David from Vanhawks here - couldn't agree more. That's why our vision isn't just to 'throw technology at bicycles.' What the Valour does allow is for rich data collection so that we can help shape more useful changes in the future.
Anytime someone from a company comes on here using buzzword nonsense, you know it's not going to end well. You're talking to the wrong group of people with that middle manager marketing speak.
In the short term, having this platform built in to a bike allows us to offer the turn by turn navigation with less distraction and much more robust data collection. That data collection will be used to improve the navigation based on real world feed back in the future.
In the long term, building this platform into a full bike means that we can offer plenty more - imagine being able to locate your bike if it was stolen or, imagine your bike could communicate with other vehicles around you to keep the rider safe.
This is not to say that we only offer full bikes in the future. However, having the full bike now is allowing us to perfect the platform and understand the full range of needs for our riders.
Still doesn't answer the question. What does it do that some other solution does not already do? I'm certainly not your target market, myself, since I know my way around the place I live and I am old enough to know how to find stuff on a map. If I happen to find myself someplace less familiar--I do sometimes go for long rides not knowing where I am going until I get there--Google/Apple maps are available at the touch of a button.
If you are offering bike location--how long before thieves/hackers figure out how to disable it? Will it work when the bike has no power? Will thieves be able to use the tracking signal to find expensive bikes to steal?
Hey, David from Vanhawks here. One of the nice things about the Valour is that we will continue to develop the platform while you ride the bike - it will get better the longer you own it as we release new features. And, if you worried about whether we'll be around long enough to make that happen, I feel confident in saying yes.
Apps on cell phones can also be updated over time. I've got a GPS already in the cell phone that will measure speed etc, and as I replace the cell phone that hardware will get better over time and support more features from an app.
Bikes, on the other hand, don't tend to be treated as a disposable / frequently upgraded thing. You're asking customers to buy in to a fixed set of hardware for a dozen years. That means you've got to provide some really significant value to the equation, and offer something that is just not even remotely possible with an ordinary cell phone.
So far as I can figure the only thing you offer in that regards is blind-spot detection sensors, and that seems like something I could realistically expect to see from bicycle electronics companies within a reasonably short time frame, for way less than $500.
I'm still not sure what exactly your significant value-add is. I'm not trying to shit on you or your product. The bike looks great. I just think you need to think very carefully about how you are marketing it, and what exactly you're offering to persuade someone to pony up an additional $500 or so over a normal bike.
David from Vanhawks here - why do you need a connected bike? Maybe you don't. But, I sure like riding one. We are aiming to make commuting safer and more comfortable for riders. A big part of that approach is to remove distractions to the greatest extent that we can. Unlike strapping a device on to the handle bars, you can simply open the app, lock your phone and put it away. The ride recording starts and stops automatically and, your turn by turn directions are given through easy to follow light signals from the handle bar. Basically, we want you to keep your eyes on the road and not on your device.
The Valour also records a much more rich set of data that we will be using to inform cycling directions in the future. Most apps or devices record speed, time, distance, etc. We're recording much more.
I get what you are saying though - I have a Garmin that I use with multiple road bikes on country roads during the weekend. There, it is much easier to glance down to see how many watts I'm producing or switch screens to check my vertical metres per hour. However, when I'm riding across town to the office, I have a very different set of concerns.
Seems what you describe could be done through a BLE accessory that straps to the handlebar or at most an aftermarket handlebar with LEDs/sensors integrated, which talks to a phone app.
I'm part of the "athlete" market segment who is happy spending $2k on a "dumb" road bike and I also commuted on that dumb bike every day through the city.
The same applies to a power meter - if I want to know my watts I'd rather buy a PowerTap hub or crank and put it on the bike I want rather than having to buy a whole bike with it permanently integrated.
I wonder if, instead of building the whole bicycle you couldn't do great things by building awesome aftermarket components (e.g. try to be Anker, not Apple.)
That said, I know it's easy to be a naysayer, and I wish anyone who's working to innovate the cycling industry all the best! (Lots of <3 to Strava, Garmin & Di2)
David from Vanhawks here - great question. As a long time cyclist myself, I would never want to buy a bike that I didn't get a chance to throw a leg over first - we are completely aware of this and, we will be working with a retail partner in the near future to offer this option.
It was important for us to create and refine the product while we found the right partner. In the coming weeks, we'll be starting a purchase program that allows both online and in-shop purchasing in select locations.
