The highlight of the bike, besides the swooping carbon fiber frame, is what they call the Smartbar. That’s the name for the handlebars and the display, integrated in one clean and simple design. But the real beauty is the functions the Smartbar gives you. First off, to unlock the bike, there’s a fingerprint sensor on the right hand side of the handlebar by the grip. Once you set it up through the Urtopia app (Android or Apple), all you have to do is tap it like a smartphone or laptop sensor to turn it on. You can also unlock the bike with the app.
The display, which uses large dot matrix patterns for its output, offers up a friendly hello with an animation and also includes a hidden speaker that will issue beeps, boops, and swishes along with a whole host of animated sounds as you navigate through the menu with the left hand side gamepad-like control that lets you activate other options—most notably your various speed modes.
The right hand fingerprint button also accesses the digital “bell”—which you can change in the app (to, say, a neighing horse) if you’re not into classic bell sounds. The app is the main hub that allows you to access other functions, like the headlight, alarm, integrated Bluetooth speaker (yep, you can play your own tunes), and volume. Other options allow you to track your fitness, your location on a map, and where you’ve been.
There’s also voice control with the Urtopia—allowing you to access speed modes, lock the bike, control lights, adjust volume, go into standby mode, and more, all with commands. Another interesting feature is ARES (advanced rear early indication system). Though it sounds like something out of this world, it’s just a rear red taillight that has two turn indicator projection lights which illuminate the ground with the Urtopia logo to better alert people of your turning plans.
