Soleus, a major supplier of sports watches to the running and fitness market, is entering the bike world with a GPS-enabled bike computer that will retail for $99.
Soleus' parent company,?ADAO Global, has made sports watches for Nike, Converse and Columbia, among other brands. The new bike computer, called the GPS Draft, complements its popular GPS Fit running watch.
"We have been in the sports watch company for a long time, and we know the importance of accuracy and simplicity for athletes," said David Arnold, founder and CEO of Soleus. "We entered the cycling market to expand our knowledgebase to the cycling and triathlon communities."
The GPS Draft features include current/average/max speed, auto-lap detection, 30-ride file storage, backlight with night mode, calories-burned calculator and customizable display view. A USB data cable allows the Draft to connect with?Strava.com?for social media sharing. The Draft is currently compatible with Windows PCs but Mac compatibility will be added within the month, the company said.
The Draft comes with a standard handlebar mount. For consumers who prefer to mount their computer ahead of the stem,?BarFly has manufactured a Soleus Draft-specific mount that will be available online and to retailers in the next 1-2 weeks. It will retail for $20.00.
The Draft is distributed to U.S. specialty retailers by QBP, Hans Johnson, Hawley and BTI. In Canada, Vellend Tech distributes Soleus products. Soleus also sells its products consumer direct on its website.
