smartbike
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VanMoof's Electrified X cured my fear of bike thieves
Five years ago I lost my bike. A few months prior, I had moved into a half-finished block of flats in southeast London. The apartment was complete, but construction workers were still beavering away at the stairwell. Progress was slow, though, and I was keen to commute on two wheels every morning. So I started cycling to work and, at night, chaining my beloved mountain bike to the banister at the bottom of our apartment block, long after the construction team had gone home. Until, one morning, I woke up and discovered that it had vanished. The stairwell, coated in white paint, had a black scorch mark where my lock used to reside. I can only presume that construction workers returned in the night and took a blowtorch to the chain. I haven't owned a bike since.
What we're using: Getting back on the smart bike saddle
Bike rental services are spreading, going beyond early adopter epicenters like New York, London and Tokyo. And it's dockless systems that seem to be gaining both more traction and umbrage. Daniel Cooper explains why Ofo's bikesharing platform has totally replaced his own bike.
SpeedX's Unicorn bike knows how much effort you're putting in
SpeedX is back with another "smart" road bike that promises to track your rides with a sleek, blemish-free design. The Unicorn is a sequel to the Leopard, which I took for a spin last June, and comes with a new, detachable bike computer on the stem. It has a 2.2-inch touchscreen and runs a custom version of Android, clearly indicating your current, average and maximum speed, among other information. Despite its color display, SpeedX says the new "SpeedForce" computer will be visible in direct sunlight and last more than 20 hours on a single charge. There's also a wireless button on the handlebars for convenient screen switching.
Inhabitat's Week in Green: A VW bug made out of timber
Six years ago a Beijing company proposed an insane lane-straddling bus that could soar over congested freeways. The project just took a step closer to reality, as the Transit Explore Bus is set to begin testing this summer. In other transportation news, Airbus just unveiled the world's first 3D-printed motorcycle, which has a range of 37 miles and a top speed of 50 mph. Hyperloop Transportation Technologies announced plans to build transit pods from Vibranium, which takes its name from the fictional metal used to create Captain America's indestructible shield. A Bosnian retiree handcrafted a gorgeous VW bug exterior from over 50,000 pieces of oak. Vanmoof launched the SmartBike -- a next-gen cycle that is virtually impossible to steal -- and Google partnered with Levi's to create a smart jacket for urban cyclists.
