Spot the rabbit… no seriously, spot the rabbit!
Check out the amazing footage of downhill mountain biker Brook MacDonald, as he scales down a new trail on Mt Burke. The trail is located in the Wanaka Lake District of southern New Zealand, one of the most visually appealing landscapes in the world.
Tell me that you don’t want one of these things!
Bicycling can really be a pain in the legs. Your lower limbs pump endlessly to power the bike wheels over miles upon miles of terrain. Meanwhile, your arms just hang there doing little to nothing. The Raxibo Hand-Tret-Velo system evens things out, putting both your arms and legs to work toward cycling forward.
Raxibo is essentially a bicycle with a separate, arm-powered drivetrain that works in conjunction with the traditional pedal system. Cyclists use both their arms and legs to pedal forward. The idea of the system is that you can work your entire body during a bicycle ride, instead of just your legs. The system gets your arm, shoulder, chest and back muscles involved.
The specific mechanical details are a bit fuzzy, but it’s clear that the hand crank uses a series of chains and pulleys. A derailleur system channels both pedal and hand torque to the rear wheel. The system is adjustable and can be set to different arm lengths and preferences. The hand crank has a tilting action that steers the front wheel.
At first blush, we’d expect the extra oomph from the hand crank to add speed and climbing power. However, the system also adds some weight and repositions the rider in a more upright, less aerodynamic riding stance, so any benefit in terms of speed and pedaling power might be minimized or negated. The company doesn’t appear to make any claims about increased speed or power, so we’ll assume the main benefit is in the increased scope of exercise.
The Raxibo comes in five different frame colors and retails for 2,500 Swiss francs (US$2,617 as of publishing). The base version sits on 26-inch wheels, while an upgraded model with a 26-inch front wheel and 29-inch rear wheel costs 2,800 francs ($2,930).
This bike was obviously designed to appeal to Liberals.
If walking is just too easy for you, try the Flintstones bike. Here’s Fliz, a pedal-less “bicycle” dreamt up by designers Tom Hambrock and Yuri Spetter.
Riding a bike to your office is definitely going to reduce your carbon footprint. Moreover, with concerns about global warming and climate change looming large, innovations in bicycle designs have also been on the rise, with new designs proposing the use of the lightest possible materials and electric motors to make sure you don’t sweat much while going uphill.
Video Description:
Industrial Revolutions is the amazing new film from street trials riding star Danny Macaskill. Filmed and edited for Channel 4 ‘s documentary Concrete Circus.
Industrial Revolutions sees Danny take his incredible bike skills into an industrial train yard and some derelict buildings.’ Filmed in the beautiful Scottish countryside Danny Macaskill’s latest film was directed by Stu Thomson (Cut Media/MTBcut) for Channel 4’s documentary Concrete Circus.