Within the context of the Smart Connected Bicycle project, Mario Boot organized a Speed Pedelec Experience Ride. Speed pedelecs are extra-fast e-bikes that support cyclists up to 45 km/h. They offer tremendous potential for future mobility, but they also lead to new questions and risks. For example, it is not clear how cyclists experience cycling on these bikes, and how they can be integrated with speed adaptation systems.
To answer these and related questions, the “speed pedelec experience ride” has been organized by Mario Boot together with the Gemeente Enschede. This ride has been part of the pre-event of the National Cycling Conference.
A group of 15 cyclists cycled on speed pedelecs from Nijverdal to Enschede. During the ride, the cyclists and the bicycles have been instrumented with several data collection devices. Mario was able to collect a lot of data that he will be using for his research.
During a stop at the University Twente, the group did get some background information from Paul Havinga on the Smart Connected Bicycle project. Additionally, a demo was given by our team members Duc, Kevin, and Son on the use of Google glass for cyclists to detect traffic signs and monitor traffic conditions (counting cars, pedestrians and cyclists).
