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The Journey Begins
As cyclists, we know the joy of taking to the open road. We also know the dangers, and rear approaching vehicles represent the worst kind. We don’t always hear them approaching, and motorists are often blissfully unaware of cyclists. In 2010 we set the task of solving this challenge in the hope of gaining some peace of mind while enjoying the fresh air.
This led us on a very interesting three year journey, from prototyping all the way to peloton trials, with a trip halfway around the world thrown in for good measure. Backtracker is the result of some extensive and very tidy thinking, and we believe you’ll appreciate it as much as we enjoyed creating it.
Backtracker uses military grade radar to detect and track vehicles coming from behind. The front unit clips onto your bicycle handlebars, and shows you traffic information using various LEDs. Each LED indicates a set distance behind you, going back as far as 150 yards. In short, the front unit gives you intuitive data about what’s going on behind you. This extra awareness lets you make the best decisions for your environment.
The back unit houses the micro-radar, and clips onto your seat-post. It also has an intelligent backlight that warns motorists when getting closer to you. If there are no cars, it works like a normal backlight. The moment it picks up a car, it starts to get brighter and progressively flickers faster as the vehicle comes closer. This gives the driver a very intuitive sense of closing distance.
The Engineering behind Backtracker is solid, and we’ve manufactured several working units. We do however need funds for commercialization. If we succeed in reaching our funding goal, we will spend the money on the following key activities:
- Tooling for the enclosures
- Developing automated test equipment
- Setting up manufacturing
- Ordering components (MOQs)
- Regulatory certification (FCC, ICC, CE)
We're committed to bringing cycling into the 21st century and invite you to join us on this exciting journey!
Still not convinced? Have a look at this in-depth review by DC Rainmaker.
How it works
Technical Specifications
Join us
We invite you to join us in bringing greater peace of mind to the cycling experience. Help us get out there by:
- Sharing this page with other cyclists
- Sharing our stories through your social network
- Becoming one of the first to own a Backtracker device and helping to make cycling history
Thank you!
The Backtracker team
Disclaimer:
Whilst Backtracker is designed and manufactured to provide the user with information of rear-approaching vehicles, its use cannot guarantee the user’s safety under any circumstances. It remains the user’s responsibility to take all reasonable precautions available when cycling in order to promote his/her own safety and the user is strongly advised to avoid relying on Backtracker solely for safety purposes. Backtracker LLC, its owners, employees, contractors, licensors, assigns and/or any entity or person associated to it shall therefore not be liable for any damages, whether direct, indirect or consequential, or any other liability, of any nature whatsoever, arising from any accident or incident in which a user of Backtracker may be involved in whilst making use of the product.