The Consumer Electronics Show (CES) is happening in Las Vegas this week and we caught wind of a few tech items that may be of interest to mountain bikers.

Bluetooth-enabled ContourGPS Helmet Camera

Yesterday Contour, makers of the ContourGPS helmet camera, announced the ability to stream audio and video from the camera to bluetooth-enabled smartphones. The inclusion of a bluetooth chip in the camera also opens up the possibilities for other accessories as well – remotes and mobile accessories.

We’ve been using the ContourHD for over a year now and our *only* complaint has been there’s no viewfinder to preview video when out on the trail. Paired with an iPhone or Android phone, the user can check camera angles and session features until they get the perfect shot. You can also use the mobile app to configure camera settings which is way better than trying to interpret beeps and flashing LEDs like it’s 1982. Some may recall that we actually suggested using bluetooth-paired remote screens for helmet cam video previews way back in 2007 – just sayin’…

Wahoo Fitness’s fisica Sensors Pairs ANT+ Devices with iPhone

ANT+ is a wireless data protocol that’s used by many cycling-specific devices like heart rate monitors, cadence sensors, speedometers, and power meters but up until now, you’ve needed a cycling computer or GPS unit to collect and view the data. Wahoo Fitness just announced the fisica device that allows you to view real time stats from all your ANT+ devices in compatible iPhone apps so there’s no need for a separate head unit. Convergence is such a sweet thing!

More Apps to Turn Smartphones Into Trail GPS Units

We posted about this on the forums earlier this week but in case you missed it, Garmin announced at CES that they’ll be releasing robust navigation apps for the iPhone in the near future. Could we see a mountain bike specific app that builds on the Edge features one day soon? We say yes.

Data Crunching Mountain Bikes

OK, so this one may be a little further out but here’s the idea: Wagner has created ski sensors called vLinks that record all kinds of data that help the company create the perfect custom ski for each skier. Wired Magazine describes the sensors as “essentially souped-up optical mouses that grab data 6,500 times per second to track movement along X, Y, and Z axes, capturing pitch, roll, and yaw.” The thinking is that each skier has unique technique and physical characteristics that impact the skis’ performance on the slopes.

Which got us thinking – why isn’t there a data-crunching mountain bike rig out there? Bikes are WAY more complex and nuanced than skis and by understanding the impacts individual riders place on their rigs, custom bikes could be configured to a tee to maximize rider strengths while minimizing weaknesses. We already have many of the tools – power meters, speedometers, and stress gauges – why not put them together, along with other high tech sensors to measure acceleration and pitch to get a true picture of each rider’s profile? The data could also be used to help mountain bikers improve their technique. Forget demo days at the trail – come out to create your digital riding signature!

I’ve always been a fan of the Garmin Edge series of GPS devices for mountain biking but to be honest the color screen units (605 and 705) always seemed overpriced for the feature set. This year the company is planning to release the Garmin Edge 800 and at an MSRP of $449 (sans basemaps) it sits right between the Edge 605 and 705 – but adds a color touchscreen to the mix.

Unless you live under a rock, you’ve probably interacted with maps on your computer or even your phone where you can drag and zoom maps using a mouse or even your finger. In my opinion this is the most intuitive (and quickest) way to understand a map so I’m stoked to see the touchscreen make its way into a cycling GPS. At Interbike I got a chance to play with the Edge 800 a bit and found that it does a decent job, though the screen resolution looked a little chunkier than the 705. According to Garmin, the Edge 800 screen resolution is 160×240 while the Edge 705 has a 176×220 pixel screen – but the Edge 800 screen is more than 30% larger which means the pixels are indeed fatter.

The Edge 800 basically has just two buttons as opposed to the 705 which has 7 buttons and a joystick. Menus on the Edge 800 are navigated using on-screen buttons which could be a problem for gloved hands or sweaty fingers (though we need field tests to see if this is indeed the case). To drag the map screen to preview upcoming terrain you need to click a button on the map screen to “unlock” it.

Overall the Edge 800 is a good bit smaller than the Edge 705 and the screen essentially takes up most of the face of the unit. Like the Edge 705, the Edge 800 is ANT+ compatible with Garmin and third party accessories like power meters, heart rate monitors, etc. Images at garmin.com also show what appears to be a new connector mechanism – let’s hope it lasts longer than the bar clips the Edge series currently uses.

Garmin says the Edge 800 should ship sometime in Q4 of this year though don’t hold your breath – anyone remember how long it took for the Edge 705 to arrive after it was announced? And while the base unit is $449 you’ll need to pony up another $200 ($649 total) to get the “Navigation Bundle” which basically contains all the basemaps you need (it looks like there will be a separate version that includes topo data and trails). We’re stoked to find out more about the Edge 800 so we’ll do our best to keep you posted on the latest!

Here’s a quick one for the GPS geeks like me out there. For 2011 Timex is introducing its first GPS-enabled Ironman watch, the Global Trainer, and it’s chock full of features.

Beyond the typical GPS functions you’d expect – speed, time, distance, elevation – the Timex Global Trainer is ANT+ compatible with dozens of third party heart rate monitors, cadence sensors, and power meters.  The screens are fully customizable so you can view key stats at a glance and you can even program each screen based on the sport (speed for cycling, pace for running, etc.). Timex bills this device as easy to use but let’s just say the jury is still out on that one, especially given the overwhelming array of buttons and menus on this gadget.

With a claimed 15-hour battery life, the Global Trainer was designed with epic rides and marathon training sessions in mind. And unlike some of the other wrist-mounted GPS devices we’ve used, the round body on the Global Trainer shouldn’t impede wrist motion any more than a regular watch. No matter though – Timex even includes a simple bike mount in the box.

While we can’t imagine riders getting much use out of this device for navigation on the trail, it certainly seems like it’s well suited to multi-sport athletes (trail running anyone?). For fitness tracking and training, the Timex Ironman Global Trainer looks to be a great partner.

image courtesy Patently Apple.

MacRumors reports on a recent patent application filed by Apple Computer related to a bike “super-computer” that could run on the iPhone and/or iPod. While many of the features mentioned aren’t groundbreaking (speed, cadence, heart rate, GPS routing, among others), there are a few interesting ideas worth mentioning.

Derailleur Settings

We don’t know of an existing sensor that records bike derailleur settings but it’s not too hard to imagine placing a transmitter in the shifters to keep track of gear ratios. Like the Nike+iPod system for running shoes, the sensor would need to be purchased separately or integrated into the shifters before purchase.

Communication Functions

This feature set has the potential to be a game changer, particularly in the world of competitive road cycling where team members are in constant communication with one another. One of the drawings submitted with the patent application shows a map with pins for each rider in a group, along with speed and cadence information for each rider. An obvious extension of this would be to show an estimate of how long it will take to catch a leading rider or to route lost riders back to their group.

Many of the communication functions discussed in the Apple patent seem geared toward the recreational rider including the ability to rate and recommend routes. Riders could also share their ride characteristics (i.e. how fast they are) to assist in forming group rides. In some ways it seems like this might be overkill but remember, this is just a patent application and not necessarily an actual product being developed.

Environmental Condition Tracking

The Apple patent also mentions the potential to track things like wind speed and weather which is interesting but seems useful for only the most serious riders. Besides, we’re imagining one of those spinning weather vanes with cup paddles on the handlebars – not very aero. Perhaps Apple has a more elegant solution involving pulling data from the National Weather Service based on time and location data along the ride. Of course there is such a thing as too much data and the real challenge will be building an interface that makes sense of all the information.

What About Mountain Bikes?

Most of the features listed here sound pretty roadie-centric which is probably a good idea since cyclists are more likely to have cell service on the pavement than on the dirt. And mounting a pricey iPhone on mountain bike handlebars is a risk many riders aren’t willing to take (stuffing the phone in a jersey pocket works but then you can’t see the screen to make use of all the cool features).

Assuming these hurdles could be overcome, we’d love to see a resurrection of our “virtual mountain bike race” concept from several years back. Basically the idea is to use the GPS features to conduct a time trial on a set course and to track the best times online. Then there’s also the whole mapping component – take track data from dozens of riders on a trail network and average the data to produce accurate trail maps. Hey Apple, if you wanna add this stuff to your patent app, let’s talk.

Ok, so we don’t do a lot of product “previews” like this but two MTB products caught our attention this week and we wanted to share. Hopefully within the next few months we’ll get an opportunity to go hands-on to give you the deets.

NiteRider DIY Software

Maximizing existing mountain bike light systems involves trading off light output (lumens) with battery life and until now riders were forced to accept pre-packaged settings from the manufacturers. In the latest Pro models from NiteRider, engineers have added a software layer to the lighting hardware so riders can customize output and run-time to fit the trails and conditions they’re riding. Riders can even come up with their own flash modes and can store up to 4 custom lighting programs for quick access on the trail! Read more at NiteRiderServices.com.

Magellan ToughCase for iPhone

We recently wrote about a handlebar mount for the iPhone and while it works pretty well we’re still a little sketched out about crunching our phone on the trail. Enter the ToughCase from Magellan. At first we thought this was just a really beefy case but it also incorporates a high accuracy GPS chipset to augment the phone’s GPS capabilities PLUS a built-in power supply to keep you juiced on epic rides.

The case is waterproof yet all the phone’s touch screen capabilities are still available while the phone is inside its case. Magellan offers multiple mounting solutions, including a handlebar mount, though there’s no word on whether it comes with an iPhone replacement guarantee.

In the past 30 days alone, nearly 3,000 visits to singletracks.com were on an iPhone or iPod Touch (plus hundreds more on other handheld devices). If you were one of those visitors, you probably had a hard time reading the site without zooming and panning so we decided to do something about it. Meet singletracks mobile v1.0.

The new mobile site has all our trail and gear reviews in a no-frills package that’s easy to read and navigate on just about any portable device. Just hit singletracks.com on your phone and you’ll automatically be redirected to the mobile site (m.singletracks.com). Simple.

Perhaps the coolest feature (iPhone only) is the ability to find the nearest mountain bike trails no matter where you are. The site taps into the iPhone’s integrated GPS to find bike trails within 25 miles of your coordinates and returns an ordered list in seconds. We know there is at least one iPhone app out there that claims to do the same thing but it’s clunky and it costs $$. Singletracks mobile is free, fast, and isn’t a silly app. It’s a webpage. (if you use Firefox 3.5 or higher you can give this feature a try on your desktop)

Our heads are full of ideas for future mobile enhancements so stay tuned for more!

On June 12, 2009 the Tour Divide kicked off in Banff, Alberta (Canada) with an international field of 42 riders. The completely self-supported race from Banff to Antelope Wells, NM at the Mexican border is roughly 2,500 miles long, making it the world’s longest MTB race.

This year all the competitors are using Spot GPS devices, providing real time location updates to an online leaderboard (using software powered by none other than TopoFusion). At last check the front runners had entered the state of Colorado which is a bit over the halfway mark. Not bad for just 11 days on the trail Matthew Lee has a pretty good lead at the moment but anything can happen when you’re racing your mountain bike 2,500 miles!

So far competitors have encountered icy trails, wild animals, broken equipment, rain + hail – pretty much anything you can imagine and more. You can track competitors and read more updates on the TourDivide.org website.

3D Arizona Trail image created in TopoFusion (from TopoFusion.com)

The Arizona Trail 300 Race starts today at 9am Arizona Time (MDT/PST) as riders race unsupported 300 miles following the Arizona Trail north from a spot near the Mexican border to Superior, AZ. The trail is mostly singletrack, there is no support, no prizes, and no entry fee. Winner takes all bragging rites until next year’s race.

Last year’s race actually ended in a tie between Scott Morris, creator of the super-gnarly TopoFusion mapping software, and Fred Wilkinson, both with a time of 3 days, 15 hours, and 8 minutes.

Since Scott is a high tech guy the race is infused with GPS tech from the route map (riders are encouraged to follow the route with a GPS) to real-time tracking of the racers. That’s right – many of the guys will be wearing GPS tracking devices from SPOT and you can view their progress on a Google Map at the TopoFusion website.

This race kinda reminds me of the classic mountain bike race format – no entry fee, no prizes, and definitely no sag stops along the way. Find out more about the Arizona Trail race to see how you can get involved next year!

Bet that headline got you excited – unfortunately this is only an incremental upgrade, and even that’s stretching things a bit. The latest model of the Edge 705 comes in the Garmin/Chipotle team colors and includes all the same color mapping features as the regular 705.

One new item from Garmin is the US Topo 24k map software series that gives you even more topographic detail for US terrain. The software even enables 3D views of terrain on certain GPS units like the Colorado and Oregon – a first for Garmin GPS units. Hopefully we’ll see this trickle down to the smaller cycling GPS line in the coming years…