Hasta La Gadget!

My day with Dan Sorger was winding down and the photographers were out joyriding on his bicycles when he beckoned me to look at something on his tiny, age-stained LCD monitor. Nestled in between a curling collection of Post-It notes was an anecdote about a wealthy Italian man which he began to read aloud, “Once upon a time, long ago …” According to the story he had spent an exorbitant sum of money to modify his prized Alfa Romeo. As a result, his family tried to have him declared insane and wrest control of his fortune. As the trial got underway, the judge asked to see the vehicle in question and, once he set his eyes on the custom-crafted aluminum body, he dismissed the case, declaring, “The search for beauty is the most natural thing in man.” The tale is allegedly the origin of storied automobile designer Ugo Zagato, but it’s the judge who is the real star and it’s his words that struck a chord with Dan, the founder and owner of DBC City Bike Design.

Continue reading Engineering a better bicycle with DBC City Bike Design

Filed under: Transportation, Alt

Engineering a better bicycle with DBC City Bike Design originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 02 Oct 2012 15:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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In this video by Etsy, Carolina Fontoura Alzaga shows how and why she transforms old junkyard bicycle parts into chandelier sculptures that look more like something from our apocalyptic future. Who knew bicycle chains and wheels could add up to be Terminator? More »

Sure, you can turn your smartphone into a bike computer, but if you’d rather not put your pricey piece of tech anywhere near harm’s way, Wahoo Fitness’ RFLKT Bike Computer offers an alternative. Instead of packing all the brains, the device sits atop a bicycle’s handlebar and displays data it’s fed via Bluetooth 4.0 from cycling apps running on an iPhone 4S or 5. At launch, the hardware will support the firm’s own Cyclemeter application and Wahoo Fitness App which can monitor ride information ranging from location to speed, in addition to heart rate with additional accoutrement. Aspiring Alberto Contadors can page through data and even sift through tunes on their playlist with the help of buttons on the device’s side. Gently tipping the scales at 2 ounces, the RFLKT measures up at 2.4- x 1.6 x 0.5-inches and boats a one-year battery life on a single coin cell. Wahoo’s gadget is slated for a December launch, but there’s still no word on pricing. For more specifics, take a gander at the full press release below.

Continue reading Wahoo Fitness introduces RFLKT: an iPhone-powered bike computer that lets handsets stay in pockets

Filed under: Misc, Transportation

Wahoo Fitness introduces RFLKT: an iPhone-powered bike computer that lets handsets stay in pockets originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 24 Sep 2012 00:52:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Most folding bikes make a big compromise: they’re either incredibly portable with tiny wheels, or offer normal proportions but prove a pain in the ass to transport. Mikuláš Novotný’s solution, however, seems to offer the best of both worlds. More »

A good tail light helps a bike rider get noticed on the road at night. The front light, however, has a more difficult challenge—it has to make you a beacon to drivers, and, crucially, it has to make the darkened world visible to you. More »