We tested the Cosmo Bike, a connected headlight for bikes
After the motorcycle, Cosmo is tackling the bike. After launching in 2017 a connected brake light for motorized two-wheelers, the French start-up had promised to focus on cyclists. The Cosmo Bike has just begun marketing. Equipped with 8 LEDS (4 red, 4 yellow), the Cosmo Bike promises to be both a brake light that lights up when slowing down, a fixed rear light to signal its presence as well as a way to indicate to other users your trajectory by putting on turn signals.
If you’re a cyclist in the city, and especially in the middle of Parisian chaos, the Cosmo Bike can be useful. Between scooters, scooters, vans and of course cars, being seen, and being able to tell others when you are going to turn, can be crucial. We tested the Cosmo Bike every day for our bike trips in Paris.
Bike Turn Signals
First of all, you will have to choose where to fix your light. Roughly speaking, on your helmet, by sticking the fixation if it is compatible, or on your seatpost by attaching a detachable fixation. If you have chosen the kit with the remote control, this one is easily fixed with two fixings on your handlebar. There are three buttons on the remote: left and right turn signals and a mode in the center to change your rear light. Three modes are available: fixed light, brake light or flashing hazard light.
You fix your Cosmo and tap once on the side of it to turn it on without going through the application (iOS or Android). To turn it off you have to tap twice on one of the sides. Very easy to use, it takes a little time to get used to anticipate in bike and put his turn signal before turning. You just have to tap on the remote control. A light on the remote control flashes to indicate that the turn signal is on. It lasts about ten seconds before turning off automatically.
If not all users are necessarily aware of your turn signals, some have spontaneously told us about them at the next stop, quite surprised to see this unusual object arrive. Sometimes, however, the remote control is not on and you have to tap several times on the button of the turn signal in order to activate it. Chance when you let go of the brakes in a moving universe.
Everything goes through the app
If you don’t have the remote, there are two ways to activate your turn signals. By programming your route in the Cosmo Bike app. Thus, being Geo-located, the Cosmo automatically switches on when you arrive at a crossroads where you change road. Alternatively, you can attach your smartphone to your handlebars and manually turn on your turn signal via the app. These two modes are intuitively more time consuming to use than the remote control. Moreover, this one is not USB rechargeable unlike the Cosmo Bike. A battery should be changed every year according to the French manufacturer.
To connect his Cosmo Bike and / or associate with the remote control, everything happens in the application of the French start-up. Well thought out, it should not be confused with the one dedicated to the brake light for motorcycle (Cosmo Moto). The application also allows you to take advantage of the Cosmo Bike’s emergency call function. If the application detects a fall of the user, it will send a text message to the person concerned, before sending a message to the contacts entered in the application in the tab “Fall Alert”. Practical, we fortunately have not yet tried the emergency call. It allows you to warn relatives by geolocating the user who has fallen. Useful in case of serious problems. The system is already in place on the Cosmo for motorcycle.
The Cosmo Bike weighs 80 grams and offers about eight hours of autonomy. Its price is 69 dollars alone, and 79 dollars with the remote control. Not cheap compared to the first market prices on Amazon or Decathlon for example. Except that the finish and the possibility of having a connected object gives it a longer life with future system updates and bug fixes. In one month of use, the Cosmo Bike has experienced a few failures with a remote control that sometimes disconnects. Overall our use was easy and the object proved to be very useful in our daily life. It’s a small investment that is quickly justified for daily cyclists.
What are the alternatives for turn signals and brake lights for cyclists?
There are many bicycle tail lights available. More and more products are available on e-commerce platforms to improve the visibility of cyclists. Many models much cheaper and more elaborate than the Cosmo Bike are now available. Their use is more primary but these solutions can very well suit tighter budgets.
