: The Bike Finder remembers where you left your bike last on a GPS map. At close range, but still can't find it? Make it ring!
High Capacity Lithium Ion Battery: The smrtGRiPs battery capacity is 4 times greater than most item trackers on the market, and it's rechargeable. A single charge will last over 3 months.

Can I use your product with other BLE Tracking devices?

Absolutely! The smrtGRiPs Connect App can work with other BLE tracking devices, Bluetooth cars, headsets and more. You'll be able to use the Bike Finder and Separation Alert Features with such devices. However, to enjoy these features as they were originally intended you will need the smrtGRiPS devices.

Can I use smrtGRiPs with Google Maps?

Yes! smrtGRiPs left/right haptic feedback notifications respond to Google Maps turn-by-turn notifications. We intend to support more navigation apps in the future.

Can I use smrtGRiPs with a drop down handlebar?

The current smrtGRiPs available are not designed for drop down handlebars. However, a drop down smrtGRiPs version is planned for Q2 2015.

What's your plan for Android support?

We're developping on Android using the Bluetooth Low Energy API's. We're dedicated on providing a world class Android app. Android is supported at launch.

How many smrtGRiPs devices can a smartphone find?

Using the smrtGRiPs app, a smartphone can manage up to 10 smrtGRIPs at once on iOS. On Android, this number varies from 1 to 10.

Is the device water resistant?

The device is actually waterproof, so you can ride through heavy rain or drop your bike in a canal as long as it is not deeper than 10m.

Where are smrtGRiPS made?

The smrtGRiPs are designed and engineered in Germany. Parts are sourced in the US and China.

How much is shipping?

Shipping and handling, which includes packing and fulfilling orders, will cost $10 in the Domestic United States (including Hawaii and Alaska), $20 to Canada, and $30 for international orders.

Where do I pay for shipping?

You need to add your shipping cost in the additional donation field when you back the campaign.

Oops! I forgot to add amount for shipping! What should I do?

Please contribute the right shipping amount and select no perk. We will match your contributions.

I want to upgrade my perk

Please contribute the difference and select no perk. We will match up your contribution to the correct perk and will confirm after the campaign.

Is this iOS 8 Compatible?

Yes, it is compatible from iOS 7 & on.

Will smrtGRiPs work with the COBI Bike System?

Since the product is not readily available, we can't guarantee it yet, but we don't see why not. We believe that the smrtGRiPs could be an ideal companion product for the COBI, so it can provide an Eyes-Free Connected Biking Experience too. We are committed to supporting it as soon as it is possible. Full disclosure, we are COBI backers and think it's cool, and we're looking forward on receiving our COBI Dev Kit.

*Are you associated or affiliated with Brooks England or any brands mentioned in this campaign?

*No, we are not affiliated with, endorsed, or sponsored by Brooks England LTD. All trademarks mentioned belong to their owners, third party brands, product names, trade names, corporate names and company names mentioned may be trademarks of their respective owners or registered trademarks of other companies and are used for purposes of explanation and to the contributor's benefit, without implying a violation of copyright law. The Brooks Slender Grips are not included in any of the perks, only the purpose-built external lock rings designed for Brooks Slender Grips are included in the Brooks Slender Grips Upgrade perk.

Problem backing us?

Please contact support@indiegogo.com.