Cyclotron: A Spokeless Smart Bike
“All areas of our life are progressing and evolving very fast, new inventions appear literally every day, outdating the ones from yesterday,” proclaims a new Kickstarter campaign. “But looking at bicycles, they haven’t evolved with nearly comparable speed within the last decades.”
Such is the premise upon which the Cyclotron bicycle has been developed—a revolutionary “smart bike” packed with innovative features, including chainless power transmission, airless tires, hubless wheels, fully integrated cable routing and electronic shifting.
Hiking the Colorado Trail in 19th Century Attire
Last week, Coloradans Ben Jenkins and Aaron Glass set off on a 521-mile journey on the Colorado Trail, from Denver to Durango—outfitted almost exclusively with 19th century tools and apparel.
According to 5280, “Jenkins first dreamed up the 35-day trip after attempting the trek with contemporary equipment in 2014. He injured his leg a few miles in, and during his recovery period, rediscovered a passion for ‘living history,’ more commonly known as the reenactment of historical events or time periods.” –Photo by Siani Weston
An Introduction to Bikepacking
If you’ve ever found yourself curious about bikepacking—multi-day mountain-biking trips in the backcountry—this primer recently published in Singletrackmagazine offers some great advice to get you started.
Among the tips: gear recommendations, advice on how to shave gear weight, food and small essentials recommendations, and a rundown of options for shelter/sleep combos. –Photo by Jeff Moser
Tiny Tents—for Cats?
Ever been enamored with the miniature display tents frequently displayed at outdoor stores to represent their full-size counterparts? Entrepreneur Chris Clearman has, and he decided to do something about it.
On Kickstarter this week is his campaign for Tiny Tents, miniature tents built to full-size U.S. tent specs, complete with real zippers, waterproof nylon, fiberglass and aluminum poles, and even a fire-retardant coating. They’re designed for “cats, dogs, Barbies, GI Joe, display at home or office, holiday gifts, and anything else you can think of.”
The Rise of Doping in Amateur Cycling
Originally published in Men’s Fitness but republished online this week in The Telegraph, this investigative report takes a close look at doping in the amateur cycling world. The piece covers not only the likely prevalence of it, but also the psychology and motivation of amateur doping, the issue of supply and demand, and a look forward at what can be done to keep the sport clean. –Photo by Ciclismo Italia