So QiCycle R1, intelligent Xiaomi bike a good example of expanding beyond phones

Despite what you might think, the bike is not riddled with screens, cables and circuitry, but there is a lot of technology in it, and as a whole is quite a claim for cycling enthusiasts, also for those who use them as a means of transport. In China it is more than welcome foray Xiaomi in the world of bikes, many people are interested, and although it is a closed market, there is also room to grow with road models.

We know that QiCycle R1 is the most expensive gadget that has Xiaomi on catalog above televisions and anything else you imagine selling was not difficult, often target low. Its creators tell us that in the fifteen days of life leads have sold 224 bicycles, may seem a small number.

Especially in Asia, many entrepreneurs who want to seize the opportunity to place on the market are showing a good bike, which added pure and technology. And we’re bored of seeing them in financing platforms.

The problem for them is on giants like Baidu or Xiaomi, who decided to invest in the same case, and will cost them, be as effective as them.

We also have relevant across the pond examples, as in the case of SpeedX and their bikes Leopard, which in this case strip funding platforms with considerable success. There seems no doubt that there is interest, regardless of format bike scoring technology it is an added value that also end up selling the major manufacturers.

In the world of western cycling, bike Xiaomi seems to have had a major impact but we can see that there is recognition in different areas: the most striking may be the design as it was one couple of awards ‘reddot Design Award 2016’, for its wheels and the bike itself. More oriented to the Asian market, the award for ‘smart bike system’ at the Taipei Cycle d & i Awards 2016 took.

The interest in his native country has just completed the sales of the first roll, which is done through an online platform – Xiaomi MIOT App – as usual in the brand. Interestingly the beginning of the sale was made ​​with a kind of crowdfunding, in which the first 50 units were sold, and where the first buyers receive gifts support the initiative.

It is understandable when buying a phone, but with a bike in which it is important to see and taste dimensions in person, there will be many people who do not want to pay the big bucks it costs. It is fair to say that in Europe we have company’s like Canyon to whom do very well selling without tents, and have devised a system sizes and shipments fairly simple and accurate for those interested.

QiCycle R1, to give pedals

It is indeed a road bike designed by the Chinese company iRiding, a bike in which no aid of any kind, must be pedaling forward. But there are very good ways into its components to exercise the body, and to be competitive: the complete bike weighs 7 kilos.

This is achieved using carbon premium in the picture, also in many of the components. The two Chinese firms involved in the development are proud to pass with flying colors tests performed in Europe, as the German Efbe.

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Where is the intelligence that Xiaomi sells us? For the main piece of the puzzle we could say that is the system Shimano Ultegra Di2, which can be purchased at any specialized shop offered by many manufacturers. We speak of an electronic exchange that works with small electric motor.

The difference is that Xiaomi has an application that reads that data, along with that obtained a power meter placed in the rear hub; there are also motion sensors on the bike.

The secret of success of these applications is in the analysis of the data we do, both in real time and retrospectively: the data is uploaded to the cloud QiCloud. At least we can say that the whole has good goal posts, we neither have tried, nor have we found real evidence.

Without going into too much detail, comment that Shimano has a platform known as E-Tube from which we can connect the system to a computer and software to perform specific configurations and collect data. What I’m going is that a world of possibilities Xiaomi wanted to take his bike opens.

The necessary expansion of Xiaomi

The case at hand is to iRiding, in charge of designing the bike and one of the companies in which the investment arm of the Chinese giant also specializes in technologies that respect the environment: Xiaomi Eco companies. There have been a couple of years on this project.

It is a very interesting example of the movements that are doing Xiaomi not be so dependent on mobile. The firm has been making a similar investment and audit 55 companies working beyond its three mainstays: phones, routers and TVs. Of those, 29 have become part of an incubator within Xiaomi, include: Zhimi (Mi Air Purifier ago), Viomi (Mi Water Purifier), and Huami (Mi Band).

In this partnership the company Beijing has much to offer, especially from the point of view of the sale as their online distribution channels are a very powerful place for any new company that wants to teach a product. Obviously there are many more things that can advise them, as the cloud services they need, or the design and marketing of products.