Boosted by the pandemic, and now by soaring gas prices, cycling in the city is experiencing an unprecedented and sustainable boom. According to the network Cycling and Territories, the increase would be +31% in urban areas since 2019! For the public, this new enthusiasm is accompanied by an increased offer of equipment and accessories, in particular to secure their mount. In France, more than a thousand bicycles are stolen every day, which remains a barrier to its adoption for many. Beyond that, there are more and more proposals for accessories for the comfort of cyclists. After its fall selection, “20 Minutes” tested the new releases for spring 2022.
Communicate without risk: Openrun Pro by Shokz
Safety requires, impossible to pedal with headphones on your head or True Wireless earphones in your ears. To listen to music, or even take calls while cycling, there is one solution: Bluetooth headphones openrun pro of Shokz.
Its principle: that of bone conduction, with headphones that land just in front of the tragus of the ear (the small soft part at the entrance to the auditory canal), leaving the latter completely free. In addition to an application to control your music and take advantage of two equalization modes, various controls on the left earphone also allow you to pick up / hang up calls, but above all to avoid any manipulation of your smartphone. Which is better when riding a bicycle… 189 euro.
Our opinion : A real feeling of freedom was felt during our test of this helmet. Admittedly, the audio quality is not at all that of traditional audio equipment. The sound conveyed by bone conduction remains very dull and lacks brightness, but remains of a very acceptable quality in view of the safety benefit of the user who can normally hear the noises of his environment. The resistance to water and sweat (IP55 standard), and the good autonomy of around 10 hours of the product are to be credited to its credit.
Carry It All: Along’s Modular Backpack
Leaving for a day at work and cycling, without forgetting anything? Waterproof, the modular bag d’Along has a comfortable capacity of 30 litres.
You can fit your 16-inch computer there, but also your small belongings in two interior zippered pockets (24 x 12 cm and 23 x 20 cm), some groceries, etc. Original, the bag is supplied with two additional modules: a waterproof bag (handy for storing your pool stuff!), as well as an insulated bag (very convenient for carrying your bento box and other drinks and food). 159 euro.
Our opinion : Really well thought out and very comfortable to carry, this bag is a French success, developed thanks to crowdfunding on Ulule. We appreciated the wide opening on the side, the reflective back straps that can accommodate a helmet or sports accessories, as well as the possibility of carrying it over the shoulder. If the black color of the bag is a bit all-purpose, it is possible to personalize it with straps of different shades, including a reflective one.
Let yourself be guided: Cosmo Vision
Finding your way by bike or scooter without a smartphone riveted to your handlebars can seem like a challenge and not very secure. Not anymore. Connected to an application, the glasses Cosmovision use the head-up display system found in some vehicles.
Once you have entered the address of your destination, all you have to do is let yourself be guided by the instructions displayed in yellow on the right lens of the glasses: directions to take, distance before changing direction, street name , percentage of remaining battery life. And by passing your hand in front of the left glass which incorporates a motion detector, it is possible to access other data, such as the time separating us from our destination, our speeds and distance travelled. 489 euros.
Our opinion : Light (40 grams), comfortable to wear, but still expensive, the Cosmo Vision glasses still need to improve their search engine, which is not very intuitive, to find the destination of your choice: in the state, you still have to enter the address precise (number, street, city) to be driven to your destination.
Securing your mount: TiBike by Ticatag
Having your bike stolen is, along with accidents, the number one fear of cyclists, especially in urban areas. TiBikefrom the Breton company Ticatag, contributes to the fight against this scourge (in France, a bicycle is stolen every minute).
In the form of a rear reflector to be fixed under the saddle of your bike, TiBike hides a GPS tracker equipped with a European SIM card (more than 100 countries covered). With a double vocation: to alert as soon as a suspicious movement is detected and to geolocate the two-wheeler. The mobile application (Tifiz Connect) allows perfect tracking of your bicycle in real time, a GoogleMaps link even being provided to find it if necessary. 199 euros + 6 euros monthly subscription (with one-year commitment).
Our opinion : the process is simple and reassuring. And it works quite well, with a geolocation whose accuracy is around 5 meters, Tibike has two flaws: its mounting system (GoPro type) will not last long if a thief decides to dismantle the reflector; the SIM card is easily accessible and can be removed in seconds. Compare before buying with the Invoxia Bike Tracker which uses not the cellular network, but the Lora low consumption network and which seems more secure to us (149 euros).