Tag Archives: bicycle

New Cycling Gear, News

Trefecta e-Bike

About Trefecta

The Trefecta claims a new category of vehicles. Through advanced engineering and intelligent design we aim to develop unsurpassed excellence. The unique interaction between design, power and function results in a multi-purposed vehicle. Ultimately, providing a riding experience, freedom of any constraints and customized to every need.

This drive for innovation is also shown in Trefecta’s business model. A unique product needs a unique strategy. It starts with the aim of representing the ultimate value proposition in premium eMobility solutions. This is to be achieved in a multi-channel clicks and bricks strategy where a mix of in- and outsourced resources gives widespread technology and know-how. This allows a highly efficient development process in time and cost, and lets class and quality precede volume.

Learn more at www.trefectamobility.com

Cycling Tips, New Cycling Gear, News

Great Gifts for Cyclists

Unique gifts ideas for the cyclist and health and fitness enthusiast in your life

Here’s a few gift ideas for the favorite cyclist in your life…

Cycling Christmas Cards

Cycling Christmas Card
Stand out from the crowd with a unique and fun Christmas card that pays homage to the widespread popularity of cycling. Save when you buy 10 or more.

“The Amazing Bicycle” Wood Wall Art

Cycling Wood Wall Art - Unique gifts for cyclists
Your guests will  gravitate towards it, cyclists and non-cyclists alike. Striking and thought provoking, it rekindles the wonder in the simple but efficient bicycle.

“The Amazing Bicycle” Stone Coasters

Cycling Coaster - bicycle coasters make your drinks taste better.
The bicycle is a truly an amazing machine, and these stylish stone coasters capture it perfectly and add a touch of class and fun to any room. Choose from a range of stones so you can get the look you want, rugged or refined. Available in marble, limestone, travertine, and sandstone.

“The Amazing Bicycle” Tshirts

Cycling Tshirt with Striking Vintage Illustration
Rekindle the fascination of the humble bicycle with this striking and thought-provoking design. Available in light and dark designs.

The Perfect Watch for Cyclists

Custom cycling watch, stainless steel
Keep your priorities straight with this watch reminding you it’s “always time to ride”.

iPhone 6 Tough Case

Tough Xtreme iPhone 6 Case for Cyclists
Our most popular item, so popular you’ll wish you’d bought two, one to gift and one for yourself.


Long Sleeve Tee Shirt

Great Gifts for Cyclists - cycling christmas cards, tshirts, watches and more....
This lightweight but warm tee is perfect for lounging around or a casual night out.

Complete Bike Repair and Maintenance Video Course

Ultimate Bicycle Repair and Maintenance Video Course
Get quick access to an video encyclopedia of bicycle repairs that covers you in every situation, and teaches you insider’s tips and short cuts used by the pros. And if you’ve ever considered becoming a pro bike mechanic, then this comprehensive library of videos from pro bike mechanics covers everything you need to know, from road bikes to mountain bikes and more.

Visit the Velo Logic store for more cycling gift ideas…

New Cycling Gear

Superman for the Masses: The Bird of Prey Bicycle

Is this the fastest bike you’ll ever ride?

Bird of Prey Bicycles think so, and bill it as much. Bird of Prey offer custom, superman-style bicycles for the masses. Now you too can be like Boardman.

The Bird of Prey is the brainchild of architect John Aldridge but it languished in anonymity until bike builder Russ Denny built a prototype in 2010, and thus began the journey from vision to reality.

The bike was launched in September 2015, and Bird of Prey are now taking orders.

The Bird of Prey Bicycle sports a 60 tooth rear sprocket driving a 36-11 up front.

Key Benefits of the Bike

Bird of Prey say this bike is:

  • the fastest bicycle for racing & triathlons (if it’s legal! -Editor)
  • Aerodynamic
  • Have a low center of gravity
  • Great for cross-training
  • You’ll never go over the handlebars
  • End your lower back pain or discomfort
  • Custom fit for exactly for you

The bike frame is aluminum, no word on the weight. It sports a 60 tooth big ring and a 36-11 cassette. Bird of Prey say the 60T is easy to turn and the position does not inhibit high cadence spinning up hills.

The Bird of Prey: Gets You Low and Aero

Questions About the Bike

I have not ridden the bike but from looking at the radical position I wonder if the “easing of back pain” might be replaced with stomach or hip discomfort.

There may also be additional stress on your neck as your torso is now more horizontal than on a traditional bike. At the very least I think the bike would take some adapting to.

What would be really interesting is to do some testing for aerodynamics, speed, climbing, etc. Bird of Prey claim that you can apply more torque in this position so the 60T ring is easy to turn. Well that’s really interesting, how about some numbers?

Learn more about the Bird of Prey Bicycle

News

The Bicycle Capital of the USA

There’s a small town in California, where… “if you squint you could be in the Netherlands.”

That’s because, like in the Netherlands, bikes are everywhere:

“In most American cities, the modal share for cycling struggles to reach 2%; in Davis it’s 20%. That’s well on the bike path to 25%, the average modal share for cycling in the Netherlands.”

But it looks like Davis, CA is about to lose its title as “the bicycle capital of America,” as Boulder Colorado is snapping at its wheels.

Read full article at The Guardian: Davis, California, the American City Which Fell in Love with the Bicycle

Related:  50 Places to Bike Before You Die

Cycling Gear Reviews, News

Clever Low Tech Light for Your Bike

Here’s a neat little accessory that won’t cost you an arm and a leg.

Sigma have brought out a rear brake light for cyclists. It’s small, simple to install, and no fancy gimmicks… it won’t even tweet or post to Facebook that you slowed down. It attaches to your brake cable and is mechanically triggered when the brake calipers tighten. Simple.

Big advantage… the battery will last forever, well at least for months. They say 100,000 illuminations. Depending on how heavy you are on the brakes, that’s a long time.

Sigma’s $10 Brakelight

http://www.sigmasportstore.com/Sigma-Sport-Brake-Light-p/brakelight.htm

New Cycling Gear, News

World’s First 3D Printed Bike Frame

The difference between a successful person and others is not a lack of strength, not a lack of knowledge, but rather a lack of will. – Vince Lombardi

—–

World’s First 3D Printed Bike Frame

It’s a titanium alloy mountain bike from Empire Cycles. It consists of titanium alloy printed parts glued together.

3D printing is in its infancy… and expensive, so why do it? Well the big reason is that they can custom make intricate parts that are super light yet super strong. They do this by refining the design to remove any bits that are not contributing to the strength of the part.

Other advantages over traditional manufacturing:

Weight savings, traditional titanium frame weights 4.63 lbs, the 3D printed version 3.09 lbs – a weight saving of 33%

Lot more freedom in design, not limited to gluing tubes or molded segments together.

Design can be modified easily, you basically just edit a 3D model

Rapid prototyping and iteration, create and test designs quickly

There’s a lot more interesting stuff they can do too, such as print the actual serial number into the frame, or your name, or an RFID chip for identification. I imagine sponsors would love to have their logos printed into the frame.

The 3D frame cost $31,000 so don’t expect to buy one off the shelf anytime soon. Until then use a name sticker like everyone else.

http://empire-cycles.com/article.php?xArt=31

Cycling Tips

Become a Bicycle Ninja

Yesterday I mentioned Dave’s crazy sale on his bike maintenance course, which teaches insider’s tips and short cuts from pro bike mechanics, and it can save you a ton of money down the road.

I say “course,” and it is that comprehensive, so if you’re a bike geek and want to do it from start to finish, you’ll know your bike inside out in just a few hours. You could even open your own bike repair business.

If that’s not you, you can just as well dive in at any point and pull up any video on any issue you’re having and learn how to fix it in minutes.

You save time, you save money, and you get it done right.

About that… I’ve had stuff screwed up by bike shops. You never know who’s going to be working on your bike, the seasoned pro, or the kid who works there afer school. I’m guessing the guy who cracked my carbon rim with a hairdryer trying to remove the tubular was not the head mechanic.

Short of going to in-person classes, this kind of video is by the best way to learn. Books are just too vague and confusing, like reading a story with every second page ripped out. For the life of me I cannot figure out what the hell happened between figure 1 and figure 2.

That’s not what this is. Sure, you do get a 150 page manual, a great quick reference and reminder, but the meat is the videos which show you step by step, and from multiple angles, with closeups.

bicycle-repair-and-maintenance-video-course-sm-600x449

Complete Bicycle Repair and Maintenance Course

What you do get is:

  • Expert instruction aimed at beginners and seasoned pros, taught by 3 experts, covering standard road bikes, racing bikes and mountain bikes.
  • 200 videos (10 hours) plus 150 pages of in-depth lessons – it’s comprehensive, leaves nothing out, so you’re covered for almost any problem
  • Easy to follow step-by-step instructions 
  • Detailed specifications, exploded views and photographs – so you’re never left wondering which part goes where, or what to do
  • Suitable for BOTH beginners and seasoned pros
  • Learn to fix, upgrade and maintain any bike, from road, race and mountain bikes – heck, you could open your own repair business if you like
  • From the simplest repair procedure to the most complex – this is not just the usual stuff like how to change a tube, or adjust a derailleur, want to upgrade any part of your bike… you’re covered.
  • Clearly see all procedures from multiple viewing angles, including up-close views – unlike static photos or one viewpoint videos, you get to see exactly what to do

The package is a steal, but Dave has thrown in a couple of bonuses that make it a no brainer:

You get all future updates and new videos, so your investment never goes out of date (…unlike the Park Tools Bicycle Maintenance Manual I have in my shed which cost me almost as much as this course).

Limited Bonus: You also get one-on-one coaching from Dave via Skype if you need clarification or advice.

BTW, you have 2 months to check it out, test it, and if for any reason you don’t think it’s a bargain, shoot him an email and you’ll get your money back, no questions asked.

Finally… conquer your bike

News

Teaching a Kid to Ride a Bike

My first memories of learning to ride a bicycle are not good. Oh my…

I remember precariously balancing on my new “Black Panther” bicycle at the top of a fairly gentle little hill in our yard. As I started to roll forward I hopped on the saddle with my legs splayed. My bike had pedal brakes only, and my feet were no where near them.

As I rolled down the hill, I was completely focused on trying not to fall over. I weaved and swerved as I gained speed, barely staying upright.

The bottom of the yard leveled out and ended in a bed of rose bushes. I was frozen on the bike and I tore into the rose bushes… and the thorns tore into me.

I still remember sitting in the bathtub, with scratches all over my body and it stinging like crazy.

It’s a wonder I ever got on a bike again.

When I taught my daughter to ride a few years ago, I was determined that she would not suffer the same fate. Here’s what I did… it worked great. She was quite a daredevil but never crashed once. She has since, but that’s

How to Teach a Kid to Ride a Bike Without Tears… or Backache

1. Buy a small bicycle with pedals that is suitable height for you child. With the saddle in the lowest position, they should be able to straddle and reach the ground comfortably. They should not just be able to touch the ground with their toes, make sure they can put their feet flat and there is a slight bend at the knee.

2. Remove the pedals from the bike. You don’t need them at this point, they just get in the way and can actually hurt our novice rider.

3. Hold the seat from behind and run behind them as they “walk” along with their feet. Here’s where a Bike Balance Training Handle comes in handy, as it allows you to have complete control over their bike without breaking your back!

It serves many other functions too. It let’s you slow them down if you’re on a downhill, they get away from you fast, which can be dangerous. This happened to me a couple of times, our road gradually gets steeper and steeper. Holding on to the seat is not safe under such conditions, you need something like the Bike Balance Training Handle so you have a secure grip. It let’s them steer and lean and get the feel of the bike, balancing, and how steering affects balance.

4. Once you are confident they can scoot and steer… let ’em rip! If it’s a safe area, flat, low traffic, you can take the training handle off. Let them experiment and scoot around by pushing themselves forward with their feet. (That’s why they need to reach the ground comfortably, so their legs have a little bend and they can push.) They will very quickly learn to balance and steer, and will naturally start lifting their feet so they glide further. Once they gliding for fairly lengthy distances, about 15 feet or more…

5. Put the pedals back on. Yup, they are ready. If you have a training handle that you’ve removed, you could put it back on just to be extra cautious and guide them as they make the transition to pedaling; but in my experience it is unnecessary.

If you want to make your life easier, and your child safer, I do recommend getting a Bike Balance Training Handle.

Good luck! Here’s to many years of happy riding together.

News

How the Backwards Bike Busts Your Brain

When I was in England last year, we stayed in a hotel that had a mirror in a corner of the room. When you looked at yourself in it, everything was reversed. No big deal right?

I stood my daughter in front of it, stood behind her and told her to block my slaps to her head. (I’ve taught her some Krav Maga/self defense.) With my right hand I slapped her right ear, but in the mirror in front of us it looked like my left hand was coming at her left ear. She instinctively raised her left hand to cover, but got slapped. Every time. We took turns and I did no better.

Occasionally we did block a blow but it was accidental, 95% of the time we got whacked on the head. It was frustrating but hilarious at the same time.

It demonstrated how automatized a lot of our behavior is… and how hard that can be to change.

Riding a bike is really hard at first, there’s the balancing, and the steering dynamic which changes how you need to balance and lean, then the pedaling on top of that.

It’s a bit like rubbing your stomach, patting your head, and reciting the alphabet backwards.

So what if, like in the double mirror case, you reversed one aspect of riding a bike. What would happen?

Here’s what…