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Ford E-Bike Concept has Galaxy S2, eyes on the road

Ford has outed a concept electric bike that has a Samsung Galaxy S2 clamped to the handlebars. Just careful you watch where you're going.

Joe Svetlik Reporter
Joe has been writing about consumer tech for nearly seven years now, but his liking for all things shiny goes back to the Gameboy he received aged eight (and that he still plays on at family gatherings, much to the annoyance of his parents). His pride and joy is an Infocus projector, whose 80-inch picture elevates movie nights to a whole new level.
Joe Svetlik
2 min read

The last thing you need when you're feeling the wind in your hair and the flies in your teeth is to root around in your pocket to take a call. Well Ford has an solution for cyclists everywhere, with its E-Bike Concept. And the shocker? It's on display with a Samsung Galaxy S2 instead of an iPhone.

The Samsung blower is slapped up there on the handlebars, so you can take calls, check your Twitter feed, and listen to music while you cycle. It also connects to the bike to offer some pretty cool ride options via the touchscreen.

Paw the screen and you'll be able to alter the suspension depending on which terrain you're currently traversing. The E-Bike Concept is, as the name suggests, an electric bike too, so you can use your Galaxy S2 to see how much juice you have left. Handy for anyone who's ever been pootling through unfamiliar territory and had some threatening looks from the locals. Of course, you can use it as a satnav using Google Maps, and do anything else your phone can do. Just careful to keep your eyes on the road.

The bike has an electric motor built into the front wheel that can help it reach 25km/h (16mph), and it's powered by a 9.2Ah battery. Or of course, you could pedal. Yeah, right.

It's purely a concept, on display at the Frankfurt Motor Show, but who knows, some elements could filter down into production models. But while you wait for Ford to unleash a smartphone-powered bike onto our roads, you can check out our round-up of iPhone bicycle mounts.

Would you ride a bike with a smartphone attached to the front? Or would a tablet make more sense? Let us know on our Facebook page.

Image credit: Engadget.