There are many bike lights on the market, but Fenix offered a truly bright idea at the recent Outdoor Retailer Show. The company spotlighted its new 800 lumen handlebar-mounted light, which can run for up to three hours on high from an internal rechargeable battery. That’s enough light to truly help riders find the way home in the dark.
The company only previewed the light system, which will make a more formal and official debut at next month’s Interbike Trade Show in Las Vegas.
The tried and true drivetrain of bicycles have evolved a lot over the years, but the dominant system still involves a derailleur that move s the chain from gear to gear on the rear wheel. There have been other attempts to “derail” the derailleur system, and one promising one is from Austrian-based Vyro, which could combines the benefits of a gearbox, chain guide, chain rings and derailleur systems.
It is still very much in development, and at present company founder Gregor Schuster is looking for funding to make this project a reality. It has much promise and could be one to watch. Continue reading Vyro Crankset Adds Gearbox to Bicycles
At yesterday’s 2012 Olympic Games Bradley Wiggins of the UK and Kristin Armstrong of the USA took rode to the gold in the men’s and women’s Olympic Time Trial in cycling. Their efforts likely turned heads, but so did the new helmet that was donned by the Swedish riders.
This was the POC Tempor time trial helmet, which was developed by the Swedish company with the help of 2008 Olympic time trial silver medalist Gustav Erik Larsson. Larsson and teammate Emma Johansson each wore the helmet, and while they didn’t share the podium at these games, the helmet’s designers believe it could “promote maximum performance and aerodynamics, without sacrificing safety properties.” Continue reading POC Tempor Debuts at Olympics
The sun can do many great things besides heat the earth and make the planet sustainable for life. It can also give great tans, but more importantly it can be used as a way to recharge our electronics on the go. And now it can also purify water.
Two developers, Ryan Lynch and Marcus Triest, have created a prototype device that could allow water to be purified in a special bag while on the go! This technology utilizes the SODIS method of water purification, whereby PET bottles can be filled with water, left in the sun so that the UV-A radiation can kill the majority of the germs and hence make it relatively safe to drink.
The downside is that you better not be particularly thirsty as the process can take about six hours to purify just three liters of water. However the developers are working on a way to purify 9.4 liters in the same amount of time.
httpv://youtu.be/BSW9svih5Ro
There is a lot of technology that is being used in this summer’s Olympic Games and KineticShift is looking to spotlight much of it. In the water it can mean being water resistant and P2i has developed a liquid repellent nano-coating technology. The company has partnered with UK Sport, in conjunction with British Cycling and Sailing to provide this coating for bike components and sailing harnesses.
The company also worked with the Australian Canoe Slalom team (as shown in the video above) to provide protection for spray skirts.
RAMP Sports is a boutique ski manufacturer that is based in Park City, Utah and it is looking to change the way the skis are made. The company recently opened its 10,000square foot facility and bringing their ski production back to the United States from Taiwan. To do so they have looked to utilize new technology that includes the vacuum form molding process that is commonly used in the aeronautics industry to develop composite helicopter rotor blades.
This will reportedly replace the need for expensive traditional presses that are currently the industry standard. This is a big shift in the industry, which hasn’t really seen much in the way of forward thinking innovation in nearly 40 years. More importantly it will allow the company to bring its operations close to where the skis can easily be used. Continue reading Made in America: RAMP Looks to Ramp Up USA Operations
Handle bar wrap comes in many colors, and even degrees of padding – but all have the same problem. They require actual tape of some sort to close off the upper end. Cyclist and IT guy Tom Schoegler has created something different with the Tite Ends.
He worked with 3M and created a polyolefin based wrap that is thick enough to hold the bar wrap in place but yet it remains pliable and comfortable. It requires a heat gun or hair dryer to shrink it down – but the key is that it shrinks radially not lengthwise. Just fire up the gun and it shrinks to a perfect fit. Continue reading Tite Ends for the Bar
The result is a very expensive set of skates for those weighing less than 180 pounds and want to travel a short distance. In other words these aren’t practical for most commuters, take up to five hours to charge – and only support 500 cycles –and don’t appear to be the easiest things to use. In other words, might we suggest a pair of roller skates instead?
[Via Gizmag: spnKiX motorized skates now available to buy]
Kinetic(Mis)Shift are products that we think deserve to be called out for their utter lack of fitness benefits
While bicycling can help work out your legs it doesn’t really do a whole lot for your arms or upper body. But the Raxibo Hand-Tret-Velo system looks to offer a full body workout. In addition to the traditional pedal driven drive train it offers an arm-powered one as well. Thus riders use both arms and legs.
It doesn’t look like the arm power actually gives any added speed – especially riders are more upright and less aerodynamic, but riding isn’t about speed alone. Sometimes – as the video shows – it is just about a solid workout. Video after the jump
One of the marvels of 3D printing is that it allows designers to make small modifications during the prototype stage. Even not so small changes can be accomplished as another model can be printed off.
Luc Fusaro used this technology to develop lightweight sprint shoes that are customizable for individual runners. Fusaro developed the shoes as his final master degree solo project at the Royal College of Art and Imperial College London, and it began with him scanning the feet of an athlete to create a digital 3D model. Continue reading Sprint Spikes Developed With 3D Printing
As we’ve often said a flat tire can be annoying. While it won’t ruin the day, it can ruin a bike ride. But @cme is a new brand that is looking to solve an old and all too common problem. The company, which was founded by bicycle industry veteran Steve Boehmke, looks to solve the flat tire problem.
Currently in a Kickstarter campaign to raise funding, Boehmke’s concept is aimed at causal riders who might be turned off from riding because of flats. The company developed and introduced its no-flat tire system. The catch is that the system works on very specific sized rims and are a bit difficult to install. The tires also weigh more than most traditional tires too, but the tire is rated to last 3000 miles and the company can build the wheels, pre-mount the tires and ship them to users for use on the rider’s bikes. Video after the jump
httpv://youtu.be/k9dp1eulXoU
OK, we missed this one when the guys at Every Third Thursday – who always create something truly unique – first offered up an Xylophone Snowboard (Video above), but we felt it interesting enough to post about it now. We’re not sure how it will ride on the snow, but it can certainly carry a tune!
There have been two trends in bicycle design over the past couple of years – foldable commuter bikes and electric bikes. Richard Heath, an industrial design intern in Australia has crafted a design that is a merger of the two and is aimed at commuters.
The concept is a bike that can be easily folded, thus able to bring into buildings as well as on trains and buses. This way the bike can be easily recharged, even in an office cubicle during the day and then unfolded and ready for the ride home. The bike is powered by a 250w electric hub motor, which can be charged via a standard outlet – or even powered up on the go from regenerative braking function “whilst braking downhill” Heath explained. Continue reading BlueSkyBike Foldable and Electric
