Beeline, the GPS that lets you choose your bike route

January 06, 2020

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You're on a bike, lost. Difficult to take out your phone while pedaling. You will probably have to dismount, being wary of other vehicles, take out your phone and look where you are. As long as you don't know the area at all, you may even have to do it several times! As the bicycle is democratized in cities, new problems appear. If it is an economical, ecological means of transport which avoids traffic jams, you do not want to waste hours looking for your destination. A British start-up therefore launched “Beeline” to respond to this problem.

Beeline, between GPS and compass

It’s a little gadget that you put on the handlebars. The size of a doorbell, Beeline combines Bluetooth, GPS and Wi-Fi to guide you through the streets. But, it will not tell you to take a left in 200 meters. The tool is much simpler and more intuitive. On its dial, a general direction like a compass and the number of kilometers you have to travel. An invitation to travel and discovery.

Once you have entered your direction on your smartphone, this arrow will be your guide. Beeline wants to simplify your journey and make you rediscover the pleasure of pedaling without distraction. If this is surprising, the company also justifies this choice for security reasons. For her, Beeline gives you " the freedom to turn when you feel comfortable instead of being on unsafe stretches of road. »The case is waterproof, shockproof and scratch resistant. Easy to install and remove, you can then slip it into your pocket without worrying about damaging it.

Beeline was created thanks to the crowdfunding site Kickstarter. The company, which hoped to recover £ 60,000 to finance the project, finally received 150,000 from internet users.. Those who funded Beeline have already received the first copies.

A booming market

Several companies have already tried to respond to the problem of GPS by bike in recent years. Among them, the Nantes start-up Wink. She had released a “smart health connected handlebar”. This one indicated the direction to follow via a system of flashing lights. However, the concept of a removable handlebar is probably more difficult to convince. Closer to Beeline, there is also “Smart Halo“. But the box which also included tracker functions (distance traveled, number of calories burned and speed of the bike) costs much more than Beeline. So there is a market to take.

The first Beeline models, sold at € 69 per unit, will be sold from August 2020.

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