Inter-Bike Communication

Bobw

10 mW
Joined
Jun 20, 2017
Messages
28
Location
Edmonton, Alberta
I completed my ebike conversion 3 years ago. I did a couple of tweaks here and there but on the whole, I have been very happy with my bike and the experience of going out to ride the local trails. Both my wife and I are retired and in our late 60’s and have been making efforts to get into and stay as fit as we can.

For the last 2 years, I tried to convince my wife that she should get an ebike of her own so we can enjoy this past time together. Finally, this last weekend she agreed to get her own. Before she could change her mind, I jumped on it and ordered one that will be delivered this week. I had done some research to find a bike that would be suitable for her... she is short 5ft. 1in. and a little leery of getting on a bike after a knee replacement a couple of years ago. She wants to be able to place both her feet on the ground when stopped, and I don’t know how long she will be able to pedal it before getting tired. She doesn’t like shifting through multiple gears so simplicity of operation is a big factor. We have a few inclines getting into and out of the river valley trails, so a good climber and stopper was also a must.

With the above criteria in mind, I bought her a Juiced Rider U500 with a 32ah 48V battery. It has enough range to run all day, all throttle if need be, has 20 inch wheels and low to the ground and fits little ladies well. It has only 3 gears and very strong hydraulic brakes. It has a large rear basket to carry a picnic lunch, extra clothes and anything else for an all day outing. I am very excited about having a cycle companion and want to make her experience the best it can be.

With our trail system, it is necessary that we ride single file. It seems that it would be useful to have some kind of communication system that we can use while riding. We both have iPhones so a suitable app would be my first choice. I came across this app while searching, it has a walkie talkie function that works on Bluetooth:
https://appadvice.com/app/apport/1140306404

Does anyone here have any experience with this, perhaps there is something better I should consider? I think we will try this one out and I can report back with results, if there is interest.

We are heading out today to pick up a riding helmet she likes, a suitable jacket, and riding gloves.
 
Does your cell phone plan charge for phone calls between you and your wife? Most carriers in the US include free calling within the same carrier, so if that's the case. you could just use a headset and just stay connected through a regular phone call and not have the other distractions (e.g. push to talk, etc.). You could use Bluetooth headsets so you don't have wires to deal with either.
 
I would keep it simple and just yell at each other. That way you can play hard of hearing when she starts asking if you remembered to take out the trash and are you going to mow the lawn tomorrow.
 
RunForTheHills said:
I would keep it simple and just yell at each other. That way you can play hard of hearing when she starts asking if you remembered to take out the trash and are you going to mow the lawn tomorrow.

Hmm, that could go a couple of ways, one of them being louder yelling :shock:
 
There are lots of inexpensive wireless helmet intercoms intended for motorcyclists.
 
E-HP said:
Does your cell phone plan charge for phone calls between you and your wife? Most carriers in the US include free calling within the same carrier, so...
Helmet comm systems are using Bluetooth nowadays. Since every cell phone has Bluetooth, I guess it could be used for this purpose, with the need to buy only the mic/speaker inserts for the helmets.
 
MadRhino said:
E-HP said:
Does your cell phone plan charge for phone calls between you and your wife? Most carriers in the US include free calling within the same carrier, so...
Helmet comm systems are using Bluetooth nowadays. Since every cell phone has Bluetooth, I guess it could be used for this purpose, with the need to buy only the mic/speaker inserts for the helmets.

Yup. I was thinking that generally phones only connect to a single Bluetooth device at once, so you could have a wired headset with mic and use the bluetooth app the OP mentioned for communications, or use a wireless bluetooth headset and the cell to communicate. Personally I'd want fewer wires to deal with or having to reach to the phone for push to talk to work.
 
Just follow her.
 
There's an app for that...

There is quite a slew of 'push to talk' style communication apps available on both iOS and Android as well as cross platform compatible ones.

I have never used one as I have never actually ridden with anyone (sad, I know) so I cant give any personal recommendations.

One I have head of that is popular with cyclists and hikers is called 'Intercom'. It can use Bluetooth or WiFi so it will work when you have no internet connection or phone signal. Pretty sure you can use Bluetooth earphones and then connect in the app via WiFi.
 
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