Safety Features
Bike IQ integrates with vehicle detection radar, tire pressure sensors, and the iPhone's own barometer to keep you informed about what is behind you, beneath you, and ahead of you.
Radar Vehicle Detection
Bike IQ pairs with the Garmin Varia RCT715 radar to detect vehicles approaching from behind. The radar continuously scans and classifies vehicles by type, whether motorcycle, car, or truck, so you always know what is coming.
Threat Levels
Approaching vehicles are classified into three threat levels based on proximity:
- Low — vehicle detected, still at a distance
- Medium — vehicle within approximately 100 meters
- High — vehicle within approximately 30 meters, closing fast
Visual and Audio Alerts
A threat indicator on your ride screen shows the current danger level at a glance. An animated lane overlay draws approaching vehicles on the map so you can see their relative positions and speeds. The overlay works in both landscape and portrait orientations, so it adapts to however you mount your phone.
Audio alerts sound when a new threat is detected and again when the threat clears — the audible "threat clear" confirmation lets you know a vehicle has passed without needing to look at the screen. This two-tone pattern means you can keep your eyes on the road and still maintain full awareness of traffic behind you.
Radar Setup
- Go to your bike's sensor configuration in Bikes
- Tap Connect Bluetooth Sensors with the radar powered on
- When the Varia appears in the device list, tap to pair
- Configure radar position on screen (top, bottom, left, or right) in Settings
- Enable or disable audio alerts to match your preference
The radar refresh rate is configurable in Radar Settings. A faster refresh rate gives you quicker alerts when vehicles appear, which is useful on busy roads, but it consumes more battery. A slower rate conserves power for longer rides. See the Bluetooth sensor pairing guide for general pairing troubleshooting.
Tire Pressure Monitoring
Bike IQ supports the RideNow TPMS 1.0 for live tire pressure readings during rides. Front and rear sensors are assigned separately in your bike's sensor configuration, so the app always knows which reading belongs to which wheel. Because TPMS sensors pair as bike-specific sensors, front and rear pressures are tracked independently and associated with the correct bike even if you switch between multiple bikes.
Pressure data appears on the ride screen alongside your other metrics. When a reading falls outside the expected range, an alert notifies you before a slow leak becomes a flat. The alert clearly identifies which tire — front or rear — triggered the warning, displays the current pressure, and gives you the option to pause the ride or set a re-alert threshold so you are not bombarded with repeated notifications if you choose to keep riding.
Pressure Thresholds
Pressure thresholds are configurable per bike to match the tire requirements of different setups. Road bikes typically run between 80 and 100 PSI, while gravel bikes sit in the 35 to 60 PSI range. You set these thresholds in your bike's configuration, and the app uses them to determine when a pressure reading is low enough to warrant an alert. This per-bike configuration means you do not need to adjust thresholds every time you switch bikes.
SRAM AXS Electronic Groupset
If your bike runs SRAM AXS electronic shifting, Bike IQ displays your current gear position in real time. You can see exactly which chainring and cassette cog you are in without looking down at the drivetrain.
The app also monitors battery levels for your AXS components, so you know when it is time to charge before your next ride. Initial pairing may require an authentication step through SRAM's system.
Bike Bell
Bike IQ includes a digital bike bell you can trigger by tapping the bell button or using a palm gesture over the screen for hands-free activation. The bell sound is configurable in Settings.
The real advantage is the speaker override. When you are wearing headphones, the bell automatically plays through the phone's built-in speaker so pedestrians and other cyclists actually hear it. Your music or podcast continues normally through your headphones without interruption. After the bell finishes, the audio session restores seamlessly.
Climb Detection
Bike IQ uses the iPhone's built-in barometer to estimate road gradient in real time. The readings are smoothed to produce a stable, responsive gradient estimate.
What the Climb-Ahead Overlay Shows
When Bike IQ detects a qualifying climb on your route ahead, an elevation profile overlay appears on the map with four key pieces of information:
- Gradient percentage — the average grade of the upcoming climb, so you know how steep it is
- Total climb distance — how long the climb lasts, measured along the road
- Elevation gain — the total vertical meters you will gain from bottom to top
- Road name — the name of the road where the climb occurs
The climb route is also highlighted on the map as an orange polyline, so you can see exactly where the climb begins and ends. This gives you a complete picture of the effort ahead: a short, steep ramp requires different gearing and pacing than a long, gradual ascent, and the overlay tells you which one you are about to face.
How Far Ahead It Detects
When you are following a route, Bike IQ analyzes the elevation profile of the road ahead and displays the climb overlay before you reach a significant climb. This gives you time to shift into an appropriate gear, adjust your cadence, eat or drink before the effort, or simply prepare mentally for the gradient change.
What Qualifies as a Climb
Not every uphill triggers the overlay. The climb-ahead system looks for sustained gradients that would meaningfully affect your effort — a short speed bump or freeway overpass will not produce an overlay. The detection considers both the steepness and the duration of the gradient, so the overlay only appears for climbs that warrant a change in strategy.
Climb Progress
Once you enter a detected climb, the overlay transitions from a preview into a live progress indicator showing how much you have traveled versus how much remains. As you ride through the climb, you can see how much elevation gain remains and how far you still have to go. This is particularly useful on long climbs where it is difficult to judge how close you are to the top by sight alone.
Auto Climb View
When a climb is detected ahead, Bike IQ can automatically tilt and zoom the map to a climb-focused perspective that emphasizes gradient information and remaining distance. This auto climb view is configurable in Settings — you can enable it for a hands-free experience where the map adapts to the terrain, or disable it if you prefer to keep your current map view at all times.
Climb Overlay Settings
The climb overlay can be configured in Settings. If you ride routes you know well and do not need the overlay, you can disable it. The real-time gradient display on the ride screen continues to work regardless of this setting.
Putting It Together
None of these features require your attention to set up during a ride. Pair your sensors once, configure your preferences, and everything runs automatically from the moment you tap Start Ride. Radar watches behind you, tire pressure monitors beneath you, climb detection looks ahead, and the bell is always a gesture away.
Related Guides
- Bluetooth Sensor Pairing — connect radar, TPMS, AXS, and other cycling sensors
- Recording a Ride — how safety features appear on your ride screen
- Settings and Customization — configure radar position, alert sounds, climb view, and bell options