f you are going to have a lawn, TreeHugger Mike recommends a reel (or push) mower. (But then, he is an addict) If you are going to have a really big lawn, talk to Ted Wojcik. He built this mower, seen at the North American Handmade Show. He normally builds more conventional bikes at Ted Wojcik Custom Bicycles in New Hampshire. more...

As someone who has cycled in temperatures down to -30C (-22F), I can certainly attest to one thing: OK, yes, you have to be a bit crazy, but also, it's really hard to keep your hands warm and dry. If you wear gloves, no matter how well-insulated they are, your fingers will eventually get cold. This is because they don't have access to each other's body heat, and just don't generate enough on their own. Using thick mittens keeps your hands a lot warmer, but often to the point where they actually start to sweat. And manual dexterity with mitts? Imagine a lobster trying to ride a bike. Fortunately for us crazy people, Toronto cyclist Hamish Greenland has addressed this problem with an invention he calls the BarBra. more...

Here is an interesting idea for a helmet, designed for motorcyclists but that might work for cyclists and skateboarders down the road. 80% of fatal motorcycle accidents are caused by head trauma, and most of those are from "rotational acceleration" and subsequent "intracranial shearing"- the head is turned rapidly and the brain, floating loosely inside, sloshes around a few milliseconds later, tearing blood vessels and nerve fibers.

The Superskin helmet has a membrane on the outside, separated from the main body of the helmet by a lubricant, so that when the helmet hits the ground, the skin slides, absorbing the rotational forces. more...

Usually, when you put nine university seniors together from a mechanical engineering class in a room for a whole semester with no strict agenda, the last thing you expect to get is a useful product. But this team broke the mold and created a “human-powered spokeless bicycle”. Admittedly, only the back wheel is spokeless, but the Yale students had two very good reasons for that – time and money.

It ain’t pretty, but the students admit they just didn’t have time or the cash to spend on niceties like paint jobs, suspension, gears or even a second brake. All they wanted to do as part of their mechanical engineering class at Yale was prove that it was possible to build a human-powered spokeless bicycle - something they seem to have accomplished with this prototype. more...

In many countries, wearing a bike helmet while cycling in public places is compulsory because it is proven to have saved lives. However, anyone who has ever applied one of these helmets to their heads knows that are definitely not a one-size-fits-all piece of equipment. An ill-fitting helmet means less protection, but they can require much trial and error to adjust correctly. The Regenerative Helmet overcomes this with its hard outer shell and flexible segments that allow the helmet to contort to provide a better fit. The liner uses dual density multi-impact foam to provide impact protection for both low and high speed accidents.

Shortlisted in the Australian Design Awards - James Dyson Award 2010, the design is by Blake Witherow of Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT), Australia, who spent five months researching new materials and design methods with the aim of providing greater safety and injury prevention for cyclists. more...

Many people want to do their bit to help save the planet, or to simply get fit, by riding a bike instead of using their vehicle. However, traveling on the road when the sun goes down can be off-putting for fear of not being seen by motorists. The Firefly light has been designed to address this concern by making them more visible. It uses a passive Infrared sensor to detect traffic approaching from behind the rider and projects light from flashing LEDs onto the back of the rider with varying intensity depending on the proximity of the traffic. more...

What will they think of next ?!?

A clamp-on "cycle" for wheelchair users enabling opportunities for exercise or rehabilitation to short or long term wheelchair users. more...

Scantily clad hipster cyclists attracted to the Brooklyn neighborhood made it difficult, the Hasids said, to obey religious laws forbidding them from staring at members of the opposite sex in various states of undress. These riders also were disobeying the traffic laws, they complained. more...

The Copenhagen Wheel, unveiled by MIT students at the COP15 Climate Change Conference, may not look like anything special. But in reality, it’s a treasure trove of bicycle wheel technology, complete with a kinetic energy recovery system (KERS), sensors, a smart lock, and a Bluetooth connection to the rider’s iPhone more...

The world's first $500,000 bike just sold at Sotheby's in NY a few weeks ago to raise funds for the Livestrong Foundation. The bike is a Trek Madone 6.9, hand painted by renowned British artist Damien Hirst.

One of our customers in LA has the bike on display this week (I've been assured it is being kept under lock & key). Also on display is the Lance's TTX 9.5 that was stolen and later recovered during the Tour of California. This bike sold for $100,000 at the same auction.

Two bikes = $600,000k in value, and I've been reminded by a sharp HMA insurance professional that, unlike other works of art, these pieces can actually be ridden away...

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