Pro:
These ensure that I'll check my tire pressure every ride. The app works well and the sensors seem reasonably accurate based on my comparison to a hand held pressure gauge.
The app lets you set a minimum, goal, and maximum tire pressure for each tire. If you exceed your limits, an obnoxious alarm will go off!
The app has an overlay setting that can be enabled/disabled to let you view your tire pressures on the same screen as Google maps or any other app (kind of like a less intrusive form of the Facebook Messenger app conversation bubbles).
Cons:
Resetting the tire pressure alarm limits for either wheel requires you to remove and reinstall both of the pressure sensors so the app can re-register the sensors.
The app requires both Bluetooth and GPS to be enabled to read the sensors. If you know where you're riding, you'll have to needlessly drain battery life on GPS if you want continuous tire pressure monitoring.
Works as expected. I only needed it to check my bicycle tire pressure before I went on a ride. I shut down app after I check because I don't need to monitor pressure during ride and don't want to continue using Bluetooth and draining phone and sensor batteries. Setup was easy and simple. I do have rubber valve stems but don't think it will be much of a problem with a bicycle. I see where the problem is because even though the sensors don't weigh much they will cause stems to flex as you ride and hit bumps. I put a tie wrap around stems and nearby spoke and now there is no flexing. The only minor complaint I have is that the reported temperature of the sensors can be as much as 4 degrees different from each other. This feature is not really needed by me.
Very easy and straight forward installation on the Harley and software on the phone. It took a few minutes of laying on the driveway with my phone up against the sender before they recognized each other but, once done, the connection seems solid. Accuracy ( as compared to two different manual tire gauges ) seems quite good too. The sender is very sensitive to pressure changes caused by the ambient air temp. and the temp. of the tire. I'm still getting used to the audible alert I get whenever I walk anywhere in the vicinity of my garage and the air is cold. It is nice to have a user settable high / low range but you must remember that the tire pressure goes up or down about 2 psi for every 10 degree "F" change in temp. of the air inside the tire. If you only allow for an alarm +/- 2 or 3 degrees, your phone will be alerting you every time you move near the bike. I'd suggest at least an 8 degree +/- range. Don't know how long the batteries will last as I am still on the first set after about 3 months. They give you an extra set and, they are an easy size to buy. I would recommend the FOBO setup and, intend to buy another set for my Goldwing Trike.
I've had these sensors for about 5 months on my Goldwing. Took a little effort to get them to connect to the phone. Since then they have worked flawlessly! I have throughout the 5 months checked with a manual air pressure gauge and there has been less than a 1/2 pound difference; most the time spot on. It's nice to be able to check your tire pressure on a ride after a rest or meal; simply look at your phone :) Something to know as well ... I use a Sena headset ... should the air pressure drop below the pressure you have set a warning sound will be heard through the Sena. I have found that having this TPMS provides some real confidence that my tires are doing ok. I would recommend this product.
A nicely designed product, functions well. The app might be better though - for ex. I don't want the background service to run at all - no option to disable this.
Be sure to follow the bold red text inside the package which says "make sure there is at least 10mm gap between sensor and other motorcycle parts". I did not pay enough attention to that, which resulted in rear sensor being damaged by suspension and brake calipers right after I attached it and moved the bike a bit. My fault, luckily the thread on the sensor is softer then on the stem, so I only had to re-pump the tire. The sensor is a waste now though. I will be looking into in-wheel sensors now.
Feature Product
- Monitor bike tire pressure 24 x 7 via Smart Phone App, up to 19 wheels in one App
- Protect bike rider from risky deflated tires
- Allows riders who borrow the bike to use the product on their phones
Description
FOBO Bike Black
I've used other TPMS systems for several years, and am a huge proponent of them for motorcycles. They work well and I credit them with having saved me from serious unpleasantness by giving me advance warning of loss of pressure at speed, allowing me to get the bike to a stop safely before the tire was completely flat.
Like other TPMS systems, the app can be programmed to alert you when the pressure or temperature falls outside of specified ranges. Besides alerting you to catastrophic events, the other major benefit to TPMS systems is keeping your tires at the proper pressure to prevent excessive tire wear. How many riders actually check the tire pressure before every ride as recommended? With this system, all it takes is a quick glance at your phone as you're rolling the bike out to verify your tires are where they should be.
Unlike other systems that have a separate key fob, the FOBO uses the bluetooth in your smartphone. This gives it a greater range, and it also allows you to move between multiple bikes with ease, without having to have a separate receiver for each. You can even share access to the FOBO sensor if other riders in your household ride the bike.
Battery life in the sensors seems to be comparable to other systems. I've been running the system for two months and the battery level hasn't dropped from full. The sensors also "wake up" much quicker than other systems I've used.
If you ride, you really should have some sort of TPMS, and this is far and away the cream of the crop.
The setup for cell phone access is not very good. After several attempts, it works. I am not interested in having to log in with email id every time i want check the status. The only real good aspect of FOBO, I can check the tire's air pressure without getting down on my knees and contorting to find the valve stem. Guess I can put up with the other problems, for now.
David
Easy to install but i would recommend after reading many a review to use a metal stem as the centrifugal force can cause damage to a rubber stem which is a safety hazard. My box did include the metal stem but wish i installed a metal "t" stem so i dont have to take the unit off to fill with the temperature changes in the nort east. This is installed on a 2013 Honda F6B
The device itself I give 5 stars. It's smaller than I expected and, from what I can tell doing independent measurements, it seems to be very accurate. However, I give the app 3 stars - it's a little clunky and pops up random notifications sometimes.What I'd really like is the notification itself to display the current pressure rather than it just saying the app is running.
I like the idea of being able to always know what my tire pressure is but the app needs a lot of work. I should be able to close the app and it actually close the app. Right now even after closing the app it leaves a notification at the top letting you know it can't read the tire pressure.
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