Where it began
Hi! I’m Willy and I founded Saddle Sense during my MSc at King's. Before cycling to campus each morning, my days followed a strict rhythm. After a hurried dog walk, I’d check pollution forecasts and traffic estimates to piece together my best route. As an asthmatic who loves the efficiency of my road bike, I loathed this process. It was time-intensive, ineffective, and - in my eyes - easily solvable.
So, I repurposed an air quality monitor, wrapped it in a takeaway food box, and set out to find a better way. For months, I carried this makeshift device - which eventually transformed into a proper bike attachment thanks to Mr Oo in the JBT lab - and analysed every trip. After several months of data collection, I found a clear correlation between measured air quality and the days my asthma symptoms flared. This connection between air quality data as a relief for my asthma has motivated the project ever since.
Why it matters
The health stakes are sobering. Research shows that poor air quality shortens the average lifespan by two years, and 30 per cent of pollution exposure occurs during commuting (2). Globally, over eight million lives are lost to air pollution each year (3). These figures underscore a clear need: higher-resolution data that doesn't just highlight pollution, but lets you identify, anticipate, and respond to it in real-time.
After nearly 1 million data points (4), early results suggest that our route adjustments can help cyclists lower their pollution exposure by 20-70% compared to non-pollution adjusted routes. This suggests that cycling - with proper route guidance - is the cleanest way to commute, both in terms of environmental considerations as well as health. Health and longevity benefits aside, testers have enjoyed the challenge of ‘filling in’ their local areas to get higher quality routing suggestions- preferring data collection over sitting in traffic!
Cycling with Saddle Sense is a rare win-win; users avoid more pollution, contribute fewer emissions by choosing active travel, and help create a dataset for the benefit of their community. In fewer words - it’s a no brainer. But don’t take my word for it; check out these studies on the relationship between cycling, stress levels (5) and happiness (6).
How it works
Saddle Sense replaces your standard bike light with a compact sensor that monitors air quality as you ride. Through the mobile app, developed by co-founder Mark Taylor, users can view real-time data from their sensor, review summaries of past commutes, and track exposure over time. As users cycle, anonymised measurements are aggregated to create detailed, street-by-street maps.
Beyond new visualisations, our routing engine ensures cyclists find & use the lowest-pollution routes. By habitually taking these cleaner paths, users can reduce their risk of health complications associated with poor air quality. Given the crowdsourced nature of the data, the more you cycle, the better the maps become for you and your fellow cyclists.
Get involved
Saddle Sense thrives as a community-driven network, and there are several ways to contribute. We are currently seeking beta testers - keen cyclists who want to help shape the technology. We're also looking for engineering students interested in solving real-world problems in 3D design, hardware prototyping, and production scaling.
Currently, sensors are available free of charge thanks to funding from the Sustainability Projects Fund (SPF). Over three separate funding rounds, the SPF saw our project go from infancy to real-world testing. The application provided the structure to distill our vision into concrete milestones. Beyond the actual funding, backing from the SPF gave us credibility to approach our next partnership and - eventually - our first client conversations. After two successful rounds, we were told we’d outgrown the fund- a sign we have risen to the challenges of starting a business. Thank you to the SPF for this experience!
If you'd like to get involved - as a tester, collaborator, or partner - reach out to the Saddle Sense team directly. We are always looking for feedback!
Find out more about Saddle Sense
Sources
1) Environmental Research Group, 2023
2) AQLI, 2023
3) State of Global Air, 2024
4) Consisting of PM1, 2.5 and 10. Particulate matter (PM) is classified by size in micrometres — smaller particles penetrate deeper into the lungs. Rule of thumb: smaller particles (PM1) = higher potential for negative health impact.
5) Bike commuting & stress levels
6) Cycling and happiness