Urban Transport

When the very last model of the award-winning first generation Gocycle electric bicycle was sold in February of this year, Karbon Kinetics Limited immediately announced plans to develop an updated version. The technical specifications have now been finalized and a manufacturing partner secured - so let's have a closer look at the upcoming Gocycle G2. Read More

When it comes to self-balancing personal transportation devices, it looks like the Solowheel, Honda U3-X, Uno and Segway could all be in for a little competition. Portland, Oregon-based RYNO Motors is currently in the process of launching its own entry in the weird-little-electric-vehicles race, which it appropriately calls the RYNO. Like Bombardier’s EMBRIO concept, it has just one wheel. If nothing else, that’ll definitely get riders noticed. Read More

If you want to stay as dry and clean as possible when riding your bike on wet roads, get yourself a proper set of full fenders - it's just that simple. There are a lot of cyclists, however, who feel that fenders make their lean, mean, street-ridin' machines look boring and clunky. Additionally, many types of fenders have an annoying way of rubbing, rattling, or just plain getting in the way. While some quick-on/quick-off systems do already exist, most of them still incorporate permanent mounting brackets, or are made from thin plastic that has a tendency to droop. Full Windsor's QuickFix plastic mudguard, however, slides in and out of place within seconds, yet still looks like it's reasonably substantial. Read More

With the proliferation of battery-hungry mobile devices that people now carry on their person when biking, we've seen a number of solutions designed to keep said devices charged up while on the go - from solar charging clothing and backpacks to add-on dynamo kits that allow devices to be charged via USB using power captured by the rider's pedaling. German bicycle maker Silverback has seen the need here and addressed it with its Starke 1 and 2 models, both of which feature a USB port powered by a dynamo hub. Read More

The arrival of high-intensity LEDs has certainly made a huge difference to the brightness of bicycle headlights. Some people, however, are now looking at using the bulbs not just as a means of lighting the cyclist’s way, but of making their bicycles more visible to motorists. A couple of examples include the Aura and Revolights systems, both of which incorporate LEDs into a bike’s wheel rims. Another system, that looks like it might be considerably less involved yet still effective, is called LED by LITE. Read More

The Cooper name is probably best-known for its revolutionary 1950s and 60s Formula 1 and Indy race cars, or for its association with both the original and current versions of the Mini Cooper. Following in the tire treads of other high-performance auto brands (such as Porsche and BMW), in recent times the British company has turned its hand to bicycles. While it might be reasonable to expect its creations to be race-oriented, Cooper Bikes has instead decided to focus on speedy urban commuters - all of them featuring gloriously retro Reynolds steel frames. Read More

When people are looking into buying an electric vehicle, they typically ask questions like “What sort of range does it get?”, “How big is its battery?” or “How long does it take to charge?”. They don't usually ask “How many guns does it have?”. In the case of T3 Motion’s new T3 Non-Lethal Response Vehicle (NLRV), however, that would be a legitimate inquiry. The three-wheeled stand-up EV is designed for police use in riots or violent protests, and it in fact has two semi-automatic launchers, capable of shooting non-lethal ammo at a rate of 700 rounds per minute. Read More

If you're a cyclist who wants to turn a few heads on the road, you should ride a recumbent tricycle ... people can't help but notice something that appears to be a low-riding lawn chair on wheels. If you want to get noticed by other recumbent trike riders, you might look into getting a Catrike 700. With its 700C wheels and relatively light weight of just 33 pounds (15 kg), it's said to be one of the fastest production trikes that money can buy. However, how do you get noticed by other Catrike riders? Well, you could try equipping your trike with just about every accessory imaginable, all of them in black. That's what Fayetteville, North Carolina native Jim Artis did with his. The result - which he named "Silk" - looks like something designed for dispatching evil-doers by dark of night, before tearing off in a swirl of dry ice vapor. Read More

Hoping to re-ignite what he calls the "hidden magic" of commuting by bike, Washington-born designer Gabriel Wartofsky has been working on a folding e-bike project for the last two years, and is now entering the final stages of pre-production. Prototype number one of his first- and last-mile mobility solution has been taken for hundreds of test rides leading to rider-suggested modifications and design tweaks, crowd-sourced funding has been secured, and final stage manufacturing partners are now being brought on board ahead of an initial limited availability production run in Q1 2012. Read More