Don’t let a little snow on the trials slow you down. If anything use the snow to pick up some speed with the Schwalbe Ice Spiker Bike Tires. These are designed specifically for winter riding, hence the little snowfakes by the treads! These feature Schwalbe spikes that feature an extremely hardwearing tungsten-carbide core with a base of fully galvanized steel. These will bite into snow and ice and keep you riding until spring.
Category: Cycling
Bicycle Gear Box
No one has gone out to reinvent the wheel that we know, but just about every other method of the bicycle drivetrain seems up for discussion. We’ve seen electronic shifting, belt drive and of course internal gearing. The latter isn’t exactly new but designers keep designing and innovators keep innovating. But the folks at Efneo have a new concept entirely, which puts the gears not in the rear wheel’s hub but rather in the front chainring.
The result is a three-speed internally geared system that could eventually be used with a belt drive. The result would be a clean looking bike with a 600 percent gear range and one that would be virtually maintenance free. We’re not sure if the bike shop mechanics will love it or hate it for those very reasons! Video after the jump
ReCycle Bikes Offers Alternative Form of Transport
Students at the University of Sheffield Campus have partnered with the Heeley Development Trust to form ReCycle Bikes, taking abandoned and donated bikes and refurbishing what would otherwise likely end up in the trash and providing a n alternative form of transport. Students and staff pay 30 pounds for the recycled bikes. The school subsidized the rest of the cost to get the bikes up to the proverbial speed. This solution provides a way for students to stay healthy, get around and keep unwanted bikes from just rusting away.
[Via The Postcode Gazette: Discarded bikes recycled and peddled to students]
Election Signs Keep the Mud Down
This recent election was known for a lot of mudslinging but hopefully one bicycle advocate will use the political signs to keep the mud from flying. Kent Peterson has taking leftover political signs and created bicycle fenders. Not a bad use for all those political yard signs.
Kudos to Ken for keeping the signs – from the winners or losers – out of the landfill.
Weekend Reading List (11.17.2012): Don’t Sit, Resistance is Not Futile, Row the Boat, South Pole Cold Play
Don’t Sit
From Runner’s World: Too Much Sitting Linked to Heart Fat
Too much sitting can lead to fat accumulation around the heart, even in regular exercisers, according to research presented at the annual meeting of the American Heart Association. Continue reading Weekend Reading List (11.17.2012): Don’t Sit, Resistance is Not Futile, Row the Boat, South Pole Cold Play
Sparse to Release Theft-Resistant Bike Lights
Finally, bicycle lights you can leave on your bike when you park. San Francisco-based Sparse will offer front and rear lights which attach directly to frame parts making them more difficult to steal. The front light, aptly named “The Spacer”, rests below them stem and fits both 1” and 1-1/8” steer tubes. The rear light mounts to your 20mm – 31.6mm seatpost.
Rated at 220 lumens in the front and 50 lumens in the rear, these die-cast aluminum beauties house a double lens with a silicone gasket to keep the elements out. Both lights have a reflector behind the LED bulbs to maximize output and provide rider safety when the lights are off. The rear light’s automatic blink mode begins flashing when the bicycle is in motion and remains flashing for one minute after stopping. Charge the LiPo battery with a supplied 6’ USB cord or wall plug adapter for up to four hours of run time.
Available in March 2013, they are offered in a black or brushed alloy finish. Suggested retail prices are $50 for the rear, $75 for the front, and $120 for the set. Pony up $160 and you can buy yours in a limited edition white alloy. Video after the jump
Get With the Click
Don’t you hate it when your bike falls over? You can lean it against a tree or the curb but eventually it is going to fall over. Now if you ride with… say your wife/girlfriend/husband/boyfriend you could click together the bikes. That is the idea of the Bicyclick’s Clickstand and Click-Base, which is basically a ball and socket connector that you put in the end of any flat handlebar.
Obviously this is meant for the casual rider with a hybrid or comfort bike more than a serious roadie, but the idea isn’t a bad one. It can install quickly and allows two bikes with the Clickstand to stay upright, while the Clickstand clips into the Click-Base mounted on a wall, to ensure that the bike can’t be accidentally knocked over. While not for everyone, we think it could still click for some riders.
Diablo Mk4 Head Light
The Diablo Mk4, the new update to the Exposure Diablo Mk3, gives new meaning to the concept of “head light.” This helmet mounted light, which was just announced, casts up to 1,100 lumens anywhere you turn your head.
It comes with a USB charger so it can juiced up from an AC outlet or from a computer port. It looks to feature the same weatherproof construction of the previous model and can easily mount to most helmets. On full blast this one will offer about an hour’s run-time, which could be great for commuters. On a lower settting it can obviously go the distance. But for those who want to cast a lot of light for a long time, such as a 24-hour race or something, there is even an optional 3-cell external battery that can offer up to eight hours of run time.
SRAM Offers Garmin Mount
Soon bike shops could have a whole department dedicated to mounts for Garmin cycling computers, as SRAM now offers mounts that look quite similar to the Quarq version with its own SRAM Quickview. What sets this one apart is actually that there are multiple versions that can work with the Garmin 200, 500 and 800.
It is made of hybrid composite material that is meant to cut down vibration to the head unit while it is still firmly on the bar. It weighs just 20g and mounts with a single T25 Torx bolt and will available in time for the holidays.
Automatic Shifting Via an App
There are cycling apps that allow riders to track distance, speed, calories and much more, but now the UK-based Cambridge Consultants are looking to allow an app to do the shifting for you. In essence this app, when paired with electronic shifters such as Shimano’s Di2 will great an automatic transmission.
The data is reported transmitted by the sensors using low-power Bluetooth Smart and then processed by an algorithm on the handset. This does some quick math, determines the rider’s current pedaling speed to preferred cadence and then instructs the Di2 to shift according. Continue reading Automatic Shifting Via an App
All-City Bike for City Riders
Cyclocross bikes were developed for cyclocross riding of course. This is the late-fall and winter sport that takes roadies off-road. It isn’t mountain biking, as there aren’t usually single track elements or a lot of overly technical riding. But the bikes still need to be tough, durable and can stand up to the elements – this is winter riding for one thing.
All-City Cycles understood this and introduced the Macho Man, which the company rolled out this fall. This steel frame bike features the new Shimano top-pull cyclocross specific CX70 derailleur, 105 STI shifters, FSA seatpost and crakes and Continental Cyclocross Race 700 X 35c model tires that can grip the road as well as the mud. It arrives in time for cyclocross season, which is now underway, but as the name of the company suggests this is one that commuters and road riders could enjoy in the “off-season.”
So hang up the road bike, and check out a durable cross bike that can handle those bumps in the road, the leaves on the streets and be ready for a little rain or snow.
Spectacam: Two Way Camera
Olympic cyclist Josiah Ng has started a Kickstarter project to raise money for what is being called a “two-way helmet cam.” From the sound of it we wonder if Ng was looking at introducing a camera that would allow communication between two people – sort of a Skype camera for the bike.
That’s not what he meant, but rather a “two-directional” camera that could be mounted to a helmet. The idea behind this concept is to provide cycle commuters with a “post-incident” security system. This way the camera can record not only what is coming from behind but shows where the rider’s eyes were towards the front. And technically this one isn’t limited just to cycling and could be used for any sort of post-accident study. Video after the jump
Ankle Band-It
Sometimes when you get on the bike you’re not in spandex. Sometimes you’re even in pants. But that presents a problem as the cuff can get caught up in the chain and not only ruin your commute, but also your pants. For years there’s been a few solutions, generally in the form of a bright, reflective yellow strap. New technology and design innovation is making its way down to ankle straps. Continue reading Ankle Band-It