You might be a competitive cyclist who obtains new equipment each year, an avid cyclist who keeps their equipment for many years or a bit of both; but either way you roll, you would probably benefit from having your balls checked out. The balls I am referring to are the ball bearings in your bicycle – mainly the hubs and bottom bracket; but also the pedal, rear derailleur pulleys and headset bearings. Bearings are one of those items that is not sexy and is rarely thought about since they are out of sight; but often instead of being filled with grease, they can filled with dirt, water or rust. This in turn will reduce the results and efficiency of each of your pedal strokes. Continue reading Hands On: Check Your Balls
Category: Cycling
Gates Takes CenterTrack
We’ve heard about the Gates Carbon Drive Systems and their new centralist position. And no, we’re not talking politics but something far more important, namely bicycle technology. This is specifically the CenterTrack System, which was invented by cycling innovator Wayne Lumpkin.
The new drive train technology has the promise of being the lightest, strongest and cleanest – not to mention best performing belt-drive system – yet created for a bicycle. So what does this mean? For one the CenterTrack should offer up 20 percent greater tensile strength while still offering a slimmer profile. The whole belt-drive thing is pretty innovative and CenterTrack could be a major leap forward, offering a clean, quite ride and now with a greater level of performance. The CenterTrack utilized front and rear pulleys that feature a narrow track that runs around the center of their circumference, rather than the raised flange that we traditionally see with belt-drive bikes. Continue reading Gates Takes CenterTrack
London Calling: New Bike Show for January
After the surprise announcement that Interbike would be staying put, comes word that the Cycle Show, the former London Cycle Show, would move from London’s Earls Court to NEC area in Birmingham. Our friends at BikeRadar.com reported that the organizers are looking to make this move as Birmingham will allow for a “significant expansion.”
The event, which will celebrate its 10th anniversary will take place just weeks after Interbike, and run from September 29 to October 2. Meanwhile BikeRadar also announced that London Town won’t be without a bike show.
In a (confusing) twist, the London Bike Show will take place from January 13-16. We can hope this will mean lots more bicycle tech for us to report on, and for all of us to ride on next season and beyond.
Rocking and Driving With the RockyMounts DriveShaft
RockyMounts, based in Boulder, Colorado, has been making bike and ski mounts that fit Yakima, Thule and other roof racks for years. They offer the same quality as the two big names, but at a lower price point and with a vast array of colors. 
New for 2011, RockyMounts has introduced the DriveShaft, which is not a complete bike mount, but rather an adaptor to fit bikes with 15mm and 20mm thru axles to the standard 9mm bike mount. They are not the first to introduce this type of mount, but the RockyMounts model offers a level of security that the others do not. Continue reading Rocking and Driving With the RockyMounts DriveShaft
Glow You On Your Way
As any cyclist knows you can’t count on the guy in the car to see you. While reflectors and even blinky lights can help provide some illumination, it isn’t always enough, especially for those who commute. As the sun begins to set earlier, and dusk comes by rush hour, getting a little more light can help make the ride home all the safer. Bike Glow Safety Lights are a new way to light up the way, whether it is low light or even complete darkness. The waterproof, battery operated light system can be completely wrapped around the frame of a bike, and unlike pedal reflections or blinky lights, the Glow lights can be seen from multiple directions and angles and at much greater distances.
“Cyclists have been in need of a product that makes them visible from the side for years,” said Bike Glow CEO Chris Cobb. “Our Bike Glow safety light provides riders with a lightweight and inexpensive solution. Cyclists 
who use Bike Glow can ride without fearing they will be struck by a vehicle on early morning or late evening rides.”
The Bike Glow Safety Light system utilizes a ten-foot flexible light tube. The system’s electroluminescent technology provides bright colors for increased visibility from all angles, while the flexible tube can be used in any weather condition. It is powered by just 2 AA batteries, with up to 120 hours in flashing mode or 50 hours in constant illumination. And if you ride in a pack you can guide the way and be a point of light for others on their night ride home.
Hands-on: Boo! Freighting Good Ride With Bamboo
While visiting the Gates Carbon Drive System booth at the 2010 Outdoor Demo in Boulder City, NV, there was one bike the jumped out as being completely unique from all of the other manufacturers using the belt drive system. That manufacturer was Boo Bicycles from Ft. Collins, Colorado. The feature that really made this bike stand out was the use of bamboo as the main tubes and stays of the frame. Bamboo is one of those materials that has picked up steam as a building material in the mainstream recently due to its beauty and more importantly its sustainability as a building material.
Unlike traditional lumber, bamboo can be harvested for use as a building material in a few years as opposed to a few decades. For centuries, Eastern cultures have used bamboo for everything including building shelters, weapons, food and textiles. Boo is certainly not the first manufacturer to use bamboo in a bicycle frame, but they are one of the few to use the material in every single frame they produce. Continue reading Hands-on: Boo! Freighting Good Ride With Bamboo
Interbike 2011: Vegas, Baby, Vegas
Forget everything you heard about Interbike moving to Anaheim for next August. The show is staying put in Las Vegas. The bicycle show’s organizers made it official yesterday. The show will stay in Las Vegas, and will be held September 12-16.
“The announcement that we were moving the show dates and location elicited a very real response that surveys and discussions alone couldn’t accomplish,” said Andy Tompkins, Interbike show director. “Due to the overwhelmingly positive response to this year’s show and the countless conversations we’ve personally had with exhibitors and retailers regarding the future dates and location of Interbike, we are reversing our earlier decision to move the 2011 show to Anaheim in August. We are hearing loud and clear that, at this time, the industry prefers September dates and the convenience of Las Vegas.”
We’re already looking forward to next year’s show, and we’ll be sure to do the right down the Vegas strip!
Hands On: Shhh! I’m Trying to Ride Here
While at Interbike this year I had the pleasure of riding a 2010 Wazee, offered by Spot Brands from Golden, Colorado. I was interested in riding this bike not because it is a fixed gear bike, but because it is a belt drive, fixed gear bike. Spot utilized the Gates Carbon Drive System with this fixed gear bike and came up with what might be the quietest bike on the market.
I was amazed at how quiet the ride of this bike was and the positive feel of the belt drive system. There was no slop in the chain when backpedaling and after being ridden by countless people at Interbike, the belt was clean. The frame uses track geometry, which made the bike handle very quick and nimble. Continue reading Hands On: Shhh! I’m Trying to Ride Here
Building a Better Bike Helmet, From Cardboard
One of the helmets shown at the London Cycle Show is constructed from corrugated cardboard. A grid framework of cardboard is pieced together, then covered with a shell. This is the concept design of recent graduate Anirundha Surabhi who earned an industrial design degree from London’s Royal College of Art.
Dubbed Kranium, the cardboard helmet weighs less than its polystyrene contemporaries, and is able to withstand more than one impact. The cardboard ribs flex and de-flex, then the remaining amount of energy is absorbed by the crumpling nature of the corrugated cardboard ribs. The Kranium helmet was tested against the British Standards at the Imperial College, and was found to absorb 4 times the amount of impact energy when compared to regular cycling helmets.
A shell for protection covers the corrugated ribs of the helmet. The cardboard is treated with an acrylic waterproofing agent, which protects against rain or inevitable sweat. Even with the acrylic treatment, the helmet is recyclable.
Initially, the helmet will have to be custom fit with head measurement instruments Kranium plans to distribute to stores. Helmets are expected to cost roughly £80 with replacement helmets made from original measurements to be a little less. Designer Surabhi hopes to make a cheaper, mass-produced version in fixed sizes that will be available in vending machines. If a cheaper, more widely available version becomes available this will be a boon for bike rentals, municipal bike share plans, and cyclists in third world countries.
Surabhi was awarded a grant from the James Dyson Fellowship for his design, and is currently in talks for angel funding.
Via [BikeBiz]
Tired of Greasy Hands and Pant Legs?
The Gates Carbon Drive system debuted back in 2008 based on 25 years motorcycle and dragster CDS technology. The Gates Carbon Drive System was developed to offer cyclists a lighter weight, lower maintenance, quieter ride and cleaner drive system than the current chain system on the market. The no-stretch Carbon Drive belt is embedded with carbon fiber cords and requires no lubrication, but the system does require a frame designed around the CDS.
Continue reading Tired of Greasy Hands and Pant Legs?
What the Garmin Acquisition of MetriGear Means for Cycling, Fitness Computers
Garmin, maker of GPS devices, acquired MetriGear last month. The newly-acquired company based in Silicon Valley creates solutions for improving athletic performance in cycling and other sports. One of MetriGear’s products is Vector, a power meter built into a bike pedal’s spindles. This meter calculates a cyclist’s power by measuring force applied to the pedals.
“Power is becoming the must-have information for cyclists who want to improve their performance,” said Cliff Pemble, Garmin president and COO.
Continue reading What the Garmin Acquisition of MetriGear Means for Cycling, Fitness Computers
Constructing the Smart Ebike
Earlier this week we posted about the Smart ebike being shown at the 2010 Paris Auto Show. We found video posted which shows the design and construction of the bike. Enjoy.
via [Cycelicious Bicycle Blog]
A Mount that Fixes an iPhone to Bike
There’s a number of cycle computer-type apps for the iPhone. They track your speed, distance, map where you’ve been or plan to go, and so on. But that info is all useless if your phone is in your pocket.
A company called RAM Mount has a cradle that secures your iPhone 4 to the handlebar of any bike. The RAM EZ-On/Off handlebar mount is constructed of high-strength composite. It uses zip ties to attach, making it easy to adjust to a variety of handlebar thicknesses. Once mounted, you can adjust the angle to make the screen more visible when you’re riding.
Via [BoingBoing]