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2012 Oregon Handmade Bicycle Show: Blueshift Audio Bike Speakers

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BlueShift Small Speakers

Blueshift Audio is a new company here in Portland that is producing a front rack mounted speaker for your bike.  They come in a small and large version, and a full launch via Kickstarter is in the works.  The small version, pictured above, uses a waterproof driver, and is built using a water tight sealed box to keep the electronics inside dry.  Cost is $300.

Details past the jump.

Blueshift Small Speaker Rack

Here is how the box looks mounted to a fork via their house designed rack.

Blueshift Speaker Internals

The internals (shown here) are powered off a generator hub (not included), and make use of both an amplifier from a cell phone circuit, and a series of capacitors to keep the speaker pumping out the jams while you are at a stoplight.  And because the speaker doesn’t require much power, that generator hub will easily run your front and rear lights still.

Blueshift Large Speaker and Front Rack

The large version of the speaker should come in at about $500.  That front rack it’s mounted on was custom made by the folks at Ti-Cycles.  And, the larger version includes a bit of extra storage as well.

BlueShift Quick Release

The rack even includes a handy quick release letting you take the BlueShift speaker off without hassel.  Plus, using a wall outlet power adapter allows you to keep the tunes going off the bike.  Oh, and the system will charge your iDevice from the front hub as well while cruising down the road.

Interested? Check our their website at Blueshiftbicycles.com

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31 Comments
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RC
RC
11 years ago

Really? I hope they stay limited to urban hipsters. A Seriously Bad Idea.

Meshkat
Meshkat
11 years ago

Keep the party at home. No one needs to hear your music.

Steve
11 years ago

$300 for something that looks like it was cobbled together by a teenager in his parents’ basement using an old stereo and leftover plywood? Eek.

DC
DC
11 years ago

This would be nice to have for real deal road bikes in a different package that is actually aero, and maybe mounted differently, but cool idea.

stratosrally
stratosrally
11 years ago

I generally hate join in with the naysayers, but…

Gack!

These are horrible, horrible, horrible.

I seriously think this should be posted again on April 1.

Watchtower
Watchtower
11 years ago

Will there be a mountain bike version in the future?

I’m thinking that if it was beefed up with 3/4″ plywood it should hold up quite well.

Inspector Gadget
Inspector Gadget
11 years ago

Just how much pot do they smoke up in Portland these days? This product makes me think it’s a lot!

yesplease
yesplease
11 years ago

Step one: Buy Marine Speaker
Step two: Buy cheap plywood
Step three:Build cheesy, shop class box.
Try to sell them for 300$ and fail miserably.

Pot Larkin
Pot Larkin
11 years ago

I’d love to visit Portland for the pure entertainment value – it sounds like Amsterdam levels of stoner-ism with more hipsters.

Singletrackroadie
Singletrackroadie
11 years ago

Wow, I think Apple should really rethink the iPod!

Texast
Texast
11 years ago

Stop smoking cloves and making stupid stuff

If you go to the SEAHBS (South East Asian Handmade Bicycle Show) You can buy sound systems for an eighth of the cost with 10x the quality and craftmenship

notapro
notapro
11 years ago

you guys… i thought there was more snap here…it’s not really for audio.

you put your weed in it.

Topmounter
Topmounter
11 years ago

Awesome, Now bicyclists can be world class look-at-me (deleted) just like those guys on motorcycles blasting distorted music through the speakers mounted in the fairing.

satisFACTORYrider
satisFACTORYrider
11 years ago

it’s amazing what kind of how-to books you can find when you’re wandering around completely baked @ Powell’s on a drizzly morning!

Jason
11 years ago

I guess I’m the odd man out here, but I’m actually stoked on this.

When I go for long trail rides, I use headphones to listen to music, but when me and a buncha friends go out for a night on the town, I usually drag along a shitty boom box. Y’know, cuz it’s fun.

Remember fun?!

It’s what we used to do on our bikes before we started overanalyzing our power output and hating sh!t on the internet.

And, as lame as it is to drag world class athletes into the fray for the sake of online credibility, our monthly cruiser ride is hosted by none other than Tour Divide superdude Matt Lee.

My only complaint is that there’s only one speaker.

Jason
11 years ago

Quick Clarification:

The added significance of Matt Lee at the Cruiser rides is that his bike-mounted stereo is easily the loudest in the bunch:

http://www.carrborocitizen.com/main/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/bikef080708.jpg

Jason
11 years ago

Oh, and do they have a website?

Ricky Bob
Ricky Bob
11 years ago

I don’t think people here are against fun… They are against paying $300 for something a stoned drop out made. Jason, save your money and go here: http://preview.tinyurl.com/9tn3coh

Sancho
Sancho
11 years ago

Pretty sure I could have a lot of fun with a D-cell powered ghetto blaster, the police on cassette, and $300 in my pocket.

Jason
11 years ago

@Sancho: Yeah, but the batteries do get expensive and my boom box is getting pretty worked after a few too many ethanol fueled creative line choices.

And, after hearing Matt’s setup (from Fossil Fool), I’d be lying if I said I didn’t have bike stereo envy.

Remember, maximum volume yields maximum results.

BT
BT
11 years ago

I don’t see what this does that my $40 boombotix doesn’t do – http://www.boombotix.com

Sam
Sam
11 years ago

Hey, for anyone out there who doesn’t hate the idea of dynamo powered sound, we are at http://www.blueshiftbicycles.com.

DEAR EDITOR could you possibly add that to the text?

Psi Squared
Psi Squared
11 years ago

Having to listen to someone else’s tunes blare handicaps my fun.

Saris Mercanti
11 years ago

@Sam

Link Updated.

EricNM
EricNM
11 years ago

I.am.speechless…

Seriously?!?

jon thomas
jon thomas
11 years ago

“Stop smoking cloves and making stupid stuff
If you go to the SEAHBS (South East Asian Handmade Bicycle Show) You can buy sound systems for an eighth of the cost with 10x the quality and craftmenship”

Link or it didn’t happen buddy.

You haters are going to hate and you would really hate my bike rig with six 10″s, a 24 tweeter melded array and 400watts of class D amp.
Funny thing is I get a ton of thumbs up when it sounds 100% better than the hundreds of boom cars out on the street!

Kudos on the capacitor battery, that is a nice touch.

jon thomas
jon thomas
11 years ago

All the naysayers are linking to plastic, pitiful, portable picnic players.
My the curse of bad audio follow them for eternity.

Ajax
Ajax
11 years ago

Ummmmm, HOW MUCH? Did you say $300?!?!?!

No thanks!

Billy
Billy
11 years ago

Just installed the SEA on my bike a few days ago – sounds incredible!! Great bass, plays loud and sounds legit, lasts a ridiculously long time on its charge (from hub generator) when the bike’s not moving. Creates a rolling party wherever you’re going. And the box looks great – beautiful craftsmanship and rock-solid feel, and it’s small and light enough to not impede on my bike’s handling (an old rockhopper).

I think some of the haters here are missing the point on what this product is and isn’t intended for. It’s fun to roll to parties/bars/etc with a posse and some tunes that actually sound good and play loud. If you’re looking to hum along to something on the way to work, put your cellphone in your shirt pocket instead of spending $30 on speakers that don’t sound any better (i.e. the links provided by the naysayers).

By the way, have any of the haters on this forum actually heard the blueshift speakers??? I’m sure the answer is ‘no’ because if they had, they wouldn’t be balking at the price or offering the boombotox or jammypack as alternative options.

MBR
MBR
11 years ago

Why not! Awesome!

Billy
Billy
11 years ago

Been riding mine around for a few weeks now – lots of fun, works and sounds great! And to correct my prior post, it is sweet for personal use too. You can just turn the volume down to something reasonable and since the speaker is aimed at your face you’re the only one who really hears it. Still sounds awesome and pretty loud for the person riding the bike.

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