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Volvo's reflective bike paint helps cars spot you at night
Want to feel nervous? Try riding a bike at night alongside a busy road. Even if you're festooned in lights and reflectors, there's a real chance that a less-than-attentive driver will smack into you. Volvo may have a better way to keep cars at a distance, however. Its new LifePaint spray is invisible during the day, but reflects car headlights in the evening. You can coat your bike, your clothing or most anything else and provide a heads-up to motorists, who'll see bright white as they get close. It only lasts for 10 days at a time, but you can wash it off -- just don't ride during a heavy rainstorm and you'll be fine. The biggest challenge is simply getting some cans for yourself. Volvo is only offering LifePaint in six London- and Kent-area bike shops right now, and availability will depend on how it fares in these test areas.
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.
This BMX bike sensor is ready to track your off-road adventures
There's no shortage of bike sensors that will track your performance. However, they usually assume that you're on a garden variety road bike. What if your definition of biking involves BMX races or trick jumps? Never fear -- you now have an activity tracker to call your own. Iddo has launched a crowdfunding drive for what it says is the world's first BMX bike sensor. The angry-looking add-on (seriously, it's a little metal skull) will capture 'boring' details like speed and GPS position, but it also includes a 9-axis motion sensor and an altimeter to detect your air time and tricks. The companion smartphone app will even score stunts, so you have an added incentive to master that bunny hop or tailwhip. If you're racing, Iddo will let you map tracks and measure your lap times.
Jaguar Land Rover's latest project uses in-car alerts to protect cyclists
Jaguar Land Rover has done quite a bit of work in automotive safety with its Virtual Windscreen project, but now, the company is looking to protect cyclists. Bike Sense, the automaker's newest R&D concept, uses a series of in-car alerts to warn the driver of an approaching cyclist or motorcyclist. Sensors on the outside of the car detect the biker's movement, and when they get close, a bicycle bell or motorcycle horn blasts from the speaker closest to their location. When someone is coming up from behind, an air cushion inside the seat "taps" the driver on the shoulder on the appropriate side. There's also a collection of LED lights on the window sills that change from yellow to red when the bike approaches, and their movement shows the path that person is going to take.
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.
We go virtual trail biking on a robotic smart bike
It takes you less than 30 seconds sitting on top of Activetainment's Ebove B\01 smart bike before you start wishing you could own one. Sure, there are plenty of static exercise bikes that let you follow a trail with the benefit of a tablet strapped on top. There are a lot fewer bikes that are set up on a gimbal that lifts up when you crest a hill and dips down when you hit the opposite side. When you factor in the fact that the bike has working gears and the effort you make represents the distance you travel, it's the closest thing we've seen to trail biking that doesn't involve getting muddy.
This pedal tracks both fitness and bike thieves
If bike thievery is an issue in your town, you can ride and rest easy with the Connected Cycle pedal. It has GPRS and GPS built-in to phone home your bike's location whenever it moves, so it can track your fitness, and send a push notification if someone suddenly jumps on your bike. The pedal is a little bulky for cyclists who pride themselves on lightweight bikes, but on the other hand, it never needs charging or a new battery. It charges from the energy of riding, and the team says a one-hour ride is enough to keep it powered for up to a couple of weeks. They've been working on the tech for two years, and plan to release it in a variety of colors with two years of service, for an as-yet unspecified price. In a demo on the show floor everything worked smoothly, with the app easily tracking activity or location. And hey, even if a thief does make off with your bike, you'll have the data to show you still rode a faster split than they did.
Volvo's bike helmet concept alerts riders and drivers to each other
You know what will go perfectly with those futuristic rocket-powered, heartrate-monitoring bikes? This smart helmet that Volvo wants to create. It's a two-way system that works by uploading both cyclists' and drivers' locations to Volvo's cloud. While a connected car's in-dash system makes that possible, the helmet needs to be linked to a bike app like Strava to do so. Bicyclists can then be warned that there's a car coming their way or crossing their path by warning lights built into the helmet.
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.
Solar power will give you non-stop water during bike rides
If you're a cyclist, you know the anxiety that comes with running out of water in the middle of a bike ride -- the last thing you want is dehydration when you're miles away from home. Design student Kristof Retezàr may just set your mind at ease, though. He recently developed Fontus, a bike-mounted device that uses solar power to convert air moisture into water for your drinking bottle. The key is its use of thermoelectric cooling. Solar panels generate electricity that cools the top of the device, where air comes in as you ride; as the moisture condenses, it drips water into a bottle below. The bottom stays warm, but that only accelerates the condensation process above.
A folding electric bike that fits in a bag? Impossible
If there's one area of technology that seems permanently mired in the '70s, it's that of the fold-up bicycle. In fact, the last innovation we can recall is Sir Clive Sinclair's A-Bike from 2006, but it's still big enough to be difficult to carry around. That's what inspired the folks at Impossible Technology to try and re-invent the commuter bicycle for the modern era. Rather than using straight lines, the Impossible Bike is based on two circles, from which wheels pull down and the seat and handle extends out from the top. The hard plastic carrying case which protects the unit when folded down - small enough to fit into a backpack - pulls double duty as the seat.
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.
Philippe Starck's latest project is a fleet of electric bikes for all terrains
We've come across a variety of wares from renowned French designer Philippe Starck. He's tinkered with everything from external hard drives to headphones, and now he's added electric bicycles to the list. Working alongside Moustache Bikes, the M.A.S.S. collection is a set of four powered two-wheelers built to tackle mud, asphalt, sand and snow with a corresponding acronym to boot. The fleet of Starckbikes have a handlebar-mounted control unit for sorting five modes (eco, tour, sport and turbo) alongside GPS navigation. Depending on which of those modes you choose, advertised range is 30 to 60km (around 19 to 37 miles) and the lithium-ion battery fully recharges in 3.5 hours. Of course, mileage goes up if you're okay with pedaling the extra distance. In terms of speed, three of the bikes top out at 15.5 MPH (25 km/h) and that road-tuned option can zoom around at up 28 MPH (45 km/h). As you might expect, the sand and snow models feature frame covers to protect that 250-watt Bosch electric motor from the elements, one of which is made of some quite dapper fur.
As your kid grows, this bike will transform to fit them
Like clothes, children tend to outgrow bikes pretty quickly. But what if there was a way to buy one and have it convert to fit a growing kid? Well, that's just what designer Andreas Bhend has done with the Miilo bike. What starts has a simple scoot along option with no pedals can adapt to fit an older child by flipping the frame and adding pedals. The handlebars and seat are also meant to adjust so that the bicycle can remain an option riders between the ages of 2.5 and 7 -- unless your kid hits a crazy growth spurt, of course. The project was inspired by another training bike that Bhend made by hacking up a pair IKEA stools, and from there, the idea to have a model that transforms began.
Barely Related: Terminator Genisomething, Star Wars world
We're leaving on a jet plane and we're definitely, 100 percent sure when we'll be back – right after Gamescom. Welcome to Barely Related, a conversational Friday column that presents the non-gaming news stories that we, the Joystiq staff, have been talking about over the past week. And no, we're not stopping our focus on industry and gaming news. Think of this as your casual weekly recap of interesting (and mostly geeky) news, presented just in time to fill your brain with things to discuss at all of those weekend shindigs. Grab a fresh drink, lean back in your armchair, and get ready to talk nerdy with us.
A motorized bike will help you survive the apocalypse
When the apocalypse arrives (zombie or otherwise), you'll need to be prepared for anything. Part of said preparedness should certainly involve transportation, and thanks to the folks at Motopeds, there's a legit option. The Survival Bike: Black Ops Edition hits the trail with a compound crossbow, fuel storage, shovel, tomahawk, harpoon, blade saw, climbing gear, lights and a smattering of tools and knives. To keep you on the correct (read: covert) path, there's a handlebar mount for that trusty smartphone or GPS unit needed to navigate. Unfortunately, there's no word on pricing, but the company's regular chassis kit includes everything you'll need minus the 4-stroke engine for $1,999.
You'll soon get the chance to buy Teague's e-bike of the future
If you saw the Teague X/Sizemore "Denny" e-bike last week and voted for it in the Oregon Manifest design contest, pat yourself on the back -- it just won. As a result, what was merely a design experiment will now become an actual retail product built by Fuji Bikes, available to buy in 2015. To bring you up to speed, the Seattle-inspired cycle grabbed our attention with its removable handlebar locking system and electric drive pedal assist. Other techie features include an automatic gear shifter, removable battery, minimalistic "fenders," integrated storage and a full set of lights. Along with the clean lines, that helped it best four other formidable entries and launch it as a product. There's no word on pricing yet, but Fuji said it has "exactly the kind of innovations we hoped would come from (the contest)" and expects it to sell well.
Solid's vibrating handlebars navigate bike lanes on its 3D printed frame
Just like when you're driving a car, glancing down at your phone while biking the busy streets of your city can be quite dangerous. Thanks to a Portland-based design firm, there's a bike that allows you to keep your eyes on the road while getting those much-needed directions. The folks at Industry teamed up with local builders Ti Cycles for Solid: a Bluetooth-enabled two-wheeler that connects to a smartphone app monitoring bike maintenance and offers vibrating handlebars for head's up GPS navigation. A companion app, My Bike, keeps an eye on burned out lights and other potential upkeep headaches. My City, a second bit of software, serves as guide for blazing the bike lanes of your chosen locale.
Customizable bike horn MYBELL hits Kickstarter with an improved design
We first played with the MYBELL, a customizable digital horn for your bike, several months ago at Engadget Expand NY. Now, the device has hit Kickstarter, and it's packing a new housing that makes the device both sleeker and stronger. The team behind the gadget, led by founder Peter Pottier, has also increased power efficiency. As before, though, MYBELL's all about biker safety, with a horn that can blast your choice of audio at more than 105 decibels. Its array of programmable LEDs is strong as well, letting you set your own pulse patterns to announce your presence at night.
Route-tracing robot shows where bike lanes should be
Tired of having to share the road with cars while you're biking? You're not alone. The marketers at Radwende have built a route-tracing art robot to make a case for more bike lanes in Wiesbaden, a German city frequently considered hostile to pedal pushers. The machine draws the paths of riders who use Android and iPhone tracking apps during their journeys, creating a crowdsourced cycling map whose lines get bolder based on traffic. The more people travel down a given street, the clearer it is that a bike lane is necessary.
