Aleck Tocsen Crash Sensor and Punks headphones

Aleck Tocsen Crash Sensor and Punks headphones for safer, connected rides

The Tocsen Crash Sensor from Aleck is a helmet mounted device that will detect if you have a crash. It will then sound an audible alarm, alert your contacts and anyone nearby in the Heroes Nearby app. We recently reported on a partnership between Tocsen and SMITH helmets. The Tocsen sensors will be integrated in to some of SMITH’s helmets, giving users reassurance when out riding. Meanwhile the Punks headphones let you listen to music and talk to others while on the bike.

Aleck Tocsen

The Tocsen Crash Sensor mounts directly to your helmet, where it can pick up sudden impacts to your head. It has a 40 hour battery life and doesn’t require a subscription, but does need a mobile-phone connection. The round sensor weighs 10 grammes, is 12mm thick with a 32mm diameter and has a IP67 rating. The IP67 rating means it’s sealed against dust and can withstand being immersed in water one metre deep for thirty minutes:

True story!

While riding with a crash sensor may seem a little over the top by some, let me recount a friend’s experience. A group of three riders set off on a wooded downhill run, at night. The first rider was a keen type and shot off, leaving the others to follow in his wake. The middle rider heard something from his mate behind, a skid and an “oof!” However he had just ridden onto a section of boardwalk, so stopping or even turning around wasn’t an option!

Stopping after the boardwalk he waited for rider three, to no avail. Other riders passed, but when he asked them, no-one had spotted his friend or his bike. So began a night-time trek back up the route, with other riders flying past. He finally reached the top of the trail, still with no sign of his riding partner. The story ended with the three meeting up back at a bar! Rider one had no idea that there had been an incident: he got back, changed and was downing a beer! Rider three had indeed come off, walked back on another trail, nursing his broken ribs!

Now with the Tocsen crash sensor, the party would have been aware of the incident and been able to find the injured party. Fortunately the injuries were ‘only’ broken ribs, but could have been a lot worse. If he had suffered a head trauma or was bleeding, the outcome could have been much worse.

Aleck Punks

Another Aleck product that could also have helped in this scenario are the Punks wireless headphones. The Punks clip on the your helmet straps and broadcast music or communications into your ears, while still allowing you to hear what’s going on around you. They also allow for group communication using your phone. So in the story above, the riders would have been alerted to the incident by the Tocsen sensor and then been able to organise first aid via the Punks. Of course all this is dependent on cellular phone coverage, but while some may bemoan the creep of online coverage, you can’t fault it in an emergency situation.

The Punks come as a pair of rectangular blocks that clip onto your helmet straps. From here they can stream audio, be that music or speech and pick up your voice via the microphone. The Punks allow you to talk to riders in your group or even another country! You could even keep in contact with your loved ones as they ride in real time, while being sat at home. The last feature would be great for all us nervous parents.

We’ll try out the Tocsen Cash Sensor and Punks on our local trails and let you know how they perform. The Tocsen is available now while the Punks are on pre-order at the time of writing. Head over to the Aleck website for prices and availability.