Hasta La Gadget!

This DIY project combines bikes and cameras, a sure-fire way to make it into the pages of Gadget Lab. Better, it’s a super-simple and rather ingenious hack, straight from the cunning mind of cyclist and photographer Brian Green.

Brian wanted to mount his camera on the handlebars for on-the-road shooting. Above you see the solution — a bike reflector mount coupled to a tripod-sized machine-screw. The reflector mount clamps down on the tubing, just as it is designed to do, and the screw holds the camera in place.

Not that we recommend taking a camera and bolting it to a rigid, shaking, vibrating metal bar. What we like about Brian’s hack is that it could be used anywhere. The addition of a wing-nut would make this an instant camera-clamp for steady shots, and small and light enough to fit in your pocket. Like we said — ingenious.

Home-made Camera Tripods [Brian’s Blog via DIY Photography]

Phoenix area resident and motorcycle enthusiast Richard Gryzch got tired of gassing up his bike all the time, and he decided to do something about it. Rather than getting a fancy electric motorcycle, he modded one for himself — making an electric bike that is seemingly covered in solar panels. The motorcycle uses no gas, goes up to about 90 miles per hour and has a range of around 50 miles. There are very few details about the inner workings of the bike, so we’re loathe to say it’s 100 percent solar, but Richard does plan on extending his bike’s range of 300 miles. Hit the read link to watch an extremely tiny video of Richard and his bike.

Continue reading DIY Solar Flyer motorcycle tearing around Phoenix, Arizona

Filed under: Transportation

DIY Solar Flyer motorcycle tearing around Phoenix, Arizona originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 06 May 2009 19:39:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We’ve seen plenty of speaker / PMP combos around these part, but the Podio — which looks kind of like a hairdryer to us — is designed for the cyclist on-the-go who just can’t bike without jamming to Green Day at a semi-loud volume. The Podio comes with a harness to attach it to the bike’s handlebars, and boasts a rechargeable lithium-ion battery that gets somewhere between nine and twenty hours of use per charge. The whole thing weighs 139 grams, boasts 2GB of onboard storage, and has a 1.5 watt speaker to get the party started. There are no details on pricing or availability as of now, but we’ll let you know when they come around — err… are on the market. One more photo after the break.

[Via Oh! Gizmo]

Continue reading Podio speakered PMP for cyclists sure to cause accidents, impromptu dance parties

Filed under: Portable Audio

Podio speakered PMP for cyclists sure to cause accidents, impromptu dance parties originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 02 May 2009 02:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It’s a struggle we all face. There’s the urge to bike to work each day, and then there’s the realization that you’re too huge / lazy / tired to make it on your own. Brilliant minds at MIT understand your frustration, and rather than asking you to drop a few grand on a bona fide electric bike, they’re developing an apparatus that can convert any standard bicycle into one that’s juiced. The GreenWheel contains an electric generator, batteries and an electric motor, all of which only need a wheel to be respoked in order to fit in. Under its current configuration, a single GreenWheel (yes, one can be added to each wheel) can propel a bike and your faineant derriere for around 25 miles; start peddling and that range doubles. There’s no clear indication of when these things will splash down at your local bike shop, but word has it that Copenhagen and South Africa are already looking to add it to their public transportation systems by 2010.

[Via DVICE, thanks Scott]

Continue reading GreenWheel converts any Huffy 10-speed into an electric bicycle

Filed under: Transportation

GreenWheel converts any Huffy 10-speed into an electric bicycle originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 26 Feb 2009 19:13:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Where most students only go so far as to render their designs, Truong Minh Nhat — working on his senior project at the Ho Chi Minh City School of Architecture — made a functional prototype, sourcing the parts from local manufacturers. Dubbed Capella, the lightweight vehicle folds down to a neat “backpack sized” package (well, maybe a large backpack), travels over 30 miles an hour, has a range of about 7.5 miles (on a two hour charge), and in its final, mass produced form it should weigh about 22 pounds. If you’re looking for a wilder ride than most electric bike designs offer, and you happen to be reading this in Ho Chi Minh City, keep your eyes peeled.

[Via Core 77]

Update: This bike has a top speed of 30 km (roughly 18.6 miles) an hour.

Filed under: Transportation

Industrial design student builds Capella, the portable, unobtainable electric bike originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 03 Jan 2009 08:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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