The Siva Atom: Bicycle USB Charger & Battery Pack

Installed in 5 minutes and it began charging my phone as soon as I started to ride! Excellent product - Well worth the money!

We have to return this product because it would not work on any of our bikes.

Purchased this and it worked for a little while. I took a quick 18 mile trip around town right after I got it and I loved it. It kept my phone charged while the screen and location services where turned on with no problem. Fast forward a couple of weeks later and on the Great Allegheny Passage... Halfway through the second day this thing was making terrible grinding and clunking noises, and the resistance had VERY noticeably increased. Not good while pedaling uphill to the Eastern Continental Divide with a full load of camping gear, etc. Once I took it off the bike (which admittedly this thing is very easy to install and remove), I no longer felt like I was trying to pull a house up the hill. The GAP trail is very well maintained and smooth, so it was not getting beat up under rough conditions.I have returned this item, and will not be replacing it. While I really like the concept of what this thing is and can do, it seems like it is not rugged enough for real world usage. I had less that 75 miles on the item before the problems started. I am giving it two stars only because I do like the idea of it, but not the implementation.

The Silva Atom does exactly what it says....it does a great job of charging my iPhone while riding my bike. I can use my Endomondo app and listen to my music at the same time and my iPhone stays charged even on longer rides. I did not attempt to install it myself as I don't like to mess with the brakes on my bike. A local bike shop charged me around $25 to install. It does make some noise at higher speeds.

For what it is, it does charge up its attached battery. I really digged the idea enough to follow Siva from its inception. I've received it, used it about ten rides, put it away, and pulled it out hoping that my initial impressions and disappointment was unwarranted. Now with more thorough testing, I can confidently write this review not recommending it to anyone.1) It has significant drag. Another reviewer noted it's probably in the region of knocking off a tooth or two on your rear cog; I would place it more in the region of 3~5 teeth. I found that I couldn't get to my 11 cog without pushing out a LOT more power than I usually do. To give you a frame of reference, I am a stickler for smooth turning wheels, so my wheels are exceptionally true. Bearings are re-packed and overhauled every three months or so. A casual flip of the wrist on the wheel will keep it turning for a good 30~ seconds, if not more. With these installed, the wheel will come to a complete stop in about ten seconds, maximum. It feels like riding into a moderate headwind, constantly. This is me riding on a lightweight road bike, however. If you're riding on a heavier bike, the speed penalty might not be as noticeable (when I put this on my touring frame, the resistance seemed much less noticeable, but then the bike overall is rather heavy) I don't know if I have a defective copy, but the electric whine the generator creates only increases with speed. If you're riding a road bike at speeds of 20kmh+ on a regular basis, it's going to be annoying. Honestly, takes away much of the joy of riding.And that could be acceptable, if...2) The battery actually charged devices at a reasonable speed. The 800mA output is ridiculously slow. The slow device chargers that you might have frustration with charging your phone generally do so at 1A. The faster chargers generally put out 2A. It's so ridiculous to the point certain phones actually can't be charged at all while it's on and being used. If you're fine with leaving your phone off for 20 min while you're at a cafe, and only getting a 10~15% charge boost, then this would be ideal. Even if you left the damn thing overnight, the meager capacity of 1650mAh is quite small as well, considering that large phone batteries these days run 2500mAh~3700mAh. It's a lesson in frustration. I've resorted to just keeping a 10,000 mAh external battery pack in my saddle bag in a waterproof container at all times. Charge it once, forget about it. I went on a week-long tour where I just took 2 10,000 mAh battery packs (total came to ~$40 USD) and charged them up when I ate at a restaurant of when I wasn't camping.and lastly...3) No customer service?The extender USB hub never worked. Dead on arrival. Which would've been fine, except they made the port on the top recessed enough that a regular USB charger can't fit in. I contacted Siva Cycles, and have not received a reply in a week. When I was placing my additional order last year, they took TWO WEEKS to reply to an inquiry about the very issue.Misc: If you're using your phone to record GPS data (such as GPS) and have data network attached with push notifications on, you know how fast your phone battery will drain. In my experience, on a Galaxy Note 4, Galaxy S7, and iPhone 6S, a 2A external battery pack will just about keep your phone hovering around the same percentage. In other words, a 800mA output isn't going to charge your phone; it'll only slow down the drain.If you're actually in the middle of NOWHERE, then MAYBE I'd recommend this. If you're planning to be in the middle of nowhere, away from all electric sockets, however, I might suggest a solar panel setup or a dynamo hub instead. What the Siva outperforms in weight savings it takes back in resistance.Overall: It's not going to save the environment. I thought I would enjoy it enough to eventually offset the cost -- now it sits off my bike, useless. The 1650mAh external battery may seem some use, but the build is quite flimsy.

Gave to my son and he really likes it.

When I first read about the idea I fell in love with the possibilities. I was one of the people that pre-ordered and waited the better part of a year for it to arrive. In the mean time I purchased a USB battery pack that keeps my phone display going for about 10 hours ( I use my phone with the Topeak PanoBike speed cadence and heart rate sensors) When the unit came I admit it sat in the box for six months. Well I finally put it on and installation was straight forward and simple. The first test ride was a 3.8 mile quick trip down the road a bit and back, the unit worked great. Then I headed off to the Perkiomen rail trail, 7 miles in the unit stopped charging along with a grinding sound from the rear wheel. The unit had seized and broke the white plastic hub that messes with the wheel. I removed the unit on the trail and dropped it in my tail pack. When I got home I looked a bit closer, and it appears that the seal on the bearings was torn allowing trail dust to get into the bearing assembly. I contacted support just before writing this review and I am waiting to hear back. I will update this review with their reply.Sorry for the delay in my update, I received a reply in a day and sent the unit back. About ten days later I had received a new unit. I have been away and not able to install the unit to complete my review. At this point it will have to wait for spring. so far great company to work with! Reply came first thing the next day, Mike from Siva Cycle contacted me and asked a few questions. He then promptly emailed me a return address shipping label along with a RMA number. Their customer support is excellent and they stand behind their product, a rare find these days. I will again post an update when the replacement unit arrives. I will take it for a good 40 to 50 mile spin and let everyone know how it goes.