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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

COBI connected bike system stylishly declutters handlebar gadgets

Most riders who take their biking seriously pony up the cash for all sorts of mounts and lights to make their trips more manageable, but their handlebars end up being anything but. To put it simply, handlebars are extremely cluttered and the more functionality a rider wants, the worse it becomes.

iCradle, Inc.’s COBI connected biking system is taking what cyclists want in their ride and combining it all into an unobtrusive, wireless system. On its own, COBI gives riders an automatic flashlight, turn signal, and a proximity start-up that senses a cyclist’s iPhone or Android device and reacts accordingly. The COBI’s main draw is its handlebar dock. When a smartphone is inserted, COBI instantly adds over 100 intelligent features to any standard or electronic bike, all controlled with a handy thumb controller that allows focus to stay on the road ahead. A lot of these features, like intelligent navigation, the ability to call friends, a fitness tracker, Spotify integration, and a smart theft alarm, all make use of their large, colorful screens, and their high-powered internals all while being charged with a 6000mAh battery pack for standard bikes or an e-bike’s hub.

COBI is extremely modular, allowing riders the freedom to pick and choose which components they’d like to add or remove from their systems, handy when more are created in the future. The company has created four separate types of designs to accommodate different types of riders: racer, city, urban, and mountain. They mainly differ in aesthetic, though. A complete kit for standard bikes goes for $255, while an e-bike gets a small discount being that they come with compatible controllers at $199. iCradle, Inc. is looking to ship the product in June 2015 provided they reach their $100,000 goal.

The COBI connected system is extremely polished and full-featured, traits sure to attract a large number of supporters and adopters. With add-ons to protect from tough terrain and inclement weather, the thought behind the design and implementation of the product is obvious. Combine with the Helmetor to get maximum efficiency out of any bike.

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Cycling

Piston Pedal Power compresses air to help climb that hill

In parts of the world, bicycles are the foremost method in getting from A to B. Europe is particularly famous for this, while the US is beginning to embrace bicycles with bike friendly initiatives designed to get people out and about. For the most part, it’s relatively easy to get around in these cities, however biking obstacles such as hills can be a challenge. Without a bulky electric bicycle to help, sometimes hills can make a short ride into one filled with burning thighs and sweaty faces.

Inventor Alex Baldwin’s Piston Pedal Power marries the lightweight design of most bikes with a pneumatic air canister to give riders small assists whenever they need it, turning it off whenever they don’t. The addition adds 6.5 pounds to the weight of a bicycle which isn’t too much, but still enough to be noticeable unless the product takes away the sense of the extra weight. In any case, he is still refining the design which is why he is asking for $15,000 to complete a third prototype and obtain a patent. A donation of $20 gets you 20% off the final price, estimated to be a saving of $240 — pretty pricey compared with other electric solutions like the ion Smartscooter which costs $399.

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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.

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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.

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Cycling

CycleSNAP is a simple plastic wall dock for your bike

BxRCvAlCYAA2mUeStoring bicycles in the home can be an overly complicated affair or, in CycleSNAP’s case, an incredibly simple one. Built as a high-strength, durable clamp, it allows you to store bikes either horizontally or vertically simply by inserting a tire into it — just make sure not to miss, dirtying up the wall in the process. It currently supports widths between 1.75″ to 2.25″, and installation involves only a drill. Sporting multiple color options and a highly accessible $14 price point, CycleSNAP will clamp down on some wallets even if the product is ultimately very simple. Inventor Joey King is looking for a cool $15,000 with his campaign.

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Cycling

Latigo is a simple strap to keep your bike hanging around

35aabd0d864bd6f2fe5b751e5c302da1_largeBuying a bike rack eventually crosses the mind of most cyclists, because leaving your prized possession outside at the mercy of the elements and of possibly being stolen isn’t the most comforting thought. Bike racks take many forms, but never like the LATIGO by Plain Leather LLC. Technically speaking it isn’t a bike rack, but rather a leather strap that hangs from the wall to hold your bike. Even though there are bikes everywhere in the sparse campaign, this product could be marketed as pretty much anything else. Those convinced can get one for $25 — just watch out for dirty walls. The company is looking for a $7,500 for their leather dream.

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Cycling

Fietsklik lets you snap accessories onto your bike

FietsklikWhen it comes to bikes, the Dutch are most certainly the experts. Fietsklik, a new product hailing from Amsterdam, is a platform to affix to the back of your bike. It’s unique structure allows you to attach or click different accessories to it such as several different types of bags, crates and child seats. Fietsklik fits on most bikes and makes cycling all the more versatile. A full viewing of this bike tool’s accessories can be found on the Web site, along with a lot of information in Dutch. For $99, backers can get one of two basic packages of the platform itself along with a crate or any bag of choice with an estimated delivery date of July 2014. Fietsklik is looking for $40,000 during its-57-day campaign12.