Like many great innovations, the journey to create what has been deemed as the “world’s first ultrabike” started from a desire to help others by filling a gap in the market.
Less than two years ago, Calamus One co-founder and CEO Nilesh Bothra was trying to buy a new e-bike. After an exhausting search of the market, he realised that what he was searching for simply didn’t exist.
“We had a dream of building the world’s most advanced and safest bike,” Nilesh said, as reported by Fast Company. “We saw a lot of great bikes out there, but we couldn’t find a bike that had the right features with the right overarching vision.
Along with co-founder Huzaifa Hararwala, Nilesh launched a campaign on Indiegogo to bring the idea to fruition. The bike was 100 percent funded in under an hour and 218 percent funded after a day, ultimately raising €245,830 among 104 backers.
The starting price on Indiegogo was under €2,000, over a third off the bike’s eventual price, according to the company. Given the list of features boasted by the Calamus One, it is unlikely that such a bike will be offered at a similar price.
Calamus One can reach speeds up to 45 km/h (28 mph) and includes a battery that lasts over 80 km (50 miles). As the world’s first ultra bike, it includes a biometric scanner, android enable, up to 750W of power and other smart features.
The bike uses LIDAR-based sensors to detect cars and offers blindspot assist. If a car coming from behind is at risk of harming the cyclist, one of the handlebars will start to vibrate, warning the user.
“It’s not too much to distract the user or make the user uncomfortable,” the CEO affirmed.
A built-in navigation screen in the centre of the handlebars also helps the cyclist to stay safe. It gives directions, removing the need to look at a smartphone’s GPS.
The Calamus One has built-in lights, including lights on the handlebars to help the rider be seen in traffic.
“These lights are always illuminated so anyone behind you or in front of you knows that the bike is on the road,” Nilesh said.
The handlebars also boast turn signals, and brake lights in the back illuminate when the rider comes to a stop.
Calamus One also has a top-notch security system. The bike uses a smart lock that opens through a fingerprint scan, GPS tracking, an alarm system that warns users through an app if someone tries to steal the bike while it’s parked, and custom fasteners that make it difficult to steal parts of the vehicle, such as the wheels.
The company, which is based in Berlin and Mumbai, has stated that keeping riders’ safety is its biggest priority. In 2016, over 700 people died in cycling accidents around the world.
“It’s a worry, considering it’s a great, sustainable mode of transport,” Nilesh stated. “It’s a perfect solution compared to cars and normal motorcycles. So we just wanted to do our best to reduce this number.”
