The Cyclopod - Sleek new design for bike storage using recycled aluminium

We are forever wasting time wandering around the streets looking for an appropriate lampposts or railings to secure our bikes to. So we are very keen on this space agey looking bike storage unit which will smarten up bike parking all over town. The Cyclepod provides eight secure spaces for parking your bike, the bikes are stored upright and the front wheel and frame can both be locked in place. There is also the option of having a canopy over the pod to protect the bikes from the weather. The very good news is that the Cyclepod is made from 95% recycled aluminium. It has a 10-15 year estimated life span and uses half the space of current storage units for the equivalent number of bikes. It can also be powder coated in whatever colour you like. The problem is of course that when everyone has arrived home before us we will still be looking for the nearest lamppost. Lets hope after their test runs in London and Nottingham they become really popular and every local council orders them!
















By Petz Scholtus, Barcelona, Spain

Solar Powered Electric Bicycle: Now we're talking!

For all those nay sayers, who love to point out that electric powered vehicles probably get their juice from coal or nuclear power plants. Not with this curious beastie they don’t. Photovoltaic panels are built in to the wheels, sort of like those aero discs used in racing bikes to reduce wind drag. Anyhow, the press release for the Canadian developed E-V Sunny Bicycle suggests it is the “first all Solar electric bicycle driven completely from power derived from the Sun’s Rays.” For about $1300 CAD you can apparently coerce dear old Sol to drive the bike along at speeds up to 30kph (19 mph) via the 500 watt motor. A kit is available for $800 CAD, which we assume allows for retrofitting of existing bicycles. Sounds almost too good to be true. Can't see the motor in this pic, nor is there any explanation of how the power is extracted from the spinning wheels. We do hope it turns out to be bona fide though, could be an intriguing development in urban transport.














By Warren McLaren, Bundanoon, Australia

Copenhagen "Super Bicycle Highways"

In Copenhagen bicycling is their way of life. They are constructing $47Million worth of purpose built bicycle only paths.

For full article see: http://www.treehugger.com/files/2009/08/copenhagen-bicycle-superhighways.php

No Recession for Bicycle Manufacturers

Cars Down, Bikes UpWhile high oil prices and an economic recession are hitting carmakers hard, bicycle makers are selling more than ever. "Giant Manufacturing, the world’s largest bicycle-maker, sold a record 460,000 units last month and is heading for its best year ever."
Demand is so high in certain places that there are even shortages. For example, it happened it New York City earlier this year, and in Taiwan, people pay deposits before the bikes are even off the assembly line. Read on for more details on why bikes are so hot.













By Michael Graham Richard, Ottawa, Canada

iSpotSwap iPhone Application

When it comes to parking, it pays to ride a bike. Usually you can lock it on to any tree or post without concern about finding a "parking spot." But if you have to drive somewhere, especially in a crowded place, you could be wasting a lot of gas driving around for 15 minutes just to find a spot. And in parking lots, you might end up following a pedestrian around like a vulture so you can grab their spot as soon as they reach their car. Cutting down on that wasted fuel and emissions is important - as is the stalker-like feeling you get from going 3 miles an hour behind a pedestrian - and that's why we love phone apps that help us do it without effort. There's a brand new one out called iSpotSwap. It's brilliant! It lets you track down open spots, and tell others when your spot is about to be freed up so they can have it.

The Gadgeteer points us to iSpotSwap, a free app that is for iPhones but also has an Android version in the works.
With iSpotSwap, you can create a list of your favorite places to park, or select your current location and it tells you what spots are free or about to be free. When you park, you enter in your location and when you're planning on leaving, and others can be alerted to when the spot will free up. The extra bonus is the app will send you a reminder when your meter is about to run out, so you can avoid those pain in the neck tickets you get just minutes before arriving back to the car, and it also tells you where your car is and gives you directions back to it should you forget. Plus, it gives you an opportunity for good karma as you give other drivers a chance at a quick parking experience.
All said, a happier troop of drivers and less gas and emissions wasted driving in circles.

LA Street Summit: Biking, Walking and Beyond

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2010/03/los-angeles-street-summit-2010-video-biking-walking-beyond.php

GT One Piece Carbon BMX Frame

Here is the GT Power Series Carbon BMX Frame, released in 2008 it is a one piece (monocoque) carbon construction.

Esquisse 3: Alternate Materials

Below are my three A4 boards displaying some of my research into alternate materials and technology that could assist with the manufacture of the bicycle frame, the overall bicycle and the assosiated infrastructure. It is important to note that these are only the basics and there are lots of other relevant and useful technologies and materials available and in development.

2 person bike

2 person bike, would be ideal for tourists and use around scenic locations. Works the same as a paddle boat

Bike Lock Concept

Bike Lock concept works on a Parking Meter concept.

Truvativ "Hammerschmidt" 2sp Front Crankset

Hammerschmidt is a crank and bottom bracket combination with an integrated planetary drive mechanism.

It’s essentially a two-speed crankset.

It gives the reliability of a single-ring system with chainguide and the gear range of a two-ring system, plus improved shifting. At first glance it looks shockingly small, with just a single 22 or 24-tooth ring.

Such a small front ring yields incredible ground clearance and, when combined with the 1.6x multiplication factor of the planetary mechanism inside, you get an approximate 36 or 38 tooth high gear. These 22x36 or 24x38 gear combinations are already standard on many all-mountain and freeride bikes so these numbers should be familiar to riders.

This technology is aimed at DH and FR markets where derailluers often get caught on the harsh riding terrain, but may offer some cross over benafits for anti theft, and anti vandalism aswell as providing benafits assosiated with longer periods required between services.

Specialized Concept

Fixie Concept

Specialized "Once" Concept

Board 2: Infrastructure

Board 1: Bicycle

Board 3: Impact

PDS

Esquisse 2: Shared Rides

3 x A3 Pages
Board 1: Bicycle Designs
Board 2: Infrastrure and Context
Board 3: Impact

PDS: Product Design Specifications

Yike Bike

Yike Bike

Technology and styling that is totally thinking out of the square, getting people to be green is a positive thing, maybe it isnt a traditional bike that gets people to leave their car at home.

http://www.yikebike.com/

Melbourne Bike Park

Interesting that we have one of these secure bike parking facilities so close to major ammenities and I have never actually heard of or seen it until now.

http://www.bikepark.com.au/

Copenhagen

Copenhagen Wheel, by MIT

Some interesting tech, unveiled at the copenhagen climate talks.


http://senseable.mit.edu/copenhagenwheel/

This is Melbourne Video.

To me, Melbourne is a unique place, it embodies the character of the people within the city. I find that some cities, such as Dubai for example don't really have a character that reflects their people. Melbourne City has a soul, you can walk for 5 minutes and the cityscape is different. There are 100+ year old buildings, next to brand new state of the art buildings and it never looks like they are out of place or don't fit in.