Re-Thinking Everything

“What role does a cycling computer actually play on a bike?” This was the fundamental question Harm Giesen asked as he began designing The One. To find the answer, he stripped the concept down to its core.

“A cycling computer exists because every cyclist, in some form, seeks feedback and validation,” Harm explains. “You’re on your bike, transferring all your energy into the pedals. There’s a voice in your head that wants confirmation: Yes, you’re going fast. Yes, you’re on the right path. Yes, you’re achieving your goals.

Harm concluded that a cycling computer’s role is one-directional: to provide data to the rider without demanding input in return. The rider’s job is to focus on performance and surroundings, while the computer delivers clear, distraction-free feedback—nothing more, nothing less.

From this foundation, Harm ensured that The One, the app, and the cloud each serve distinct roles:

• The One provides real-time information during rides, such as speed, distance, and navigation.
• The app is the control center, enabling users to plan routes, customize screens, and pair sensors.
• The cloud acts as a digital twin, synchronizing all data and settings seamlessly between devices.

This separation eliminates redundancy. For example, riders can plan routes via the app but not on The One itself. “The computer is there to serve you, not the other way around,” Harm notes.

This philosophy of simplicity also dictated design choices. Every feature had to align with the ultimate goal: enabling cyclists to focus on their ride without distractions.

The Challenges of Building Something That Doesn’t Exist

With the core philosophy of The One defined, the next challenge was making it a reality. Building a cycling computer that was accurate, intuitive, beautiful, and distraction-free required rethinking existing devices from the ground up.

Engineering Accuracy: Collaborating with Flanders Make, a Belgian research institute, Harm and his team developed sensor fusion technology, achieving pinpoint precision. This breakthrough allowed The One to deliver reliable performance even in challenging terrains like dense forests or gravel roads.

Balancing Form and Function: Harm partnered with Valeur Designers in Copenhagen to craft a product that looked as good as it performed. Together, they created a device that felt born for the bike: sleek, lightweight, and aerodynamic.

Overcoming Manufacturing Hurdles: Local production added another layer of complexity. While the Netherlands has a strong manufacturing heritage, expertise in consumer electronics—especially devices with embedded batteries that are compact, lightweight and watertight—was scarce. Setting up production required creativity, persistence, and collaboration with partners.

Developing a Seamless Ecosystem: The software ecosystem was equally challenging. The One needed to process sensor data, maintain wireless connectivity, and deliver real-time feedback via the display, while the app and cloud synchronized data in the background. Building this from scratch required a robust architecture capable of managing multiple sensor inputs and ensuring seamless integration across devices.

Despite constant hurdles—failed production runs, unstable software, and the pressures of tight budgets—Absolute Cycling pushed forward. Harm’s insistence on local production and sustainable design principles added complexity but ensured the final product met his vision.

From Concept to Competition

Building The One from scratch was an enormous challenge. We didn’t start with an established business or a product line to iterate upon—there was only a concept. And yet, our goal was ambitious: to launch a cycling computer that could compete directly with the best-selling models in the world.

From Design to Reality
The elegant design created by Valeur Designers was only the beginning. Turning their vision into a product that was not only functional but also circular, water-resistant, aerodynamic, and lightweight required an extraordinary engineering effort. Every decision was scrutinized to balance sustainability with performance, creating a product that adhered to Right to Repair principles while meeting the highest standards of durability and usability.

The Challenge of Local Production
Producing The One in the Netherlands was another uphill battle. Although the country has a strong manufacturing heritage, there is limited expertise in producing consumer electronics with embedded batteries that are compact, lightweight, and highly integrated. Setting up a production process that met these criteria required collaboration, persistence, and innovation at every stage.

Software: Building a Seamless Ecosystem
Developing the software was equally daunting. There was no off-the-shelf solution or ready-made partner with experience in creating a system like ours. The One needed to process sensor data, maintain wireless connectivity in all conditions, and deliver real-time feedback to the user via the display, while the app and cloud synchronized the data seamlessly in the background. This required a robust architecture that could:

• Process multiple streams of sensor information simultaneously.
• Ensure seamless interaction between device, app, and cloud.
• Display data clearly and reliably on a lightweight, embedded device.

Navigating Startup Struggles
As with any startup, we faced constant hurdles. Production runs that didn’t meet quality standards, software that wasn’t stable enough, and timelines that proved impossible in practice were just the beginning. The ever-present pressure to deliver results on a tight budget added to the challenge, with bankruptcy looming more than once.

The global corona crisis and the chip shortage brought progress to a standstill, halting both development and production. Each setback tested our resolve, but we found ways to adapt and push forward.

A Collective Effort
Despite everything, we made it. Thanks to the unwavering dedication of our team, investors, and partners, we secured the resources to overcome each obstacle. Year after year, we developed new prototypes, refined the product, and improved the software until we arrived at The One as it exists today: a cycling computer that is as functional as it is beautiful, ready to take on the giants of the industry.

On Friday, September 13, 2024, we celebrated the official launch of The One with nearly 100 people who were directly or indirectly involved in its creation. The choice of Friday the 13th was a deliberate nod to the many setbacks we faced and overcame throughout the journey. It was a moment of triumph, resilience, and gratitude, marking the beginning of a new chapter for Absolute Cycling.

The Cost and Rewards of Building Something Revolutionary

Looking back, the journey to build Absolute Cycling was both grueling and rewarding. Leading the company came with significant personal sacrifices—long hours, sleepless nights, and countless setbacks. But it also brought immense joy: the satisfaction of collaborating with incredible people and achieving what many thought was impossible.

One of the most valuable lessons Harm learned is the importance of trusting your instincts. “Advice will come from every direction,” he reflects, “but at the end of the day, your gut feeling is what guides you.” Staying true to principles like local production and sustainability wasn’t always the easiest choice, but it ensured that Absolute Cycling’s vision remained intact.

Building a team, a company, and a product from the ground up has been one of Harm’s greatest achievements. “Honesty and personal attention are what make the impossible possible,” he notes. These values, combined with a strong vision, helped Absolute Cycling overcome every hurdle.

Today, what drives Harm is the same passion that started it all: helping cyclists ride better, longer, and distraction-free. “Knowing we’ve built something that empowers riders to focus on their passion keeps me motivated to keep pushing boundaries.”

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The One isn’t just a high-performance cycling computer; it’s a commitment to sustainability. From the earliest stages of its design, The One was crafted with a circular approach, incorporating knowledge gained through the CIRCO track—a leading initiative in circular design innovation. This approach ensures that The One is repairable, recyclable, and compliant with the EU’s Right to Repair legislation.

Every detail of The One has been engineered to minimize environmental impact. No paints, coatings, or adhesives were used in its production. Each component can be disassembled using only mechanical tools, making repairs and replacements straightforward. For example, the aluminum housing, free of any coatings, can be easily recycled into new materials when replaced. This purity of materials allows components to remain uncontaminated, preserving their value and making reuse simple and effective.

However, creating a sustainable, water-resistant product without relying on traditional methods like coated electronics or potting—a process where electronics are encased in resin—was a significant challenge. Throughout the design process, we remained steadfast in saying no to quick fixes, ensuring The One stayed true to its sustainable roots. Achieving water resistance while maintaining a fully repairable design was a breakthrough, setting The One apart as a durable, environmentally conscious device.

The One is not only designed with sustainability in mind—it’s also produced locally in the Netherlands. This decision was driven by the simple logic that The One is predominantly used in Europe. Manufacturing close to home ensures faster problem-solving during prototyping and production, as well as tighter quality control.

While outsourcing to low-wage countries might have cut production costs in half, we believe that local production guarantees the highest quality and transparency. We know exactly where, how, and with what materials The One is made. Nearly every step—from housing production to chip soldering and assembly—happens in the Netherlands. This dedication is proudly acknowledged on the back of each device, which reads:

“This product is designed by Absolute Cycling B.V. and produced in The Netherlands.”

Our production philosophy extends to our service model. If a user damages their One—whether the housing is dented, the screen cracks, or the battery life diminishes after years of use—we offer full repair services. Components can be replaced, keeping The One in use and out of the waste stream.

This approach aligns with our ultimate goal: facilitating as many kilometers as possible ridden with our products, not producing the highest number of units. We believe in countering the culture of disposable electronics by ensuring our devices remain functional for as long as possible.

The One represents more than cutting-edge technology; it’s a vision of sustainable design. By choosing durability, repairability, and local production, Absolute Cycling is setting a new standard for how products should be made—benefiting both riders and the planet. With The One, you’re not just investing in a cycling computer; you’re supporting a future where innovation and sustainability ride side by side.

The journey to create The One began with a guiding principle: its design had to be as groundbreaking as its technology. The inspiration for this level of ambition came from the Bang & Olufsen BeoSound Ouverture, a stereo system designed in 1992. Its timeless aesthetic, intuitive features—such as panels that opened with a wave of the hand—and durable construction demonstrated how thoughtful design could transform the relationship between user and technology.

This stereo became the spark that led us to Valeur Designers in Copenhagen, a studio known for blending elegance, functionality, and precision. Collaborating with Torsten Valeur and Jens Christian Møller, we set out to create a cycling computer that felt as though it was born for the bike. Every decision was driven by the desire to deliver a product that cyclists could trust, admire, and rely on.

The One’s machined aluminum housing is at the heart of its design, combining lightweight strength with a refined, elegant finish. The clean lines of the aluminum body extend seamlessly into every mounting bracket, ensuring the device integrates perfectly with any bike setup. This continuity reinforces the idea that The One is not just an accessory but a natural part of the bike.

Even the charging solution reflects this harmony. The sculpted pedestal charger mirrors the device’s design, highlighting The One while encouraging careful handling. This deliberate choice transforms charging from a routine task into a deliberate act, emphasizing the premium nature of the product.

The One’s mounting system is a triumph of design and engineering. Each mount aligns the device perfectly with the handlebar, maintaining a flush profile that adds no additional frontal surface area. This precision ensures optimal aerodynamics, making it an ideal companion for both racers and long-distance enthusiasts.

The mount also enhances usability. The placement of The One’s three tactile buttons allows riders to navigate screens without taking their hands off the handlebars, prioritizing safety and usability during every ride.

Weighing just 116 grams, The One is remarkably light yet durable enough to endure demanding conditions. Its 3.1-inch high-resolution display ensures clear visibility in all lighting scenarios, presenting critical information at a glance. This blend of lightweight design and advanced functionality ensures The One is a trusted extension of the rider’s performance.

The One sets a new standard in cycling technology and design. Every element, from its precision-machined aluminum body to its aerodynamic mounting system, reflects the meticulous care and thought that went into its creation. Key features include:

– Seamless Design Continuity: Aluminum housing and brackets flow together flawlessly.
– Thoughtful Charging Solution: The sculpted pedestal charger elevates both the device and the experience.
– Optimized Aerodynamics: Perfect alignment ensures zero added drag.
– Effortless Usability: Three tactile buttons enable full control without distraction.

To this day, the Bang & Olufsen BeoSound Ouverture sits proudly in the Absolute Cycling office, serving as a symbol of the inspiration and ambition that guided us in crafting The One. It reminds us that when design and technology come together, extraordinary things happen.

Discover more about this design journey at Valeur Designers.

Setting up a route on The One is refreshingly simple. Upload your .gpx file directly from your mobile device—whether it’s sent via WhatsApp, email, or a cloud drive like Google Drive. You can plan routes in advance from the comfort of your smartphone without needing The One powered on. Once saved, routes are securely stored in the Absolute Cycling cloud and will automatically sync to The One the next time it’s powered on, via Bluetooth or WiFi.

When you’re ready to ride, The One streamlines the experience further: a single tap gives you instant access to start your route, or even a specific planned route for the day. No digging through menus or hunting for favorites—The One eliminates pre-ride hassle so you can dive straight into the experience.

Planning routes ahead also eliminates last-minute stress. Whether gearing up for a tour with friends or a personal adventure, you’ll avoid the common scramble of loading a route at the last moment—a relief for many cyclists accustomed to setup headaches.

Once on the road, The One’s navigation is designed to guide you intuitively. If you’re not at the route’s starting point, it automatically calculates the best way to join your planned route. You can even pick up the route mid-way, and The One will guide you seamlessly from your current position, adjusting for the intended direction of travel.

And if you deviate from your planned route? No problem. The One instantly recalculates a logical, cyclist-specific route to get you back on track—no distractions, no prompts. It just works.

Approaching turns is as smooth as it gets. The One alerts you 300 meters before each turn with a subtle beep and displays the next move. If there’s another turn soon after, you’ll see that too—allowing for anticipatory, uninterrupted navigation. This information is presented as a dropdown header across all screens, ensuring you never miss a direction, even if you’re checking other data like elevation profiles.

With a focus on rapid glance recognition, the navigation screen is tailored for instant orientation. A bright red marker indicates your current position and direction, while the minimalist map design, developed through iterative testing, ensures clarity with high-contrast colors and essential information only. This lets you recognize your location and route in a fraction of a second, minimizing screen time and keeping your focus on the road.

To enhance flexibility, The One provides two zoom levels when you’re riding without a route and three when a route is active, offering views ranging from immediate surroundings to a comprehensive overview. Using the app, you can quickly install any map to The One. After selecting a map, The One downloads it automatically over WiFi in just minutes. This minimalistic design choice ensures clarity without overcomplicating the experience, empowering you to navigate confidently without fiddling with settings mid-ride.

With The One, navigation becomes a part of your natural rhythm on the road. It’s more than a device; it’s an intuitive riding companion that removes friction from your journey, ensuring every ride is smooth, safe, and completely your own.

Imagine starting your route on a flat, serene road. As the incline begins, the landscape shifts to a fresh Green (0-3,4%), indicating a gentle climb. The path gets steeper, transitioning to Yellow (3,5-6,9%) as your heart rate quickens, before hitting Orange (7-10,4%)—the moment when you know you’re truly in for a workout. And for those legendary climbs above 10,5%, you’ll see the tough Red (10,5-13,9%) and Purple (>14%) emerge—your badge of honor. 

This new color gradient doesn’t just look beautiful—it allows you to feel the changes in elevation, helping you prepare mentally and physically for what lies ahead.

We’ve fine-tuned the steps between elevation meters. Now, the steps between incline levels are more consistent, giving you a clearer sense of what to expect as you conquer each climb. Whether you’re planning your next adventure or just curious about how long that last hill was, the updated height profile is designed to help you navigate your ride with confidence. Here’s to your next great climb—brighter, clearer, and more manageable with The One.

In addition to the height profile improvements, we’re introducing two major updates that make route planning and navigation more flexible:

Gone are the days of navigating through multiple steps to load a route. You can now open GPX files from anywhere on your device—be it your file manager, email or a messaging app—and they will automatically open in the App. This feature saves you time and makes it easier to load new routes.

Sometimes plans change and now The One is designed to adapt. You can replan an already existing ride in your app’s calendar before starting the ride. Whether you need to adjust the date, this feature gives you the flexibility to modify your planning in the calendar.

At Absolute Cycling, we’re always looking for ways to enhance your riding experience, and these new features are just the beginning. From clearer elevation tracking to more flexible route planning, The One is designed to be your ultimate cycling companion. 

At Absolute Cycling, we believe your ride should be your primary focus. The One delivers precisely the right feedback, exactly when you need it—without pulling your attention away from the road or trail. The core function of a cycling computer is simple yet essential: you, the rider, are delivering a performance. And during your ride, you want that effort validated. We break this down into a few key questions:

• Where am I?
• Where can I go?
• How fast am I going?
• How fast can I go?

Here’s how we make it happen:

The One features a spacious 3.1-inch display with the highest resolution on the market, but we focus on showing only the essentials. No cluttered symbols or extra icons—just the information you truly need, keeping your attention on the road. Generous white space ensures your eyes find the data effortlessly, without searching for it.

We chose DIN 1451 for all metrics on The One. This font, originally designed for road signs, ensures easy reading even in motion—ideal for quickly understanding your ride data. Using this font consistently across all texts and numbers, users can absorb the information with minimal effort, staying focused on the ride.

Our colors, from maps to metrics, are carefully selected for readability. We use highly saturated tones to make key details stand out, combined with a strong contrast ratio to highlight important changes like elevation or route differences. This approach is grounded in cognitive ergonomics, helping your brain process data faster.

When navigating, it’s crucial to confirm you’re on the right path and see what lies ahead. Our maps are built for cyclists, providing clear, distraction-free guidance. We use intuitive, universally recognizable colors: blue for water, light green for fields, dark green for forests, gray for urban areas, and striped lines for train tracks. These familiar cues make it easy to understand your surroundings at a glance, letting you stay focused on your ride.

The controls of The One are designed to keep you focused on the road or trail, not the device. We chose not to include a touchscreen because swiping and tapping demand your attention, turning the device into a distraction. A touchscreen often leads to a desire for more in-ride features, shifting focus away from the ride.

With The One, there’s no compromise on advanced features—they’re all available but accessed in a streamlined way. Three simple buttons let you scroll through screens, zoom in and out, and start or stop a ride. That’s it. All other settings are managed through our app before you start riding, so you interact less with the device during your ride. The result is a calmer, safer, and more focused experience, with the assurance that the information you need is always right where you need it.

Picture this: you’re mid-climb, feeling the burn as the gradient increases and the mountain pushes back. In that moment, you want to know exactly how steep the climb is and how high you’ve already ascended. That real-time confirmation motivates you to push harder, to give everything until you reach the summit. At Absolute Cycling, we understand how crucial that information is. That’s why we developed AAT—an advanced technology that uses sensor fusion to provide pinpoint accuracy, even when GPS and barometric signals are weak. With AAT, you’re always in control, knowing exactly what lies ahead.

What sets AAT apart is how we seamlessly combine multiple sensors to achieve unmatched precision. By integrating GPS, a barometer, gyroscope, accelerometer, magnetic compass, and a dynamic bicycle model, we deliver incredibly accurate altitude and gradient data—whether you’re navigating dense forests, mountainous terrain, or areas with limited GPS coverage. This advanced sensor fusion ensures real-time, reliable data, no matter the conditions.

When tackling steep climbs, precision is key. AAT offers a grade accuracy with just a 1% margin of error, significantly outperforming the competition, which can deviate by up to 4%. With AAT, you always have a clear and accurate understanding of the gradient, allowing you to adjust your effort and pacing accordingly.

Accuracy isn’t just about precision; speed matters too. AAT provides gradient updates with just a 2-second delay, compared to delays of up to 8 seconds in competing systems. This near-instant feedback keeps you in control of your ride at all times, helping you react swiftly to changing terrain.

AAT maintains an altitude deviation of only 1%, ensuring you get the most reliable data on total ascent and descent. Competing systems often show deviations as high as 9%, but with AAT, you can trust your data, whether you’re tackling a long climb or descending fast.

Our breakthrough in altitude and gradient accuracy wasn’t achieved alone. We collaborated with the renowned research institute Flanders Make to push the boundaries of cycling technology. Together, we’ve developed a system that offers unparalleled performance.

At Absolute Cycling, we’re driven by innovation and performance. AAT is a testament to our commitment to delivering the best cycling technology, developed in collaboration with experts and continually improved through rigorous testing. With AAT, you’re equipped with the most accurate data available to enhance your ride, every time.