#bikespeed.cc

Well, we all know the drill: use 3 locks, preferably different ones. And make sure your ring lock closes right next to the valve. If someone forces it open, he’ll have to break the valve and end up with a flat.

I always use 3 different locks. And my motivation is that a stolen bike always gives you more trouble than locking it properly in the first place.

But there’s elegant and even more foolproof ways to lock your bike safely.

The most elegant way to haul a decent lock with you, is this idea by Seatylock. 

But this bike by Yerka is an even better solution: breaking the lock renders the bike totally useless.

They’ve been in the making for at least six years now. But today, they are commercially avalaible: Energy Return Wheels from Britek. 

They are called ‘highspeed airless wheels’, and according to Britek, they will increase your drive train efficiency with up to 22%. 

Not to mention the in-wheel suspension and the fact that you will never ever have flats again.

It’s a great startup by a couple of twentysomethings in my home town: Bubble Post, a relatively new service where deliveries in a beautiful old city like Ghent are made by bicycle. It was about time: Europe’s best kept secret was simply gasping for air. This sustainable way of bringing goods to your doorstep will definitely be of help.

Apparently,(much) bigger companies like DHL are experimenting with the same idea: in Almere (Holland), they’ve started an experiment with the cubicycle. Let’s hope this trend catches on!

This is the AERO. It is not even meant to be a bike. It’s an architectural experiment to test wooden structural techniques. But it sure does look like a bike. A gorgeous bike. One that I definitely would want to try. And maybe, probably, buy.

And what does this technical experiment prove? It proves that, in this case, the bicycle industry is well-served by a fresh approach by totally non-typical bicycle designers. 

On a broader scale, it proves that today’s challenges are better solved by an open-architecture approach (pun intended). So,dear  bicycle brands, you better invite multi-disciplinary thinkers to the party.

I must repeat it: it’s a gorgeous bicycle.

Just ‘hop on’. That’s the new Canadian campaign to get people on a bike. It’s such a simple idea. But so, so, so cool.