Cyclist's speaker does music and mobile

Candace Lombardi | Sep 16, 2008

I'm not sure how well this works, but it sounds like a great idea.

A new company called CyFi is selling a clip-on, wireless speaker for bikes that is about the size of a deck of cards.

The speaker offers "CD audio quality", according to company claims. It can also receive audio commands for cell phones supporting handsfree dialing.

If you're like me, you like listening to music or a podcast while exercising outdoors, but feel unsafe wearing earbuds that block out life noise. It's hard enough to hear a regular car coming 'round the bend with headphones in. I can't tell you how many times I've almost been hit by a Prius.

I've seen many joggers and bikers doing the one earbud in and one earbud dangling routine.

It makes sense then, that someone would try to come up with a solution. Enter CyFi, which was invented by Jeff Lotman, an avid cyclist.

"Music makes biking more fun. It enhances the experience and motivates you to push harder," Lotman says on his site.

The iPod/iPod nano version for US$199.95 comes with a little transmitter that plugs into your iPod. You can then chuck your iPod in your backpack and control it from the speaker. The Bluetooth-capable model for US$179.95 syncs with a cell phone, smart phone, or MP3 player.

The company advertises it as a sports speaker for bicyclists, but it seems like you could really use it anywhere your hands are occupied. The speaker has a range of 30ft, and a battery life of five or six hours, depending on which model you buy.

CyFi's speaker will be available September 22 from the company's own online store.