Gadgets You Wish Existed?
10-02-14, 03:12 PM
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Gadgets You Wish Existed?
Hi, everyone! I'm Mags, and I'm a Bay Area biker. From a new biking group I joined, I just discovered a ton of amazing little solutions to the tiny nuisances that come about when you become a serious biker. I was wondering if anyone else on here is annoyed by something trivial that happens while biking, and seeing if anything I've recently come about can solve your problem.
Let's share solutions!
Let's share solutions!
10-02-14, 03:50 PM
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What I wished existed was a device that made a low level sound like a bike hub when you're coasting, or a fishing reel when you have a fish on, so people could hear that I was coming up behind them. Usually there's a joke about putting a playing card in the spokes here, or how you could just coast the entire time, but it would be nice for the MUP and paths I ride a lot.
10-02-14, 04:08 PM
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@PaulRivers, sometimes, I just ring my bell very gently, but I see your point. What you (and I) want is a passive sound, one that others will know we didn't initiate. I used to ride with a SunTour Perfect freewheel which had a loud ratchet. To warn pedestrians I was close to them, I just coasted. It worked.
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“When man invented the bicycle he reached the peak of his attainments.” — Elizabeth West, US author
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Tom Reingold, tom@noglider.com
New York City and High Falls, NY
Blogs: The Experienced Cyclist; noglider's ride blog
“When man invented the bicycle he reached the peak of his attainments.” — Elizabeth West, US author
Please email me rather than PM'ing me. Thanks.
10-02-14, 04:09 PM
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How about a portable EMP generator that can be used to disrupt/disable smartphones and other portable digital displays? Way too many people are fixated on those screens and just give a cursory glance to their surroundings 
.
.
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10-02-14, 04:17 PM
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10-02-14, 04:32 PM
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10-02-14, 05:13 PM
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How about a portable EMP generator that can be used to disrupt/disable smartphones and other portable digital displays?
Way too many people are fixated on those screens and just give a cursory glance to their surroundings.
Way too many people are fixated on those screens and just give a cursory glance to their surroundings
.
or just a motion detector in the Phone Itself so you have to stop whether you are walking driving , biking or on your skateboard .
10-02-14, 05:27 PM
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Other than that, +1 for the EMP generator.
10-02-14, 06:46 PM
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FB4K - Every October we wrench on donated bikes. Every December, a few thousand kids get bikes for Christmas. For many, it is their first bike, ever. Every bike, new and used, was donated, built, cleaned and repaired. Check us out on FaceBook: FB4K.
Disclaimer: 99% of what I know about cycling I learned on BF. That would make, ummm, 1% experience. And a lot of posts.
FB4K - Every October we wrench on donated bikes. Every December, a few thousand kids get bikes for Christmas. For many, it is their first bike, ever. Every bike, new and used, was donated, built, cleaned and repaired. Check us out on FaceBook: FB4K.
Disclaimer: 99% of what I know about cycling I learned on BF. That would make, ummm, 1% experience. And a lot of posts.
10-02-14, 07:06 PM
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How about an automatic proximity detecting punching glove that eject out from the end of a MTB handle bar whenever a car pass too closely. 
10-02-14, 08:03 PM
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10-03-14, 12:53 AM
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A drone to carry my water bottles and tools/tubes. And to fetch me McDonalds.
10-03-14, 04:05 AM
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#1 I'm still waiting for someone to make the perfect helmet lamp for MTB'ing. Needs to be small, light-weight, round, included a mount that will easy tilt on the fly, output over 2500 lumen and come with a set of optics that the user can switch out to give the beam pattern wanted. Add to that a small wireless remote. Yeah, the Lupine Wilma comes close but you have to use the optics that they give you. Oh, I forgot to add I want all that for less than $400.
#2 Would be nice to have a dynamo lamp that could either provide a real 1500 lumen output or have a dynamo set-up designed to work with a small Li-ion battery that could use a remote button for short bursts of high output ( for downhills ). Hey, it could work. Add to that the ability to have a "daytime flash" function built in. Yeah Baby!
#3 I'm still waiting for someone to make a helmet designed and built to work EASILY with almost any helmet lamp. All of these helmets with all the odd shaped vents, okay for riding daytime but try to mount a lamp on one of these and you will go crazy.
#4 ....helmet with built in BT speakers near the ears ( with wind baffles ). Include built in AM/FM stereo/MP3 player and you have a winner. Yeah, it might look dorky but if it actually works no one will care.
Last edited by 01 CAt Man Do; 10-03-14 at 04:38 AM.
10-03-14, 04:56 AM
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#2 Would be nice to have a dynamo lamp that could either provide a real 1500 lumen output or have a dynamo set-up designed to work with a small Li-ion battery that could use a remote button for short bursts of high output ( for downhills ). Hey, it could work. Add to that the ability to have a "daytime flash" function built in. Yeah Baby!
10-03-14, 05:08 AM
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You don't say! Ace! The Luxos though is a bit big but that's just my opinion. Ah, anyway the suns coming up here. Time for me to jump in me coffin and catch some ZZ's. Enjoy your day/night downunder.
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10-03-14, 07:16 AM
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NG. If they're using a device and it suddenly goes haywire or becomes non-responsive, they're going to start paying more attention to it rather than less and become even more distracted. You need it to quit working long enough before they encounter you so that they've given up on it.
10-03-14, 07:22 AM
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I walked into a LBS and the hub on a Surely bike caught my attention. The hub had a built in integrated pump that works while the tire was spinning. Great for not having to top off the air on the tire weekly like on my commuting road bike.
The Pump-Hub
What gadget I like to see is a pannier made of solar panel so that I can charge my stuff while commuting.
For MTB. A high torque low rpm hub motor mounted on the front wheel would be nice. I have encounter some hills which I simply run out of gas while pedaling when I was so close to reaching the peak.
The Pump-Hub
What gadget I like to see is a pannier made of solar panel so that I can charge my stuff while commuting.
For MTB. A high torque low rpm hub motor mounted on the front wheel would be nice. I have encounter some hills which I simply run out of gas while pedaling when I was so close to reaching the peak.
10-03-14, 08:15 AM
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I think an improvement in battery technology will help in many ways, meaning smaller, lighter, and longer lasting.
10-03-14, 08:28 AM
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Here's an idea that occurred to me yesterday as I was riding the brutal streets of Manhattan. I want a video camera that follows my eyes and shoots whatever I am looking at. This would be an improvement over a helmet mounted camera which only shoots what my head points at. I want the camera to see what my eyes see, as they are not always pointing forward.
For whatever it's worth, I don't use a camera of any kind while I ride.
For whatever it's worth, I don't use a camera of any kind while I ride.
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“When man invented the bicycle he reached the peak of his attainments.” — Elizabeth West, US author
Please email me rather than PM'ing me. Thanks.
Tom Reingold, tom@noglider.com
New York City and High Falls, NY
Blogs: The Experienced Cyclist; noglider's ride blog
“When man invented the bicycle he reached the peak of his attainments.” — Elizabeth West, US author
Please email me rather than PM'ing me. Thanks.
10-03-14, 07:17 PM
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THIS. Although, individual solar powered devices would reduce cable clutter. I saw a solar powered computer on Amazon the other day.The solar panel was bigger than the display lol
10-03-14, 10:55 PM
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NG. If they're using a device and it suddenly goes haywire or becomes non-responsive, they're going to start paying more attention to it rather than less and become even more distracted. You need it to quit working long enough before they encounter you so that they've given up on it.
10-03-14, 11:20 PM
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I love technology almost as much as cycling. I am a retired network guy and live in a computer controlled automated home. I do take my smartphone with me when I ride... but have yet to even install a cycling app. However.... next season may be different. I've decided I pay too much attention to mileage goals and logs. I am thinking of automating my logs by using a cycling app to collect and record the data.
Long post made short: The best gadget will incorporate my phone and an app. I don't want to zip-tie anything else to my bike and I don't want something else I need to charge before I can go ride.