CyFi Bluetooth bike speaker hits the streets--photos

The CyFi Wireless Speaker is a one-of-a-kind outdoor portable speaker that is made to attach to the frame of a bicycle. It doesn't come cheap, though: the iPod-friendly model will set you back about $160.

The CyFi is exceedingly easy to set up. The first step is to attach one of the two included mounts somewhere on the frame of your bike. We chose the smaller of the two in order to attach it to the handlebars, where it put the speaker within safe reaching distance for utilizing the playback controls.

Once you attach the mount, which includes removable padding for achieving the most secure fit as well as a simple screw and washer attachment method, the speaker unit slides on with no trouble. It remained secure during a 2-mile bike ride.

The CyFi appears to only be available in one color option: red. It also doesn't have the best audio quality, at least not nearly as good as desktop speakers in the same price range. It may be worth it for heavy cyclists who want to eliminate dangerous earbuds from their routine, however.

An included Bluetooth transmitter connects to bottom of any docking iPod. The dongle allows music from the iPod to be transmitted to the iPod and also is capable of receiving playback information from the speaker itself, which offers track skip and volume buttons.

As you can control playback from the durable, bike-mounted speaker unit, there's no need to have your iPod out in harm's way. Just slip it into a bag or pocket and you're ready to roll.

Just keep this in mind: not everyone in the near vicinity is going to appreciate your tastes in music. Though the CyFi gets excessively loud, it's polite to listen at moderate levels. We presume that CyFi does not assume responsibility for hospital bills from annoyance-related beat-downs.