Sturdy bike racks are a necessary component to ensuring that people can ride their bikes to work, but aren’t the most pleasing things to look at. A new “artful” attempt to provide new racks, made of recycled cast iron might just change the way people see the racks.
Last week the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency along with the Yerba Buena Community Benefit District unveiled and installed its first recycled cast iron “artful bicycle racks.” These are the first of 250 to be placed in the Yerba Buena neighborhood, and are meant to help meet the growing demand for bicycle parking download. The racks have been paid for by local property owners, and are designed to give a little more style than the usual utilitarian bike racks.
[Via KTVU: Unveiling “artful” bike racks at Francisco’s Yerba Buena Gardens]
It is easy to get “cold feet” when riding a bicycle in the winter. Not cold feet of the “I don’t want to do this” variety but literal COLD FEET! Cycling shoes are designed to breathe and that isn’t good when the temperature dips down. However, the Rapha Neoprene Cycling Overshoes, which as the name implies feature 100 percent neoprene sleeves and a reserve coil zip and Velcro ankle closure to provide a secure fit. These will keep the feet toasty – so the rest of the body can get cold first!
Transporting the young ones can be tricky, especially for those with active lives. This is where designer Oliver Klein’s award winning Kanguru might be the one to beat. This transformable baby carrier/bike seat, which is made almost entirely of recyclable materials that can be easily replaced should any wear out or break, won a Gold BraunPrize 2012 for “Genius Design for Everyday.” The Kanguru can even stand upright on the ground, thus serving a third purpose as well. Again, genius for everyday.
The Cat-Ears could be just the thing for hipsters who have a problem growing facial hair – this fur for the face attaches to bicycle chinstraps and provides that sideburn look that would be the envy of the original cast of Beverly Hills 90210.
Back in August we heard about the Aqua-Xtracycle, a kit that turned a bike into a watercraft. We suggested this one was all wet and 
pleased to see the near constant innovation and the accompanying evolution that comes with it in the realm of athletic head protection. Much has been made with sensors that can determine if an injury has occurred or even call for helmet when the wear suffers a head injury.
One problem with handlebar mounted lights is that they can be easily stolen or forgotten if you don’t leave them on the handlebars – and in either case if they’re not on the handlebars they’re not doing much good. This clearly was the inspiration behind the Innos LED handlebars that feature the lights inside the bars!
The BioFloat bike seat won’t exactly float on water should you encounter a lake or river during a ride, but it will handle every bump in the road a little beat. The seat is designed to soak up vibrations and act as a shock absorber for the rider’s backside.
On the hit CBS sitcom The Big Bang Theory main character Sheldon Cooper noted that he “bus pants” as in pants he wears over regular pants so as not to soil his own pants. Now you don’t need to be a fictionalized scientist with behavioral issues to understand the desire not to want to sit on some city buses, but we’d love to hear Dr. Cooper’s take on “Bicycle Pants.”
Yes, the Ginger Jersey is a play on redheads, but that’s not a requirement to don the Ginger Jersey from Elevengear. The long sleeve jersey is suitable as a standalone jersey, or as a baselayer, which means you can wear it when it’s hot or cold out. It gets its name because the long sleeves offer full coverage and the jersey is rated 35+ SPF, so those fair haired cyclists can wear it and not worry about sun exposure. 
Chains have been around since ancient times and massive chains in Constantinople even closed the Golden Horn to ships. But in modern times chains can ensure a bike will still be there when you leave it for a while. The problem is that not all changes are created equal or up to the level that thieves can’t cut it.