Jun 27
E-bikes are much-maligned by the cycling community and non-riders alike. They’re for lazy people. They’re so ugly and clunky looking. But Specialized has come up with an answer for both crowds. You will want to hate the Turbo. You will fail.
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Jun 26
Want to embrace Recon Instruments’ sunglasses-based vision of the future before it officially reaches store shelves? You can: the company has just started pre-orders for its Jet heads-up display in a $499 Pilot Edition. The inaugural eyewear will come with apps for both cyclists and triathletes, and it should beat the production model to market by several months. There’s even a financial incentive for that impatience, as the pricing goes up to $599 on July 21st. If you don’t mind a potentially rough experience while tracking your mid-race performance, the Pilot Edition is waiting at the source link.
Filed under: Displays, Wearables
Source: Recon Instruments
Jun 25
There’s a natural charm to cycling that allows you to feel at one with the environment that surrounds you—but if that’s not enough, maybe you need this bike that’s made from the environment that surrounds you.
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Jun 24
Climb that Strava leaderboard, and earn some points for style on the side.
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Jun 20
Adafruit smart helmet guides bike riders with Arduino-based light shows (video)
Posted in: Today's Chili
Bike sharing systems like New York’s Citi Bike may be taking off, but it’s doubtful that many participants can find every station without checking a map. Thankfully, Adafruit has unveiled a smart helmet project that could help at least a few of those riders get to their destinations while keeping their eyes on the road. The DIY effort feeds locations to an Arduino-based Flora board and its positioning add-ons, which in turn use a string of NeoPixel LEDs on the helmet as turn indicators. Commuters just have to watch for blinking lights to know where to go next. While the system isn’t easy to set up when cyclists have to manually enter coordinates, it is flexible: the open-source code lets it adapt to most any bike sharing system or headpiece. As long as you can get over looking like a Christmas tree on wheels while you navigate, you can build a smart helmet of your own using the instructions at the source link.
Filed under: GPS, Transportation, Alt
Source: Adafruit
Jun 19
Velodroom Does What Every Bike Light Should – Responds To Your Ride And Turns On And Off Automatically
Posted in: Today's Chili
Tartu, Estonia-based startup Velodroom leverages tech to solve a problem any bike commuter can sympathize with – how to add lights to your ride that are convenient to use and require absolutely nothing from the rider besides a simple installation. The Velodroom light borrows some tricks from tech available in any smartphone to give the Velodroom a mind of its own, with some very useful consequences.
The Velodroom’s tricks are mostly about automating repetitive actions that are normally done manually on most bike lights, including powering on and off, activating brake lights and adapting brightness to current lighting conditions. It does all that while conserving battery via an auto shut-off mechanism that activates the light only when motion is detected, and it has an internal battery with 4x the energy capacity of two AAA batteries, which is rechargeable via USB.
Essentially this makes Velodroom a more-or-less fix and forget solution to bike lighting woes, with the added benefit that it actually flares when you start braking, the same way a car’s rear lights do, which is bound to increase safety and visibility at night, especially for riders negotiating traffic in busy urban locations. Plus the variable light levels based on sensors should ensure the battery lasts as long as possible: Velodroom is targeting three months usage on average, or over 100 hours of continuous power when turned on at full brightness.
Velodroom is the product of a team that includes Sven Sellik, Andri Laidre, Indrek Rebane, Tavvi Hein and Mihkel Heidelberg, who between them combine extensive experience in product design, electronics, programming and the science of sensors. The startup team wants to eventually reinvent more types of bike accessories, and move the market in general to more hassle-free products and designs, but is starting with the bike light since it’s a near-perfect demonstration of how readily available tech can improve a biker’s life right now.
The Kickstarter project has two weeks left in its funding cycle, and is looking for £34,600 (around $54,000 U.S.). Pre-orders for backers start at £35 ($55 U.S.), and shipments should start as early as September 2013 if the startup sticks to its initial targets. Should everything work out according to plan, it’ll be great to see where Velodroom goes next with its high-tech approach to cycling accessories.
Jun 04
Most of the time, you don’t need a bicycle fender except the few times that it rains when you’re out and about. We all know that when it starts to pour, your wheel will send lots of dirty water all over your rear end, which can get really annoying.
The Musguard is a very simple, removable bicycle fender that can be rolled up and stored on your frame or in one of your pockets. It weighs about 35g, and requires no tools or special mounts to install. It’s die-cut from recyclable polypropylene plastic sheets. From what I can tell, the concept works best for bikes without a rear brake caliper, and probably works best with a disc brake.
The project was launched through Kickstarter, and with 17 days of funding left, it’s amassed $21,000 out of a $10,000 goal, so it will be fully funded. You’ll need to pledge at least $20(USD) to get your own.
May 27
Summer is the prime season for European cyclists, whether they’re racing the Tour de France or just embarking on voyages of self-discovery. It’s a good thing, then, that Google Maps’ biking directions have reached six more European countries. Those in France, Ireland, Germany, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg and Poland can now plot pedal-friendly routes using their phones and the web. Google may miss a hidden trail or two when it’s crowdsourcing the data through Map Maker, but the upgrade should still help riders avoid the inevitable crush of tourist traffic.
Filed under: Transportation, Internet, Google
Source: Google Europe Blog
May 24
If you’re looking to trick out your bike, Magura’s eLECT might be the electronic suspension system you crave — if you’re willing to sacrifice optimal reaction time. Using a 3D accelerometer, the eLECT analyzes terrain with a 0.2 second window to adjust to how bumpy or smooth your ride is. At first glance, 0.2 seconds seems impressive, but it equates to a distance of 3.6 feet when traveling at 12.4MPH. Indeed, on challenging trails, a lot can happen in 3.6 feet, and eLect’s reaction time might be a touch on the slow side. While the system isn’t quite perfect, it does offer some sweet options. For example, cyclists can toggle between automatic and manual control of the compression damper using the accompanying Bluetooth remote. Magura’s eLECT isn’t the first of its kind — RockShox and Fox both have their own e-suspension systems — but it’s one of the lightest; the combined weight of the damper and remote is a mere 0.2 pound. There’s no word yet on availability or pricing, but you can check out the results of Bike Radar’s test ride at the source.
Filed under: Peripherals, Transportation
Source: Bike Radar
May 22
If there’s something that you need to be careful with, it’s definitely your bike when you’re riding late at night. I’ve had one accident where I woke up in the hospital, and I was on a cycling path! Needless to say, good lights are paramount to keeping you riding safely in the dark.
Lumigrids is a concept LED projector for bikes that aims to improve night rides. The device would project a square grid onto to the ground, allowing riders to see the terrain ahead, akin to what some jet fighters use(d). The concept calls for the LEDs drawing power from an internal battery or the rotation of the bike’s wheels, like a dynamo of some sort.
On rough surfaces, the grid will deform, allowing riders to adjust their bikes accordingly. The design won the team from the Sichuan University which developed it a Red Dot award.
It’s unclear what’s next for Lumigrids, but the technology to pull off such a feat is readily available (Microsoft Kinect, Picoprojectors), so hopefully we’ll see something like this go into production sooner rather than later.
[via Yanko Design]
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