Here’s an interesting and well presented idea from from Nick Falbo, on making intersections safer for cyclists.
Learn more at ProtectedIntersection.com
Tag Archives: bicycle
Bikes Made From “Nature’s Carbon”
Renovo make bicycles out of wood, using hollow wooden tubes. Seems kind of primitive, considering we have all these fancy materials today, titanium, aluminum, carbon fiber… So why wood?
Some amazing things have been made from wood, including the world’s largest wingspan plane, the H4 Hercules… all wood!
And according to Renovo:
Wood has unique engineering properties that deliver superior ride quality and durability compared to man-made materials, and…it’s sustainable, unlike other common frame materials. When the right wood is combined with an array of advanced technologies, it becomes a high performance material that will forever change your understanding of ‘wood.’
Renovo say that wood has superior damping ability, is light, stiff and durable. In short you get a smooth ride, excellent power transfer, superior handling and a bike that will last.
Plus wood makes your bike a one-of-a-kind handcrafted masterpiece.
The frames are significantly heavier than today’s super light frames, coming in at around 4-5 lbs, so not your best option if you do a lot of climbing.
Renovo offer a wide range of bikes, from commuter, road, mountain, touring and even time trial/triathlon. Prices vary by type, model and options, but prices start around $4,800 for a road bike.
Check out RenovoBikes.com
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From Novice to Pro, Bicycle Upgrade, Maintenance and Repair Instruction You Can Trust
Whether you want to learn more about your bike, feel confident on the road, save money, or you're considering becoming a pro bike mechanic, this bicycle repair course has got you covered.
Taught by pro bike mechanics and packed with insider shortcuts and tips, it covers everything from minor repairs to the heavy stuff... and makes it easy to follow along, step-by-step, so you're never confused or wondering what to do next.
If you want to have an entire video encyclopedia of bicycle repairs at your fingertips, that covers you in every situation, then this package is worth a close look.
"Much easier to follow than a book, comprehensive, and loaded with insider tips and shortcuts... these DVDs belong on every cyclist's bookshelf." -Velo Logic
Learn more about the DIY Bike Repair Course
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.
The 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.
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.
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.
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.
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
Bob 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.
The 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
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.
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.