Gary Koenig, the Denver Cycling Examiner, has a great list for cyclists you should check out!

As part of the wide-ranging stimulus effort to get our great country back on the right economic track, it's your duty as a cyclist to go out and buy some stuff.

If you’re trying to figure out which pieces of cycling equipment you should be lusting after, if you endeavor to understand where you stack up in the rider hierarchy or if you’re just trying to pigeon-hole the rider you just blew by (or vice versa), here is a checklist of equipment choices that should help you get the US economy perking again.

Start paying attention to what other riders are riding, carrying and wearing to get a better sense for what you need to buy to more closely approximate the rider you think you are. Bicycling can be an incredibly simple and relatively inexpensive sport, but gear choices are almost unending, so get your favorite cycling catalog out and start planning your acquisitions. Right now you'll get some great deals and you'll have the satisfaction of knowing you helped right a sinking economic ship.

History Lesson: Some Cyclists and Pedestrians Were Jerks In 1908 Too

An absolutely fascinating seven minute film of the streets of Barcelona in 1908, taken with a camera mounted on the front of a streetcar. The streets are dominated by bicyclists and pedestrians, many of whom appear to be in a non-stop game of chicken with the trolley. It is lovely to see a world without cars where streets are for people; not so lovely to see that some people's riding habits haven't generally improved.

Six Great Long-Distance Bike Trails Without Cars

Wouldn't it be great if there were long-distance trails specifically for bicycles? Basically -- roads without cars?

Well, there are! A quickly emerging network of abandoned railway lines are being converted by regional governments into superb bike paths. In addition to offering very gentle grades that are ideal for bikes, many of these new trails are satisfying long. The longest rail trail is over 300 miles long, and the longest off-pavement bike trail in the country stretches 2,500 miles. On these bike roads you can cruise along for weeks without ever encountering a car, or worrying about being bumped off the white line by an oblivious motorist. These are not paved roads, but packed gravel or dirt. Many sport spectacular tunnels and bridges courtesy of the former railways. At the same time these trails pass through small towns affording local eateries and rural lodging, as well as the usual camping spots along the way. I tell you, there's nothing like arriving at the soft pillows of a B&B after a long day of pedaling.

Many of these trails did not exist as bike paths even a few years ago. More are being opened every day. There's great effort to sew short sections together into long haul bike-primary paths. Eventually you will be able to cross the country via a series of interconnected car-free roads. In the meantime, the clearinghouse for the latest additions to the bike-road network is the Rail to Trails Conservancy.

But you don't have to wait to enjoy some fantastic overnight tours on roads without cars. Here are six of the longest continuous bike trails in operation right now, in ascending order of length on Kevin Kelly's Website KK.org/cooltools.

'Sound From Wind' Turns Bikes into Musical Instruments

Remember the mods you used to inflict on your bike when you were a kid? Flags and streamers were fine, but best was the conversion of pushbike into motorcycle by the simple addition of a playing card and a clothes-peg. To a child's ears the rat-a-tat of laminated linen against spokes was engine noise.

Sound from the Wind is another way to convert motion into music. The concept, from Korean designer Joseph Kim, consists two ceramic replacements for the handlebar grips which channel air through their internal tubes. The setup apparently sounds like a flute or ocarina, and you can alter the pitch with some switches on the handlebars. Volume is increased by riding faster.

What I really like, though, is not all about the sound but the look of these things. They remind me of airplane jet-engines, which are obviously an essential addition to any kid's bike. In fact, the only problem is that they are ceramic, clearly too brittle to survive for long.

Sound from wind: musical bicycle

A2B Trike offers disabled children a special needs vehicle with style...

Inspired by disabled children in Jerusalem, designer Shabatai Hirshberg concocted an ultra-cool tricycle for special needs children that never-the-less inspires a bit of geek envy.

The A2B Trike is designed to allow a child to walk right into a mounted position for cycling, while the chest support plate stabilizes the child's body during transit. Although still in the developmental stage, Hirshberg hopes to bring the prototype design to market for around $6,000 in the near future.

Via Metropolis & Yanko Design

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...

The Blue Glow - Sweet Wheels!

The Blue Glow - Long Glow: uv protected automotive clearcoat

This is a 30sec exposure in the dark bathroom, you get the idea.

Mobius Cycle (206.290.20961016 1st ave, fourth floor Monday to Friday) off of 1st Ave in downtown Seattle has partnered with SIK Werks to create a custom rim that glows in the dark for 14 hours on a full charge. The rim pictured here is a white DT Swiss 1.2 that glows with a blue phosphorescent in the dark. The photo below is the wheel in daylight.

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.

Gladiator helmet makes you the scariest cyclist around

Regular bike helmets protect your head when you fall, but do they intimidate and terrify everyone around you? No, they don't. That's not so with the Gladiator Helmet, which looks like it does a questionable job of protecting your melon but does a bang-up job of making you the most intimidating cyclist on the street.

While the helmet/goggles combo doesn't look too comfortable, and while it looks like it would julienne your head rather than protect it in a fall, it has a certain look to it. You know, a look that says "I'm not above murdering you if you get in my way." And there's certainly something to be said for that.

Via Yanko

Bring the bike lane with you with LightLane...

This is a concept right now, but I really like idea...

Having a bike lane on the street that you're pedaling down is a great thing. It makes drivers aware of you and it gives you your own space to travel in. Unfortunately, that is rarely an option. What to do? Just take a bike lane with you!

The LightLane is a concept design that uses lasers to project an illuminated bike lane all around you wherever you go. It keeps you visible to cars and it keeps you safe. Until all cities put in bike lanes for cyclist safety, we might have to rely on clever devices like this to stay safe.

Good, via The Daily What

Retroreflective vinyl turns your black bike white in the light

If you go biking at night, it's a smart idea to have reflectors on your bike so cars don't accidentally run you over. But what if, rather than slapping reflectors on your bike, you made your entire bike a reflector? Oh, and you did so invisibly?

This is entirely possible thanks to retroreflective vinyl. It's a material that looks black in normal light, but turns completely white and reflective when a bright light, such as headlights, is shone on it. It's totally awesome, giving your bike a cool black exterior that also keeps you totally safe by acting as beacon when light hits it. You can get the material and do it to your own bike if you want.

BrightBike, Via Core77

RFID programs aim to make bike theft a thing of the past

Biking is becoming more and more popular in cities due to people looking for alternate modes of transportation that are eco-friendly. And with cities looking to reduce congestion, they're making it easier for people to get around by bike. But a raise in bike use brings with it a raise in bike theft. And that requires some high tech preventative measures.

There are three new and clever systems being put in place that use wireless RFID tags to protect people's bikes. One in the University of Porsmouth in the UK attaches a tag to your bike that's connected to your phone. If your bike is moved without you unlocking it via your phone, a camera catches the culprit in the act. The similar program at Oregon State University attaches bugs to students bikes so they can be identified and recovered if stolen. And there's a very similar program going on in Copenhagen. In the future, hopefully bike theft will be much less of an issue thanks to these groundbreaking programs.

Via Treehugger

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...

Down Low Glow Turns Bikes into Low Riders

The Down Low Glow is a bright tube light for your bike. You strap it on to the bottom of the frame and it puts your ride right in the center of a pool of neon light. Apart from making your bike look like a lowrider, the $110 kit actually makes you safer.

Regular bike lights, whether they blink or burn bright, only shine forwards and back. The Down Low Glow adds a third dimension, making you visible from the side. The light (available in five colors, including hot, hot pink) also marks your territory -- the glow on the ground marks out your space on the road and car drivers keep out, meaning you won't get clocked with the wing-mirror when they pass.

According to the FAQ, the lights are neither waterproof (although they try) or burglar-proof. The batteries are rechargeable lithium ion, so at least they're not affected by the cold, although the lamps may take a little longer to warm up. But if you live in a cold, dry town with low crime rates and a lot of drunken driving, these might be just the thing.

Product page [Rock the Bike via Cool Tools]

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.

Treehugger post: Op-Ed Piece Argues That Cyclists Should Get Off the Road

Visit Yehuda Moon

'Get Bikes off the Road.' The article began as follows: "It is often suggested that automobile drivers should learn to share the road with bicyclists. In my opinion, it is foolhardy and dangerous for bicyclists to be on the highways with motorists, period. Bicycles no more belong on roadways than autos belong on bike paths." In all likelihood the driver that almost hit me, as well as many drivers, would agree with that statement.

Guide To Winter Cycling

I went on a chilly night ride last night, so I feel that this post was quite timely...

With the rain setting in and the temperature dropping, cycling at this time of year can seem like a chore. Soggy shoes, messed up hair and numb fingers are just the tip of the iceberg – but if you make sure you’re prepared for the worst of it, cycling in the winter doesn’t need to be so punishing

New Consumer.com has put together a guide to help you get ready for the onslaught of bad weather, which will help to make your journey far more pleasant

Spinning Wheel Lights Make A Rolling Video Screen

In the darkest corner of the giant Interbike show here at the Sands Convention Center, a small company is showing off the most eye-catching bike lighting system I’ve ever seen -- a bike wheel light that plays full-motion video inside a spinning bicycle wheel.

Monkeylectric, a Bay Area startup, claims to be the first company to use a bank of flashing LEDs to create video using the spin of a bike wheel. Even though I posted about Hokey Spokes about 6 months ago, I've had seen Hokeyspokes for a few years now

Using a bank of battery-powered LEDs mounted to the wheel’s spokes, the system is able to show off cartoonish moving video that’s as bright and colorful as a storefront neon display.
As the wheel spins, the battery-powered LEDs flash on and off, creating the illusion of a man running and jumping; Homer Simpson belching; or a scrolling ticker-tape of words moving across the face of the spinning wheel.

The company currently sells a cool $65 bike-wheel light called the Monkey Light that generates bright neon patterns – but not full-motion video.

On a side note, HokeySpokes cost about half that ($29.95) and have a cleaner design.

The new Monkey Light can be programmed wirelessly and changed on the fly. The video is created on a computer and uploaded to the wheel-mounted Monkey Light. Goldwater says it uses Zigbee, a low-power, low-speed alternative to Bluetooth.

Unfortunately, the system isn’t yet for sale to the public. Xander Hudson, the other co-inventor, says they hope to have a retail version in a few months. For now, the system will be leased for retail and promotional purposes, like conventions and store displays.

Floating Rollers Take Fear Out of Rolling, Something sweet to add to your 'Santa' list

One of the most time-honored challenges for any cyclist is riding a set of rollers through the dead of winter until spring thaw rolls around.

But if Inside Ride has its' way, the days of riding your bike off the rollers and smack into the wall are over.

For about a $1,000, Inside Ride will sell you its E-motion roller system, a cleverly designed set of “floating” rollers that move fore and aft in their frame, allowing the bike and rider a more stable ride than traditional designs. Bikers can throw the bike around as though on the road – sprinting, hammering, no hands even.

“Everyone else restricts you into one spot,” said Troy Tucker, a technical advisor to the company, who rode the rollers while juggling three balls, demonstrating its stability.

“It gives you space to ride,” he added. “It’s a small space, but it let’s you ride your bike.”

Wireless Bike Speaker Beams Tunes From iPod To Handlebars

LAS VEGAS -- If you're into music while riding your bike -- but you're concerned about the safety risk of plugging headphones into your ears -- the iPod-compatible Cy.Fy wireless speaker system might be for you.

Mounted on the handlebars, the $180 Cy.Fy speaker can play tunes from the iPod in your pocket via an included Bluetooth transmitter as you ride your bike.

"Forty miles an hour riding downhill you can hear it," says Mike Michels, vice president of operations at Cy.Fy, which is based in Los Angeles. "If you're riding with a partner, you have to turn it down to talk."

The Cy.Fy is no Bose Surround Sound system though: It was drowned out by the cacophony of the Sands Convention Center. It may, however, perform better in quieter surroundings.
Looking like a streamlined Star Trek prop, the Cy.Fy speaker has rechargeable battery and is water resistant, the company says.

The basic model is compatible with Bluetooth-equipped cell phones and PDAs. A $200 iPod model includes a Bluetooth transmitter that plugs into the iPod's dock connector.