From KVAL: Bicycle hearse offers ‘one last ride’ to final resting place
Wade Lind takes the lid off a 7-foot bamboo coffin inside his business, Sunset Hills Funeral Home. Continue reading Weekend Reading List (05.25.2013): Final Ride, Rocket Man, Compressed Research
Paul Component Engineering is offering an alternative way to mount a GoPro on a bike. Not on the helmet or the handlebars but on the stem. This can allow the bars to be in the shot and thus get a sense of being in the action while watching the video. The Camera Mount also allows for the camera to be more centered in the action. It is compatible with all HERO3, HERO2, and HD HERO Original GoPro cameras.
So regardless of why, it now can be done and done right. Video after the jump
Who wants a “boring” bicycle? Not Craig Pelletier who has launched a Kickstarter project with a collective of bicycle and computer enthusiasts. They believe that every level of cyclists should be able to design their own bikes.
They’re working to create the Emblem Bike Company, which will provide a streamlined, easy to use website that provides “no-brainer explanations on every decision you make to help you decide on parts you want.” Emblem isn’t exactly offering custom bikes but rather is offering highly customized bikes, beginning with a selection of frames. The idea is something unique that should satisfy the customer. Video after the jump
QRide doesn’t want to keep anything down on the QT, instead it wants to include a QR code on cycling helmets as a way for emergency responders to access the information via a smartphone app. This could include emergency contact details, medical alerts, prescriptions or allergies on the online ID record. Although developed with cyclists in mind, QRide stickers can attach to just about any type of helmet.
The Plume is something that you can roll with, not only because it goes on a bike but because this recoiling bicycle mudguard can roll up when not needed. It can extend into a sleek mudguard or recoil back into a tight circle under the seat with just a gentle push of the finger – and yet is made of street-tough materials including stainless steel and a flexible polymer. Its designers are now looking to Kickstarter to get the Plume out and rolling and recoiling. Video after the jump
The United By Blue’s Pannier Bag is ready to roll, and can be used over the shoulder or on a bike itself. Made of 100 percent organic waxed canvas, and featuring a durable brass and leather strap that attach to any size bike, this is one bag that carry a heavy load in deed.
United By Blue also promises that for every product sold it will help to remove one pound of trash from the world’s oceans and waterways.
We’ve been seeing a number of concepts that change the way those blinky lights for cyclists work. The latest twist comes from Velodroom, which offers a light that has no on/off switch but like the LucidBRAKE utilizes a built-in accelerometer to detect movement and braking. When slowing down the light offers a bright warning to those behind, just like a car’s brakelight.
This system also features a built-in light sensor that can adjust the brightness to the surroundings and can help save the battery. Video after the jump
A number of companies now produce fitness food for cyclists, but whether the stuff is actually good remains a question. For those who would rather cook their own cycle-friendly fare chef Biju Thomas and Dr. Allen Lim have released the cookbook Feed Zone Portables. This 288 page book offers 75 new recipes for portable food to take on the go.
A built-in bike light seems like a good idea, and while we seen systems that integrate the lights into the stem, the Helios Bars are more than just a built-in light. These do provide proximity lighting that allows the bike to automatically turn on or off when the rider is near, and provide turn singles to help drivers know what you’re about to do. But the Helios Bars also provide GPS tracking via SMS from anywhere in the United States, where users can receive coordinates of the bike via Google Maps.
These bars also offer a visual speedometer, and can provide turn-by-turn navigation when synced with a mobile phone via Bluetooth 4.0. There is even ambient lighting options to set the mood while riding. Video after the jump
If you’re riding with a light system that includes a battery power you could have an extra way to give your phone the juice it might need. This is the concept behind Sigma Sport’s IICON cable that allows users to power up their mobile phones, cameras and GPS units via the battery pack.
The IICON attaches to the IION/IION XL battery pack and a red LED indicator light shows that the device is being charged. The IICON is completely watertight for use even in damp conditions. Now this is still a robbing Peter to pay Paul type situation, especially if you need to ride home and actually need the light but sometimes being able to make that call can be a godsend!
Working up a sweat is one reason we work out an exercise but sweat in the eyes is never fun when on a long summer bike ride. This is where the SweatHawg comes in. It is a helmet liner that is made in Oregon of Hydo-phillic fabric from Germany and can reportedly absorb 10 times its weight in water, and which can be rung out if it gets too saturated. It can keep the sweat out of the eyes and thus help on those hot summer days!
Riding a bike can be a good way to get out and get some fresh air – unless of course the air outside isn’t all that fresh. In places like China the air can be quite bad. Mike Andrews of New Castle in the U.K. visited China and realized there was a solution – ride a bike with a large air filter that could help clean the air while riding. He is now developing an electrical generator that can suck in bad air and produces cleaner air.
The key word is cleaner as this can only do so much. But imagine if China could get more cyclists using pedal power to clean the air? It would almost make it breathable.
[Via SeaCoast Online: New spin for bicycle: filtering air pollution]
We continue to follow the “upcycled” movement where old products are used in new ways, and this week we came across Rottua, which offers handmade sandals that feature repurposed bike tires and tubes along with other materials.
The sandals use tires for straps and the tube liner for the bit between the toes. The foot bed isn’t worn out either and features a high quality micro bier topsole with strap liner, as well foot-molding Eva midsole. Each sandal utilizes is made of about 20 percent upcycled materials, which include bike tires from Northern California.