When it comes to the pressure of mountain and gravel bike tires, a few psi either way can make a big difference in performance. The Outrider sensor was designed with that fact in mind, as it provides real-time pressure readings from within tubeless tires.
Currently the subject of a Kickstarter campaign, the Outrider is manufactured by a Colorado-based startup of the same name. It's presently only compatible with Garmin cyclometers, but the company says wider compatibility is in the works.
The device takes the form of a flexible rectangular strip, with a hole in the middle which the valve stem goes through. Once installed on a tubeless rim, the Outrider is sandwiched between the base of the valve stem and the rubber seal on the rim. That rim must have an internal width of at least 19 mm in order to accommodate both the sensor and the tire beads on either side of it.
As the cyclist proceeds to ride, the Outrider transmits tire pressure readings to an app on the Garmin via the ANT+ wireless protocol – the app can display front- and rear-tire readings from two Outriders at the same time. And should the user not want to be manually checking the app all the time, it can be set to sound an alarm if the pressure drops below a given level.
The device is claimed to be +- 0.7% accurate from 0 to 39 psi, and +- 1.4% accurate from 40 to 85 psi, with 0.1 psi precision. It isn't rated for tire pressures greater than 85 psi (5.9 bar).
The waterproof electronics are powered by a CR1225 lithium coin cell battery which should reportedly be good for approximately two years of use. Because the sensor tips the scales at just 3.5 g (0.1 oz), its designers state that a counterweight on the opposite side of the wheel isn't necessary.
Assuming the Outrider reaches production, a pledge of US$39 will get you a set of two. The planned retail price is $79. You can see the setup in use, in the video below.
Readers who wish to shop around might want to also check out the PSIcle, TyreWiz and AirSpy, all of which are installed outside of the tire on the valve stem. And should you still be running tubed tires, there's the sensor-packing Tubo-MTB PSENS inner tube.
The BTPS sensor, which went inside a tubeless tire like the Outrider, failed to meet its crowdfunding goal.
Source: Kickstarter