Finally, the reason for Cookie Monster's hyperactivity has been revealed!

Now they have done it... It is bad enough that I need vast quantities of coffee on a daily basis, but now there another disturbance in the Force... I am seeking some and as soon as they are delivered and devoured, I will gladly pass along a review.Buzz Strong's Caffeinated Cookies ($5). Made with Brazilian coffee, Tahitian vanilla, and Swiss dark and white chocolate chips, these cookies are all-natural and have a shelf life of nine months despite their lack of preservatives. And with four cookies offering the caffeine equivalent of drinking a full cup of coffee, you're sure to "buzz strong" for a while.

If money is no object, then this is the MTB for you...

Boasting the lightest full suspension frame in the world, the Scott Spark LTD Mountain Bike ($10,500) isn't your average set of wheels. At just 20.6 pounds, the Spark LTD packs the company's Centerpoint technology, offering three unique travel modes — lockout, traction mode, and all-travel mode — which can be switched on-the-fly via a TRACLOC handlebar-mounted switch. Lightweight and durable, it's ready to take on any trail you choose to ride.

Mayor of London Announces the 'Summer of Cycling'

London Shells Out Money to Promote CyclingAs part of the $975 million USD London plans to spend on walking and cycling programs over the next decade, London Mayor Boris Johnson has launched the 'Summer of Cycling' with the simple but important aim of getting more Londoners to ride their bikes.

A press release announced that:
The Mayor and Transport for London (TfL) will be promoting cycling throughout the coming months, through innovative events and the ongoing “You’re better off by bike” campaign. The aims of this campaign are to encourage existing cyclists to use their bikes more regularly, and promote cycling to the estimated 1.1 million Londoners who have access to bikes but don’t use them.

Riding a Bike? It's the Economics, Stupid!Some of the marquee events will be the September 7th finale of the Tour of Britain, a professional bike race, as well as "the hugely popular Sky Sports London Freewheel event" where the roads of central London are closed and cyclists are allowed to take over the streets. In addition to the promotional events and ad campaigns, the city will continue upgrading its network of bike lanes and bike racks as well as step up its campaigns to educate the public as to the benefits of cycling, and the keys to ensuring safety on the road. Between Britain's high gas prices and London's congestion charge, the bicycle shouldn't be a hard sell. As with so many other things, it's the economics!

Via TreeHugger

'Trap bikes' planted across Brighton in hopes of reducing thefts...

Via BBC News - UK

Bicycles fitted with tracking devices are being "planted" in Brighton in an effort to reduce the number of bikes being stolen in the city.

The miniature devices allow the "trap bikes" to be trailed and located if they are stolen and increase the chance of an arrest, Sussex Police said.

A spokeswoman said two to three bikes are stolen every day in the city.

"The number of bikes stolen accounts for a large amount of the thefts we see in the city," said Insp Bill Whitehead.

Prolific bicycle thief arrested...

Via BBC News - Americas

Canadian police have arrested one of the world's most prolific bicycle thieves after discovering almost 3,000 bikes in his possession.

Igor Kenk, the owner of a bicycle store in Toronto, was held last month after they noticed that reports of bicycle thefts had spiked sharply.

After planting several bikes around the city, plainclothes officers waited to see who would steal them. Mr Kenk was seen telling a companion to break the bike locks before riding off. More after the jump.

Writing Spoon Turns Your Coffee Into Ink

Writing spoon turns your coffee into ink; that is if you can part with your coffee...

Admit it, some of you like those restaurants where they use paper tablecloths and servers write their names upside down with crayons (I used to work at a Macoroni Grill, and I know wait staff that had to practice for months to do that). Why? Because you love to doodle (and you love crayons).

If only you could combine your passion for food and drink with your passion for doodling in one simple device. Enter the Writing Spoon by Spanish artist, Julie Mariscal. It incorporates a makeshift fountain pen into the spoon, making it possible to use things like coffee or soup as ink. You can pick one up on her website for around $31, which is a hell of a lot cheaper than it would be to get your own Gizuccino-making machine.

[via Gizmodo]

Speed vest lets everyone know how fast you're going...

Speed vest lets everyone know how fast (or in my case how slow) you're going...

If you're racing down the street on a bike equipped with a speedometer, you're well aware of how fast you're going. But who cares about that? What about the people you're passing? Don't you want to rub in their faces how fast you're flying down the street?

That's just what this Speed Vest does. Equipped with electroluminescent wiring on the back and wheel speed sensor, it displays a bright numeric readout that states just how fast you're moving in no uncertain terms. It runs on a 9-volt battery for six hours, which is plenty of time to really show off how fast you can get going down those hills.

Speed Vest, via Oh Gizmo!

A special cycle for adult learners... Or Adult Training Wheel...

You achieved everything in life; promotions, marriage, money and a penthouse.

But there might be one little thing that makes you gawk at a small child in the playground and turn green with envy.

No it’s not the flawless skin or the silky hair. But the child’s ability to cycle without a fear.

This cycle is meant for people those who didn’t learn cycling during childhood and now are too old to do so. The extra wheel in the front intends to help adult learners develop basic skills such as balancing and pedaling without fear.

So go ahead, and learn to cycle and stop envying little children.

Via Coolbuzz.com

Dogsled is the Hummer of human powered vehicles

Built by a father and son for cruising around at this year's Burning Man festival, this giant people powered quadbike called The Dogsled, makes most other similar vehicles we've seen look kind of wimpy. While it would be tough to argue that this works better on a practical level than four regular bicycles, it certainly grabs your attention and looks like lots of fun to ride.
My favorite touch is the old school 1970s style green ecology flag.

Dogsled build site, via Dvice.com

Brunopasso: The Sports Car of Espresso Machines

Inspired by high-end Italian sports cars, designer Tadahito Ishibashi came up with the Brunopasso PD-1—an espresso machine that looks like it should be hauling ass down the highway.

Outside of its sleek curves, the illusion is enhanced with dashboard-style gauges and a beechwood lever. But that is not where the similarities end—much like a sports car, the Brunopasso does not come cheap at $850. With Ferrari putting their brand on everything from laptops to Segways these days, I'm sure they are kicking themselves for missing out on this one.

[Brunopasso via DVICE]

Bike helmets that look like hats...

Yakkay's bike-helmets look like hats -- just slip a cover on (they come in beanie, sunhat, peaked cap and a couple other varieties, and in many colors) and pedal your way to sartorial splendour. Yakkay (via A Whole Lotta Nothing)

Ultra Motor A2B Electric Bike lets you call yourself a cyclist...

We Americans say we like bike riding, but we're too damn lazy to pedal. That’s why we’ll snap up this Ultra Motor A2B Electric Bike with its proprietary power plant that can go 40 miles on a charge with its extended battery. We’re wondering how they fit that 500-watt sucker inside this diminutive frame.

It’s not exactly slow, either — zipping you along at 20mph, and if you feel like pedaling its 8-gear bicycle drive train for some reason, well, you can do that, too, for even more speed and efficiency. But don’t stress yourself. You’re not riding a bike… it’s a transportation solution!

Ships next month, but brace yourself: this 73-pound beast costs $2,500, enough for quite a few limousine rides.

Ultra Motor, via Business Wire

Computer-controlled coffee roaster is a bit much...

How serious are you about your coffee? I don't mean how you need coffee to survive in the morning, but how serious are you about roasting it? If you're happy with Starbucks that's one thing, but some folks take roasting their own beans to the next level. And for those people, there are devices like this computer-controlled coffee roaster.

This enormous contraption hooks up to your computer to do its thing. A fan inside the roaster controls the roasting process. The roasting chamber itself uses two tubes, one made of bakelite and the other a 3-inch diameter glass tube. To prevent damaging the setup and to allow for heat dissipation, this amazing Computer-Controlled Coffee Roaster uses a high temperature RTV (Room Temperature Vulcanizing) Silicone.

A screen at the bottom of the device can be used to empty the roaster and get freshly roasted beans at any time.Or, alternatively, you could just settle for Starbucks like a normal person. Just saying!

Inventor Spot, via Ubergizmo

You think that you can handle the 'Hotter Than Hell 100'?

I want to give my impressions about the upcoming Hotter'n Hell Hundred, held in Wichita Falls, Tx. The official ride start will be approximately 7:00 a.m. (official sun rise) on Saturday, Aug. 23, 2008. The Endurance ride is Saturday Aug. 23,2008 with USCF racing on Friday and Saturday.

I especially enjoy the dealer demo rides and the great consumer Expo Friday-Sun (Major SwagFest).

The experience of lining up with over 12,00 riders of ALL ages and experience levels for the mass start is a wonderfull experience itslef, but only the bravest/dumbest attempt the full 100 'BRUTAL' Saturday ride, as my buddy, Dave & I did in 2005, which is an amazing feat they we will remember forever.

During the early part of the ride the excellently stocked and staffed rest stops come approximately every 11 miles. During the latter part of the course, very wisely, the stops are about five to eight miles apart. Remember our mantra, and the one the staff people not wanting us to collapse at 'their' rest stop kept repeating,"Only 11 more miles to go"...

The Hotter’N Hell Hundred Endurance Ride is an annual bicycle ride in Wichita Falls, Texas. It is held each year in August and includes professional as well as amateur riders. The professional racers ride a 100-mile road race, as well as time trials and criterium. For the amateur riders, there are road routes of 100 miles, 100K, 50 miles, 25 miles, and 10K. The amateur routes are also open for roller blading.

The race was first held in 1982 as part of the Wichita Falls Centennial Celebration, thus the description: one hundred miles (i.e., century) in one hundred degree plus (Fahrenheit) weather, high winds, and humidity (the race is held in August, which is usually the hottest month of the year in Texas and especially in Wichita Falls), to celebrate the city's 100th anniversary.
Hotter'N Hell Hundred is the largest sanctioned century bicycle ride in the US. This year's event is the 27th anniversary.

Families, beginners & long time riders joined together to prove their "worth" in the rider minds or "insanity" in the minds of family and friends, which was the case personally. A ride you will remember for a lifetime...

Pedaled Power Printing Press - Pedal Inspired Design

People will still be to be very creative when the lights go out; Swedish design students Calle Enström and Johan Undén certainly did when they turned four bikes into a colour printing system. After all, they say "Vi gillar att cykla och vi gillar att trycka". (We like to cycle and we like to press.) There is one bike each for cyan, mangenta, yellow and black. They printed a book on it as well.

Read more at TreeHugger.com: Tryckcykeln: 4 Color Printing by 4 Colored Bicycles

Power to the Pedal Entry - Bike Cup Holder

Here is a design that would help me with both my cycling and coffee habit at the same time... Can't see putting it on my road bike, but hey it's a sure fit for my cruiser...

by Candy Chang

An important step in celebrating bicycle use is to make it as comfortable as other forms of transportation.

The bike cup holder brings a staple automobile amenity into the bicycle world so bikers can equally enjoy beverages on-the-go! Made of recycled plastic, the bike cup holder is sturdy and, like bicycle baskets, has an adjustable clamp to fit onto any handle bars.

Shaped from a horizontal ring and four vertical bands, it can hold an array of drinks, from large-sized coffees and big iced teas to juice boxes and cans of soda. Now bikers can easily enjoy sipping on their favorite drinks while going to work, heading to the park, meeting up with friends, and beyond!

Power to the Pedal Entry - xlight

by Amanda Wirth

The x-light increases visibility of bikers without taking up a wider footprint on the road. Four LED lights attach under the handle bars and project in all directions illuminating their presence as well as identifying any obstructions on the road.


Click images for full size view

Ever bike? Now that’s something that makes life worth living!

Ever bike? Now that’s something that makes life worth living!

I take exercise every afternoon that way. Oh, to just grip your handlebars and lay down to it, and go ripping and tearing through streets and road, over railroad tracks and bridges, threading crowds, avoiding collisions, at twenty miles or more an hour, and wondering all the time when you’re going to smash up. Well now, that’s something! And then go home again after three hours of it, into the tub, rub down well, then into a soft shirt and down to the dinner table, with the evening paper and a glass of wine in prospect - and then to think that tomorrow I can do it all over again!

- Jack London

I could not say it any better...

Google honors Cycling...

Saturday's, Aug 9th, Google “Doodle” image on the home page honors cycling as part of it’s Olympic doodle series.

For iGoogle homepage users, there’s an Olympic gadget that allows you to follow any sport, including cycling.

Now, if only they’d truly honor cycling, by adding a “Bike There” feature to Google Maps.

Coffee firm converts waste to energy...

Via Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 20:21:00 08/09/2008

Spent Coffee Grounds are used to generate energy in the Cagayan de Oro factory of leading coffee brand Nescafe.

The Nestle CDO factory’s atmospheric fluidized bed boiler (AFBB) is a state-of-the-art technology that burns and recycles spent coffee grounds into bunker fuel, which the factory uses for its operations. Spent coffee grounds are the remains of ground roasted coffee after extraction.

“Because we burn less oil in generating steam, the AFBB helps reduce environmental pollution and save energy costs,” says Ed Legasto, senior vice president of Nestle Philippines Inc. and manager of the Cagayan de Oro factory.

He said that by using biomass or the spent coffee grounds as substitute for bunker fuel, “we prevent emission of air pollutants such as sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide, which are natural by-products arising from the combustion of fossil fuels.”

Great Bicycling Charities You Might Have Never Heard Of...

Yield to Life is a campaign founded and fronted by US professional cyclist Dave Zabriskie. The site has some well-constructed articles on how to act properly on your bike to stay safe.

Many of us have seen or heard the fate of what can happen with careless drivers and riders alike. Recently I have been reading too many articles communicating deaths in our state and others. All of this and little or no justice to talk about. David Zabriske is taking this to another level, promoting awareness while simultaneoulsy promoting cyclists rights.

Take a few minutes and read his article and visit the "Yield To Life" website.

I think this is something every cyclist can and should support! Please Support Yield To Life...

Perineum-crushing bike seats give cycle cops "penile numbness" and erectile dysfunction...

A study by Dr. Steven Schrader of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health in Cincinnati and others concluded that the "nose" of a bicycle seat was implicated in "penile numbness" and erectile dysfunction in bicycle cops.

“For the first time, we have a prospective study of healthy policemen riding bikes on the job, using wider, no-nose bike saddles for 6 months. Not only did their sensation improve, their erectile function also improved. Changing saddles changed physiology. This is a landmark study for our field that that is important for future riders, and modification of lifestyle showing improvement without any active treatment.”

Via ScienceDaily.com

When I first started riding I used a 'standard' saddle, and let me tell you that the "perineal discomfort" of a bike seat was no fun at all, especially on rides over 50 miles. That is why I bought a 'love groove' saddle... Making things much better! I've seen some of those 'noseless saddles', but they all weigh over 2 lbs, and the last thing I need is more weight to drag uphill...

Nulla Minimalist Bike Concept Dispenses With Spokes, Most of Frame...

Designer Bradford Waugh came up with Nulla (meaning "nothing") as a way of making bikes more stylish and lightweight. And visually stunning of course.

Lacking spokes, it uses a direct-gear-chain drive system, which leaves the bike looking like a simple set of open curves. Whether or not it would ride well would be immaterial, methinks: rock up to a cycling meet on this thing and you'd have an instant bunch of admirers.

Just a concept... but who knows, it looks exactly sort of thing we're riding in twenty years time. [Tuvie]

Fantastic Plastic: Innervision Plastic Bike Should be Called Re-Bicyclable

Designer Matt Clark has come up with Innervision: a prototype polypropelene bike designed to be fully recyclable. And, incidentally, to look rather cool indeed.

The frame is in two parts, which are welded together: an inner frame with strong triangular truss-structure and an outer frame for a better look. Both split into two, so the bike is easy to manufacture. For now it's made of new plastic, but Matt intends future ones to be made of recycled polypropylene.

Apparently it rides well, thanks to that stiff inner body. And it's got a pretty good theft deterrent system: anyone hacksawing it free from a bike lock would have a useless half-bike. Unless they bought the toy plastic welder perhaps.

Via Bike Commuters.com

Your support is needed for a worthy cause...

Campaign to grow vegetable garden on White House lawn...

Several past U.S. presidents had vegetable gardens on the White House lawn. Eleanor Roosevelt started a victory garden on the White House lawn in 1943, which encouraged millions to do the same in their own front yards. When WWII ended, home gardeners were producing 40 percent of the United States' produce.

Roger Doiron, founder of Kitchen Gardens International (an organization that promotes kitchen gardening and home-cooking) hopes to convince the next US president to make a small vegetable garden on the 19 acres of grass surrounding the White House. His video about making a garden in the front yard of his own "white house" is entertaining and inspiring.

This Lawn is Your Lawn

I doubt if there will be any luck with the idea... As one commenter put it "Jimmy Carter did all kinds of "lead by example" stuff when he was President, and we lambasted him for it. What makes anyone believe the next President wouldn't get the same treatment?"

Coffee Joke, A Clean One -The 23rd Cup

Coffee Joke, A Clean One -The 23rd Cup- : "Coffee Joke, A Clean One -The 23rd Cup-
Found this one on CoffeeSage and thought it was worthy of posting here on the Caffeinated Cyclist...

I hope you get a kick from it. I did.

Caffeine is my shepherd;
I shall not doze.
It maketh me to wake in green pastures;
It leadeth me beyond the sleeping masses.
It restoreth my buzz.
It leadeth me in the paths of consciousness for its name’s sake.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of addiction,
I’ll fear no Equal for thou art with me;
Thy cream and thy flavorings they comfort me.
Thou preparest a carafe before me in the presence of Juan Valdez.
Thou anointest my days with vigor; my mug runneth over.
Surely flavor and aroma shall follow me all the days of my life
and I will dwell in the House of Maxwell forever.
Amen!

To solve your mosquito problem, acquire a bat problem...

So you've got a bit of a mosquito problem, do you? Well, you could get a bug zapper or cover yourself in some gross chemical spray. But you don't want to do that. I know what you need: even bigger flying creatures to eat the mosquitoes.

Because one bat can devour 600 mosquitoes or other insects in just one hour, installing a Bat Conservatory nearby can protect you and your family from insect bites and greatly reduce the need for environmentally hazardous mosquito repellents. Made of Western Red Cedar sawmill trim, this handsome slatted shelter provides respite for approximately 40 bats. Mounting hardware not included.

If you get yourself a bat conservatory, you'll attract a bunch of bats to your property. And bats love eating mosquitoes. You'll be able to sit back and relax as your winged minions take care of your bug problem.

Via Random Good Stuff

Shimano brings electronic shifting to bikes.

There haven't been too many big advancements in the mechanics of how bikes work in a long time. The whole chains and gears and shifters thing has been working pretty well for a while, so we've stuck with it. But bike component maker Shimano has been hard at work on a huge leap forward in shifting technology for a few years now, and it's finally ready for the primetime.

The Di2 shfiting system makes shifting completely electronic, making shifting from gear to gear both completely effortless and much less prone to getting gunked up. It replaces "the conventional levers that pull wound-steel cables through protective housings with solid-state switches." What results is a perfect, clean shift every time you touch the button. Look for it this January on expensive bikes everywhere.

Via Boing Boing Gadgets

If you just do a little preventive maintainance then this would never be a problem anyway, and I bet quite a bit less expensive!

Vortex fountain is not your average piece of water art...

Sure, you could get a traditional fountain to go in front of your palatial mansion, but that's what all the other rich guys are doing. You want to be a true original, don't you? If so, take a look at this stunning Vortex Fountain.

The Vortex Fountain looks like a free-standing column of water with a spinning whirlpool in the center, and that's not far from the truth. It's a large acrylic polymer cylinder which allows an air-core vortex to form as water is pumped in a circular motion. It's not cheap to make nor is it cheap to run, as it requires a pretty serious water filtration system. But really, if you're the type of person who would get one of these, you don't care about price.

William Pye, via Oh Gizmo!