11 bike accessories that will make your ride smarter and safer

Sportsman_on_road_bicycle_in_Zürich.JPG
Ximeg/Wikimedia Commons

When you buy a bike, it doesn't don't come with the bells and whistles that would make it as safe or as handy as it could be. You could settle for a helmet, a lock, and a pair of lights, but there's a world of innovative accessories that can make keeping and riding your bike go so much further.

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Here are some of the more useful ones.

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The Garmin Rearview, to watch out for tailgating

garmin-rearview
Amazon

Ever been tailgated on a bike before? It's not fun, and you don't have the shell of a 4,000-pound car to protect you.

The Garmin Varia Rearview is a tail light that brightens and then flashes if a car comes too close to you. If you pair it with a Garmin GPS device, you can make the GPS beep when a car is threatening to bump you. It's about as close as you'll get to a warning system on a bike.

You can grab one on Amazon for $200.

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A Blaze Laserlight, to project a bike signal in front of you

A photo posted by Blaze (@blazefeed)

The Blaze Laserlight is a 300-lumen LED light that projects a bright green bike symbol up to 20 feet ahead of you, alerting turning drivers and pedestrians to your presence.

The light is USB chargeable, encased in a heavy steel enclosure, lasts 13 hours with each charge, and easily pops on and off your mount — a definite plus since this is an accessory you wouldn't want anyone to steal.

The LaserLight is available on Blaze's website for $200.

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Revolights, to create a lightshow

revolights
Courtesy Revolights

It might not be enough to just light your front and back — side collisions are always possible.

You can mount these USB-rechargeable LEDs to your spokes to give your wheels an impressive lighting system that drivers can't possibly miss.

You can grab some lights on Amazon for $199.

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A Tigr lock, to flexibly secure your bike

tigr-lock
Amazon

If your bike's decked out, you should take special care to secure it. The Tigr 1.25" bike lock is a great option if you're looking for something more lightweight.

It's about a pound lighter than a decent Kryptonite lock, can extend to cover both wheels and your frame, and can snap to the top of your frame while you ride — no more jamming bike locks into your backpack or pants pockets.

There are some caveats. Review site the Sweethome said a resolute bike thief could breach the lock with an angle grinder in minutes, though, to be fair, Kryptonite's secure New York bike locks also never stood a chance. It's a good reminder that a bike lock is a deterrent more than a guarantee; you should store your bike indoors if at all possible.

You can get a Tigr lock on Amazon for $175

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A Noke, to smartly lock up your bike

noke-u-lock
Courtesy Noke

Noke, a company manufacturing products that unlock via Bluetooth, is releasing a U-lock in August. You simply download an app that registers the lock, and then you can unlock it with your smartphone over Bluetooth. For people who don't own a smartphone, the company also sells a $25 key fob that can unlock things, too.

The U-Lock will ship out in August 2016, and you can order one on Noke's website for $109.

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A FOBO, to check your tire pressure

fobo-bike-phone
Amazon

A flat on the road can be a disaster when biking to an important meeting, and not everyone has the time every week to check if their tires are safely inflated.

The Fobo will check all that for you, and ping your phone if your tires need air. It clips into the valve where you usually pump your air, and it uses Bluetooth to ping your phone if the air pressure dips critically low. 

You can grab a FOBO on Amazon for $99 here.

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A Torch T2 helmet, when you need more lights (but on your head)

torch-t2
Amazon

You can never have enough lights. The Torch T2 helmet integrates both a white front light and a red back light that can last 6 hours on full blast or 36 hours on a strobe. The helmet is also USB rechargeable.

You can grab a helmet on Amazon for $150.

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Smrtgrips that will vibrate to tell you where to turn

smrt-grips
Indiegogo

SmrtGrips are a handy addition for people who have straight handlebars. 

Once you install them, the grips sync up with your smartphone's navigation apps. The grips vibrate on the left or right if you need to make a turn.

If you're looking for your bike, an accompanying app will make the grips signal the bike's location to other SmrtGrips users. If someone passes by it, the app will give you the exact GPS coordinates of your bike.

The grips aren't available yet, but you can sign up to be notified about preorders on SmrtGrips' site.

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A Cricket silent alarm

Cricket   Bike to the left.JPG
Courtesy Cricket

The Cricket is a silent alarm that sticks to the bottom of a bike seat. The alarm has an effective range of 150 feet, and when you pair it with an iPhone app, it'll alert you if your bike is suddenly moved. Much like the Tile Bluetooth tracker, it's meant to be a close watchdog for your bike, so it won't work if you're a couple buildings away.

But if you're, say, grabbing a late dinner with a friend and you have to leave your bike nearby outside, you'll know if it's being stolen. It's also silent, so if you're looking for something to scare your bike thief away, consider something else.

But if you're looking for something relatively cheap, you can grab it for a cool $44.

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A SmartHalo, for turn-by-turn navigation

smarthalo
Kickstarter

Like the SmrtGrips, the SmartHalo will give you turn-by-turn directions, eliminating the need for you to pull out a phone every few turns. But this is on a circular device that mounts on the middle of your handlebars, and it also has a load of interesting features.

Directions are shown on the surface of the device. If you need to turn right, the device shines a green half circle to the right. If you need to make a U-turn, it'll glow a half circle in the opposite direction. When you've gotten to your destination, you'll see a full green circle.

The app that pairs with the device will also keep track of other metrics, like distance traveled, calories, and elevation. 

The device also has a built-in front light that turns on as soon as it gets dark, and turns off when you've stopped pedaling for a long enough time. 

At $139, that's a good value for features that will truly make your bike smarter. The SmartHalo ships September 2016.

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