Gyrobike trades training wheels for a gyrowheel

Posted in Personal Transport by Conner Flynn on October 4th, 2009

Gyrobike trades training wheels for a gyrowheelYou know the deal. When you’re just a little tyke getting the hang of riding your bike, you need training wheels. Well, the kids of the future are laughing at you. They are all using the Gyrowheel instead of training wheels, on a Gyrobike.

It allows the rider to stay balanced without training wheels and still learn to ride the bike. Think of it as invisible training wheels. The 12-inch wheel replaces the standard front tire, and has an adjustable-speed spinning disc that’s powered by a rechargeable battery.

Wii bicycle pedal accessory coming soon

Posted in Wii Accessories by Conner Flynn on August 13th, 2009

Wii bicycle pedal accessory coming soonThis leaked marketing slide spotted over on NeoGAF suggests that we may be getting a bike peripheral sometime soon. I wonder if they will port the arcade hit Paperboy to the Wii so you can peddle away and throw papers or maybe you can ride in the Tour de France.

We don’t know if the image is from Nintendo or from a 3rd-party accessory maker, but it looks a lot more useful than an inflatable horse. Obviously the $89.99 controller is geared toward bike-riding and fitness activities.

Kenyan students charge cellphones with pedal power

Posted in News by Conner Flynn on July 26th, 2009

Kenyan students charge cellphones with pedal powerThis DIY gadget is dubbed the “smart charger” and it’s from two Kenyan students who reside in rural areas without electricity. They also use bikes to get around. Jeremiah Murimi and Pascal Katana use a dynamo attached to the bicycle in order to charge cellphone batteries. The whole process costs practically nothing.

They used parts from old discarded radio and television sets to assemble the small charger. The user is able to plug the dynamo lead right into the device. An hour of pedaling can fully recharge the battery in about the same time it would take if it was plugged into an electrical outlet. The idea is that the user would avoid paying $2 each time for battery recharges by making a one-time smart charger purchase worth about $4.50.

Bio-Cycle is John Connor’s new ride

Posted in Personal Transport by Conner Flynn on January 21st, 2009

Bio-Cycle is John Connor’s new rideNo, this isn’t a pic from the annual anorexia bike races, where fashion models bike for charity. It could very well be John Connor’s ride to school after he puts those Terminators in their place and returns to the past as a teen.

It’s the Bio-Cycle by Jud Turner. A human skeleton designed bicycle. The skeleton’s hands hold the front wheel, while it’s legs are attached to the pedals and it’s body s the frame. Sadly there’s no where to sit. I love how it looks robotic. Come to think of it, this is probably what robots will do to us one day when they need bikes.

Create your own bike lane with LightLane

Posted in Personal Transport by Conner Flynn on January 15th, 2009

Create your own bike lane with LightLaneIt’s dangerous out there for a bike rider. Do you have any idea how many idiots are out there driving vehicles? Having a bike lane on the street that you’re traveling helps a lot. With a bike lane, drivers are more aware of you and you have your own designated space, which should keep you safe. Unfortunately, bike lanes are not on every street. What do you do?

Make your own, that’s what. Always have a bike lane with you. The LightLane is a concept that uses frikkin lasers to project an illuminated bike lane all around you while you are pedaling away. It keeps you visible to cars, which keeps you alive to bike another day.

Bicycle Rickshaw with stripper pole leaves a trail of dollar bills

Posted in Personal Transport by Conner Flynn on November 23rd, 2008

Bicycle Rickshaw with stripper pole leaves a trail of dollar billsIf you’re an enterprising entrepreneur or a stripper who can’t stay put, this is really the perfect vehicle for you and your pimp boss. Just don’t leave a trail of bills in your wake. Or clothes. It’s aptly named the Polerider and I will do my best to refrain from the obvious jokes.

The PoleRider was built by three professional industrial designers to withstand immense leverage loads without failing. So I’m assuming that means that larger women can earn a mobile living stripping as well. If you are into that sort of thing. The Polerider makes the rounds in NYC and you can rent it out by the hour complete with pole-dancing girl for $300 for the first, $200 each additional.

Double Bike is silly, should only be used by clowns

Posted in Personal Transport by Conner Flynn on November 11th, 2008

Double Bike is silly, should only be used by clownsLook at this ridiculous thing. You’ll break your neck getting off of this bike. It’s just crazy and insane. Therefore we love it. You’ll notice that there’s no chain attached to the lower wheels, which means that the upper wheels are generating all the momentum like another set of gears. You’ll also notice that they apparently welded a few bike frames together in order to create this monstrosity. I just wish I could see this dude wipe out after running over small rocks. Also, he really should have a latter mounted in this thing. Is it wrong to want to shove a broom handle in his spokes?

Self-stabilizing bike stabilizes drunk bikers

Posted in Personal Transport by Conner Flynn on November 4th, 2008

Self-stabilizing bike stabilizes drunk bikersBikes are a great environmentally friendly way to get around. But not so much when you’ve had a few drinks. That’s where this self-stabilizing bike comes in handy. It will keep you upright when you’ve had a few too many. It arrives in the world courtesy of researchers at Yokohama’s Keio University.

It’s equipped with two motors: one that moves the rear wheel about 2.5 meters per second while the other controls the handlebars. A linux controller keeps watch of everything via webcam and gyro sensor, steering the vehicle and adjusting its speed accordingly. Right now the bike is only able to stay upright when moving in a straight line, but before you know it they will have a system that can corner and work in the real world. So go ahead, drink up.

Nike Bicycle Glasses give you super vision

Posted in Apparel by Conner Flynn on October 22nd, 2008

Nike Bicycle Glasses give you super visionNike is developing a pair of glasses for bike riding that could very well save your life. The glasses will extend your peripheral vision so that you are able to see objects behind you. The Nike Hindsight glasses have a special lens on the sides that allows for a field of view greater than the human limit of 180º. It will give you an extra 25º of viewing on both sides, making you see things like some bugs no doubt see the world.

The lenses distort the images on the side but the human eye can only detect motion in that area anyway, so the image will remain clear to you. You’ll be able to see cars or pedestrians coming up from behind you. It’s still a concept at the moment, but I’m sure this is one we will actually see in about 5 years or so.

The folding back pack bike

Posted in Concepts by Conner Flynn on July 9th, 2008

The folding back pack bikeWhether you just like to bike everywhere or you’re the 40 year old virgin, this concept sure would come in handy and you might even earn some respect for having a cool gadget type bike. The bike weighs just 5.5 KG and is 60cm in length and is stored easily in your back pack. As a bonus it even doubles as a hand cart.

Some of the bike features include a headlight, back light and turn signals. The whole thing looks pretty unsafe if you ask me. You’re not going survive any kind of impact. In fact, you’ll probably get severely hurt hitting a pot-hole. It’s just a concept for the moment.

Zigo bike also carries your rugrats

Posted in Personal Transport by Conner Flynn on July 1st, 2008

Zigo bike also carries your rugrats
We’ve seen some pretty weird bikes that want to keep the family traveling together, ever since the price of gas has gone crazy. The crazy Electric Bike Train comes to mind.

Well, here’s another idea. The Zigo bike has apparently taken dad from the equation all together, opting to put mom either behind or on the thing, while the kid or kids are in the danger zone up front known as the ChildPod. The ChildPod can be removed and transformed into a stroller lightning quick, and the Zigo can be used as a standard 2-wheeled bicycle once you attach the front wheel. It’s $995 worth of parts swapping with kids in tow.

Bikecaffe: Coffee vending bikes

Posted in Personal Transport by Conner Flynn on June 22nd, 2008

Bikecaffe: Coffee vending bikesI can’t think of a better business idea then putting a new spin on people’s insane need for coffee and making in convenient. That’s what the Bikecaffe is all about. The business was launched in the UK in March, and proved so successful that Bikecaffe’s founders, Will and Steve expanded into the rest of Europe.

The company’s trikes use gas-powered machines to brew the coffee and can produce up to 500 cups a day. For some reason, they serve the drinks in recyclable containers, despite the fact that they’re using gas to brew it. Brilliant idea. Instead of making the people come to you, you bring the coffee to the people. Let’s face it, people are everywhere.

Bi-Cycle: For the couple that’s going nowhere

Posted in Personal Transport by Conner Flynn on June 17th, 2008

Bi-Cycle: For the couple that’s going nowhere
This isn’t the first bike for two, but on those bikes the riders are generally both facing forward. No, the Bi-Cycle is making a different statement. It speaks of so many relationships today.

Couples who are together, but drawn apart. Those who stay together, even though they are headed in opposite directions. Or, just maybe, they cant stand the site of each other at this point. I’m thinking this bike could be either very therapeudic, or simply distance you further. In the end, this bike will have you both in the hospital, or in the morgue, so I guess the point is moot.

Running-powered bike is ridiculous

Posted in Personal Transport by Conner Flynn on April 4th, 2008

Running-powered bike is ridiculous
I don’t care who you are, you’re going to look silly riding running this thing. To make things worse, it isn’t a true bike, but rather a tricycle. The idea here is that there are no pedals, so this thing is fueled by running and a sore crotch.

When you pick up enough speed, hop on the foot holds and coast. The video below is pretty funny. What this thing amounts to is a bike sized frame being rammed up your crotch. I have no more words.

Is frog-inspired design the future of biking?

Posted in Concepts, Outdoors, Personal Transport by Conner Flynn on October 1st, 2007

Frog inspired bike design conceptDesigner Alex Suvajac apparently thinks so. Obviously frogs inspire him. The result is a sleek concept track bike that looks a lot like an aerodynamic racing amphibian on two wheels. It is as much a work of art as it is a bike, blending space age and technological looks with nature.

I’m not sure about leaning that far forward to hold onto the handlebars. Then again, this beauty is obviously built for speed and since “being one with nature” is obviously the theme, why not lean into it and merge with the frame. Hopefully, that doesn’t mean swallowing a bug or two along the way. As cool as this bike is, it remains just a concept for the moment. It is however, proof that nature has a lot to offer when combined with technology. Especially aesthetically.





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