bikes

B-cycle bike sharing to be the largest in U.S.

Swarms of shiny red bikes will hit Denver streets on Thursday, making it one of the few U.S. cities to boast a bicycle-sharing program. Starting on Earth Day, residents of the Mile High City looking for a more eco-friendly commute or a stationary bike alternative will have access to hundreds of B-cycle bikes stationed throughout the city.

For commuters, the rental fee might be cheaper than gas. A 24-hour rental is $5, a 7-day rental is $20, and a 30-day rental is $30. Commuters can join the annual program for $65, giving them access to bikes for 365 days.

If a biker can pick up and return their bicycle to any station within 30 minutes, the rental is free.

At Denver B-cycle's launch, 400 bicycles will be available, making Denver host to the largest bike-sharing program in the country. Up next is Washington, D.C.'s SmartBike program, which distributes 120 bicycles.

But B-cycle isn't only renting out bikes; it's aiming to build community, too. "Denver B-cycle members will have their own personal account page, which will track total miles, carbon offset, calories burned, money saved, and trip details, among other things. Members will have the ability to share this information on Facebook and Twitter with a simple click of a button," Brent Tongco, B-cycle's spokesperson from the city and county of Denver, told CNET. … Read more

Hotel to guests: Pedal for electricity, get a voucher

Talk about killing two birds with one stone. Those who happen to be stranded in Copenhagen by the ash clouds from Iceland's spewing volcano can check out the Crowne Plaza Copenhagen Towers--if there are still available rooms, that is.

The 366-room Danish hotel, located five minutes from Copenhagen International Airport, is offering a radically cool eco initiative--possibly the first in the world--by letting guests pedal away on exercise bikes for a free meal. This not only provides a good workout, it helps reduce hotel guests' carbon footprint.

Two stationary bicycles are hooked up to generators, with an iPhone … Read more

Sheriff wants inmates to pedal for TV rights

If you're looking for a weight loss boot camp, the Tent City Jail in Phoenix may be your solution. Controversial Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio, who dubs himself "America's toughest sheriff," is providing the inmates there with a new amenity: cable television. But to watch their favorite shows, they're going to have to pedal.

Arpaio installed an energy-generating stationary bike (PDF) attached to a TV when he found that 50 percent of the inmates were overweight, many morbidly so. As long as an inmate is pedaling, the bike will produce 12 volts of energy--just enough to power a 19-inch tube TV. But if an inmate stops pedaling at a moderate speed, the TV shuts off.

Because inmates can't be forced to exercise, access to cable TV could provide incentive for them to do so. Female prisoners will test the program first, because they were more receptive to it, Arpaio says.

This isn't Arpaio's first attempt to trim inmates' waistlines. Some years back, he cut inmates' food intake from 3,000 calories to 2,500 calories. "You're too fat," CNN reported Arpaio as saying to the inmates. "I'm taking away your food because I'm trying to help you. I'm on a diet myself. You eat too much fat."

"America's toughest sheriff" hasn't always had an easy time implementing his standards, which have included assembling a female chain gang and making inmates pay $10 every time they need to see a nurse. Human-rights groups consider Tent City jail to be among the harshest in the nation, according to CNN, and numerous civil-rights lawsuits have been filed against the sheriff.

The program that Arpaio is calling "Pedal Vision" might be received with less criticism, though. Watching TV while serving time is a privilege, not a right, so inmates are choosing to take advantage of it. But what if every prisoner pedaled to produce energy? … Read more

Sanyo solar-panel parking lots open for business

Soon after announcing a new series of eneloop electric bicycles, Sanyo has completed work on two solar-powered parking lots for 100 eneloop bikes in Tokyo.

The zero-emissions system involves high-efficiency 7.56kW HIT solar panels capturing energy that's used to recharge the lithium ion eneloop bike batteries and power LED lights illuminating the lots at night. No commercial power sources will be used, regardless of the available sunlight.

The solar parking lots are located along the Keio and Tokyu Den-en Toshi rail lines in the ward of Setagaya, a well-to-do community west of downtown Tokyo.

The eneloop bikes parked … Read more

Twitter 1, cowardly bike thief 0

It's been proven of late that some on Wall Street are dishonest people who might not even think once about stealing whatever they can get their hands on.

However, this rampant disease of thieving seems to have spread to the corners of Madison Avenue. No, not to the sweet, confused coke-snorters of the advertising world (there aren't many of them left on Madison these days), but to bike thieves.

According to CBS2 New York, there was Austin Horse, a bike messenger, who had just hopped off his saddle to make a routine delivery to an address on Madison … Read more

Gadgettes 171: The super, maxi, ultra absorbent episode (podcast)

You have to admit that the second the word "iPad" came out of Steve Jobs' mouth, you envisioned a future where the Gadgettes devoted an entire episode to the mocking of such a product name... right? Buckle up, space cadet. It's time to take a crazy ride into the world of double entendre.

Subscribe with iTunes (audio) Subscribe with iTunes (video) Subscribe with RSS (audio) Subscribe with RSS (video) EPISODE 171

Best iPad one-liners

And a few more: Will the iPad absorb new readers? It comes in light, medium, and heavy. You have to pay extra if you have a heavy data flow. The new dry-weave feature actually pulls moisture AWAY from the sensor! New: Apps with wings! The great thing about CNET is they give us our iPads for free. Everywhere else you have to pay 25 cents! The Apple iPad: It Just Fits. The Apple iPad: We can handle your data flow. You’ll never think of FLO TV the same way again.

So, um, about that name...… Read more

Copy the car: AutoVelo is no ordinary bike

Winners of the International Bicycle Design Competition will be announced in March in Taipei, and one of only three U.S. entries to be short-listed (out of 938 entries from 55 nations) introduces a somewhat novel (and in the bike world somewhat taboo) concept: copy the car.

The bike, which designer Eric Stoddard of Speed Studio Design has named AutoVelo, is an electric bike targeting riders who are more accustomed to driving cars. Mimicking the arrangement of a car's innards, the hand and foot positions, seat height, and back angle should feel very familiar to the car commuter.

The … Read more

Does MIT's Copenhagen Wheel go the distance?

It's no secret that Portland, Ore., is one of the world's top biking towns. (Full disclosure: I live and bike here, and love both.) Thanks in part to a bike culture that has led to the development of hundreds of miles of bike lanes, ample signage, and rows of bright blue parking racks, Portland gets accolades for healthy people and air.

But it is Copenhagen, Denmark, home to the 2009 climate summit, that tops pretty much every list you'll find as the world's best biking city, with a whopping 36 percent of commuters going by bike. … Read more

Pocket Radar for tattletales, athletic coaches

When it comes to speed radars, why should police officers have all the fun? Santa Rosa, CA-based Pocket Radar, Inc. has engineered a palm-sized speed radar for those curious about the speed of moving objects.

Tattletales might enjoy aiming the device at motorists or speeding cops, but Pocket Radar is intended for more serious applications.

In an interview with the Press Democrat, co-founder Steve Goody explains that it can also be used by hockey, bike racing, horse racing, and soccer fans. "It has an application for any sport with a moving object," he said.

Steve Goody, Chris Stewart, … Read more