Tern Bicycles Goes to SXSW

The annual SXSW (South by South West) trade show is a week and half event that encompasses interactive, film and music. And this year the Austin, Texas-based event, which has made strides to be environmentally conscious, is offering its first-ever bike share program.

This week urban transport specialist Tern Bicycles announced it would serve as the event’s exclusive cycling industry partner. Dubbed “SXcycles,” the bike share program will be available Friday, March 9, through Tuesday, March 13, from 9:00am until 2:00am. SXSW-Interactive features five days of compelling presentations from the brightest minds in emerging technology. Continue reading Tern Bicycles Goes to SXSW

TrainingPeaks for Sky

This week the British Team Sky Pro Cycling announced that it has extended its agreement with TrainingPeaks to be the official supplier of training software for the 2012.This will allow Team Sky to continue to collect and monitor heart rate and power from each individual rider during training and racing, and utilize it in TrainingPeaks by team coaches and staff. Riders can futher adjust their own training program and regiment based on the fitness trends shown in the software.

It will be interesting to see how it helps Olympic gold medalist Bradley Wiggins, who will likely be racing in the London Olympics this summer, as well as current world champion and 2011 Tour de France green jersey winner Mark Cavendish this season. With both hoping for a potentially “golden” summer we’re sure they’ll be spending a lot of time using this data. While it probably is not as much time as they spend on the bike, but still enough to show that software is indeed changing the way athletes train; and that is helping the way they perform.

TrainingPeaks Official Website

Detour For Cyclists

Click image for a closer look

There could be a new Detour for cyclists, but not the kind you might think. Actually Detour is a Seattle-based company that makes seat bags, panniers and cycling bags, and as expected from the Pacific Northwest these are all designed to stand up to wet weather.

A new product that we heard about was the Coffee Bag – fitting as again the company is from Seattle. But it isn’t for the morning cup of the brown stuff. Instead it is a waterproof bag that features a two-point attachment system so it can be mounted behind a seat or on the top tube. It offers 100cubic inches of storage but can also be tucked into a water bottle cage if necessary.

Our friends at BikeRadar.com noted that there will be “five blends” available, including the : California, The Highway 1 blend; Washington, The Evergreen blend; Minnesota, The 10,000 lake blend; Maine, The Lighthouse blend; and Colorado, The Mile High blend. The bags will be available for $24 as part of the 2012 line – and given the price of gourmet coffee this might be a steal!

Detour Official Website
[Via BikeRadar: Detours cycling bags – First look]

Weekend Reading List (2.11.12): Snow Art, Race Up a Skyscraper, Bike Industry Looks Strong

Snow Circles

Sonja Hinrichsen, an artist from San Francisco, recently turned some high-alpine tundra in Steamboat into her personal canvas. Video and more stories after the jump

NuVinci Harmony Shifts Gears

Just as an automatic transmission shifts at what the engine considers the optimum moment, the NuVinci Harmony intelligent drivetrain for bicycles could change truly be a shift in cycling. This first continuously variable shifting system, which was created by Fallbrook Technologies, has recently won the Bicycle Innovation Award at FietsVAK 2012 show in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. The NuVinci Harmony incorporates technology included in NuVinci CVP bicycle drivetrains. The initial commercially available NuVinci drivetrain model won the Bicycle Innovation Award at FietsVAK 2007. Continue reading NuVinci Harmony Shifts Gears

Hydrate with the Relaj Water Bottle

The water bottle is quickly becoming a statement of style and personal choice. Though we still like to see function trump fashion in this case with some technical elements, those elements are usually what determines those preferences. The Relaj water bottle brings its own look and technical details to the shelf.

Continue reading Hydrate with the Relaj Water Bottle

Orbea Bikes to Grow With Riders

One problem for many children (and even more so for their parents) is that bikes can be outgrown quickly and a bike that is too small can be as much of a problem as a bike that is too big. But Spanish bike maker Orbea has introduced something that allows growing children to have a bike that will the right size a bit longer.

While kids will grow, so will the Grow, a new line of bikes designed specially to grow with the rider. While most bikes allow for a seat to come up, the Grow also allows for the frame to be expanded as well, and this can result in a good fit for three to five years, and the bikes come in four sizes so once a frame is truly outgrown, parents can step up to the next size and let the kid grow with it. Video after the jump

Interbike 2012: Gran Fondo to be Grand Indeed

Every Interbike is special to us of course, but the 2012 trade show for all things bicycle will see something truly unique as the Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada (RTC) has announced that the RTC 2012 Viva Bike Vegas Gran Fondo will again begin on the Las Vegas Strip and century riders will have the opportunity to ride over the Hoover Dam, and the event will take place on Saturday, September 22, the day after the Interbike Trade Show ends at the Sands Expo Center.

“We look forward to offering riders a unique and exciting ride from the famous Las Vegas Strip to the iconic Hoover Dam in this year’s RTC Viva Bike Vegas Gran Fondo,” said Jacob Snow, RTC general manager in a statement. “We are proud to welcome cyclists from across the country and around the world to Las Vegas every year to ride in Viva Bike Vegas. This year, we are especially pleased to partner with Interbike and invite its exhibitors and attendees to join us for our fifth annual event.”

All riders will again have the unique opportunity to begin their ride under the bright lights of the world-famous Las Vegas Strip. The RTC 2012 Viva Bike Vegas Gran Fondo will feature three spectacular routes – 118, 72, and 17-mile courses – for cyclists of all skill levels taking riders from the Las Vegas Strip to the vistas of the Red Rock

Rider registration for the RTC 2012 Viva Bike Vegas Gran Fondo is available online now, and proceeds from Viva Bike Vegas will again benefit local charities.

Viva Bike Vegas Gran Fondo Official Website
Interbike Official Website

Weekend Reading List (2.4.12): Runners Talk, NASA Innovates, House Votes Against Bikes

httpv://youtu.be/NPdb7ZDJKS4

New Day, Same Old Sh…

Welcome to the Weekend Reading List. We moved the list to Saturday to give our loyal readers something new for the weekend, and as a way to catch up on stories that they might have missed. This week we being with Sh*t Barefoot Runners Say (video above).

Enjoy the list and be sure to check back every Saturday. Continue reading Weekend Reading List (2.4.12): Runners Talk, NASA Innovates, House Votes Against Bikes

Hike, Bike and More With X-Alp Shoes

Mountain bike shoes are good for mountain biking and not so good for hiking, while hiking or trail shoes don’t always work so well on the bike. What’s a multi-sport athlete to do? The answer is to consider the Pearl Izumi X-Alp series.

The newest model, the Seek IV WRX is a $130 mountain bike shoe that will let you clip in when you need, offering a stiff nylon plate to make sure there is adequate power transfer, while still offering padding and a bit of flexibility to be used as trail shoes. These are still hybrids so the WRX aren’t going to be better on the bike than dedicated mountain bike shoes, nor will these replace trail runners. But for those who want to be able to hike and bike with a single pair of shoes, these will do the trick very well. More photos after the jump

Move Over Folding Bike

Folding bikes have been around for years, and while there is no denying that the bikes can be easy to store, transport and of course ride there is another issue. What about having stuff like gloves and more importantly a helmet? This can make for a handful

And even if you ride a regular bike there is the issue of trying to store a helmet when you’re not around. You can lock up a helmet with a bike, but it can be easily damaged. So it means having yet another thing to worry about. Or you could have a helmet that folds up! Agency 360 designed the Overade folding helmet back in 2010, and it will reportedly go into production this year.

The helmet is small enough to be tossed in a bag, and should by accounts offer as much protection as a regular helmet. This will be one we’d like to put to the test when it unfolds later this year.

Agency 360 Official Website
[Via Ubergizmo: Overade folding bike helmet is convenient]

Bike Valet For Your Living Room

Let’s face it, if you love your bike you probably could look at it all day. Some bikes not only look like fine art but come darn close to costing as much! And yet, many times bikes are leaned against the wall, or hung upside down from hooks that could just as easily be used for a ladder in the garage.

If that’s outrageous, and you know you want to show off your bike, consider the Bike Valet, and over-and-under cantilevered mount that uses gravity to keep the rear end of the bicycle’s top tube resting on the upper surface, which in turn has the front end swing up and press against ht underside of the other arm. The bike is firmly held in place, and while it will work with unique tubing of carbon fiber frames, it does require the traditional diamond design – thus an old-school “girl’s bike” won’t hang so neatly. Video after the jump

Suit Up After Un-Suitpack’in

What do you do if you cycle to work but need to “suit up” at the office? Well, you could try riding the bike with a suit on, or you could jam said suit in backpack. There is also the option of leaving the suit at the office – but the Cambridge Design Partnership has another solution – introducing the Suitpack, a special rucksack deisgned to provide a crease-free solution for cycle commuters. The still in prototype design allows for clothing to stay neat and clean as you ride to work. Shower not included, but if you have a way of getting cleaned up, you’ll have a suit that is ready to wear.

Cambridge Design: Suitpack rucksack design provides crease-free solution to cycle-commuting