Bosch is perhaps the biggest name in e-bike tech, making many of the powerhouse batteries that propel today's models as well as their handlebar-mounted monitors. The company's newest offering, the Kiox on-board computer, adds your athletic performance data, allowing it to track factors such as your cadence and heart rate.
Kiox is magnetically connected to the base that's attached to your handlebars. The full-color display is a big step up from the simpler displays on many e-bikes, and is covered by durable Gorilla Glass, which is meant to appeal to riders who cover tough terrain and want a rugged, unbreakable tracker.
Basic bike data such as speed and remaining charge appears on the screen, and Kiox allows you to cycle through the e-bike's modes that offer different levels of electric boost. The difference for 2019 is that Kiox tries to appeal to hardcore cyclists and those trying to improve their fitness.
The on-board computer tells the rider if they're riding below or above their average pace. There's also an attached heart rate monitor the rider can wear that connects to the computer via bluetooth. Kiox also comes with a small internal battery so it can draw some power while disconnected from the bike, in case you want to take the computer inside with your to review your performance stats.
Kiox, now Bosch's top-of-the-line e-bike computer, will be on display at this fall's bike expos before it goes into new cycles. Pricing is TBA.
Andrew's from Nebraska. His work has also appeared in Discover, The Awl, Scientific American, Mental Floss, Playboy, and elsewhere. He lives in Brooklyn with two cats and a snake.
