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Lyft will 'more than triple' Citi Bike's size in $100 million deal
Lyft has just completed its acquisition of the company behind Citi Bike, and it's not wasting any time ensuring it's a force to be reckoned with in the bike sharing world. The company has struck a deal with New York City to expand Citi Bike through a $100 million investment. The plan will "more than triple" Motivate's required 12,000 bikes (it's not currently meeting that goal) to 40,000 within the next five years, and more than double the coverage area to 35 square miles. This will include a mix of conventional and pedal-assist e-bikes, and should include 12 new valet stations.
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.
Lumos bike helmet adds Apple Watch gestures to control turn signals
It's been almost three years since we first came across the Lumos smart cycling helmet, which got our attention with its cunning automatic brake lights and wirelessly-controlled turn signal indicators. The helmet has since been shipping as of late 2016, but the Hong Kong startup didn't stop there. Today -- which happens to be the first day of Bike Month -- Lumos is releasing an update that adds gesture control for the helmet's blinkers via Apple Watch, along with Apple HealthKit integration for automatic cycling tracking.
Velco's smart handlebars use lights to guide you home
Smartphones are great for getting you where you want to go. But when you're on two wheels, it can be tough to keep track of your progress. You either have to pull over, or attach your device to the handlebars. Velco's "Wink" smart handlebar solves that issue while also adding additional security to any bike it's attached too.
GenZe has a commuter e-bike for a connected world
Cities have started to embrace their bike-riding commuters. More and more bike lanes are appearing on city streets as transportation departments realize that more bikes means less congestion. For longtime riders, it's a blessing. For those bike-curious folks, the chance to get to work without weaving in and out of cars means the jump to riding to their job is less daunting.
London is now awash with bike-sharing schemes
How many bike-sharing schemes does London need exactly? Well, at least five if you ask the companies behind such services. Today, Ofo comes to the capital, following a limited trial in Cambridge that began earlier this year and a launch in Oxford last month. Initially, the Chinese firm has dotted 200 bikes around the London Borough of Hackney. Yesterday, European outfit Urbo announced it was also arriving in London this month, putting 250 bikes on the streets of the Borough of Waltham Forest.
London is getting another dockless bike rental service
Competition over putting bums on the seats of rental bikes is hotting up in London, with Mobike today announcing an expansion of its dockless service into the capital in September. The company will start by parking 750 bikes around the London Borough of Ealing, primarily in Acton, and will add more as demand grows. This follows the launch of oBike in London, which operates an identical dockless bike rental scheme, just a few weeks ago.
oBike arrives in London with its dockless take on Boris bikes
Already this year we've seen two Chinese companies that run novel bike rental schemes expand into the UK, and now Singaporean firm oBike is throwing its chips into the pot, too. The startup has this week put 400 of its two-wheelers to work in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, despite the capital being home to over 11,000 for-hire 'Boris bikes.' Unlike these, though, oBikes don't require docking. Through the company's mobile app, you locate the nearest available pushbike on a map, unlock it by scanning its unique QR code, then leave it wherever you want when you're done.
AR glasses will quench your ride-stat thirst
The bike I was riding to test a new set of AR glasses was probably a bit too small for me. Also, it was a typical San Francisco summer day, so it was cold and windy, and, like an idiot, I left my jacket upstairs. But none of that mattered, because I was peering into the future of biking. The best part was that the Everysight Raptor AR glasses I was wearing didn't feel bulky and didn't require me to strain my eye socket to look into a tiny screen -- all the information was being projected right in front of me.
Pricey electric bicycle wheel gets you to work sweat-free
Yes, I own a bike. But it's nothing to get excited about. A neighbor put it on the sidewalk with a "free" sign, and bam! I had a bicycle. It's old and rusty but perfect for neighborhood errands. I normally wouldn't use it to ride to work, but the $1,000 GeoOrbital wheel could change that. If I could afford it.
A tiny sensor turns any stationary bike into a VR workout machine
A $400 VR exercise bike might be a tough sell for VirZOOM, but the company has a new option that could make working out in virtual reality more compelling. At E3 2017, the company is showing off its new VZ Sensor, a small device that attaches to the crank of any stationary bike. For $99, you can turn a bike that you may already have into a VR workout center.
Chinese bike rental giants eye the UK as next battleground
London's for-hire 'Boris bikes' have been cruising the capital's streets for nearly seven years now, while similar projects operate in other parts of the country. Two Chinese companies believe there's still room for more innovative bike rental schemes, however, and both are expanding outside of Asia to compete anew in the UK. One of these is Mobike, which today announced that its plans to move into Europe begin in Manchester and Salford, where 1,000 bikes will be available to hire starting on June 29th. The launch comes after rival Ofo began a UK pilot of its own in Cambridge two months ago, though it's a much more modest trial with only tens of bikes dotted around town.
Harley-Davidson embraces the potential of electric motorcycles
Bikers interested in going green have reason to rejoice today. Harley-Davidson has already shown off its prototype Livewire electric bike, and it's promised to offer you a real one in the next five years. Today, the motorcycle manufacturer said it has plans to make 100 new motorcycles over the next 10 years, including an entire range of electric vehicles.
BeeLine's bike computer makes every ride an adventure
Cycling in a city can be stressful, especially if you're headed somewhere that you've never been to before. Most people ride with a specialized cycle computer, or with a smartphone strapped to their handlebars. While useful, both devices can be a distraction on busy, dangerous roads. Instructive turn-by-turn directions also do little to improve your street-level knowledge -- the screen becomes a crutch, rather than a tool to help you learn about the various roads, bridges and tunnels around you.
LeEco's Android-powered smart road bike is for hardcore cyclists
LeEco, the eccentric maker of TVs, phones, cars and bikes, has a new pair of high-end smart bikes to show off here at CES 2017. The company hasn't even brought its original Super Bike to market yet, but it's already refined the concept to make its new offerings more practical for serious cyclists. Gone are the heavy dynamos and size limitation; this year's vehicles come in two flavors, and are more lightweight. The new, somewhat blandly named Smart Road Bike and Smart Mountain Bike pack a new version of LeEco's Android-based Bike OS software that now supports a small selection of third-party sensors. I hopped on a prototype road bike the company was showing off for the first time here in Las Vegas, and so far I find the idea of a smart bike slightly questionable.
SpeedX's Unicorn bike comes with smarts already installed
If you're serious about cycling, you'll want to track every ride. How far you went, the amount of calories you burned -- that sort of thing. Until now, that's meant equipping your bike with a slew of third-party sensors and a less-than-sleek cycle computer on the handlebars. Not so with SpeedX. The Chinese startup is building carbon road bikes that integrate all of these components in a clean, blemish-free design. Its latest creation, the Unicorn, takes the concept one step further with a new, detachable "SpeedForce" computer that runs on Android and -- in a first for the cycling industry -- a built-in power meter to measure your effort on the pedals.
LeEco brings Android-powered smart bikes to the US
LeEco is determined to add a dash of technology to just about everything, and that now includes old-school pedal power. The fast-rising tech company has unveiled two bicycles for the US, the Smart Road Bike (above) and Smart Mountain Bike (below), whose centerpiece is a 4-inch touchscreen box that runs a customized take on Android. The front end gives you turn-by-turn directions from Here, music playback (including streaming), ride data and even chats with nearby LeEco bike riders. They have their own GPS and sensors, and you can track your own fitness by pairing ANT+ heart rate and power monitors.
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.
Zip around Taiwan on the faster Gogoro S electric scooter
Gogoro's battery-powered scooter left us rather impressed after our test ride in Taiwan back in 2015, and the startup has since sold over 14,000 units locally plus rolled out 240 GoStations nationwide for customers to quickly swap batteries -- as opposed to having their electric scooters plugged in for hours. To keep the momentum going, today the company announced the Gogoro S, a high-performance model equipped with the new 7.2 kW G1-S motor which pushes the scooter from zero to 50 km/h or 31 MPH in just 3.7 seconds -- a notable improvement from the 4.2 seconds with the original 6.4 kW G1 motor, which is already quite quick. But for the sake of safety, the top speed is still capped at 95 km/h or 59 MPH.
ICYMI: Airbag helmets might save your noggin
try{document.getElementById("aol-cms-player-1").style.display="none";}catch(e){}Today on In Case You Missed It: Stanford researchers just wrapped up a study of bike helmets that found a clear winner with the caveat that it's not available in the US yet. Airbag helmets (like these) are only sold in Europe but are far superior at keeping test heads safe in an impact.
