Category: Cycling

What a Bike – the Wattbike

While summer is here and that means hitting the long and (hopefully) winding roads, the weather isn’t always so forgiving. When it comes time to head in doors there will be the Wattbike Trainer and Pro Bikes, the world’s first affordable indoor bikes that accurately measure a rider’s power.

Watt computers allow athletes to instantly see how much power (Watts) they are producing versus waiting on their heart rate to reach a certain point. Signed off by the English Institute of Sport as being accurate, it is the first indoor bike that has ever been endorsed by British Cycling and is widely used by UK and European elite athletes, sports bodies and professional sports teams as their preferred high performance cycle training device.

The founders of Wattbike first approached British Cycling in 2000 with the idea to create an indoor bike which accurately measures a range of high-performance parameters, and six years later the governing body was satisfied that the Wattbike met their criteria.As a result, today Wattbike remains the first and only indoor cycle trainer to be endorsed by British Cycling. Continue reading What a Bike – the Wattbike

Bracketron’s New Accessory Mounts GPS Unit or Portable Device to Golf Bag

When you’re out on the links the last thing you want is a cumbersome item in your pockets, say your cell phone. The folks at Bracketron, a company that makes mounting accessories for gizmos like smartphones, portable media players, GPS, and laptops, recently introduced its Golf Bag GPS Mount. The accessory easily attaches securely to the top of a golf bag with a clip, and the arms extend up to 4.5-inches wide to hold a golf-specific GPS device to help you navigate the course clearly without worrying where to place the unit. Contrary to its name, it’ll hold a smartphone (for browsing a golf app, perhaps) or MP3 player; an optional adapter can be attached directly to your portable device for mounting in lieu of spreading the arms. The accessory is available at Bracketron’s website for $39.

For bikers, Bracketron also makes a Universal Bike Mount. Does the same thing as the Golf Bag GPS Mount except it attaches to your bike’s handlebars, but you already figured that out. The Bike Mount sells for $39.95.

BRACKETRON

Kinetic Shift at the Gran Fondo Los Angeles

This past weekend, Kinetic Shift went to the first Gran Fondo Los Angeles, which started off in Beverly Hills and headed through Santa Monica and over to the massive climbs of Topanga Canyon Road. The event was sponsored by Colnago, which was one of the innovators of carbon fiber technology. The company has worked with Ferrari since the 1980s to produce new materials.

Above is the bike that belongs to Alessandro Colnago, grandson of company founder Ernesto Colnago. This reporter had an opportunity to ride that bike on the 72 mile ride… note my “second water bottle” of choice!

Made in America: CO2 Inflators by Genuine Innovations

The sun is starting to set and the weather is turning cold and damp, but you are still miles away from home on your bike. All you can think of is a hot shower and a nice dinner. Then you notice something does not feel right – the rear end of your bike feels bouncy and is drifting all over the place… damn, you have a flat. The last thing you want to be doing is changing a flat in the dark, but all you have is a spare tube and a bike pump… only 200 pumps until your tire is inflated!

For over 20 years, Genuine Innovations has been coming to the rescue of cyclists. Based in Tucson, AZ, Genuine Innovations has been producing inflators the use small cartridges of compressed carbon dioxide (CO2) to quickly inflate bicycle tubes and tires to get cyclists back on their way quickly. How quickly you might ask? Once the new tube is in the tire, all that is required is the CO2 cartridge to be loaded into the inflator and then the inflator attached to the valve on the tube. In about two seconds your tire will be ready to ride. Continue reading Made in America: CO2 Inflators by Genuine Innovations

BBC Profile on Brompton Bikes

In contrast with today’s Made in America feature on Genuine Innovations, we wanted to share a BBC Made in Britain video on Brompton, fold-up commuter bikes. It’s interesting to hear Brompton speak of the importance of handcrafted parts that go into the bikes, and how being made in Britain actually helps the manufacturer in the Chinese market.

[Via EcoVelo]

Shimano’s Di2 Trickles Down to Ultegra

Shimano announced that the Dura Ace electronic shifting, Di2 (Digital Integrated Intelligence), that has been used by professional riders for the past four years will be available this fall in their Ultegra line of components. Ultegra components are just one level lower than the Dura Ace level and is much more affordable for the avid cyclist and weekend racer.

The advantages of Di2 (Digital Integrated Intelligence) are clear for everybody who has tested it: changing gears becomes easier, effortless and faster by simply touching the shift buttons. Control at the top of your fingers. Additional benefits include an automatic trimming front derailleur, unmatched precision plus super easy installation and adjustment. Continue reading Shimano’s Di2 Trickles Down to Ultegra

Islabikes Clothing Now in Kid’s Sizes

Bikes come in children’s sizes, so why not bike attire? Now Islabikes, the maker of bikes for children ages two and up, have introduced a line of children cycling attire reports our friends at BikeRadar.com. The line, which is currently available in the U.K., includes short-sleeved jerseys (£24.99), a winter jacket (£59.99), bib shorts (£26.99), thermal bib tights (£39.99), and leg (£19.99) and arm warmers (16.99).

Least a parent worry that their young rider will outgrow the clothing too quickly, it is noted that the clothing is designed with room for growth, while still including features and functionality that you’d see in adult cycling kits. These include breathable fabrics, reflective details and of course child-friendly zippers.

Company founder Isla Rowntree, a former British national cyclo-cross champion, said that the company introduced the children’s attire after getting many requests from their customers. It seemed the kids had the bikes and wanted to dress the part too.

[Via BikeRadar.com: Islabikes release children’s clothing range]
Islabikes Official Website

Avoid Bang-ups with the HeadsUp System

You are driving home after a long road trip and all that is on your mind is a plate of food and a hot shower. As you turn down your street and push the button for your garage door opener, you zip into the garage just like you would any day after work…but this time you hear a crunch and have that horrible, sinking feeling in your stomach. Your $3000 bike now looks like a metal pretzel and you could literally cry.

Roof racks on cars is such a convenient way to transport your bike, but sometimes really bad and costly accidents occur that could easily be avoided through the use of a small reminder to ‘stop’ before entering your garage. A new wireless visual and audio system is shipping in July to help you avoid this type of situation. The HeadsUp System, founded by two cyclists in Colorado, is designed as a complete solution to avoid the dreaded ‘crunch’. Continue reading Avoid Bang-ups with the HeadsUp System

Slide Into More Control with Slidepad

Sometimes there are products out there that seem so simple that it is hard to believe that it took this long to see them offered on the market. The new braking system from Slidepad Technologies, located in Palo Alto, CA, is one of those products.

The Slidepad is a braking system that controls both the front and rear brakes on a bicycle through the use of one brake lever. The rider of a bike that has the Slidepad system installed simply pulls one brake lever which applies braking pressure to the rear wheel. As the pads make contact with the rear wheel, the Slidepad (which looks like an over sized brake pad) ‘slides’ forward pulling a cable that is connected to the front brakes. This in turn applies enough braking pressure to the front wheel to slow the rider, but not too much to cause them to flip over the handlebars. Continue reading Slide Into More Control with Slidepad

Rent a Bike Online

Flying is a hassle and frankly traveling with a bike is a downright nightmare especially while trying to negotiate all of the regulations and fees that the airlines put on travelers these days. Renting a bike while traveling away from home has always been a viable option if you do not need your specific bike, but that too can sometimes be a hassle especially if you are pressed for time. What you need is to “Rent A Bike Now!”

You rent cars, vacation homes and movies online, why not bikes? RentABikeNow.com of Chicago, IL has recently improved their website to offer more features to the users. As reported in Bicycle Retailer:

“Our new reservation platform offers significant enhancements that help bike shops attract more rental business and better manage their reservations,” said company president George Gill. “The most significant enhancements are focused on system speed improvements and enhanced features and flexibility, which create a better user experience.” Continue reading Rent a Bike Online

A Look at BH Group

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m8g5kaszKMY&feature=player_embedded

Though you may not be familiar with the name, the BH Group has been around since 1909. The Spanish company has many different product lines that fall under the BH name; BH Fitness, BH Bike and BH HiPower to name a few are all dedicated to producing bicycles, fitness equipment and gear for all levels of athletes.

Recently BH has created a website to help people get into the sport of triathlons and guide those who all ready compete achieve their goal of performing better. BH’s website  is full of information regarding the gear required for a triathlon; training techniques; BH sponsored events; training programs; race results; videos; and much more. The website is for both amateurs and professionals in mind, with one goal in mind – to help you achieve your tri-goals!

Along with the triathlon website, BH also has an online group named Club BH Tri where users can participate in discussions, enter contests and be notified of upcoming events. The only shortcoming of the BH Triathlon website is that you might have to brush up on your Spanish… though most of the information is in English; there are still quite a few sections and buttons in Spanish.

BH Official Website

Blaze a Virtual Bike in the Bike Lane

Back in 2009 there was LightLane, which provided a virtual bike cast as an image just ahead of you while you rode. Now there is Blaze, a handlebar-mounted laser that projects a personal bike lane marker. Developed by University of Brighton student Emily Brooke in the U.K., her concept could do what LightLane never did – that is actually make it to critical mass.

While Ms. Brooke still has yet to bring her product to market as well, it seems like a winner to use. The battery power Blaze essentially projects a bright green laser image, which is bright enough to be seen in daylight, of a bike onto the road ahead, warning drivers that you could be in their blind spot. Brooke reportedly consulted with road safety practitioners, Brighton & Hove City Council, the Brighton & Hove Bus Company as well as psychologists who specialize in driving.

Brooke’s idea reportedly won her a place on the Entrepreneurship Program at Babson College in Massachusetts, and hopefully this would be enough to make sure that future riders don’t win the “door prize.”

[Via BikeBiz: A bike lane on your handlebars]

New York Cyclist Responds to Ticket for “Not Riding in Bike Lane”

As a former resident of New York City for 18 years I relate to filmmaker Casey Neistat, 29, who was ticketed for not riding his bicycle in the bike lane. We feel his pain.

I for one can add that in Harlem, the Police actually parked their cars in the bike lane by the local precinct, claiming there was no other nearby parking. So thank you Casey for making your film that shows how almost useless the NYC bike lanes can be.

Photos of the Harlem bike lanes after the jump.

Continue reading New York Cyclist Responds to Ticket for “Not Riding in Bike Lane”