Austin unveils bicycle sharing for city workers

AUSTIN, Texas — A new going green project in Austin, TX involves people power and balance.

The city on Thursday unveiled a bicycle-sharing program for municipal workers who need to travel short distances for meetings or other business.

Austin bought 15 bicycles, at a cost of $256 each, as part of the Climate Protection Program funded by Austin Energy.

City spokeswoman Charlotte Blum says Austin is providing helmets and locks.
Workers can reserve the bicycles via the city's Intranet Web site, then they receive an access code.

The bicycles must be returned to the same location, with six sites available, as part of the city's pilot program to also ease traffic congestion.

More Schools Join the Pay-You-to-Bike Bandwagon

Clark U, Rice University, U Minnesota are all launching bike-sharing programs, along with the City of Minneapolis. Towson University has launched several green transportation programs - sadly no bike sharing, yet. Many of the schools include financial incentives to get out there and try biking for a change.

Article continues at TreeHugger.com: More Schools Join the Pay-You-to-Bike Bandwagon

GreenWheel: Swap the rear to make any bike electric

The "GreenWheel" lets you turn a bike into an electric simply by swapping the rear wheel. The batteries and motor sit inside the plate at the axle, while the throttle control operates wirelessly through Bluetooth. At full charge, the GreenWheel has a range of around 25 miles, extended by the pedaling of the rider.

Discovery News:

A GreenWheel equipped bike is a smooth ride, as Discovery News found out during a recent afternoon test ride around MIT's campus. Turning the handle mounted throttle, like any motorcycle, just a few small degrees produces a noticeable increase in power and a light electric hum.

The inventors estimate a life of nearly 40,000 miles, which is pretty incredible. They're trying out different sizes and power ratios and hope to have a product on the market very soon.

Sportsta Mask - Darth Vader's Missing Link?

Whether you're biking, riding, skiing, or climbing, protect your face — and your health — with the Sportsta Mask (£27.99; roughly $40).

Features HEPA-style filtration. Filters Out Exhaust Emissions and sub-micron pollutants all within a lightweight Neotex aerated mask, the Sportsta provides maximum ventilation paired with maximum protection.

I would hope that this would only be required by some commuters and bike messengers, but the way our air is getting, you never know...

Caltrain bolstering on-board bike space

For those of you that live in California and use Caltrain, here is some great news!!

Caltrain crews soon will begin ripping out seats from their train cars to make room for more bicycle racks, the first in a series of moves intended to bolster capacity for frustrated bikers.

At a meeting Thursday the Caltrain Board of Directors authorized the "interim" solution to the problem of hundreds of bicyclists who get "bumped" (left at the station) whenever a train's bike racks are full.

The board decided that the number of bike racks in gallery cars should increase 25 percent from 32 to 40, while the number of racks in bombardier cars should soar 50 percent from 16 to 24. To free up space for the racks, the number of seats on the bottom floor of gallery cars should drop from 16 to eight and in bombardier cars from 19 to 11.

In all, the total available bike slots for the entire day should swell 28 percent from 4,000 to 5,152. During peak commute times there should be 27 percent more slots, for a total of 2,930.

A total of 272 seats will have been removed. Read the rest of the article at the Mercury News

Bicycle Design Winner

Bicycle Design blog held a contest and a bent won.

Bike Hugger.com has a great discussion about the design and the practicality of the design. Check it out here.

Strida folding bike: "Look, Mom, no (greasy) hands!"

The main innovation of Strida's sweet line of folding bikes isn't in the elegant design that let's you fold the bike in a convenient package that's easier to wheel into an office, subway car or elevator.

Its biggest selling point is a freakin' rubber belt that replaces the greasy chain. For you hardcore eco-commuters who sweat what a folding bike can do to your suit's pantlegs, it's a godsend.

Oh, and the folding-up thing is great, too. Many folding bikes require you to carry them — transferring the aforementioned grease to your jacket — like a heavy, awkward briefcase. The Strida handlebars fold in, and the triangle design collapses together to bring both wheels side by side, like a collapsed baby stroller's.

It retails for $800, but you can get them online with some shopping around for $600. Accessories include mudflaps, a saddle bag and — of course — an iPod backpack.

HMX fuel cell bicycle looks like a rocket bike, but for the lazy rich

In an effort to bring their hydrogen fuel cell expertise to small electric vehicles, Horizon Fuel Cell Technologies' HMX — that stands for Hydrogen Mobility X-Tender — has finally made the moped cool.

At a top speed of 15 mph, the bike gets 180 miles on a single hydrogen charge. The bike's 36V engine does allow it to operate "pedal-assisted," although with a $3000 price tag, it's unclear why an owner would want to do any work at all.
Recharging the solid-state hydrogen fuel cell takes 30 minutes, but the six-gear motor does take 10-15 seconds to warm up. Because you wouldn't want a bike this unique-looking to be a bank robbery getaway vehicle anyway.

The HMX comes to the US later this year.

Grasshopper bike generates energy, is super portable

Biking is a great way to get around, what with it providing exercise and being totally eco-friendly. But what if it could be even more eco-friendly?

Well, not only does the Grasshopper not use any energy, like all bikes, but it actually generates surplus energy that can be used for other things.
In addition, it folds up into a compact, carryable size, making it perfect for city dwellers who don't have much room to store their bikes and have to lug them up flights of stairs every day.

Oh, and did I mention it can also be converted into a stationary exercise bike? Yeah, it's that awesome. I want one right now.

Via Yanko Design

Ride Anywhere: Pugsley, the Bicycle SUV

A few days officially into Winter for the Northern Hemisphere, and many cyclists are probably thinking about hanging up their cycling helmet for the season. The bicycle is however a very adaptable beastie, than can be ridden in a myriad of conditions, including snow.

One such never-say-die trusty stead is the Pugsley. No doubt named after the chubby child from the Addams Family TV series, this bicycle version is also easily recognised by its sizeable girth, particularly those ginormous 4” tires. These give the bike incredible float over what would otherwise be very awkward terrain.

Article continues: Ride Anywhere: Pugsley, the Bicycle SUV

A Resolution for 2009: Around the World in an Electric Bike

Guim Valls Teruel is almost ready to go. His goal: Travel all 5 continents on an electric bike. The project is called the Electric Bicycle World Tour.

Guim decided to choose this alternative form of personal transportation to promote the use of cleaner energy and the non-reliance on fossil fuel. According to him, one person has never done this before. However, many people can participate in this “one kilometre – one hope” sponsorship program set up by an NGO, by showing solidarity and hence become part of the tour. So why go electric?

Article continues on Treehugger.com: A Resolution for 2009: Around the World in an Electric Bike

Olympic Success Converts Millions of British to Cycling

Via TreeHugger.com

It's amazing what an Olympic victory can do for a country's cycling fervor. Yes, as noted by The Times' transport correspondent, Ben Webster, the British are in the midst of a cycling revival of sorts -- fueled as much by the recent hikes in energy prices as by their target='new'team's epic haul at the Beijing Olympics. The squad, which boasted two Olympic track cycling champions and a BMX world champion, took home an impressive 12 medals -- 7 gold, 3 silver and 2 bronze -- to top the medal table in that category. That cycling prowess seems to have rubbed off on a large section of the population in the last few months, resulting in record numbers in London and other major cities.

Article continues: Olympic Success Converts Millions of British to Cycling

New US Patent says "Cyclist Are Human Too" via a Traffic Loop Sensor Trigger For Bikes That Gets You More Green Lights

A common problem for bicyclists, and in particular for bicycle commuters, is the traffic loop sensor. These are the devices which detect the presence of vehicles to control the sequencing of traffic lights at many intersections. Often, they are installed in figure-eight slits cut into the pavement near a traffic light.

Those traffic loop sensors embedded at stop lights to detect the presence of a car have always provided fodder for vehicular snake oil vendors: I've seen products promising to eliminate red lights ONCE AND FOR ALL by ingeniously fooling a mysterious (but gullible, apparently) system hidden below the pavement. While false promises abound, this patent for bicycles seems to be more on the legit side, and could result in more carefree whizzing through intersections than previously allowed.

The systems work by detecting the shift in inductance caused by a huge metal object being in the vicinity of a charged loop of wire embedded in the road, thus knowing when someone is waiting for a light chane. Bikes, naturally, have a hard time tripping these sensors, which are calibrated to avoid false positives by smaller objects. This sensor, then, emits a signal which fools the sensors at the press of a button. Carry on, cyclists, carry on.

A bit too bulky, and it sure eliminates any idea of clearance, but maybe it can get smaller & lighter in the future.

Via Plan Bravo via BBG

Exploding bike lock shows bike thieves who's boss

Bike theft in major cities is a big problem, leaving most folks afraid to leave their rides locked up anywhere out of eye sight for fear of some 'creep' (read as a much stronger term editted for public) coming along with some bolt cutters and snagging your beloved bike. With biking a great, environmentally-friendly alternative to driving and great exercise to boot, we all should want more people to feel up to using their bikes more often.

Enter the exploding bike lock.

The exploding bike lock is pretty self explanatory: it's a bike lock that blows up if you try to cut it instead of opening it properly. It works like anti-theft tags on clothes by spraying a permanent dye everywhere when it's cut, so the potential thief is covered and easily identified. Is it a perfect solution? No, but it's a clever step forward for bike security...

Bike mounted generator harnesses energy from your bouncing butt to light up the road

Ask any serious bike racer, and they'll tell you that a bike needs to be as stiff as possible to avoid wasting energy. That fine for hard core racers, but most of us want our rides to be comfortable too, so we buy bikes with a nice cushy seat, and a springy suspension system to help smooth out the bumps.

Designer Deco Goodman decided that there must be a way to harness that wasted movement, so he developed the Commuter Cyclist's Sustainable Energy Source. Attached to the seat post, this device harnesses movements in the seat post spring, along with energy produced by the brakes and a wheel mounted generator system, to deliver an electrical charge that powers a headlight and built in tail light. It also charges a battery which can then be used to juice up your cellphone, or top off your iPod so you have some tunes for the ride home.

This looks a whole lot more practical that some bike mounted wind generators I've seen.

Deco Goodman, via Dvice.com

Taga - Urban Family Biking

I just saw the Zigo Leader Carrier Bicycle, now you can consider this Urban Family Biking. The Taga($TBA) is a new style of bike, combines the the benefits of a premium stroller and a carrier bicycle to create a new transportation modality. It just scored a Eurobike 2008 Award and the Kind and Jugend Innovation Award.

vel'oh! Luxembourg City Gets a Bike Sharing System

A new bike sharing system, vel'oh!, has been put into action, this time in Luxembourg city, the capital of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg in Europe.

For a city that is quite hilly and has just under 85.000 inhabitants, over 600 long-term subscriptions and 300 short-term ones are not bad going considering it only launched in march this year. If we compare vel’oh! to Barcelona’s Bicing service, we find that in Luxembourg non-residents can also rent the bikes, and which, unlike in other places, are available 24 hours, 7 days a week.

So how does vel’oh! work?

You can simply take a bike from one of the 25 stations (not very many but hopefully they expand soon) located in the center of the city. The stations are approximately never more than 400 meters away from each other and easily accessible. You can subscribe online for a yearly membership (15€) or only for 7 days (1€), using your credit card at the stations. After that, the first 30 minutes are free and every extra hour after that is 1€.

Luxembourg has chosen blue for the bicycles that have been designed for users over the age of 14. It comes with a wide mudguard to protect your trousers and a big shopping basket at the front. Bicycles are of course unisex, come with 3 gears and an adjustable saddle and permanently lit front and back lights. It would be quite interesting to see what the bike sharing systems in each city say about its inhabitants…

We like the way vel’oh! advertises cycling as being kind to your body and the planet. So if you’re every in Luxembourg city, use vel’oh! to get around. More information ::vel’oh!

Cycling-Induced Helmet Hair May Contribute to Climate Change?

photo by Andy Gates

Via Treehugger.com

Bicycling is a great way to get to work without using gasoline or other non-renewable resources. It strengthens the body, bolsters the immune system and adds to the overall well-being of the cyclist, but a new poll shows that some may not be utilizing pedal power for the wrong reasons.

Two Thirds of Women Never CycleAccording to a poll from the United Kingdom, the majority of women, aged 18-34, do not bike at all, and most of the women polled would not bike to work. 58 percent of those women cited the fear of sweaty dishevelment as the major deterrence. 27 percent were worried about helmet hair. Other concerns included lack of shower facilities at the workplace, safety issues, unwilling to carry a change of clothing and inadequate cycling skills. Only two percent of the women polled biked every day.

Read More about the results at TreeHugger.com

Hindsight Cyclist Glasses Are Eyes in The Back of Your Head, Kinda...

The Nike Hindsight cyclist's glasses from designer Billy May (I liked his Torn lights before) are designed to do one simple thing: stop cyclists from getting hurt on the roads.


At the extended side of each lens is a carefully arranged high-power Fresnel lens that captures the view to the sides of the wearer's head, and sends it into the peripheral vision.

That's the bit of your eyesight that doesn't capture too much detail but does excellently at detecting motion...so the extra data hopefully wouldn't be too distracting.


Essentially its a clever way of augmenting your normal checking of the road, and avoiding being side-swiped by a fast-moving vehicle that was sitting outside your normal vision zones.
Simple and blindingly obvious, when you think about it... and could have potential uses in all sorts of places.

Bailout Bill includes funding for Bicycle Commuters

I’m definitely not a supporter of this bailout, but I’ve got to hand it to Blumenauer, he sure fights for cyclists.

From Bicycle Retailer and Industry News:
Employers of people who bike to work stand to gain a $20 per month tax credit per cycling employee, according to the final version of the Wall Street bailout bill, H.R. 1424, passed this afternoon.

The House passed the bill today with a final vote of 263-171, a comfortable margin that was 58 more votes than the measure garnered in Monday’s stunning defeat. The Senate passed the bill Wednesday by a vote of 74 for and 25 against the bill.
The bicycle tax provision was part of an additional $110 billion in line items added to the already $700 billion bailout package.
What does bicycle commuting have to do with credit issues or covering the debt racked up on Wall Street? Bicycle commuting advocate Earl Blumenauer, a Democratic Representative from Oregon, was one of the 228 Representatives who voted against the House version of the bailout package on Monday. House members looking to pass a bailout bill needed to convince as least 12 of the dissenters to switch their position and vote for a bailout bill.

According to a Blumenauer spokeswoman, the bicycle commuting tax credit had the Representative’s attention, according to a report by www.govexec.com. However, Blumenauer said he was opposed to the bill because it failed to include bankruptcy equity for homeowners, not because employers of bicycle commuters suffered unfair tax burdens. He is also against incentives for coal-based liquids, tar sands and oil shale also included in the Senate’s bill. Blumenauer voted against the bailout bill in today’s vote but his pet bicycling project passed with it.

Congressman Blumenauer spearheaded a seven-year campaign to extend commuter tax benefits to those who bike to work.
Andy Clarke, president of the League of American Bicyclists, said the Bicycle Commuter Act has been held up getting through with previous bills.
“It’s been attached to a variety of different bills or devices—climate change, energy, transportation,” Clarke said. “It’s ironic that it would wind up in a financial rescue package, but we’ll take it. I’m not going to quibble with the method; I’m glad to see it done.”
The employer tax break is laid out in Sec. 211, “Transportation fringe benefit to bicycle commuters,” which is under the Transportation and Domestic Fuel Security Provision section in H.R. 1424. The $20 a month tax relief per bicycle commuting employee is to cover the cost of any employer reimbursement for reasonable expenses incurred by the employee “for the purchase of a bicycle and bicycle improvements, repair, and storage, if such bicycle is regularly used for travel between the employee’s residence and place of employment.”
“It’s definitely a day to celebrate just this one little thing that has been achieved after seven years,” Clarke said. “It may not be a total game changer—it’s still a relatively small break—but it gets us closer to the kind of treatment that cyclists in the U.K. and other parts of the world have had for years.”