Safety in traffic for two-wheel riders remains an issue, despite a variety of campaigns meant to raise awareness and recent efforts by two-wheel makers. Ticc could potentially solve the problem by making cyclists and scooter riders more visible.
Aside from wearing bright colors and making sure you have lights on your two-wheeler, there’s not much you can do to make sure you’re visible in traffic. With scooters and bicycles, there’s also the very pressing need of signaling turns, which has sparked an entire sub-market for accessories of this type – for those who don’t feel comfortable or don’t want to be extending arms to do it.
Most of them entail pressing buttons on the handlebars, which then send commands via Bluetooth to a vest, a device on the helmet, or an actual set of lights on the bike. Ticc is different in this regard because you activate it with a tilt of your head.
Photo: Ticc
Ticc is the brainchild of a Spanish startup based in Barcelona, and has backing from WG Lab, University of Elisava Barcelona, Closca, Baggicase and Biciclasica. It’s meant as a product that will not only help improve riders’ safety but also herald in a new era of urban mobility, against the backdrop of an increasing number of cyclist and scooter accidents in crowded urban areas – and Barcelona in particular.
These are fancy words for a product so small in size, but they’re not without grounds: due to riders’ poor visibility in traffic and the fact that either they don’t signal turns or their gestures aren’t visible to motorists, the number of accidents has risen sharply in recent years.
Ticc is a smart, waterproof, disc-shaped blinker described as a “flawless device: reliable, indestructible, and beautiful.” It attaches to any cycling helmet with the help of a velcro clip, to which you attach a neodymium magnetic mount. It works on its own, without the need to pair it to a smartphone app, for ultimate plug and play accessibility. Furthermore, it stays firmly in place while being easy to take off when it needs charging.
Photo: Ticc
Ticc includes three-axis movement sensors, a long-life battery, sound indicator, and ultra bright RGB LED lights. The latter blink red in standard mode, green for turning, and show battery level when charging. To signal a turn, the wearer simply has to tilt their head to the desired side, which is when the sound indicator is also activated. Ticc plays two different sounds for left and right signal, and each is deactivated by a tilt in the opposite side. Furthermore, Ticc’s standard red light intensifies for braking and is activated by tilting the head forward.
The LEDs are visible from any angle from up to 100 meters (328 feet), both during the day and night. Not having to take your hands off the handlebars to signal turns is one of the many advantages of this device, but if it’s not enough to convince you, know that it’s also built with an eye to sustainability. “Ticc promotes green urban mobility by using recycled cardboard in its packaging: it's just a first step in our compromise with sustainability! Shake up urban mobility and let's built eco-cities for real!” the official description of the product reads.
Photo: Ticc
The only details missing are charging time and autonomy, but the designers do say charging is possible through a standard USB-C cable.
Early pledgers can get Ticc for €49 ($58 at today’s exchange rate) plus shipping taxes, with deliveries estimated for April 2021. When it goes into mass production (the makers hope for 2,500 units by the end of 2022), Ticc will retail for €99 ($118).
Elena has been writing for a living since 2006 and, as a journalist, she has put her double major in English and Spanish to good use. She covers automotive and mobility topics like cars and bicycles, and she always knows the shows worth watching on Netflix and friends. Full profile
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