Powering GPS Tracking for Pedal Bikes in Shared Fleets

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October 24, 2025

As bike share systems expand across Europe, the spotlight often falls on electric bikes. Yet, according to EY’s recent report “Return on Investment in Bike Sharing Schemes” (October 2025), mechanical pedal bikes still represent 79% of the 438,400 shared bikes operating across 30 countries in Europe — including the EU-27, the UK, Switzerland, and Norway. In North America, mechanical pedal bikes represent 51% of the bike share fleet according to “NABSA 2024 State of the Industry report”, published in August 2025. 

Managing and understanding the usage of these bikes remains just as critical — but it’s not always easy when they don’t have their own onboard battery.

Connected Cycle bridges that gap with innovative GPS and telematics solutions powered entirely by the bike itself.

Smart GPS Tracking Without battery limitation

Connected Cycle’s cc521 and ccW devices have been designed specifically to work with pedal bikes in shared fleets. Both systems can be indefinitely powered by the bike’s dynamo, removing the need for costly charging operations.

This self-sufficient power model makes GPS tracking viable for large fleets of pedal bikes, reducing maintenance time and ensuring consistent data collection.

cc521: Fleet Management and Theft Recovery

The cc521 provides real-time geolocation, capturing each bike’s position at the start and end of every ride, along with mileage data.

Operators use this information to:

• Locate and recover missing or stolen bikes faster
• Monitor fleet distribution across stations
• Ensure bikes are properly used and returned

By integrating the cc521 data into a fleet management platform, operators gain a continuous overview of the system’s health and usage patterns.

ccW: Data Logging for System Planning, Heatmap and Beyond

The ccW focuses on ride analytics rather than real-time tracking. It records detailed trip data and automatically exports it to Connected Cycle cloud.

This makes it ideal for:

• Urban planners and municipalities, who can analyze aggregated trip data to understand how people move through the city and make data-driven infrastructure decisions, such as building new bike lanes.
• Shared mobility operators, who can use these insights to optimize station placement and expand their network efficiently
• Shared mobility operators offering ads on bikes; they can provide heatmaps and mileage of the branded bikes to advertisers and brands.

These applications turn ride data into actionable insights for both public and private stakeholders.

A Sustainable Solution for Sustainable Mobility

Because both cc521 and ccW are powered by the bike’s own dynamo, they eliminate the need for charging operations — one of the main logistical challenges in fleet management.

The result: a low-maintenance, energy-independent telematics system that scales easily across thousands of bikes.

Why It Matters

As cities and operators continue to invest in sustainable transport, data and visibility are key. Connected Cycle’s solutions give operators the tools they need to manage their pedal bike fleets as efficiently as their e-bikes — all without compromising sustainability.

Learn More

Discover how Connected Cycle’s dynamo-powered telematics can transform your pedal bike fleet:

📄 Download the cc521 datasheet – Real-time geolocation for fleet management and theft recovery

📄 Download the ccW datasheet – Ride analytics and automated trip data export for urban insights

📅 Book a meeting with Ludovic Privat, Sales Director – Discuss your project and get a tailored recommendation

bike share

cc521

ccW