You are driving home after a long road trip and all that is on your mind is a plate of food and a hot shower. As you turn down your street and push the button for your garage door opener, you zip into the garage just like you would any day after work…but this time you hear a crunch and have that horrible, sinking feeling in your stomach. Your $3000 bike now looks like a metal pretzel and you could literally cry.
Roof racks on cars is such a convenient way to transport your bike, but sometimes really bad and costly accidents occur that could easily be avoided through the use of a small reminder to ‘stop’ before entering your garage. A new wireless visual and audio system is shipping in July to help you avoid this type of situation. The HeadsUp System, founded by two cyclists in Colorado, is designed as a complete solution to avoid the dreaded ‘crunch’.
The HeadsUp System includes an LED Alert Sign that mounts in your garage, tiny wireless Gear Tags that go on your gear, and a wireless InCar Alerter that sits in your vehicle. When you return home with your gear, the wireless module in the Alert Sign detects the Gear Tags on your gear as soon as you are within the 50-100 foot range. The Alert Sign flashes and sends a signal to the InCar Alerter, sounding a tone in your vehicle and reminding you to stop and unload your gear. You can press a button on the InCar Alerter to stop the sound if you wish. The alert sign in your garage will continue to flash for 3 minutes as a visual reminder to protect your gear.
For $159.99, the kit includes:
One 8.5″ x 11″ LED alert sign mounted inside your garage
Two wireless gear tags, about the size of a wireless bike computer transmitter
One InCar Alerter, about the size of a garage door opener remote
If the kit does not include enough Gear Tags and InCar Alerters for you, additional one can be purchased directly from HeadsUp. The 2.4gHz wireless system can monitor up to 100 different Gear Tags and vehicles which can come in handy for those living in apartment or condos with underground parking if their condo board is willing to invest in such a system. For some, $160 may be a little steep for a system which is designed just to remind you that you have something on your roof, but all it takes is to avoid one ‘crunch’ for the system to have paid for itself.