A near handful of years ago, some students from MIT revealed a bicycle attachment that converts a bike into a hybrid with electric rear-wheel power, something that is now known as the Copenhagen Wheel. The idea behind the contraption is simple — it attaches to the rear wheel of a bicycle and utilizes one’s own […]
If you use a bicycle on a daily basis, you know just how much energy can be harnessed from simply riding your bike, although many of us just use them to get from point A to point B. That’s all about to change as a startup based out of Cambridge, Massachusetts has began selling its Copenhagen Wheel that may introduce new ways for bike riders to use their favorite mode of transportation. (more…)
Copenhagen Wheel Assists Cyclists Through Its Rechargeable Battery original content from Ubergizmo. 
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At one of those iconic 80s movies of my childhood was Pee-wee’s Big Adventure. That movie started with Pee-wee Herman having his beloved bike stolen by thieves. What Pee-wee need was something like the LOCK8 smart bicycle lock. The guys behind this Kickstarter project claim that it’s the world’s first smart bicycle lock.
The LOCK8 is more than a bicycle lock, it also has integrated GPS, alarms, and the ability to push notifications to you and other people if your bike is messed with. The LOCK8 is keyless and uses a smartphone as a digital key to lock and unlock the bike. The system can also be set up to automatically lock when the owner walks away and unlock when the owner gets close to the bike.
The LOCK8 has built-in alarms that will activate if the bike is tampered with thanks to motion sensors, an accelerometer, a temperature sensor and a conductive cable. Messing with the lock in any way will trigger the alarm. The lock also allows bike owners to unlock their bicycle from afar allowing them to share it with friends when needed.
The smart lock is on Kickstarter through December 2. A pledge of £69 (~$111 USD) will get you your own LOCK8 with shipping expected in May 2014.
Bike theft is a big problem in cities and countries all around the world. In many parts of the world bicycles are the primary means of transportation for lots of the public. A company called LOCK8 has unveiled what it claims to be the first ever alarm protected, trackable, smart bicycle lock. The lock can […]
A German company known for making three wheel electric trikes called HP Velotechnik has announced a new battery option for some of its offerings. The new dual-battery option will be available for the company’s entire line of electric tricycles starting next month. The dual batteries means the trike will be able to go twice as […]
If you were thinking that you’d never jump aboard a smart bike – or an electric bicycle for that matter – because you were a hardcore fixed-gear enthusiast for life, think again. The folks behind FlyKly have introduced a an entire electric/smart bike setup in a single rear wheel. Now bicyclists will be able to […]
When it comes to electric bicycles, many parts of the world would see a speed limit set by the local authorities to have it max out at a top speed of 20 mph (32 km/h). Anything higher than that, and it would not be classified any more as a bicycle in the legal sense of the word. This particular ruling would definitely go some lengths in ensuring that the speed would remain down when it comes to commercially-produced e-bikes. Well, there are always exceptions to the general rule, and with Russian blogger Ivan Tulupov’s twin-motored Desperado, this is one of those rare cases.
The Desperado weighs the scales at 43 kg (95 lb), and it did cost Tulupov a rather handsome amount of money to build it from scratch, to the tune of approximately$3,000. The Desperado was built around an existing pedal-powered beach cruiser bike which was made by California-based bicycle manufacturer Nirve. The power required to move the Desperado around is supplied by a 20-Ah lithium-ion battery, which takes approximately a couple of hours to fully charge up. A couple of external motors with gearboxes has also been thrown into the mix, and with their combined 5-kW output, it results in a calculated top speed of 80 km/h (50 mph), although it remains to be tested.
Desperado E-bike Sports Two Motors And Top Speed Of 80km/h original content from Ubergizmo. 
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Cycling has always been a good way to exercise, but the Varibike aims to make it even better, by working out a larger number of muscle groups simultaneously.
The Varibike was designed as a work-out solution as well as a therapy solution. It coordinates and creates new synapses in the brain by using leg and arm propulsion. It has an intuitive inclination steering system, which will help build muscle. Thanks to selective pedaling, individual muscle groups are allowed to recover and regenerate during a ride.
In addition to the workout improvement, the makers of the Varibike say the increased input from both arms and legs can propel their bike up to 30% faster than conventional pedal-powered bikes.
The Varibike FR2 costs €3,999 (~ $5,350 USD). The FR3 adds separate freewheels to each arm crank, which allows you to use them side-by-side, in a rowing motion. It costs €4,499 (~ $6,019 USD).
[via Gizmag]
There are bicycles, and then there is the next step up – electric bicycles, which would definitely come in handy especially when you live in extremely hilly areas such as San Francisco. Of course, purists would want to argue against the presence of electric bicycles in the market, touting that it takes away the experience of pushing your physical self to the limit, but others who are more practical would not mind getting some assistance from technological advancements, too. The thing is, purchasing an electric bicycle outright from the market could be pretty expensive, as the cost could run into a few thousand for the higher end models, which is why the Rubbee device that you see here – a Kickstarter project that is extremely close to achieving its funding goal with four days left, could be a viable alternative.
The Rubbee is an easy conversion device which will be able to transform your current, manually powered (pedal powered in other words) bicycle into an electric one, taking just a matter of seconds to get the job done. The Rubbee would tip the scales at just 14 lbs, and it is capable of offering assistance as you cycle for up to 15 miles of travel on a full charge, hitting a top speed of 15 mph along the way, courtesy of its integrated battery pack which carries a full charge of 20,000 mAh. The Rubbee will take approximately 2 hours to fully juice up, so you can always do so at the end of the day so that it can be ready to jump into action the next morning.
Installation of the Rubbee is simple and painless – you need not have to tinker around with wires and tools the way a standard conversion kit requires you to, but rather, it boasts of a design which was specially intended to reduce wear on your bike’s wheel, where kinetic force will then charge the Rubbee’s battery pack, and if you need a break during the ride, you can also ensure that the tire does not touch the Rubbee. Would the £799 price tag slapped on the Rubbee hold you back from picking one up?
Kickstarter Project
[ Rubbee transforms your normal bicycle into an electric one copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]
The original Paperboy was ahead of its time. While other arcade games in the 80s featured spaceships or medieval warriors, Paperboy only had, well, a paperboy. So it’s fitting that this homage to the game uses cutting edge technology. PaperDude VR harnesses the powers of the Oculus Rift, the Kinect and the Kickr power trainer, even though you can achieve a more realistic experience with, I don’t know, a bicycle and rolls of paper.
PaperDude VR is a pet project of Globacore, a company that specializes in interactive installations. Globacore is making the game using Unity and Photoshop. The game requires you to throw virtual newspapers at mailboxes to score points. As with Paperboy, you have to do this without crashing your bicycle, only this time you’re actually pedaling on a bike. The Kickr detects your speed and can adjust the bike to make it easier or harder to pedal. The Oculus Rift provides 360º visibility and the Kinect tracks your hands and arms.
Globacore said they’re planning to improve PaperDude VR by adding features like obstacles and other nuisances to avoid, an online leaderboard and even a replica of the training course at the end of levels in Paperboy.
[via Prosthetic Knowledge]
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