Gentz reinvents the roadbike bell for sleek and high-tech safety
As more countries adopt laws that prohibit the use of bicycles without bells or buzzers cyclists are left to seek out options that improve their safety but don’t compromise on their riding experience or bike aesthetic.
A revolutionary new bicycle bell aims to change all this by providing a convenient, high tech solution that blends seamlessly into sleek form of a road bike.
GENTZ is a bicycle buzzer that can be securely mounted inside the drop handle of a road bike and emits a 4.0Hz frequency beeping sound within the most sensitive audible range for humans, to ensure other cyclists, pedestrians and motorists can clearly hear roadbike users on the road.
The product was developed by Japanese engineer and cyclist, Omichi and was launched on Kickstarter late last week.
“I myself have loved road bikes for about 10 years as a hobby as well as a commute option,” says Omichi, “This, among other things, motivated me to develop this product for all road bike lovers. Even though it’s law in Japan to have a buzzer on the bike, few people have one, possibly because there weren’t any inconspicuous buzzers available to match the beauty of expensive road bikes.”
With this in mind, Omichi got to work creating GENTZ, a solution that maintained the sleek roadbike aesthetic while still allowing cyclists and pedestrians to stay safe on the roads.
He came up with the innovative idea of mounting the device inside the handlebars – allowing for simple installation by removing the endcaps on the handlebars and inserting the buzzer inside. GENTZ uses a lithium-ion battery which lasts 300 days if used 30 seconds per day. When the battery level dips, it can easily be recharged using a USB cable.
“GENTZ was developed with the desire to maintain the sleek form of road bikes and I personally think the beautiful form has been preserved with thorough attention to detail at the same time, achieving high functionality,” says Omichi.
The name of the product is a hybrid of the words “gentle” and “buzzer” and also reflects Omichi’s beliefs around road cycling.
“I think the act itself of safely mounting a GENTZ to your roadbike and consciously following the rules of the road is gentlemanly conduct and so this is reflected in our ethos and name.”
GENTZ has recently launched its crowdfunding campaign on KICKSTARTER with an aim of raising $7400 to invest in the large-scale production and distribution of the product and make GENTZ available to the whole world.
Original Source: PRFire.com