It’s easy to end up with a lot of gadgets hooked up to your bike: lights, computer, bell. The Cobi smartphone mount is designed to dispense with these by integrating them all into one device to which you can also attach your smartphone to use as a bike computer.
The heart of the system is a smartphone mount which protects your phone on the bike while also charging it via its integrated battery pack, which can also be hooked up to a dynamo. There’s a water-resistant case which will take a smartphone with a screen up to 6 inches across and which is plugged into the base unit which is permanently mounted to the bike.
Smartphone app includes performance indicator and turn by turn navigation
Cobi says that in really wet weather you can keep your phone in your pocket or pack as it communicates with the hub by Bluetooth. There’s a smartphone app which gives you information like speed, direction and weather, as well as letting you control music and calls.
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The app also provides turn-by-turn navigation from your current location to your destination, letting you choose between fastest, shortest and quietest route options. The app also displays a single current performance measure based on your speed, weight and the gradient of the road.
Cobi includes a remote control for its functions
Alongside the mount there’s a separate five-button controller which mounts on the bars to control your phone, so that you can manage the app with your hands still on the bars. The controller has a button which controls an in-built electronic bell too.
And finally, there’s an in-built alarm which when activated responds to movement of the bike. The Cobi hub pairs with your phone too, so that it cannot be used with any other device, deterring potential thieves.
Cobi comes in three specs. The most basic Sport model includes the app, remote control, phone charging and alarm for 249 Euro.
Highest spec Cobi includes a wireless activated rear light which also acts as a brake light
Move up to the standard model priced at 299 Euro and you get an incorporated front light too, which can operate as a daytime running light as well as in a light-sensitive mode that switches on as it gets dark.
For 339 Euro, Cobi Plus includes a wirelessly controlled rear light which turns on when the front light is activated. It also contains an accelerometer to allow it to act as a brake light.
