Crazy Idea of the Day: LP Record Playing Bicycle…

Ask any young person about LP records these days and most will probably look at you as if you just crawled out of a cave. But not these Dutch youngsters that came up with a cool idea – albeit a completely useless one in the age of electronics.

What they did is combine a bicycle with a record player. And how did they manage that, we hear you ask? By adapting the rear wheel of the bicycle in order to play LP records.

Easier said than done because the team had to overcome certain technical problems such as to be able to change the record without having to remove the rear wheel, which they solved by cutting one side of the rear fork and reinforcing it to withstand the weight of the rider.

The makers of the "Feats Per Minute" bike, which also sports a gramophone like speaker, say that they've also made sure the needle will stay in place and won't jump. Sounds good – just as long as you keep pedaling at the right speed, that is…

---

---

Read More

What a Bright Idea: Bicycle LED Lights are Not Only Cool but Also Promote Safety

Working in what appears to be a basement somewhere in San Francisco, two biotech employees and a former NASA engineer have developed a radically new lighting system…forbicycles.
While advances in bicycle technology don’t typically arouse my interest, I’m a sucker for shiny objects and the wheel-mountedRevolights are actually very cool.
Drawing power from a rechargeable lithium ion battery, the system consists of four “light rings,” each sporting a dozen LEDs and a dash of electronics. While stationary, the lights simply flash in sequence and are as every bit as boring as one might expect flashing lights on a bicycle wheel to be. But just get those wheels spinning and watch the magic happen!



While in motion, the lights merge, for all appearances, into solid bars at the front and rear edges of each wheel, illuminating the rider’s path without blinding oncoming traffic and making the cyclist clearly visible from all sides.
Though the “magic” has something to do with magnets and algorithms, knowing that doesn’t lessen the mystery - at least for me.





The system can be mounted onto any bicycle and should be available for purchase by the spring of 2012, when you too can amaze your friends and avoid being hit by a bus while riding your bike at night.

By Michael Denhardt

Story References: Revolights

Read More