New Tech Reviews Just another NEW TECH NEWS

Leave it to an Oregonian designer to come up with such a great bike-rack design. The Yakima Super Joe Pro and King Joe Pro by James Owen are this years top-of-the-line racks. High-clearance design met with ultra soft cushioning ensure your car is never comes in contact with your bikes. These racks are highly adaptable thanks to Yakima’s QuickTrigger Hub system- trust me, attachment easy as pie.

Designer: James Owen

Source:yankodesign.com

Have you ever paced up and down a rack of bicycles trying to remember where you locked yours up at? The Acousto Optical Lock is a steel ripe style cable lock that sends out an audio signal and lights up when you press a key fob. Great idea!

Designer: Liu Yu

Source:yankodesign.com

This is a bicycle project whose aim is to create a cycle with a retro style mixed with a slightly more contemporary cafe racer model. Influenced by new and vintage fashions, this bike rides extremely low, and the material used to create it is chosen for its aesthetic beauty as well as its structural virtues. One of these materials is copper, which makes this a total steampunk bike without any of the steam shooting out of it. Perhaps you’d like some propulsion?

The rest of the materials other than the copper are modern – lots of carbon fiber is chosen and bright colors will come into the project this bike into the future and deep into the past. With the best of both worlds working for you in this masterfully designed two-wheeler, you’ll be blasting down hills in streaks of chrome, copper, and gold in no time. Flashy!

Designer: Carlos Pereira

Source:yankodesign.com

This bike comes in red, white, or black, like any good motorcycle should. Its description is presented to us as a mostly poetic sort of situation, naming “Style&Skills” as a main point, noting soft lines around a technological core, saying that this motorcycle concept, the Ducati Spite, has two souls. One of the souls is extreme simplicity, they say, and the other, a full detailed concept. Like the black and white of the wheels.

There’s several ways you can ride the Spite, a couple of them being City and Sport, both of these thanks to its variable suspension. This bike they say shall get both the extremeness of a one-sit bike, and the comfort of a city maxi scooter. Urban and freestyle, extreme every day.

Designer: Lorenzo Andr Spreafico & Simone Campestre

Source:yankodesign.com

There can never ever be too large an amount of inventions to work with the greatest of these – the bicycle. Today’s design is a very simple case that attaches to the pole underneath your seat. This design is called BelowFour and can contain any number of different things, coming in a variety of colors, too! Perfect for you hipsters and hipsters at heart, as well as the rest of the working world.

Not only is it stylish and perfect to carry in your hand as well as on your bike, it’s refrigerated too! That black bit you see wrapping around the middle is a strap holding the box together, and the bit you hold in your hand can be clipped and unclipped with ease so you don’t have to take your seat off each time you want to transfer the case. Lovely!

Designer: Ilya Fridman

Source:yankodesign.com

Check the heck out this little bike that runs on batteries. Not only is it aesthetically MORE than pleasing, it’s made out of a bunch of wood (and a bit of metal and plastic of course) and runs on tiny batteries you can carry around with you in your pocket! This is the Biona and it’s designed by Jordi Poblet Pedrol, a fellow who wants to replace gasoline entirely in our urban vehicles. This project attempts to give the world a brand new perception of what an electric motorcycle is.

This design uses traditional yet greener versions of parts used on classic motorcycles, “never forgetting new technologies and new tendencies.” Look like something you’d ride to futball practice? Pedrol leaves us with this thought:

Do we really need those big plastic parts? Do we really need so much weight? Do we really need the same design for motorcycles?

The “biona” project tries to answer these questions, building only another perspective of what a motorbike should look like.

Designer: Jordi Poblet Pedrol

Source:yankodesign.com

I think the I-Green concept is brills. Designer Fandi Meng already has an iF and Good Design award for previous work so I’d expect nothing less. The I-Green is a small bike peripheral that turns kinetic energy into electrical to charge nearly any portable device. I like to ride my bike with my phone to track my progress but the GPS sensor kills the battery. This seems like an awesome idea to keep my phone juiced up. I’ll take one but please but, maybe in another color?

Designer: Fandi Meng

Source:yankodesign.com

This is a fast bike. It’s called “The Beast” and it’s designed and executed by M55 Bikes and it goes 40 miles per hour. One charge on this electric bike and you’ll go as far as 75 miles even off-road. That’s impressive, yes? It’s made of custom parts created by M55’s seasoned engineers, using technology and materials used in Formula One cars and supersportscars alike. Titanium, carbon fiber, CNC machining, and a brushless motor mechanism, plus more!

Each of the non-custom parts on this magical machine are of the finest quality, chosen by the M55 crew to meet golden standards. It’s got a hybrid drive, making it an addition to your high-falootin human powers. Each time the sensor feels you need some extra torque, it packs a punch and blasts you forward, multiplying your power like one of those Japanese exosuits from the comic books. Such a monster.

M55 Beast
Hybrid drive “pedelec” system
Max speed 40 mph
Up to 75 miles potential range with one charge
Utilizing the finest materials and components available
Performance and luxury – no compromise

Features:
Frame: Monocoque 7075 CNC Aluminum & carbon fiber plates
Battery: Tenergy Polimer Li-Ion cells (20mAh)
Motor: EB-PC motor with 5.2 Nm torque

Designer: M55 Bikes

Source:yankodesign.com

This amazing machine goes by the name “Catapult” and is created by designer Tom Robbins, who, in an effort to improve the state of bikes made for the handicapped, went for the lever drive route. The inspiration for this bike came from seeing a particular person in the park attempting to operate one of those upside-down bicycles where the wheel-turning mechanism is turned by hand rather than by foot. In a moment of sheer brilliance, Tim Robbins turned to what ends up being a lot easier to operate: the lever drive.

The version of the bike you see before you is not quite operable by those without the use of their legs, but that’s very possibly on the drawing board next. In fact, Robbins is already at work on a steering mechanism that can be installed that makes it so the handles can rotate back and forth and steer the vehicle using the person’s hands and arms rather than their feet. Sounds rather neato!

This first version aims to be fun to ride and to provide the rider with a great upper body workout. In this model, either both or one lever can be used at a time to propel the vehicle. Both the upward and the downward movement of the bar propel the vehicle, while the chain gearing on the wheel utilizes 7 gears. The left lever adjusts the gear with a rotating grip, while the right lever has the brakes, the one lever working both back wheels to stop.

MOMENT OF INTEREST: Tom Robbins is a designer who generally focuses on plumbing and hardware. In a moment of inspiration, he took on this project, and totally nailed it brilliantly. Never limit yourself to the trade you’re focused in – if you’re feeling wild, go wild!

Designer: Tom Robbins Design

Source:yankodesign.com

Oh yes! A lovely new bike. ASI Kestrel hired Anvil Studios to design a fabulous new carbon filter Time Trial bike. Collaborating with design consultant Sean Horita they’ve made this “4000LTD.” It’s a really nice lookin bike, I gotta say. It’s high-end, integrates molded-composite features with “cutting-edge aesthetic identity”, and both empowers and expands the identity of the Kestrel brand.

Kestrel’s legacy is that of a “brutal expression of forward motion.” That’s pretty hardcore. This bike is so hardcore in that capsule of energy that it was code-named “Ginsu.” The top tube connecting the seat and the head is “ruthlessly horizontal.” Bike design is serious business!

Each of several of the tube profiles taper to knife-sharp trailing edges letting the user know they’re rolling on a bike with high technicality and craftsmanship. The final name for codename Ginsu is “4000LTD.” Rough!

Designer: Anvil Studios for ASI | Kestrel

Source:yankodesign.com

Designer Faris ELmasu is about to change the entire world of bike baskets. Up until now, the bike basket has been entirely lame. Made for the littlest kids and those who wish to steal puppies and turn into witches.* Now, all of that is changed. Yes, this is the “Bent Wood Basket.” Made specifically for the neo-hippy aka Hipster culture, this basket is beyond trendy. It’s downright cute and useful.

*Wicked Witch of the West, look it up.

Made with light carmel wood and black nylon straps. Simple and fabulous.

Designer: Faris ELmasu

Source:yankodesign.com

Pratt Student Nick Foley has designed the Etta as a new-age urban commuter bicycle that is safer, more convenient, and more accessible to non-cyclists than traditional bicycles. Drawing on his own experience of working in a cycle shop and recreational cycling, Nick brings us a version that is easy on your posture, finds a new place to stash your load and aesthetically appealing. The highlights are integrated storage with a low center-of-gravity; integrated lighting and theft-proof nighttime safety. Light and compact, this is one bike Im ready to test ride NOW!

Photo Credit: Nick Foley – Model Credit: Rene Golden

Designer: Nick Foley

Source:yankodesign.com

TwoQuater is a power-assisted electric bicycle that folds up when necessary. It sources the power from a lithium battery, which housed at the back of the bike in a black case. The power-assist comes into play when riding uphill and during the downhill course it recharges the battery. For a subway ride or up the elevator, the bike folds into half, but if you need to stash it in your cars trunk or stow it away, it can fold up further to become a quarter of its size.

Usually when we try to fold a traditional folding cycle, we have to fold its handle bar and saddle separately. But with the TwoQuarter, we can fold the both these parts at the same time. Besides, the single front fork and rear fork make it much thinner and smaller after folded.

I almost forgot, you can remove the battery from the black housing and plug it up like regular ones, for recharging.

Designers: Yan-ting Jiang, Wen-ling Huang & Yu-ting Wang

Source:yankodesign.com

Here we go, it’s another revolution. How many revolutions can this world take?! Someday we humans will blow the Earth up. You betcha. Designer Augustin Barbot looks forward to the near future, remembering the Industrial Revolution in the West and envisioning an Energy Revolution for us all! And here, in this vehicle, is that revolution encapsulated. You drink the energy drink and the power comes out! You sit on the “OPEL EWOL”, put the energy of your body in, and SPEED comes out. Hot, futuristic speed.

Here’s the breakdown basically.

This bike is wild.

Energy In:
Energy Suit – 100W (body heat+movement) either 600W to 1kW a day
Shock Absorber – 20W (under the seat)
Steering – 1 to 5W
Rear Wheel Kinetic Energy – 50W
Pedaling – up to 200W
Solar Cells – 20W either 400W a day
Kinetic Tyres – 20W
HPA Tank (Hydraulic Power Assist) – up to 80% of the decceleration energy saved
Braking Wind Turbines – 10W

Energy Out:
Electric Engine – 2kW
Digital Display – 1.6kW

Simple, right?

This bike… or I guess some people’d call it a motorcycle, is radical. It looks like something out of a science fiction magazine and it’s got so much potential not only for graphics all over it, but also for that little sneaky important point – energy efficiency.

It’s the future.

I know I say things like that all the time but really, check it out, it’s the future. For real. All of it, right here.

Ride it.

Designer: Augustin Barbot

Source:yankodesign.com

This doesn’t happen every day. A Tbilisi based aircraft manufacturing company contacts you and asks for a proposal on a bike that utilizes aluminum square tubes. It has to look modern, out of the ordinary, aerodynamic and turn heads. The result is the Spider. The main frame is made by welding aluminum tubes and the chain stays are cold stamped together. The spokes are purposely kinked to look like our arachnid friends. Hmm…

Designer: Zviad Tsikolia for Tsikolia Design R&D Ltd.

Source:yankodesign.com