News

Is this the world’s fastest bicycle?

So Rohan Dennis broke the Hour Record, riding 32.61 miles. Now some kids from the University of Liverpool aim to nearly triple that.

Okay… not on a bicycle exactly, it’s a super aerodynamic, fully enclosed recumbent bicycle.

University of Liverpool (UK) students are going to take a crack at the Human Powered Vehicle (HPV) record, with their machine ARION1.

The record currently stands at an impressive 83.13 mph, set by Dutch students last year.

The “pilot” of the ARION1, former Olympic silver medalist Rob Hayles, will accelerate for 4.5 miles and then strive to pump out 850 watts for the last half mile to take ARION1, and himself, into the record books.

And they’re not just looking to break the record, the plan is to smash it and take it up to 89 mph. If Hayles succeeds, it will be the world’s fastest, human-powered bicycle.

Read more: http://www.cyclingweekly.co.uk/news/latest-news/rob-hayles-chosen-pilot-human-powered-vehicle-record-attempt-156613

News

Is This the Most Aerodynamic Bike Ever Made?

Look says “yes.”

It’s the 2015 Look 795 Aerolight.

Technical Data on Look 795 Aerolight

FRAME / FORK

  • 795 AEROLIGHT / HSC 8 AERO

HEADSET

  • LOOK HEADFIT 3

SEAT POST

  • LOOK E-POST 2

CRANKSET

  • ZED 2 BB 65 LOOK 50 X 34 CHAINRINGS

SPROCKET

  • SHIMANO DURA ACE 11S 11X28 9000

BRAKES / SHIFT LEVERS

  • SHIMANO DURA ACE DI2 2X11S 9070

REAR DERAILLEUR

  • SHIMANO DURA ACE DI2 9070

FRONT DERAILLEUR

  • SHIMANO DURA ACE DI2 9070 BRAZED ON

CHAIN

  • SHIMANO DURA ACE 9000 11S

BRAKE ARMS

  • FRONT = INTEGRATED LOOK AERO BRAKES // REAR = SHIMANO DURA ACE DIRECT MOUNT 9010

SADDLE

  • SELLE ITALIA SLR MONOLINK

HANDLEBAR

  • 3T ERGONOVA TEAM STEALTH CARBON

STEM

  • LOOK AEROSTEM

RIBBON

  • LOOK GRIP

PEDALS

  • LOOK KEO BLADE 2

WHEELS

  • LIGHTWEIGHT CARBON CLINCHER MEILENSTEIN

TIRES

  • CONTINENTAL GRAND PRIX ATTACK 2 700X22 FRT // CONTINENTAL GRAND PRIX FORCE 700X24 RR

ACCESSORIES

  • BIKE COVER + INTERNAL BATTERY + USB CHARGER

WEIGHT

  • 6,17 KG (SIZE M – WITHOUT PEDALS)
New Cycling Gear

The Stringbike

Here at Velo Logic, we love creative thinking that the shatters preconceived notions of how a traditional component works or looks.

Today, here’s a quick look at a fresh new conception of the drivetrain.

We’ve seen chains, we’ve seen belts, we’ve seen direct drive, but we’ve never seen a string drive.

Stringbike - the carbon time trial versionWhat are the Advantages of the Stringbike?

Well here’s what they say on the Stringbike site, and I quote:

  • Silky smooth and almost silent riding experience
  • Less maintenance, fewer parts to malfunction, long-lasting high efficiency
  • No loose, broken, lost or rattling chains
  • No lubrication, oil, rust or dirty hands – clean bike, clean hands, clean clothes, clean environment
  • No chance of derailleurs going wrong and needing servicing
  • No costly chain and drive-system maintenance
  • Fewer bike parts exposed to possible damage while riding
  • Noticeably easier to climb uphill than with conventional bikes thanks to special riding characteristics of the drive
  • Almost continuous shifting through 19 gears, easily controlled by a single handle grip
  • Quick and easy removal of the rear wheel makes fixing flat tyres clean and hassle-free
  • The strings can be changed easily, without any tools in few minutes.

Bicycle Racing Poster

Bicycle Racing Cycling Poster QuoteOff the Front - beautiful cycling poster on wooden panel. This is a unique work of art, with an original graphic design,  printed on superior quality birch wood. Choose from 10 sizes and create a statement piece that’s perfect for your office or your home. Ready to stand, or hang.

 

A basic StringbikeNo doubt it’s clever, unusual, creative, and it has some advantages… but I’d like to see a side-by-side comparison in terms of speed and efficiency, something like the results of riding traditional vs stringbike in a few 10-40 km time trials.

Nevertheless, interesting concept! What do you think?

Learn more about how the Stringbike technology works

New Cycling Gear

Denny Utility Bicycle – Ready to Go

There’s a lot of new concept bike ideas in the works, I have mentioned a few, just last week I wrote about the DuBike.

Well there’s a pretty cool one that is going to be available soon, this year in fact. It’s the Denny Utility Bicycle and will be produced by Fuji bikes.

denny-utility-bicycle-1The basic idea behind the Denny is convenience. This bike is a workhorse, ready to go when you are, no fussing about.

 

Here’s some of the highlights:

• The handlebar does double duty as a lock
• Automatic gear shifting
• Electric power assist
• Fully-integrated, turn signals, head and brake lights
• Auto-on lights that react to natural light conditions
• Safety lights that flood light onto the road around the bike

Here’s a video of the Denny in action

And if you fancy one… sign up on Fujibikes.com  to be notified when it’s available.

News

Bike of the Future? The DuBike

A lot of progress comes from integration. By that I mean the taking of ideas, materials, and technology from various diverse fields and putting it all together.

Think of the smartphone, the phone itself is now an afterthought, the device is actually a powerful computer, camera, calendar, diary, clock, calculator, fitness log, newspaper,  camera… and that’s just from looking at my home screen.

Bike of the Future?

Futuristic Bicycle So where will the humble bicycle be in a few years? Up until recently it’s been a purely mechanical machine. Now we’re seeing the integration of electronics with things like Shimano’s electronic shifters, and wireless technology with SRAM testing wireless shifters.  Of course there’s our smartphones that has become our cycling computers… then there’s the emerging wearable technology.

What will the bike of the future look like? It might look something like the DuBike from Baidu (the Google of China)

A few of the features built in to the bike include:

  • Fitness guidance based on your on-bike performance, speed, cadence, heart rate, etc.
  • Built in GPS beacon so you always know where your bike is.
  • Built in navigation – left and right arrows tell you when to turn. It also optimizes your route.
  • Social Networking – connects you with other cyclists

Another stage of progress is automation. Perhaps it won’t be too long before we have a smart bike with cruise mode, where it shifts automatically based on data it has collected about you and your historical performance.

Learn more about the DuBike

News

Pssst! Here’s the Ideal Gift for the Cyclist in Your Life

Ideal gift for cyclistsYou know cyclists… they only ever have one thing on their minds. The bike. They wake up thinking about it, they daydream about it, and they go to sleep dreaming about it. Cycling consumes them, every day, every hour, it’s on their minds the whole time.

And when they’re on the bike they’re thinking about time… how much time it will take to finish the ride, how many seconds to the group ahead, how many minutes is the group behind… and so on.

Well now you can get the perfect gift for the cyclist in your life, the watch that reminds him of his passion, and lets him know the time.

Better… this watch is a classic, stainless steel, watch of quality, with a touch of whimsy.

Excellent quality watch! Has heft and feel of expensive stainless steel quartz wrist watches. Solid construction and good looks. – Tom Palmer

This is the gift that your cyclist will love you for, every time he glances at its face.

Get the Time to Ride Watch

 

 

News

Francois Gissy Sets a New “Bicycle” World Speed Record

This is kinda stretching the meaning of “bicycle” a bit…

The Swiss “Rocket Man” François Gissy has set a new bicycle speed record of 333 km/h (207 mph) on the rocket-propelled bicycle at Circuit Paul Ricard located in the South of France. The “bicycle” was designed by Gissy’s friend, Arnold Neracher.

Looks like just the thing to make me competitive at the local time trial again.

New Cycling Gear

Radical Design, Affordable Price

Updated: November 21, 2014. The Epo Bicycle designer, Bob Schiller, wrote in to clarify that the bicycle is still in the conceptual phase, and that the retail price has not been determined. If it comes to market Bob estimates the price will be around $1,500. Bob’s goal is to design a bike that can be produced in the Netherlands for a similar price to producing a bike in China or Taiwan. The article below has been updated to reflect these points.

Here’s an interesting new bicycle, the Epo, from Dutch designer Bob Schiller.

Why another bicycle design?

Every single person in the Netherlands cycles; even our prime minister uses his bike to get to work. Cycling is part of our culture and it has been for centuries. However, an affordable, contemporary Dutch bicycle disappeared from our streets.

A bicycle is a labour intensive product. For this reason, almost all bicycle manufactures moved  their production to China or Taiwan. Epo revives the local industry and brings production back to the Netherlands.

-Bob Schiller, www.epobicycles.com

The Epo Bicycle with belt driveBob Schiller’s goal is to produce a bicycle in the Netherlands for a similar price of producing a bike in China or Taiwan. The bike is still in the conceptual phase, but if and when it comes to market it will be in the region of $1,500.

Bicycle Technology: Epo Bicycle Front Fork and DiskThe bike has a pressed metal frame made from aluminum.  Two molded sheets are spot welded together.

There is a single fork leg on the front, and a single stay for the rear wheel. The single stay and fork allow the tires to be changed without the wheel being removed from the bike. The Epo also has disk brakes and is a belt drive.

Learn more about the Epo: http://www.epobicycles.com

New Cycling Gear, News

Orfos Flare Bicycle Light

I used to ride at night a lot! Twice a week I’d do the local hammerfest and then ride solo for another 3 hrs. I loved riding at night, it was cooler, quieter, and so I thought… much safer.

After all, I could see the cars coming a mile away thanks to their lights, and they could see me as I had bright front and rear lights. And I rode for years without incident.

One night that naive assumption was shattered when I had a very close call. The road snaked in such a way that my light was not visible until too late. and I came close to being whacked. I wonder if I would have been much more visible had I had something like the Orfos Flares bike light. I think so.

What is the Orfos Flare?

The Orfos Flare is an LED light that emits a glow in 360 degrees, rather than a directional beam like a traditional bike light does. The case surrounding the LED diffuses the light.

What this means is that (part of) the rider and the surrounding environment is lit, making the rider more visible.

The lights are also completely waterproof… just in case you encounter a deluge of Biblical proportions.

orfos-flare-light-1

A cool feature is that the lights attach to the bike magnetically. There is a mount that you attach to your bike with cable ties, and then the light magnetically sticks to the mounting, so you can quickly attach and remove the lights as needed.

The lights run on a rechargeable battery, and are charged via a micro USB port. Apparently, you can get 24 hrs of light from a 90 min charge. Not bad.

The inventor is Pete Clyde, an electrical engineer, and he plans to have the lights shipping by Christmas.

The Monkey Light will do something similar, it’s available right now – check it out: The Monkey Light – cycling safety light

Learn more about the Orfos Flare Light or check it out on Kickstarter.