Hasta La Gadget!

Jaryn Miller has tried to crack that age-old problem, locking up a bike. It’s a problem so intractable that even the Lady, normally not given to speaking about such “dull” things, had something to say when we visited a local bike shop. “Somebody should design a strong lock that doesn’t weigh so much,” she whispered in her wonderful Catalan accent.

Miller’s answer is to make the lock part of the frame. This not only obviates the need to carry extra hardware — it also means that the bike is useless if the locks are cut. In this case, the ends of handlebars come off and are joined together onto a single hoop-shaped shackle. Destroying the lock means destroying the handlebars, although judging by the cut-down bars I have seen on some “fixies”, this mightn’t be a problem.

The second lock, made to secure the rear wheel, is integrated into the frame, although its not clear just where it is stowed when you’re riding.

I think the only real way to keep a bike secure is to suck it up and buy a pair of really big locks, preferably of different types. If your ride is too fancy to be left in the street, then don’t plan on locking it in the street, and if you really, really can’t face carrying lock, then buy a Brompton or other folding bike. Even then, you’ll end up carrying a bike instead of a lock.

Senza Bike Lock [Jaryn Miller via Fast Co Design]

See Also:

• TiGr Bike Lock: Thin, Strong, Stylish
• Handlebar Bike Lock Possibly More Effective Than String
• Hiplok Bike Lock Is Worn Like a Belt
• Custom Bike Features Built-In U-Lock
• Exploding Lock Marks Thieves, Ruins Bike

In this week’s Gadget Lab podcast, the crew waxes geeky on phones, bikes and exercise gear.

We kick off with the white iPhone 4, which just came out 10 months late: yes, the same phone we’ve been familiar with for a while now, in a different color. It’s even a little bit thicker than the black one. Wired.com’s Charlie Sorrel has already dubbed this scandal “Thicknessgate.”

Speaking of scandals, the latest controversy surrounding the iPhone stems from a discovery that an unprotected file stored inside the device constantly records location data. It turns out that your iPhone isn’t actually tracking customer movements, but Apple admits it made some security mistakes.

Reviews editor Michael Calore joins the show to talk about the Breezer Uptown Infinity, a $1,270 two-wheeler that’s the textbook definition of a “commuter bike.”

Ever dream of watching the Gadget Lab podcast while swimming underwater? Well, now you can, with H2O Audio’s Fit Armband, an accessory that waterproofs your smartphone inside a sealed, plastic pouch.

Last but not least, don’t miss our giveaway of a MixAmp, a gadget that allows you to mix the audio from your games and other players you’re talking with. For a chance to win, answer this question in our comments section: What purveyor of strange gifts was profiled with a photo gallery on Gadget Lab this week?

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Like the show? You can also get the Gadget Lab video podcast via iTunes, or if you don’t want to be distracted by our unholy on-camera talent, check out the Gadget Lab audio podcast. Prefer RSS? You can subscribe to the Gadget Lab video or audio podcast feeds

Or listen to the audio here:

Gadget Lab audio podcast #113

http://downloads.wired.com/podcasts/assets/gadgetlabaudio/GadgetLabAudio0113.mp3

This $150 stainless-steel bottle cage is vanishingly rare. And that’s probably a good thing

This scrappy-looking bottle cage comes from Mr. Iribe, an apparently mythical Keirin track-frame builder in Japan. When he is not busy making bikes for the Samurai, “he makes a few bottle cages as well”, says the blurb on Compass Bicycles’ (Seattle) website. These hand-made cages are so good, it seems, that they are worth $150 apiece.

So what do you get for your money? The Iribe Bottle Cage is made from stainless-steel tubing, with the sections silver-brazed together. Compass says that stainless steel is poorly suited to fillet-brazing, so Mr. Iribe first wraps the joints with strips of steel first. This, combined with the un-plated finish and what looks like a spring from a ballpen, results in an accessory that looks like it was hacked together by a somebody during an emergency.

Compass’s writer would disagree, saying that the cage “reminds me of a Samurai sword: a piece of art that provides exceptional function.”

The cage is light, though, at just 36 grams, or 1.27 ounces. I just weighed the first cheap aluminum and plastic bottle cage I pulled from my bike-spares bin and it weighs in at 60 grams. Of course, once you add in a liter of water, which weighs 1000 grams (on top of the weight of the bottle itself), then that 24 gram difference looks vanishingly small.

And my bottle cage cost like $5, not $150.

Iribe Bottle Cage [Compass Bicycles via BSNYC]

See Also:

• Bottleclip Keeps Stylish Cyclists Hydrated
• VelEau, The Most Complicated Bike Drinking System You Could …
• Danger: Handlebar Mounted Cup-Holders

Hydraulic shifters from Acros uses master cylinders and hydraulic fluid instead of cables. Photo: Jim Merithew/Wired.com

We saw a lot of compelling bike gear at Sea Otter earlier this month. But the one innovation that sticks out more than any other is this hydraulic-shifting setup from German component maker Acros.

Called A-GE, the mountain-bike system is the brainchild of engineer Christoph Muthers, who debuted the technology five years ago but was never able to bring it to market. Muthers now works for Acros, and the company has put his design into production, with availability set for late spring or early summer.

Typical shifting setups use cables and return springs to move the derailleurs back and forth across the gears. The A-GE design houses tiny master cylinders in the shifter bodies (the parts that attach to the bars). As the rider depresses the shifter paddles, pistons push mineral oil through two tiny hoses connected to the derailleurs. A straight push on the paddle will move the derailleur in one direction, while a minor twist before pushing will move it in the other.

Unlike traditional setups, which can get harder to shift the higher you go, the hydraulic system offers the same resistance for every shift, because there are no springs and cables getting progressively tighter with each shift. And because the design doesn’t require much of the larger hardware of a traditional mechanical setup, Muthers claims that an entire A-GE package—shifters, derailleurs, hoses, and oil—weighs 175 grams less than Shimano’s top XTR offering.

There’s a tiny master cylinder inside each shifter mounted on the handlebars. Photo: Jim Merithew/Wired.com

The demo setup we played with at Sea Otter felt light, responsive, and ergonomically dialed in. The rear derailleur could shift up to three gears at a time in each direction on the demo’s 10-speed cog. Muthers says it can easily be indexed for eight- or nine-speed cogs by switching a rod inside the rear derailleur, though this would require a bleed of the fully sealed system. If you know what that means, maybe you could try it on your own. (Muthers says it’s easier than doing the same operation on hydraulic brakes.) Otherwise, it’s something for your bike shop.

Of course, that’s assuming you’re one of the early adopters willing to pay for all this. Muthers says Acros would like to offer A-GE for under $2,000 in the United States. But considering the 1,599-euro [$2,333] price tag in Europe, he admits that might be tough.

Okay, so the pic only shows one child seat on this new power-assisted bike from Panasonic, but the designers reckon you can fit another one on the back. It’s called the Gyutto and it packs some nifty technology to make it safe for a trio. For a start, to prevent the bike toppling when you park up, the kickstand activates a lock on the handle bar, making the front wheel rigid. And to keep you travelling in the right direction up a steep hill, the 8Ah lithium-ion battery delivers some high-torque power assist, good for 36km on a single charge — better than some others. Talking about steep, the price will work out at around $1,780 (including the two child seats) when the bike is released in Japan on May 23rd. The same money will get you a Mini version with smaller (20-inch) wheels. It’s a lot to spend on a couple of ungrateful rugrats, but at least you won’t have to pump those pedals so hard.

Panasonic’s Gyutto e-bike has room for two, actually even three originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 25 Apr 2011 07:19:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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