Two Wheel Round Up

via Chicks & Bikes

Been a little while since I've done a round up post. I wish I were better at saving interesting bicycle news stuff to share. Most of it is being shared in real-time on Google+ these and you are welcome to find me there,

First up, a new MIPS (Multi-directional impact protection system) helmet design aims to direct impact force around your head instead of through it.

Cyclelicious has a great set of photos from this weekend's North American Handmade Bike Show in Sacramento. The bling is really impressive and there's plenty to gawk at and wish for! Rock Lobster also has a preview of the builds he is taken/took.

Mark your calendars! The Santa Cruz Mountain Bike Festival is coming up soon! April 14-15 in Aptos, California. It is gonna be epic!

Part of the preparations for the festival include shutting down the pump track which my family has gotten quite accustomed to riding on a many times a week basis. The pump track will be renovated for the festival which has left us wondering where to get our pump on. We haven't been yet but the Manzanita Park BMX track in Prunedale is gonna get a visit soon!

Bike Links Round Up Redux

I need to do this more often than I do because there are always awesome things happening in the bicycling world. Here are some that I've come across recently. Painstakingly reconstructed after Blogger got drunk and had its awful, mean spirited way with my formatting.

Tioga releases super thin axleless pedals. I'm not a clip-in guy, I've tried it, hated it and went back to my Power Straps. I like these pedals though it looks like they'd snap under a decent impact even if I'm pretty sure they won't (otherwise Tioga will be replacing lots of them for free!).

 Duplex lever lets disabled cyclists activate both brakes with one hand. I am all for anything that helps as many people as possible get on two or three wheels and power themselves. Self-propulsion is self-empowering.

I have a test for you.

Okay. I know you've already looked at this pic but can you tell me what's wrong with it?

Yes, I can clearly see what's right with it.

And no, its not because she's not wearing a helmet or shoes.

She's dressed perfectly!

The Brompton Dock pilot project aims to make it easy for a commuter to rent a folding bike from a locker at a transit site, ride it to where they want to go, keep it for as long as they need and then return it when they're done and get billed for their time used. Seems pretty straightforward. It'll remain to be seen if the system can fly or not though.

Revolights aim to make you more visible and also make you look a bit like a light cycle from Tron. Not much but a bit.

I'm sure everyone reading this always wears a helmet when they ride but, if not, then here's a powerful personal example of why helmets are a very good thing (hat tip to Martha Stewart), Heads Up for Helmets even if they don't spell helmet correctly the first time (check the URL).

Paul Budnitz makes some pretty beautiful, clean, light and fast titanium town bikes. The one on the left there is the No2, the faster and more aggressive of the two bikes he's produced thus far. The bikes have great lines and are almost certainly fun and fast to ride. The only downside I can see is the price tag of $5500 for one. If I'm dropping $5k on a bike then its gonna be an Ibis Mojo, no question!

Bike Stuff Round Up

Get ready for the Santa Cruz Mountain Bike Festival | April 9th and 10th, 2011 in Aptos, California being put on by the Mountain Bikers of Santa Cruz. I will be there, you should be there too. Also, check the first link for the sweet promo video the club put together. It should be a grand old time! Plus, you could win yourself an awesome Santa Cruz bike! Or get your photo taken by the roving photographer (me).

When designers smoke crack and design stuff.

Get Pumped Up While You Cycle with Airspresso via Incredible Things - Since we stopped drinking coffee several months ago, this isn't quite so personally compelling but it is a neat idea for those hard-core Java hounds who also happen to be hard-core cyclists as well.

The image to the left is of the Limousine Bike, clearly a statement bike without any practical application unless you happen to have ten foot long arms. The statement the designer is making is, supposedly, that more isn't always better. That's not really what I get though, I get more of a "Thou shalt not smoke crack and design bicycles."

iBike Dash CC turns your iPhone into a cycling computer - this is less about the software since I've got at least three apps on my iPhone right now that function incredibly well as cycling computers (including one that speaks my times and splits to me in a rather sexy voice). This is about the protective case that mounts on the bike and keeps the iPhone from flying off or getting soaked in a downpour (both very good things). My current mount requires me to paradoxically remove my iPhone from its protective case to secure it to my handlebars.

In many ways, I really like the idea of Cycling by Candlelight, it evokes a certain romanticism but the practical reality of using a candle as a headlight means you'd have to keep your speed way down as it would be all too easy to outpace the meager light given off by the reflected flame. It might work as a rear light given its flickering nature but this is more fashionable accessory than useful add-on. But I could be wrong, I'd like to see how it does work.

It does evoke a certain train-like romantic charm though.

Need a new bike, why not print your own bike with your 3D printer? We're not quite there yet but the race just got alot shorter with the introduction of the EADSAirbike. They call it Additive Layer Manufacturing (ALM) technology but its basically using a tech'ed up printer to printer layer after layer of material to build out a 3D shape. Not sure how it would ride but it would definitely be a solid conversation starter.

And, finally, via the ever thought-provoking Bicycle Design, the Drymer, a reborn e-bike with a roof, articulating wheels, an electric motor and, possibly, a future. Probably not much of a real future in the USA since we tend to the bigger must be better philosophy. Here's the link to their site but its all in Dutch and my access to Google Translate is, oddly, blocked behind the school district firewall.

Round Up and Link Down

 Lots of stuff going on in the two wheel world. Here's some of those things that have made me take a second look. Note, use of the words two wheel world, is just a loose guideline and often links will be about machines that straddle different categories of vehicle.

Green Pedal and Mikey Baroni could use your business if you are in the Montery area and need stuff delivered locally. His rates are reasonable and he's a good guy. Give him a shout at 831-920-8181 and keep his wheels spinning. Tip o' the helmet to BikeMonterey for the info.

Two Wheel News Around the Internets

Paper Boneshaker - "Just how much does Japanese designer Shinichi Iwami love bicycles? Enough to have 1/24 scale kits laser-cut out of 0.5mm black paper with enough precision and detail that they require a scalpel, tweezers, glue, instructions, and nerves of steel to assemble." This is so beautiful and awesome that it just kills me a little bit. The graphic to the right is how the kit arrives. Found via the new-to-me and awesome BikeHacks.

Md. Bicycle Racers Injured By Tacks On Race Route - There were some pretty unpleasant injuries (unless you like fractured knees) resulting from some jerk intentionally putting large tacks on a corner of the course. The link has video shot by one of the racers via his helmet cam. Here is hoping they catch the perp or perps and make them pay for their stupidity.

Why am I hungry for tacos all of a sudden?

SF Police seek help in finding stolen Buddy Bike ridden by 9 yo autistic girl.
Update: The bike has been recovered and will be returned to the girl! Woot!

Live Oak father shot at while retrieving son's stolen bike - I've got nothing to add to this except that this whole story is pretty effed up all the way around.

Shuttle Smith Debuts - A Bike Shuttle from Aptos to SDSF/Nisene. It isn't inexpensive but it sure is convenient unless you need a 12 mile vertical climb to get warmed up properly. He's got space for 9 bikes, riders and all their gear inside the truck (no bikes hanging off the back) via MBoSC.

MotoCzysz demonstrates superior electric power with IOM TT Zero win - For those of you who have never enjoyed the insanity that is the Isle of Man TT Races. Check out this video of a practice lap by legend John McGuinness.

Nokia's Bicycle Charger Kit a stroke of genius that strongly resembles the exact same tech from forty years ago used to generate a weak beam of light while simultaneously wearing out your tire sidewall a hundred times faster than without it. I guess genius is in the eye of the PR person.

And I'm going to go ahead and skip linking to the guy who turned a monster truck tire into a new tall bike. You've probably seen the video. Its a neat idea on paper but the on the road reality is that propelling a massive tire like that takes a huge amount of energy and the thing would be soundly defeated by even a slight incline. Add a bunch more seats and the ability to share the pedal load with your pals and it'd be much cooler. Add a flamethrower and dancing platform and it'd be perfect for Burning Man.

Two Wheel News Round Up

Lots of stuff has been happening in the world of bicycling and I wanted to grab a few bits I've noticed to share.

The first is the accompanying photo to this post, it is my submission to Kona's Shoot the Ride Contest. Don't know when the deadline to submit is but they will be announcing winners in May so it's probably soon if you want to get in.

There are Catlike helmets on the way to the US. I'm not sure what I think of them, they remind me of golf balls.

Congrats to Cyclelicious for topping London Cyclists' Top 50 cycling blogs of 2010!

Bike Links

Here are some bike links I've come across recently and wanted to pass along. That beautiful old bike pictured there is a 1949 Famous James and was found among bcgreeneiv's Flickr stream, more vintage bike pics linked at the bottom of this post.

Worldbike - cargo style bike for use in rural areas where it can have a great impact on a farmer's income, at least that's what the link says.

Japan's two-second folding bicycle - the link is pretty light on detailed images of how the bike folds so quickly but the video does a pretty good job of showing its action. And its action is slick!

Firefly bike light detects traffic and lights you up for greater visibility with lights on your back and on the street under your bike. And greater visibility means that the soccer mom yakking it up on her phone while wandering lanes in her oversized SUV will be that much more likely to notice you and not obliterate you. One of these days I'll have to post a short video of me demonstrating my latest personal lighting system (still undergoing testing).

The Shimano Alfine 11-speed hub costs about a quarter of a Rohloff and weighs a bit less too. Suh-weet!

French judge issues arrest warrant for Floyd Landis for allegedly hacking the computer systems at the agency doing drug testing on his urine samples that eventually caused him to lose his Tour de France win and get a two year ban from the sport.

And finally, A Treasure Trove of Vintage Photos of Old Motorcycles

An Assortment of Bicycling Goodness

Here's a bunch of links I've had in drafts for a little while now so I thought I'd mash them all together into one linky pile of cycling awesomeness. Enjoy!

Josh Hadar - Hadar Metal Design

PedalPower+ charges cyclists' phones, GPS, iPods

Singletracks - a very strong collection of trails across the entire country. Good info.

BikeMapDude - need a trail map for places in California? Check this site out. I was able to download a free PDF trail map of Nisene Marks and the Soquel Demo Forest for signing up to be on his email list. The maps are aces!

Bike Party: Beach Blanket Bike Along - "See, in theory, Critical Mass ought to be a fun bunch of people showing that you can commute just as effectively as drivers. But, at least in San Francisco, it's just a bunch of ass-clowns. And if you hurt any number of my favorite San Francisco residents while they are commuting via public transit because you *have* to ride on the sidewalk to show how macho you are, you are not my bicyclist brother and I wish nothing more than you get the world's worst saddle sore the next day."

Gyrobike gyroscopic training wheels help kids learn to ride and features an internal spinning disk that helps stabilize the bike, reducing wobbles and slowing falls.

Reflective Roadway Tape Lights Your Bike Day or Night for Cheap [DIY]