E-Performance / E-Bike: With the Bosch Smartphone Hub, the topic of connected bikes on Bosch E-Bikes has reached a new level. In particular, the small display integrated into the bracket is a great new feature and increases the everyday utility immensely.
A few years ago, when Cobi.bike ventured into the topic of connected bikes or smart features on bicycles, the topic was still in its infancy. In the meantime, what we already know from so many other everyday devices seems to be gaining ground with bicycles and especially with e-bikes: networking with smartphones is getting better and better, apps allow control, diagnosis and individualization. It's been a little over a year since Bosch took over Cobi by surprise. Since then, things have been pretty quiet about the former Berlin start-up. The smart mount received a number of updates, was better integrated into the Bosch cosmos and also allowed motor control - otherwise much remained the same.
This will change radically with the 2020 model year: Bosch has now presented the new smartphone hub and is taking the topic of connected biking to a new level in the Bosch universe. At first glance, the bracket seems unspectacular, many things are reminiscent of what you already know from Cobi. But a closer look reveals that a lot has happened here, both optically and technically. Perhaps the biggest innovation is the small LCD display integrated into the holder. It shows the most important information (speed, support, charge status) even when no smartphone is attached. So ideal for short trips.
If you attach the smartphone with the significantly improved holder, the technical innovations become apparent: You say goodbye to the well-known Cobi remote and use the more compact and ergonomically better Kiox control unit. The connection to the bike itself is still established via Bluetooth and the Cobi app, which is available for IOS and Android. In addition to the well-known features such as the very well-functioning navigation or access to the phone book, this now also offers integrated interfaces to other apps such as Strava, Komoot or Spotify. The training area has also been expanded and data such as performance, cadence and calorie consumption can be read and evaluated. Thanks to the seamless integration of apps such as Apple Health or Google Fit and connection options for heart rate monitors, fitness fans get their money's worth.
Incidentally, there is no longer an integrated light, but the USB interface now not only allows external devices to be charged, but also acts as a diagnostics interface for the drive itself integrated Lightning connector supplies energy from the e-bike battery. Anyone who already owns a Cobi system can continue to use the cases with the new Bosch Smartphone Hub without any problems.
In addition to the new drives from the 2020 model year (Performance CX, Performance and Cargo), the Active Line and Active Line Plus introduced two years ago can also be retrofitted with the Bosch Smartphone Hub.
Bosch E-Bike News 2020: All new products at a glance:
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