Urban Transport

Riding a bicycle on busy streets full of motorized vehicles can be risky enough in the daytime, but it potentially becomes even more dangerous at night, when motorists are less likely to see cyclists. Much of that risk can be minimized by using a bright headlight and strobing taillight, although those don't do much to increase a cyclist's visibility when seen from the side - and even if they did, there's no such thing as being too bright. Two separate projects, however, are aimed at developing systems that would allow a bicycle's wheel rims to act as running lights that would be hard not to notice. Read More

Fallbrook Technologies released the NuVinci Continuously Variable (CVP) N170 transmission for bicycles in 2007. The rear hub-based system does away with distinct, defined gears, it’s sealed against dirt and other contaminants (unlike a derailleur), and it allows riders to change drive transmission ratios even when standing still. Last year, the company unveiled the NuVinci N360, which is smaller and lighter than the N170, yet has a wider range of ratios. This Tuesday, Fallbrook announced yet another incarnation of the technology – the NuVinci Harmony, which is an auto-shifting version of the N360. Read More

If the US$6,000 price tag of the BugE trike is still beyond your price range, then you may be interested in the sub-US$600 Solaron three-wheeler designed by Pakistan's Farrukh Khan. The DIY project is not (yet) available commercially, but the young inventor has posted detailed build instructions online for those who want to knock up their own variants. Read More

If Israeli industrial design student Dror Peleg had been around in the late 1950s, I feel sure that his Frii plastic bike concept would have found its way into Mosanto's House of the Future. Over 50 years later, that vision of a world of plastic has also given rise to some serious disposal issues and grave environmental concerns. Frii proposes to be part of the solution, not the problem. Made from recycled plastic, the city cycling concept would be manufactured locally for local use. Components would be injection molded into modular shapes that snap together to form a strong, lightweight and very colorful single-speed bike for quick trips through the city streets. Read More

Sometimes it would be really handy to have a folding bicycle, that you could easily take with you on public transportation, then open up and ride to your final destination once you reached your stop. The question is, would you use it often enough to justify the purchase price? If not, then you’re just the type of person the Brompton Dock project was designed for. Users get a Brompton folding bike from a dispenser, use it for as long as they want, then return it and get billed for the time it was used. Read More

If you’re fortunate enough to have an employer that lets you bring your bicycle inside, or if you keep your two-wheeled steed in an apartment, then you probably know just how in-the-way its handlebars can be in close quarters. Not only can they poke passers-by, but they also have a tendency to whack into door frames, and they prevent your bike from resting stably against walls. Loosening your handlebar stem and turning the bars parallel with the front wheel, while addressing the problem, is likely more work than most people are interested in doing on a daily basis. With the new flipphandle stem, however, riders can turn their bars sideways with just a press of a button. Read More

Although the technology is not exactly new, I still find the look of a spokeless/hubless bike wheel somewhat spell-binding. When combined with a frame design that wouldn't look out of place on the pages of a Marvel comic strip, the effect seems positively extra-terrestrial. Such is the case with the INgSOC concept from Edward Kim and Benny Cemoli, a very strange-looking human/electric two-wheeler design sporting sharp lines and some dangerous-looking edges. Read More

Whether it’s the Renovo/Audi duo lineup, the just-announced Lagamorph, or one of the various bamboo creations, wooden-framed bikes (or in the case of bamboo, “wooden”-framed) are becoming more and more popular. While this is partly because of the ride characteristics and eco-friendliness of sustainably-harvested wood, let’s be honest – it’s mostly because they look nice. Unfortunately, they also tend to be pricey, with a single complete bike costing several thousand dollars. Well, if it’s just the aesthetic of wood that you want, now you have an alternative ... New Zealand’s Rob Pollock will give your frame a hand-painted woodgrain finish, for just US$1,500. Read More

When established furniture maker Seth Deysach was invited to be part of the Object Society design show in June last year, he decided to create something special for the occasion that combined two of his passions - creating things in wood and cycling. The single-speed, one size Lagomorph bike boasts strong, elegant lines and an impressive catalog of high quality components. Now the designer is taking special orders for the wooden-framed bike, with custom options available on request. Read More