bike

'Guitar Hero' comes to your bike...Wha??!!

With enough passion, skill, and time on your hands you can do anything. IMO though, the most important of these three attributes is "time on your hands." This is made evident by the coolest Guitar Hero video that I've yet to see. Bike Hero is just what its name implies, Guitar Hero recreated on a bike.

Now before you start prepping your "Bike Band" (you know, Rock Band on a bike) video, it should be noted that according to Creativity Online, this video was created by ad agency, Droga5, and not just a couple of … Read more

GPS for bikes: Ask the Editors

Q: I am going to be a package delivery person and was wondering if there is a GPS for bikes to help me navigate the city [of Quebec]. I am looking for two features in the GPS system. I only know my destinations and would like to know the best way to get to them in the best time ever! And I want the system to be on a network that gets updated by users so it builds on its on core to be a better product. GPS on a network that is always updating itself to be more correct … Read more

Exploding bike lock: Interesting concept, questionable execution

As an avid cyclist, my biggest concern about riding my bike in New York City isn't king-size potholes, wayward pedestrians, or even the hordes of aggressive cabbies itching to smash me into gray matter, but rather the constant fear of getting my bike stolen. I've been a victim of bike theft in the past, and it literally feels like the loss of a limb (not good), so I'm constantly researching new ways to deter thieves from snatching up my precious Surly Cross-Check. Whether it's making my bike ugly with stickers or carrying around extra locks in my bag, there's only so much you can do, because if a thief wants what you got, they're gonna get it no matter what.

Michael Lambourn gives cyclists one more bullet in the barrel with his SmartLock design. It's a cable lock with colored liquid inside that explodes everywhere if the lock is cut. It's a clever idea, and one almost certainly hatched after a freak skunk accident, and I applaud Michael Lambourn for making an effort to make cycling safer for paranoid city dwellers like myself. The goal is to achieve peace of mind while your bike is locked up, and the SmartLock is definitely a step in the right direction. If this product is successful and helps get people out of their cars and onto the bike, then I'll get behind it 100 percent. I just have a few critiques to make in the meantime.… Read more

For the unstable: A self-balancing unicycle

A childhood memory, courtesy of my CNET colleague Jeff Sparkman: "My best friend rode a unicycle to school in junior high. At my urging. Oddly, we weren't as popular with the ladies as one would expect."

Well, Jeff, if you and your friend had been riding the electric self-balancing unicycle from Focus Designs, half the girls at Monte Vista Middle School probably would have plastered foxy pictures of you and your bud inside their lockers.

Riders of this 21st century bike don't need to pedal; in fact there are no crank arms, just foot rests. The … Read more

Down Low Glow gives your bike extra shine

It doesn't have a very novel name, but the Down Low Glow does exactly what it states. It's a neon tube mounted on the bottom frame of your bike that throws a pool of light on the ground and sideways. While it makes your ride look like a pimped-out vehicle right at home in the street racing movie 2 Fast 2 Furious, the $109 kit actually keeps you safer on the roads.

Unlike regular LED bike lights that point only to the front or rear, the neon pool marks a circumference of light (almost 10 feet) with all-round … Read more

Cycle safer with solar-powered Anklelite

As a child, if I rode my bike after dark, I'd have to rely on my bike's reflectors and, occasionally, a flashlight to keep me visible. However, today's cyclists have gadgets like the Pedalite Anklelite to help keep them safe.

This Anklelite is a solar-powered floodlight. According to Pedalite, users can expect at least three hours of use from the light in strobe mode; however, it doesn't say how often it will last when not being used as a strobe.

I think the real benefit from this, other than safety, is that you never have to … Read more

Listen to tunes without tuning out

If you've walked down the street in an urban area, you've likely witnessed at least one near-accident between a car and a cyclist or pedestrian wearing earbuds.

How welcome, then, are these groovy concept headphones by Seohyun Baek? The semicircle shape is designed to fit in your ear without blocking out background noise, so you can have your tunes but still be in tune with what's going on around you. The designer also claims the small shape will produce less fatigue during long stretches of music-listening.

The headphones themselves are connected via wire to a Bluetooth receiver, … Read more

iBikeConsole: Get a grip on your tunes

Two activities that don't generally mesh well: ripping down a bumpy bike trail and toggling between songs on an iPod.

TigraSport's new iBikeConsole makes it easier to juggle those actions by letting bikers change iPod Nano selections and adjust volume without removing their hands from the handlebars. We're not sure why this product is exclusive to the Nano, but we still like its emphasis on safer riding.

Basically, the device acts as a docking station for the iPod while providing a weatherproof and shock-proof case. It also combines a remote control system with a cycle computer so … Read more

The 404 150: Where Justin apologizes profusely to Sarah Tew

We finally get CNET photographer Sarah Tew into The 404 lair and I screw it all up in the preshow. 'Twas totally unintentional, Ms. Tew, I promise! Ahh, this big, dumb mouth of mine. Anyway, Sarah was dragged in by Corinne Shulze, another CNET shooter visiting from the City by the Bay. In nothing short of a miracle, they still agree to do the show and we get right into it.

Wait, not quite...we have to talk about medical ailments and weekend buffoonery, right? Corinne tells us about her fight with a MUNI rail (you should've seen the … Read more