Tag: cyclists

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Cycling

RideAir portable tire inflater will pump you up on the go

It’s pretty amazing what the single press of a button can do for people nowadays. Controlling music, brewing coffees, opening garage doors — the applications for connected technology are effectively endless. However, there’s been no button to press to deal with the inconvenience of flat tires.

RideAir extends that one button utility to flat tires, using an 22 oz. aluminum canister holding 300 psi of compressed air to rapidly inflate both Presta and Shrader tires, or anything else for that matter with a suitable needle adapter.  This gets about 1.5 full tires for a standard 700mm x 25mm road bike tire, and more or less based on size and use.

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Cycling Music Technology

BikeMic keeps cyclists in tune with their playlist and environment

Riding a bike through any environment is already somewhat dangerous depending on the amount of pedestrian traffic and cars present. What makes it even more dangerous is the use of headphones while riding, something many people do that significantly increases the risk of serious, or even fatal, injury.

People love their music, though, and aren’t so easily persuaded away from it. BikeMic makes the choice easy by providing a mic that connects headphones with its music device to funnel in ambient noises. This way, those noises are mixed in with the music to give riders the best of both worlds. With BikeMic, riders can still hear the cars, people, and conversations around them, all without having to take their headphones off.

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Connected Objects Cycling

JIVR chainless e-bike folds in half, uses Bluetooth to show how cool you are

The quest for the perfect e-bike has left a path littered with many grand ideas that have never panned out. Every now and then, though, pearls like the Impossible and LEAOS emerge, offering something new and pushing the idea of what an e-bike can really do.

The JIVR Bike, a folding, chainless, beacon-enabled e-bike, is certainly one of those ideas. It’s sleekly designed frame houses a brushless motor and lithium-ion battery that offers riders 20 miles of pedal assist on a single charge, with a top speed of 15.6MPH. Bluetooth integration allows riders to log everything from distance traveled to calories burned, not to mention other applications that will likely emerge through upcoming JIVR hackathons. When a ride is completed, it takes just four moves to take the JIVR from an e-bike to a piece of luggage weighing in at 33lbs, thus making it extremely handy in a pinch.

The company is offering interesting incentives not seen from other, similar campaigns. One is called JIVR Care, a service that will see someone from the company make a house call within 48 hours to fix the bike in the likelihood something breaks or goes wrong. The second sees JIVR offering backers the opportunity to grab the product for as little as $1,055 by enrolling in its JIVR Ambassador Program. In exchange, participants will have to commit to ride the bike for at least 50km, write reviews, and engage in social media for a few months. Both of these initiatives set the company apart from the competition. Further, both initiatives demonstrate’s the company’s support for the long-term, though interested participants must be located in a relatively short list of pre-approved cities.

The JIVR Bike has an estimated ship date of September 2015 provided the campaign achieves its $105,600 goal by April 10.

 

Categories
Cycling Virtual Reality

WideRun VR lets you bike through any world while staying put

There’s nothing like a long, challenging bike ride on a crisp day surrounded by the hustle and bustle of city life or the lush landscapes of nature. Granted, this is only true so long as there’s no rain, sleet, snow or extremely cold temperatures. Put simply, inclement weather is a cyclist’s biggest enemy, often leading to missed opportunities for both pleasure and fitness.

WideRun’s marriage of both cycling and virtual reality eliminates the tedium of stationary biking, offering eager cyclists a chance to ride in diverse environments when they’re forced to stay indoors. Of course, the biggest challenge with all VR experiences is achieving a suitable level of immersion. WideRun’s system accomplishes this by employing a bike trainer engineered to apply pedal resistance and let cyclists turn their handlebars; these two variables are essential in convincing riders that they’re riding the Great Wall of China or through an abandoned, zombie-infested city.

While WideRun is compatible with any bike, it is currently only compatible with the Oculus Rift, Samsung Gear VR, and smart TVs (for those who don’t have access to a VR headset). No matter which route a cyclist chooses to take, WideRun must be connected to a smartphone or PC. In exchange, the software lets users check their performance, ride with community members, and challenge other riders as a means to keep things interesting.

The full system can be had for $446 with an expected ship date of April 2016. The campaign is looking for $44,475 in funding by May 2, 2015.

While WideRun claims its pedal resistance can successfully mirror the feeling of riding uphill, it may not do enough. Because the system lacks the means to transmit other types of feedback — like bumps in the road or uneven paths — the fullness of the experience might be compromised. Still, the product is very well thought out, sporting similarities to the VirtuixOmni.

Categories
Cycling

EasyTurn turning signal eliminates doubt while cycling

Both novice and experienced cyclists alike face dangers when riding on roads filled with other cyclists, cars, and trucks — a simple collision always carries the risk of injury or even death. As a result, a cyclist is always responsible for signaling their intentions on the road, especially when turning. However, who’s to say that those on the road can understand such signals, or perhaps even see them in the first place?

The EasyTurn is a brake signal designed to be more visible to others on the road. It accomplishes this via a slanted design that can be seen at wider angles. It sports both left and a right turn signals, as well as an red emergency light that flashes when the product senses that the cyclist is braking abruptly. Cyclists can control the left and right turn signals with a wireless button that can be attached to the handlebar so as to be always within reach. Early birds can grab an EasyTurn for $59, while everyone else can get theirs for $79. An estimated delivery date of July 2015 is listed provided the campaign’s $25,000 goal is funded by April 20.

EasyTurn is compact, easy-to-install, and simple to use piece of safety equipment. Just as important, it’s not terribly expensive. Products similar to EasyTurn include WingLights and 8rlicht, the former of which features minimally designed handlebar-mounted turn signals than can be controlled with simple taps while the latter offers a programmable LED board that hangs off the back of a bike. While WingLights might prove to be worthy competition, 8rlicht may be too complex relative to what EasyTurn provides.

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Connected Objects Cycling Safety

Augur Wolf bike light shift modes to avoid rider distraction

Avid cyclists need the best with regards to lighting in order to ensure they are seen on the road, no matter what the conditions. As such, most cyclists make sure they have the best lighting systems but don’t stop to think how it affects the rest of their team. Bright lights that hamper visibility is a huge problem when riding in a peloton, or a group of cyclists. In response, Augur created the Wolf lighting system.

The Wolf’s claim to fame is its communication protocol Collective Safety which senses other Wolf lights in the vicinity and dims appropriately, ensuring teammates can still enjoy full visibility of what’s ahead. In addition, Augur’s Wolf is is a robust lighting system that offers four different lighting modes. Need to grab attention? There’s the High Intensity Strobe mode. In complete darkness? The Full Power Beam mode will cut through it. Conserve battery with the Low Intensity Blink mode, and turn on a Low Intensity Beam for twilight riding. And don’t fret when the battery is low as a Low Power Mode pumps enough juice to get you home safely.

This fantastic idea can only sense other Wolf lights, which is a slight bummer. Each system costs $140 AUD (~$120 USD). Augur is looking for $60,000 AUD (~$51,600 USD) to have the product in backer’s hands by March 2015.

Categories
Cycling

Helmetor lets your bike hold your helmet when you’re not using your head

What the heck do we do with our helmets when we aren’t on our bikes anymore? This is an issue many cyclists have faced, only to avoid even taking the helmet at all to avoid making the decision. While usually we applaud pragmatism here at Backerjack, pragmatism that puts you in danger is out of the question. This is why the Helmetor is answering the question themselves with their bike or wall-mounted helmet holder.

When attached to a wall, it’s a place to store to easily store your helmet, but the product shines when attached to the handlebars of your ride. The Helmetor is lightweight, resistant to weather, extremely durable, and most importantly out of the way while riding. Riders can even lock the helmet in place, making the option of leaving outside along with your bike a more attractive one. As much as the Helmetor promotes helmet use, this still won’t be the elixir to convince the majority of riders who don’t use a helmet now otherwise, unfortunately. In any case, the Helmetor is just £12 (~$19), and is estimated to be delivered by February 2015. The campaign is looking for £17,250 (~$27,200) for production costs.

Categories
Cycling

Urbanshell surrounds backpacks to keep them dry, reflective

Riding a bike, scooter, or anything else for that matter in the rain is no fun at all. What’s worse is when you have a book bag on and must endure the psychological torture of knowing your precious cargo is getting completely soaked. Enter the Urbanshell, a waterproof book bag cover to keep your goodies dry that is also reflective to keep you visible at all times.

Urbanshell is extremely portable because it can fold in on itself for easy transportation. When unwrapped and in protecting mode, an ‘essentials’ pocket gives users easy access to necessary objects. It’s also durable, something that is appreciated when dealing with cyclists. It comes in three colors: fluorescent orange, pink, or lightning blue. The original orange color goes for £10 (~$16), while the newer colors go for £20 (~$32). Urbanshell is seeking £6,000 (~$9,600) to get the product in backer’s hands by March 2015.

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Connected Objects Cycling

Bikers make sure those trailing them get the message with 8rlicht

For years, cyclists have sought out ways to make themselves safer on the road because the lights most bikes come equipped with just don’t cut it. They’re extremely small and only work when light is shone on them, limiting their overall usability and putting riders in undue danger when riding at night.

8Rlicht is a smart taillight with 140 LEDs on a rather large display that ensures your ride will never be safer. The product reacts to sudden braking, lighting up to alert drivers behind you — a powerful feature. In addition, show off customizable patterns and text on that display using the companion smartphone apps compatible on iOS or Android. In addition, the unit’s onboard Bluetooth connectivity and many sensors allows it some other tricks as well.

With Bluetooth, OTA updates are possible so that you can update software capable of tracking calories or setting up competitions between you and friends, as well as alerting you when the bike is being stolen. And when you’re wandering back to your bike and have no clue where it is, 8Rlicht lights up to your presence provided you also have your smartphone with you. The asking price of €49 is stellar but the funding goal of €200,000will be a stretch for this connected taillight

The product is no slouch on features but certainly has room for more, despite the folks behind the product not saying much about that. And with this dangling off the back of your bike, it makes a prime target for thieves.

Categories
Cycling

Quick Caps provide convenient security for your bike

Bike security is the foremost concern for cyclists around the world. Making sure someone doesn’t make off with your precious ride is difficult, especially if the bike in question has quick release wheels. Despite having to carry an additional lock for the front tire, many people choose this kind of wheel for the sheer convenience of being able to quickly take it off at a moment’s notice. After numerous years of doing just that, inventor Curtis Dorrington created Quick Caps, a product that eliminates the hassle while retaining the quick release wheel’s convenience.

Quick Caps is a small, weatherproof lock that fits around the quick release lock’s lever itself, preventing anyone who would be daring enough to try from doing so. With the product being made from marine-grade aluminum and requiring 900Nm of force to break, even attempting the feat is a tall order. The product’s 51g weight will be a welcome relief to anyone that has been looking for this sort of solution, so ponying up just £10 (or £14 if you happen to have the wrong type of quick release) will be an easy decision. The creator is looking for a £15,000 infusion to start mass production.