Urban Transport

While there are those of us who are strangely attracted to velomobiles – recumbent tricycles with full aerodynamic fairings – the idiosyncratic vehicles certainly have their drawbacks. Among these are the fact that the fairing, which is usually a hard shell, adds weight and traps heat inside with the rider. It also contributes to the sky-high price of the trikes, which can reach around US$15,000. Hase Bikes has taken an interesting approach with its KLIMAX 2K recumbent tricycle by using a weatherproof fabric fairing, that folds down and comes off when not wanted. Read More

Motorized one-, two- and three-wheeled personal transport innovations like the Solowheel and the cheap and cheerful Solaron certainly look like a fun way to get around, but if it's four-wheeled action you're looking for then the new RoamBoard is definitely worth a look. The result of two years of designing, building, testing and tweaking, this stand up transportation solution brings together technologies seen in the electric skateboard, bicycle, snowboard, and automotive industries and merges them into a land-surfing motorized skateboard. Read More

Late last year we ran a story on the MXB Shocker Motocrossboard, an electric-powered two-wheel vehicle from Performance Concepts Inc. (PCI) described as a cross between a snowboard and a dirtbike. At that time the company had intended a limited release of the 2011 MXB Shocker with prices starting at US$2,999 but in the wake of widespread media interest the Motocrossboard’s inventor and PCI CEO, Andy Keel, decided against taking orders, choosing instead to focus on further product development and design. The extra R & D has resulted in a lighter and cheaper 2012 MXB Shocker that is now ready for sale alongside three new models. Read More

If you're looking to invest in a high-end, all-purpose bicycle that will last a lifetime, then feast your eyes on the beautiful lines of the No1 and No2 luxury bikes built by Paul Budnitz. Each of the two models currently available is based around a lightweight but strong Titanium frame, from which flows a veritable cyclist's wish list of components ... but yes, they don't come cheap. Read More

Fans of three-wheeled cars will tell you that the vehicles come in two configurations: delta, with the single wheel in the front, and tadpole, with the single wheel in the back. Well, now there's another type. The prototype Thrustcycle SRT has all three of its wheels in a straight lateral line, and utilizes a mechanical gyroscopic stabilizing system to keep it firmly upright even when standing still. That same system also stores kinetic energy generated by braking, extending the vehicle's range. Read More

While it’s nice to hear that Goodyear is developing self-inflating tires for cars, where does that leave bicycle riders? Still pumping, presumably? Well, not if they’re running PumpTires on their steed. As its name implies, the PumpTire is designed to automatically pump air into the inner tube, using the compressive effect of the tire meeting the ground as it turns. Once the tube reaches the desired pressure, the pumping action ceases. Read More

In order to help boost their range, many electric and hybrid cars employ regenerative technology where braking energy is stored in the battery instead of simply being wasted. This idea can also be applied to electric-assist bikes, but what about bicycles of the plain old human-powered variety? Isn't it a shame that after having built up some good momentum, you just have to write it all off once you stop? Maxwell von Stein, a student at New York City's Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art, thought so. As his senior project, he recently rigged up a flywheel to an existing bicycle, in order to harness the energy that's lost during braking. That energy can then be used to boost the bike when needed. Read More

Late last year, we brought news of the development of a very exclusive hand-built, luxury human-electric bike from Hungary dubbed the Beast. The M55 designers had set themselves the task of creating the best hybrid bikes on the planet and gathered together the very cream of top notch components to build a unique and eye-catching prototype. Back in April, the folks at M55 felt that they had at last reached the end of the prototyping phase and were ready to launch the company's first commercial hybrid bike - signaling the slaying of the Beast and the beginning of a new era for Terminus. Read More

One of the nice features of some bent plywood chairs is the fact that they spring up and down, so they have some give when you first sit down in them. Well, Polish designer Stanislaw Ploski has taken that flex appeal, and applied it to a one-of-a-kind bicycle. Named Bonobo, the bike’s frame is made from curved, laminated layers of plywood. Read More