The US isn’t the leading country for bike enthusiasts, but in a recent survey taken by the US Bicycling Participating Benchmark Report an estimated 103.7 million Americans ride bikes. Riding a bike is simple, unlike becoming a professional excavating contractor Kitchener ON you can learn to ride a bike in no time at all. Therefore, more people should be open to the idea.
If we counted bike riders throughout the entire world, the number would go through the roof. China and India alone would skyrocket the number into the billions. So, it makes perfectly good sense that there are some great new inventions which have recently entered the marketplace to trick out your ride.
The potential for any innovative entrepreneur to discover a need within the field, devise a solution and offer an application is huge. The following are a few creative products being offered to the modern cyclist.
Smartgrips
This nifty gadget designed and engineered in Berlin, Germany, slips right into the end of the handlebar of your bike, scooter or anything with bar steering. Through an app on your cell phone via Bluetooth you connect with your bike. This helps you locate your bicycle in a crowded parking lot or if you’ve forgotten exactly where you parked it. A simple ringtone emitted from your bike will alert you to where you can find your cycle. The application also can be programmed to act as an eyes free navigation device.
Access directions from your phone, connect with your Smartgrips and a vibration will occur in the right or left handle when it’s time to turn in that direction. This is much safer than trying to read a display screen that often doesn’t show well anyway due to glare. You can keep your eyes on where you are going and avoid people or hazards enroute. If you are biking in a group the Smartgrips can send separation alerts to inform another group member if someone has separated from the pack. Other features include stolen bike alerts with Smartgroup community source biking data. This is a practical gadget that makes a lot of sense.
Halfbike
A combination of a tricycle and a bicycle ,the halfbike could soon be every street biker’s must have. Featured in Gizmodo, Fast Company and Euronews, this sweet little get-around is sleek, fun and easy to use. Believing that the present day means of transportation was failing to keep up with the times, inventors Martin Angelov and Mihail Klenov designed and crowd funded the Halfbike into a real product that has been selling since 2014. Its compact, lightweight, flexible frame allows for easy storage and rugged endurance. Each is hand made on special order at this time, but mass production isn’t far away.
The above video is just for fun, but little did we know that the simple act of riding a bike could be so involved.
Yikebike
If you want to raise the bar, and go more high tech the electric Yikebike is the one to check out. At around $4K US and only 23lbs this little wonder invented in Auckland, New Zealand, will get you where you want to go in style and relative comfort. It’s outfitted with a cushioned seat, foot rest, side handle bars equipped with directional blinkers and even a horn. Since it folds up into a compact carry, it’s easy to transport onto a subway, train or other public transportation. Top speed is 15 MPH with a 450 watt motor and regenerative braking. This isn’t in stores near you – yet, but it’s another up and coming gotta-have of the future.
Do you know of a favorite motor toy you’d like to tell us about? Leave a comment below.