Category: Cycling

When Race Car and Bicycle Engineers Collaborate

Two years ago the sports car company, McLaren, approached the bicycle manufacturer, Specialized, to collaborate on a bicycle frame project utilizing a material that both companies are familiar with – carbon fiber. McLaren pioneered the carbon fiber monocoque construction technique used in their Formula 1 race cars all the way back in 1981. Since the 1990s, Specialized has been using carbon fiber in their higher end bikes either as main tubes with aluminum lugs or as complete carbon fiber frames. In 2009, McLaren’s Applied Technologies division approached Specialized with the idea of designing a carbon fiber bicycle frame utilizing their years of extensive research and racing know-how to make an even lighter, stiffer and more aerodynamic frame. McLaren hoped they too could learn something from this endeavor to make an even better sports and racing car.

Continue reading When Race Car and Bicycle Engineers Collaborate

Do you Have a Drinking Problem?

When you are out riding your bike, hiking or engaging in any other outdoor activity do you use a hydration backpack to carry your water with you? Have you ever gotten back from an activity and found that your pack was full of water, but you were dehydrated since you did not drink enough?

Or worse, you ran out of water miles from home since you did not know how much was left in your pack and you did not ration your water accordingly? The Flow Meter from CamelBak might be the drinking aid for you.

(Video after the jump)

Continue reading Do you Have a Drinking Problem?

Giant Bikes Makes Giant Donation to Trips for Kids

This week Trip for Kids, which helps provide bicycles to at risk children, announced that Giant Bicycle USA recently made a giant sized donation that will help insure that around 200 mountain bike rides will be available for youngsters this summer. The product donation to Trips for Kids and Re-Cyclery actually required that staff flew to Los Angeles, rented a U-Haul truck and drove a number of the bikes and parts back to their San Rafael warehouse.

“Trips for Kids is one of the most important organizations that Giant supports,” said Patrick VanHorn, Corporate Communications Manager for Giant USA. “I lived in Marin County before I ever worked in the bicycle industry, and I’ve seen the great work TFK has done. To now be able to help continue Giant’s backing for the organization is really quite an honor.” Continue reading Giant Bikes Makes Giant Donation to Trips for Kids

A Better “Mouse Trap?”

As long as bicycle racing events have been occurring, riders have been using a number of containers to hold water or other liquid nutrients on their bikes. Aluminum canteens, glass bottles, plastic bottles and more recently hydration backpacks, worn on the rider, have been used. Bottles have been mounted or carried on the handlebars, down tube, seat tube, behind the seat or in a jersey pocket.

Hydration backpacks have been worn on the back or as a fanny pack, but usually mounted to the body with the liquid being delivered to the rider’s mouth using a tube. Now the Portland, Oregon company, Shower Pass, is looking to merge the bike mounted bottle with the convenience of the hydration pack delivery system into one unique system.  (Video after the jump) Continue reading A Better “Mouse Trap?”

Senza-ble Bike Lock

There is no denying that there are a lot of different concepts with bike locks. We’ve seen a lot of locks, and one issue remains that it means bringing something “extra” along for the ride or daily commute. But Jaryn Miller’s Senza has interesting twist, it is a bike lock that is also the bike’s handle bars.

Essentially, the bars come off the bike and are locked together to form a U-Lock. The idea is that it provides dual security, because if the lock is cut the bike is much harder to ride away with, as there is nothing to hold on to!

We like the idea and think the designers are on to something, but as others have mentioned there are some problems to be resolved. The most notable is that the handle bar has to be durable enough to be a lock and that could add weight for those times when you don’t need to lock the bike. It also means that riders have to like the style of the drop bar – and this could be a problem for the mountain biker who usually prefers a straight bar with bar ends. Continue reading Senza-ble Bike Lock

Hands On: The Tool to Pump You Up… in a Pinch

For 2011, Blackburn Design haas introduced a new line of Toolmanator multi-tools for the occasional adjustment or emergency that all of us encounter at some point while cycling. There are three different models in the Toolmanator series, but the one that caught my eye was the Toolmanator 3. Having been actively cycling for over 20 years, I have accumulated quite an assortment of multi-tools and I really did not need another one. The feature that persuaded me to purchase the Toolmanator 3 was the built in Mini Shock Pump… essentially eliminatiing the need to carry a shock pump in my pack. Continue reading Hands On: The Tool to Pump You Up… in a Pinch

Electric Bike Tour Hits Wales

This weekend saw an important cycling tour kick off. Not the Giro d’Italia, which is of course a big race in its own right, but this was the far less well known Tour de Presteigne 2011, which took place in Wales. What makes this one noteworthy is that it isn’t a Tour in the race sense, but rather a ride for the average cyclists and more importantly it is about the electric bike.

This event was hailed as the first event to see new bikes from Storck, the brainchild of German build Markus Storck, who is working to create some of the most efficient electric bikes the world has yet seen. The event also promised to introduce a prototype hydrogen fuel cell city car designed by River Simple Company, along with other innovative autos including the Nissian Leaf and the Tesla Roadster.

The event included a 50 mile ride around Wales on Saturday and a bike show on Sunday. We’re hoping to hear more of the events happenings, but we have already heard that the mood was electric thanks to the innovative bikes.

Tour of Presteigne Electric Bike Rally Official Website

Hands On: Hi-Tech Wool Socks

“Wool is warm and stays warm even when it is even wet.” At least this is the type of statement that we heard throughout high school while participating in a Lifetime Activities outdoor program. Instead of playing baseball and football as our sports; we would bike, hike, canoe, go spelunking and rock climb all around Western Pennsylvania, the East Coast and sometimes out even West.

It was often cold and sometimes damp during these activities which is why our instructors insisted on a wool wardrobe for each of us. We would use old wool button down shirts and wool Army surplus pants along with heavy calf-high wool hiking socks. These garments would certainly keep us warm, even when wet, but there was one major drawback – they were itchy! Continue reading Hands On: Hi-Tech Wool Socks

Will Universal Sports Bring Giro d’Italia Into Spot Light

Everyone knows the Tour de France, it is of course the biggest event in cycling. But past that… other than cycling enthusiasts few actually know about other races. No doubt residents in places such as California can’t help but hear about local events such as the Tour of California, which will kick off next week, but what about the other events?

Beginning this weekend, and thus overlapping with the Tour of California, is the Giro d’Italia – also known to cycling fans as the Giro. This is actually one of the three grand tours with the Tour de France and the Vuelta a España(Tour of Spain) as being the other one. So why don’t more Americans know it? Part of it is that it just hasn’t gotten the same level of coverage. Continue reading Will Universal Sports Bring Giro d’Italia Into Spot Light

Alpha Bike, a Proof in Concept

Five Mechanical Engineering students from the University of Pennsylvania have developed quite a cutting edge bicycle for their senior project. The Alpha bike has been a year-long project to develop not only a bicycle that whose systems, mechanical and electrical, are completely integrated, but also create a bike that can be shifted from a freewheel to a fixed-gear setup on-the-fly. Geoff Johnson, Lucas Hartman, Katie Savarise, Evan Dvorak and Katie Rohacz worked with adviser Jonathan Fiene to bring the Alpha Bike from a concept to reality.

The most innovate feature of the Alpha Bike is the development of the Switchable Integrated Free-Fixed Transmission or “SWIFT Drive Technology”. The SWIFT Drive uses an electromechanical actuated clutch to allow the rider to switch between a free-wheeling and fixed mode with the flip of a lever. The key component in this system is the electromechanical clutch housed inside the bottom bracket area, which utilizes titanium, aluminum, stainless steel and bronze bushings to maximize strength and minimize weight. Along with the ability to switch between the free and fixed modes, the rider also has the use of 3-speeds incorporated inside the Sturmey-Archer rear hub which is controlled in a more traditional cable actuated fashion – of course integrated into the frame. The SWIFT Drive transmission is connected to the rear hub using a belt which is hidden inside the right-side chainstay. Continue reading Alpha Bike, a Proof in Concept

Olympic Velodrome Completed and Green

Let the games begin! That’s the feeling we’re getting right now as it has been announced that the site of the 2012 London Olympics track bike racing events has been completed.

The Hopkins Architects-designed arena can seat about 6000, and is the last of four permanent venues in the London Olympic Park to be completed. It is however the first to be completed on time and on budget. The sinuous velodrome was also reportedly inspired by the lightweight and streamlined bikes that do the loops inside. It features a track with western red cedar timber as the main cladding, while the roof collects rain water, which can be resued and recycled. The curved cable net structure is also designed to reflect sun, and thus reduce the need for air conditioning. Continue reading Olympic Velodrome Completed and Green

Wounded Warrior Project’s Soldier Ride to White House

For the fifth straight year, wounded warriors will be welcomed by the White House as Wounded Warrior Project’s Soldier Ride comes to Washington, D.C. President Obama will visit with thirty warriors and their guests today, in advance of the official Soldier Ride events on Friday and Saturday.

“The recognition from our Commander-In-Chief for these men and women is beyond measure and we thank President Obama immensely for welcoming these warriors to our nation’s capitol,” said Steve Nardizzi, Executive Director of Wounded Warrior Project. “The President and First Lady believe very strongly in supporting our military families, and we are honored to be invited by them.”

This event follows another ride with former President George W. Bush, who hosted the Warrior 100k Mountain Bike ride at Lajitas Golf Resort near Big Bend National Park. The other VIPs were wounded warriors from OIF and OEF.

Wounded Warrior Project
Warrior 100K
George W. Bush Presidential Center

New Titanium Bike Lock Design

 

We’ve seen some new designs for bike locks. One new design from TiGr uses a flexible strip of titanium with a lock mechanism. Titanium is a strong metal composite and will likely stand up to the needs of any cyclist. A video on the TiGr web site shows the inventor using a hacksaw to cut through a typical U-Lock, and then the same with a strip of titanium. It took 1:26 to cut through the U-lock, compared to 2:36 and more huffing and puffing to cut through the titanium strip. Continue reading New Titanium Bike Lock Design