Bike Cy-Fi
by Gary Woods

Whenever I see a bicyclist flying down the street with those iconic white earbuds hanging over their lobes I give them a wide birth. My presumption is that they're intently listening to their tunes and can most likely not hear me coming up behind them, or much of anything else for that matter. iPods are great but I really wish the cyclists would take out those ear buds and listen to what else is around them.

For people who still want to listen to their music but also give a listen to the rest of us there's a company that has come up with the Cy-Fi http://www.mycyfi.com/index.html which is a Bluetooth-enabled Wireless Sports Speakers system that provides some really great sound for$159.

The device is encased in a hard plastic shell that is durable and water resistant and it has large rubberized buttons on each side of the unit that makes it easy to operate, even with sweaty hands. The stereo separation is best appreciated when the Cy-Fi is mounted a on a standard, bike handlebar configuration with the provided attachment.

For the iPod the Cy-Fi can change the track, volume and playlists setting from the speaker and the Bluetooth setup gives it a 30 foot range and about a 6 hour battery life. If you're in a campground situation you can use the Cy-Fi to broadcast your favorite tunes to up to four Cy-Fi speakers and the product enables you to make hands-free calls if your phone supports that feature.

If you have any suggestions or questions for me please drop me a note at gandlwoods@earthlink.net or see my column on the Internet at http://www.santabarbaraproperties.com or call me at (805) 729-0910