bike

Holy F1, Batman: The Batpod bike goes public

We aren't going to make a secret of it: Of all the superhero films out this year, we're most excited about The Dark Knight. Sure, Iron Man was excellent, but after the first outing of the re-imagined man of bats we have high hopes for Christopher Nolan's new movie.

As luck would have it, we just happened (ahem) to be at the British Grand Prix practice session Friday, and we nearly soiled ourselves when we saw the new Bat bike there. It had been casually parked up against the Panasonic Toyota F1 trailer--we can only assume that … Read more

The 404 130: Where Justin dances like a Muppet

Fridays are always the craziest days at the 404--hopefully you saw today's preshow where Justin danced his little Muppet heart out to Journey's "Don't Stop Believing." If you missed it, you can still check out the video below. We have the pleasure of speaking to the great Lou Bakalar today over the phone; he gives us his take on cutting edge tech and we pick his brain about the dangers of driving a taxi in the city. The story rundown is equally zany, filled with strip clubs, celebrity death predictions, vegetable oil automobiles, and of … Read more

Kanye West earns an exclusive Nooka Zub

To celebrate the conclusion of Kanye West's "Glow in the Dark" tour featuring Lupe Fiasco, Rihanna, and N.E.R.D., watch manufacturer Nooka will produce a very limited glow in the dark version of their popular Zub watch. When we say "very limited," we mean it--only 15 pieces were made and most of them will find their home with Kanye himself, so abandon all hope of picking up one of these unique watches. Nice to look at though, right?

The Zub is one of Nooka's many timepieces to use linear and graphic figures … Read more

This is why I live in Utah

Bryce Roberts and I get out on the trail several times a week during the mountain biking season (and up on the slopes during the winter - by the way, Snowbird is still open with tons of snow). Utah has some excellent trails just minutes from our houses (we live a block from each other).

We went out Saturday night to help me recuperate from a difficult (but successful) end of Alfresco's quarter. Riding at dusk, the air at 70 degrees Farenheit...perfection.

I'm going to be organizing a mountain biking tour of Utah. If you like to … Read more

What Low Design Differentiation Looks Like

I was recently shopping for a new bike helmet and I was struck by a realization: Is there another category with lower differentiation amongst the different brands?

Above is a representative sampling of helmets from four different manufacturers: Bell, Giro, Louis Garneau, and Specialized. I've removed the logos. Can you tell one brand from another? I certainly can't. (Answer at the end of the post)

The bike helmet category, so far as I can see, is primarily style driven, as all the helmets have to meet minimum safety standards determined by a couple of third party organizations. The … Read more

The Magic Wheel goes beyond crystal ball

What do you get when you decide that a bicycle needs only one main wheel while declaring that the seat and handles are useless? You get the Magic Wheel, which functions like a foot scooter but looks a little like an Andy Warhol installation.

We first spotted this odd conveyance while on our way to lunch, and our initial thought was that this was a little late for an April Fool's joke. But shockingly, we found out it's an actual product.

Despite its unusual design, the distributor claims that it takes only a couple of hours to master … Read more

Because bikers need distractions too

Why should car drivers be the only ones to enjoy watching video on the road? As cyclists acquire more rights, they should also be able to distract themselves as effectively as their motorist counteparts.

The "iPhone Bike Mount" is supposedly designed to make it easier to control the device for music and phone controls on handlebars, but we fear that it might simply add to the growing list of eye-averting gadgetry that has made commuting a multi-tasking adventure for many afflicted with dangerously short attention spans. The bracket can rotate 360 degrees so the screen can be seen … Read more

'E+' bike may have trouble making the grade

With so many electric and hybrid bikes come out, it's hard to imagine where one such as the "E+" from Electric Motion Systems will fit in. There's already a broad range of competing products that are trying everything to distinguish themselves, from Yamaha's iPod-dock-equipped "EC-02" that glows in the dark to Brammo's ultra-lightweight "Enertia" on the high end that can hit 50 miles per hour (not to mention $15,000).

The E+ does have an LCD instrument gauge and "regenerative braking" that recharges the battery, as Engadget says, … Read more

Pimping tires for fun and safety

Where safety features are concerned, usually bicycles adopt ideas from cars. But SweetskinZ wants to do it the other way around.

The company got some ink last year with reflective bike tires that looked more like art projects than safety measures. Now it's applying this patented "SkinZ" technology to car tires, especially for ATVs in no-man's land.

Not only will these wheels increase visibility, but they'll definitely make a fashion statement as well. After all, how many tires have you seen on the road that look like snakeskin? Outside California, anyway.