QiCycle Smart Bike – Xiaomi Plunges into the Bicycle Market
Companies the world over are embracing technological advancements and launching several innovative products that aim to augment our day-to-day lives. Every modern product today encompasses one or the other state-of-the-art technological concept that manages to enthrall us with the features they possess and the things they can do.
Xiaomi – An Innovative Manufacturer
Xiaomi, Chinese manufacturer of smartphones, is a popular name in the smartphone industry. While Xiaomi’s smartphones enjoy immense success in their sphere, the company has managed to surprise the world by launching several modern, everyday technological products in a bid to build a whole new ecosystem. Their diverse product line includes mobile phones, tablets, network routers, cloud storage services, power banks, smart home products and fitness trackers. A couple of months ago, Xiaomi had launched its two-wheeled, battery powered electric vehicle Ninebot and now is all set to launch a smart bike, the Xiaomi QiCycle.
Light Weight QiCycle
Lei Jun, the CEO of the Xiaomi and a cycling enthusiast, is adding another top-notch product in its already diverse kitty, the QiCycle. Built in association with iRiding Hands, the smart Xiaomi QiCycle is set to make heads turn on the streets. The Xiaomi QiCycle will have a carbon-fiber body that will weigh only 7 kg, making it light weight and easy to operate. It has gained certification under European standards and is expected to provide a power-packed performance.
Smart Features
Like most battery powered bikes, the Xiaomi QiCycle will be a hybrid model harnessing the power from the pedal and will be equipped with an array of smart sensors with the ability to measure the output on the bike. The Xiaomi QiCycle will have a DI2 and power meter and will continuously harness real-time riding data through Qi-cloud processing. Using the mobile app, users will then receive real-time suggestions and feedback to improve their riding performance. While Xiaomi has not revealed any information on its QiCycle, the company has released a teaser poster, with the bike set for a 22nd March 2016 release.
For the Classes
Unlike other Xiaomi products which are affordable, the first version of the Xiaomi QiCycle is aimed at consumer groups and professional cyclists and carries an expensive price tag of $3000, which is equivalent to about 19500 yuan. However, there are talks of a future, relatively low priced range of Xiaomi QiCycle bicycles for the masses that will probably be sold for approximately $500. Also, like most other Xiaomi products, the Xiaomi QiCycle will, for the time being, be available only for sale in China.
Revolutionizing the Cycle Industry
As the line between old-fashioned gadgets blurs with new technological breakthroughs, the Xiaomi QiCycle is set to cause a major revolution in the cycle industry. Just like smartphones and other modern smart devices have transformed everyday lives, if the smart bike concept takes off, Xiaomi will be responsible for the launch of several hundred smart bicycles by competitors who will build products in order to woo customers and capture a substantial share of the market.
Dhruvil is a Writer & Marketeer for Nimblechapps, joined in December 2014, based out of Sydney, Australia. He has worked briefly as a Branding and Digital Marketing Manager before moving to Australia. At Nimblechapps, he worked on Social Media Marketing, Branding, Email Marketing and Blogging. Dhruvil studies Business at University of Western Sydney, and also handles Operations for the company in Australia.