Bicyclists feel a lot of pressure while riding, especially in traffic. But that doesn’t mean that riders can feel the pressure in their tires. Not having the right pressure in the tires can result in flats, and many riders simply fail to forget to pay attention to their tires – at least until something goes wrong.
However, there is new technology that can provide real-time tire pressure data directly to the rider’s smartphone. The BTPS Bike Tire Pressure System uses a shockproof unit that consists of a sensor, circuit board and battery. It sends data to a rider’s smartphone via Bluetooth 4.0 or ANT+ wireless protocols. This allows riders to monitor the air in their tires without even getting their hands dirty. Video after the jump
Sustainable is a word that is thrown around a lot, and we’ve seen snowboards made out of some “interesting” materials, including bamboo. That fast-growing grass has also been used for bikes and even cycling apparel. But researchers from South Yorkshire have come up with a “nutty” idea that would utilize biocomposite materials in the construction of snowboards.
If you’re looking for gifts this Christmas, you might want to get ahead of the game and consider a few fitness technologies. A report released by the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) finds that one third of U.S. consumers plan to purchase fitness technologies in 2013. That means one in three people on your list plan on getting a fitness monitor, exercise equipment or other tech to aid their workouts. 
For Dan Smith his life changed when he and his twin brother Michael were stuck down by Leber’s Optic Neuropathy, an extremely rare condition that leads to a loss of vision as a result of the death of cells in the optic nerve. This causes it to stop relying vital information to the brain. For Dan this likely meant that he couldn’t ride his bike anymore.
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.
It is all too easy to think of soft fluffy snow, something that isn’t so bad to land on while skiing or snowboarding. But a new Johns Hopkins-led study, which was supported by the National Institutes of Health’s National Institute of General Medical Sciences and the American College of Surgeons’ C. James Carrico Fellowship for the Study of Trauma and Critical Care, has founded that the use of helmets by skiers and snowboarders decreases the risk and severity of head injuries. It can also save lives.
It is something everyone who rides on bike on city streets or even rural roads has encountered – the car that got a little too close for comfort. But fortunately riders in California will soon get some protection as a CalBike-sponsored law will accelerate the construction of protected bikeways throughout the state.
The military has often created new technology that trickles down to everyday products, and now researchers at the U.S. Naval Academy may have paved the wave towards making a more robust helmet. However, this isn’t a military helmet, although there is no reason why their research couldn’t help soldiers on the battlefield, but rather a football helmet.
It looks like we’ll see fewer personal navigation devices (PND), but more devices with built-in navigation. A report from ABI Research finds that while PND sales will go down over the next few years, the market will continue to grow as navigation in phones, watches and eyewear take hold. 
With October being breast cancer awareness month we’re seeing several promotions and campaigns to raise awareness and to highlight the important role exercise plays in reducing the risks. This includes the Fourth Annual Cybex Pink Ribbon Run.