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Make your bike electric with this swap-in tire
Electric bikes have been around for decades but haven't broken out of their niche audience. Instead of building a bicycle around electric power, GeoOrbital is a universal wheel you can swap into your existing bike to power your ride.
Vintage Electric's latest e-bike gives you more retro power
Vintage Electric drew a lot of attention when it unveiled its retro e-bikes a couple of years ago: it managed to fuse the classic look of early 20th century board track racers with a decidedly modern electric motor. Well, it's back for another year... and it's clear that the company has learned a lot in a short space of time. Its newly launched 2016 Tracker ups both the performance and the nostalgia quotient. It's 15 percent more efficient than last year's Tracker, but produces 20 percent more torque and carries a larger 70 watt-hour battery good for 35 miles of real-world travel. At the same time, you'll find clever new touches like stainless steel accents and pewter badging.
BeeLine brings easy GPS navigation to your bike
It's easy to get navigation on your bike through dedicated GPS or a smartphone cradle, but that doesn't mean that navigation is easy. How are you supposed to pay attention to turn-by-turn directions when you're busy dodging potholes? BeeLine thinks it can help. It's crowdfunding a navigation device that purposefully simplifies your directions down to an arrow and the distance left to go -- it's like a compass that points only to your destination. You don't have to squint at the display to figure out where you're going, and there's no pressure to follow a specific path when you're content to take a leisurely route. The puck-like design is small enough to clip on to your keys (and thus less likely to be stolen), and its e-paper screen helps the battery last for a month's worth of riding.
6 high-tech bikes that bring cycling to a new level
By Cat DiStasio For cyclists who want to go farther, ride faster and look cooler doing it, there are a lot of options on the market when it comes to high-end bikes. This week we're gawking over a few of the world's most technologically enhanced cycles. Some are electric hybrids; some transform for better ergonomics; and some take the notion of a bicycle and darn near throw it out the window. From the innovative to the chic to the out of this world, here are six of the world's most incredible (and expensive) rides on two wheels.
London's Boris bikes kitted out with lasers in the name of safety
If there's one universal truth, it's that everything is better with lasers: sharks, dinosaurs, Facebook, and now... Boris bikes. Under a new safety trial, Transport for London has fitted 250 of the capital's pushbikes-for-hire with a laser-projection system that beams the familiar stickman bicycle logo onto the ground ahead of the cyclist. With a six metre lead on the rider, the projection is intended to alert motorists to the close presence of the cyclist, who could be cruising in the driver's blind spot at the time. In early tests, the laser projection was said to improve the nighttime visibility of bikers when compared with the regular LED headlamps currently in use. The tech itself is being provided by UK upstart Blaze, which already sells the Laserlight as a handlebar add-on for any bicycle. Should the 10-or-so week trial be deemed successful, the plan is to retrofit all 11,500 Boris bikes with the dynamo-driven projection system.
Google's self-driving cars can't handle bicycle track stands
Ever performed a track stand, where you keep your bike upright at a stop without taking your feet off the pedals? If you have, you'll want to avoid trying that around Google's self-driving cars, at least for a while. One Austin-based cyclist reports an encounter where one of the autonomous cars was comically unsure of what to do when it spotted him doing a track stand at an intersection. Every time his bike moved even slightly, the car would lurch forward and promptly hit the brakes. Nothing happened beyond some good laughs, but it was clear that Google's self-driving code didn't know how to handle a not-quite-stationary bike.
Breathalyzing bike lock keeps tipsy cyclists from riding drunk
You'd be surprised by the amount of damage and havoc that an inebriated bicyclist can inflict just by swerving through traffic, ignoring stop signs or falling off their bikes into the paths of oncoming cars. To prevent this sort of thing from happening, the Alcoho-Lock from Japanese firm KOOWHO combines the functionalities of a breathalyzer and bike lock. It works on the same principle as the ignition locks DUI offenders are often required to install on their cars. You simply blow into a mouthpiece on the underside of the lock and wait for the device to measure the amount of alcohol on your breath. If it's below the legal limit, the lock releases and you can be on your merry way. If it's above the legal limit the Alcoho-Lock will totally rat you out, sending a warning text to a family member or friend telling them you're smashed. That contact will then have the option to remotely unlock the device on your behalf.
Garmin's Varia radar warns cyclists about traffic they can't see
Six months. That's apparently how long it takes to buy a company, retool their product, and sell it under a new name. Garmin's new Varia Rearview Bike Radar is a rear light that scans up to 140m behind a bicycle for traffic. It then hands that data on to either a compatible Garmin Edge system or a standalone handlebar-mounted unit with an array of lights to warn riders of what's behind them and how fast it's approaching. If you're a keen cyclist, this idea may sound a little familiar. Startup iKubu made a little splash last year with Backtracker, which was essentially the same thing but a little rougher around the edges. Garmin bought the company back in January, and apparently wasted no time turning the Backtracker into what you see above.
6 amazing bikes that fly, float or go faster than cars
By Cat DiStasio, Inhabitat Staff These days, many people prefer two wheels to four. Folks opt for bikes instead of cars for the exercise, the maneuverability, the low environmental impact and the camaraderie among riders. It's the ever-changing design of bikes that grabs the world's attention, including those of us who aren't so steady on two wheels. Whether you're a diehard cyclist or you're skeptical of human-powered transportation, here are six incredible cycles that will leave you thinking bikes are a superior class of vehicle.
The first solar bike path is producing more energy than expected
Back in November, SolaRoad launched a test bike path that generates energy through solar cells embedded in the concrete. It sounds like an outlandish idea, but it's apparently paying off very quickly. The company has revealed that its road has generated much more energy than expected -- it produced 3,000kWh of electricity in the space of just six months, or enough to power a single person's home for a year. That doesn't sound like much, but SolaRoad notes that its path only covers a 230-foot stretch in a Dutch village. You'd get a lot more energy from longer, wider roads.
Smart pedals will track your stolen bike for $149
Back when we saw Connected Cycle's smart bike pedals at CES in January we were pretty impressed by its plan to track activity and location; now you have a chance to get in on the action. The outfit's smart pedals recently hit crowdfunding site IndieGoGo where the campaign has already hit 171 percent of its funding goal. Since we last saw them, the duration limit on included data plans has been lifted for backers and CC is working on design modifications so the pedals accommodate "standardized" foot straps.
The Solarbike is a very real thing
Here's an electric bike that doesn't need plugging in.. or swapping out batteries. As the name suggests, the Solarbike has solar cells built into both sides of the party typical bicycle wheels, using cells (and a design) that's apparently "shadow optimized": The inventor is based in Copenhagen, so it's certainly an issue that needed tackling. Power drawn in from the solar cells when the bike isn't moving is stored inside an on-board battery, then when you're in transit, power comes both from the Thermos-shaped attached to the bike frame and what ever trickles in from the solar cells. As Treehugger puts it, improvements solar cell tech improvements in last decade has made this design at least tenable -- because the wheels are facing out sideways, not getting solar rays head-on, it makes the task of absorbing light a little bit more difficult.
Folding electric bike talks to all your other smart devices
While there's no shortage of smart bikes, they still have limits: many rely chiefly on pedal power, and their tech-savviness is often limited to talking to a special smartphone app. The JIVR Bike might just solve several of those problems at once, though. The two-wheeler not only uses a chainless electric drive (good for 20 miles of pedal-free travel per charge), but serves as an iBeacon that talks to any nearby device which supports the format -- you could have it send info to your laptop, if you like. It folds to fit into small apartments, too, and you can plug in your phone to use it as a dashboard.
Spinlister wants to be the Zipcar of smart bike rentals
This smart bike is about to turn urban ridesharing on its ear. Spinlister, a global peer-to-peer bike sharing program, announced plans at SXSW on Friday to sell these specially-built VanMoof smart bikes for use as franchised rentals through its mobile app. It's like Uber or Lyft but, you know, with pedals.
Give your bike a sense of direction with these smart handlebars
There haven't been a lot of elegant ways to add navigation to your bike -- unless you have access to prototype bikes, you're probably stuck mounting a GPS unit or smartphone that might take your eyes off the road. That's where Boreal Bikes' crowdfunded smrtGRiPS project might just come in handy. These install-it-yourself handlebar ends pair with your smartphone to give you directions, whether or not you're on the bike. While you're riding, the grips will shake for imminent turns or traffic problems. They'll also help you find your wheels, and you'll even get separation alerts if you're traveling with another smrtGRiPS-touting cyclist.
iGo's electric Fatbike takes the grunt-work out of climbing
We realize that the market for a nearly $4,000 bicycle is going to be fairly limited -- especially when it's made for serious off-roading -- but bear with us for a moment. The iGo Electric Fatbike is a bit different than the electric two-wheelers we've seen before because, for one, well, it's a fatbike. Meaning, it's specially designed to tackle both snow, sand or other soft terrain with relative ease. To make those typically undesirable substrates (or maybe just the road to your favorite deli) a little easier to get across, the iGo will match your pedal input with its electric motor and 12Ah Panasonic battery. Pedal faster and you'll get a bigger boost, slower and it'll cut back on the push; there are an adjustable ten levels of power assistance, too. The designers seem pretty far along on the process and say they're hitting Kickstarter to setup their new assembly facility and complete the first production run. Want in? All it takes is 3,595 Canadian dollars.
China's Google will launch a smart bike later this year
What's the next hot connected gadget category? Forget watches, we're thinking bikes, judging by the overwhelming interest in crazy, innovative new models like Teague's 'Denny' e-bike. Chinese search giant Baidu is all over that with the Dubike, a non-motorized bicycle equipped with regenerative electric tech and laden with smart fitness technology. It sports heart rate, pedal rate, peddle pressure and other sensors which which connect via Bluetooth to a smartphone app. With that info, it'll monitor your health stats, provide mapping directions, track your bike's position and recommend cycling routes or fitness programs via social networks -- to name just a few possible functions.
Watch a rocket-powered bicycle outrun a supercar
You probably don't think of bicycles as speed demons, but Arnold Nearcher and François Gissy would beg to differ. They've respectively developed and raced a rocket-powered bike that just broke a world speed record for the vehicle class, hitting a brisk 207MPH. It's not the fastest two-wheeler of any kind, but the acceleration (maximum speed arrives in five seconds) is enough to put supercars to shame. As you'll see in the video below, the machine can outrun a light-yet-powerful Ferrari F430 Scuderia without breaking a sweat. Given the dangers involved, you won't be riding a rocket bike on your daily commute any time soon. Still, it's an impressive feat -- think of it as poetic justice for every time a motorist has cut you off while you're pedaling down the street.
Track your bicycle trips with BikeTool
If you ride in bicycle races, as a form of exercise of just enjoy a leisurely ride on your bicycle, BikeTool would be worth your investigation. The free and ad-free universal app runs on iOS 6.0 or later and is a trip computer and logger that provides cyclists with all kinds of information to help them as they exercise or compete. Even if you are just riding for fun you can track your trip and find out how far you ride, how fast you went both with average speed and the maximum, if you went uphill and how much of an elevation increase you experienced and see a map showing the path or your journey. BikeTool utilizes the GPS in your iOS device to compute the trip's statistics. In addition to the ones I mentioned earlier you will find details on lap times if you are riding a circuit, your latitude and longitude, and a live reading on your compass heading. The app has three taps, GPS, map, and options. On the GPS tab you will find all of the measurements previously mentioned along with some others. You may set a destination if you wish and the app provides you with an estimated time to reach that location based on your current travel speed and plots a course to that destination. One button starts and stops the timer. A single tap gets you started and a second tap pauses the timer if you stop anywhere along the way. Tap again and everything picks up where you paused. A second, reset, button clears your trip and starts everything at zero. The second tab is for Maps. You can choose a map or satellite image. If you have an Internet connection, the map places a pin for your destination and a red line to mark the progress you are making on your journey. Altitude reports can come either from your device or Google Maps. This is set under the third tab. That third tab is for Options and is where you configure all the settings you prefer. You can turn the GPS on or off, set the GPS sensitivity, choose between miles and kilometers, and reset the trip and/or the odometer. Remember your battery usage will be impacted by your GPS Sensitivity setting. The higher the sensitivity, the more times the app will check your location and that can fun down your battery. BikeTool tracks just about everything active cyclists need to measure their progress. But it can also be a fun tool for you and your family if you take evening for weekend rides together.
Soen Audio's sexy Transit XS Bluetooth speaker launches on Kickstarter
Bluetooth speakers are a hot growth item in the mobile world. It seems like every week, TUAW is inundated with pitches for a few more speakers from companies ranging from high-end audio equipment manufacturers to those that we say "Who?" about. The speakers range from cheap and dirty to high-end as well, with sound quality that can be as crisp and realistic as being at a concert to sounding like a scratchy low-power AM radio station on the car radio of a 1965 Chevy Impala station wagon. I recently had the opportunity to test an absolutely beautiful Bluetooth / NFC speaker from Soen Audio that launched on Kickstarter today. The Transit XS (US$130, but limited early bird backers can get one for as little as $60) looks incredible, but what about the sound? Read on for details. Specifications Dimensions: 6.25 x 2.5 x 1 inch (158.75 x 63.5 x 25.4 mm) Weight: .6 lbs (.27 kg) Design Highlights In stark contrast to many of the inexpensive Bluetooth speakers that pass through the TUAW Labs, the Transit XS is drop-dead gorgeous. The prototype I tested is off-white, with a rubberized material covering the top, back, bottom and sides. The front grille appears to be constructed of a perforated metal material the same color as the case. But the cool design feature is a brushed aluminum strip that extends all the way around the middle of the speaker. On top are three buttons -- one for volume down/skip back, one marked with an infinity symbol for play/pause, and a volume up/fast forward button. On the left side of the speaker as you look toward the front are a power switch, an AUX input port, four white LEDs for determining remaining battery, and a micro-USB port for charging. The right side features the patented Momentum Port, which I'll talk about in a minute. Finally, on the back of the speaker is a 1/4 inch screw mount that can connect the speaker to a tripod or a bicycle mount. Soen also plans to ship the Transit XS with a belt clip to make the speaker wearable. The Kickstarter page shows the Transit XS in five different colors: black, red, blue, purple, and white. Functionality Highlights Let's get the minor features out of the way first. That rubberized material is awesome, making the speaker quite easy to grip and also isolating it from vibration on hard surfaces. Soen provides a standard 3.5mm (1/8-inch) audio cable if you want to plug your Transit XS into a device without Bluetooth or NFC, as well as a USB to micro-USB charging cable. Powering up the Transit XS is as simple as sliding the power button. Unlike some of the jarring BEEEPs or voice prompts telling you that the speaker has been powered up, the Transit XS provides a two-note bass guitar riff -- nice touch. Similar bass riffs sound when you press the "infinity button" atop the speaker to enable Bluetooth pairing and once again when the two are paired. One feature that I saw with iOS 8 beta that I had never seen before was that the speaker's battery level showed up in a tiny vertical battery icon on the iPhone. I'm not sure if that's something that will work with all Bluetooth devices or perhaps just those running Bluetooth 4.0 -- or it could be an iOS 8 feature -- but it's kind of cool that my iPhone displays the speaker's battery level. Now the big fun -- listening to the speaker. It has surprisingly good sound quality and volume for such a small device. A bass port on the right side of the Transit XS seems to accentuate bass fairly well, so if you love deep, pounding bass, you're going to love this speaker. That's not to say that it doesn't do a good job with mid- and high-range sounds as well: it does. Conclusion While the Soen Transit XS still has 29 days to go in its Kickstarter campaign, it's already reached 65 percent of its funding. I think I know why -- it's a good looking and well-built Bluetooth speaker with great sound that can be mounted just about anywhere. I have no doubt that it's going to blast by its funding goal in no time at all. Rating: 4 stars out of 4 stars possible
