The Bicymple one of the more 'out-of-the-box' cycling products that we covered last year

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As many readers have no doubt noticed, we like bikes here at Gizmag. We particularly like truly
unique cycling products, even when they may ultimately be a little too out there to garner much
commercial success. With that in mind, here's a look at the ten bicycle-related innovations from
the past year, that most made us say Hmm, now thats interesting.

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Let there be light

While advances in technology have meant big things for cycling computers, theyve also
resulted in LED bike lights continuously becoming brighter, more efficient, and less expensive.
This has led to a bike light gold rush of sorts, with both large manufacturers and small startups trying to get in on the action.

Of all the new lighting systems to grace our pages in 2012, though,Revolights was perhaps the
most distinctive. It consists of two hoop-like assemblies each containing eight LEDs, that clip
onto a bicycle's existing wheel rims. Powered by hub-mounted lithium-ion battery packs, the
lights blink on and off at a rate set by the speed at which the wheels are turning this blinking
pattern, in turn, results in the front half of the front wheel and the rear half of the rear wheel
being illuminated (in white and red, respectively).
The blinking LEDs appear to the human eye as a solid arc, meaning that a bike running
Revolights looks rather like a pair of bright parentheses, traveling down the street. The system
reportedly makes the bicycle highly visible from the sides, rear and front, and also serves to
illuminate the road ahead of the rider.
Price: US$250 (set of two)
Honorable mention: Wed be remiss if we didnt mention the Magnic Light, a no-contact dynamo
light thats powered by electrical currents generated by the bikes spinning metallic rims. Also
noteworthy were the Blink/Steady tail light, that automatically comes on when it gets dark

outside; Magnetic Bike Lights, that automatically power up when attached to a metallic frame;
andBLAZE, which warns motorists of an approaching bicycle by laser-projecting an image of a
cyclist onto the road.

Giving it the gears

While big-name components manufacturers Shimano and Campagnoloalready offer electronic

gear-shifting systems, in 2012 we saw smaller Italian firm Tiso announce its own offering. The
big thing that sets this system apart is the fact that the bar-mounted shifters communicate with
the down tube-mounted control unit wirelessly Shimano and Campagnolos systems, by
contrast, are entirely hard-wired.
Pricing has yet to be announced, although Tisos system will reportedly be lower than all the
other groups in electronic commerce.
Honorable mention: Although it isnt commercially available yet a smartphone-controlled
automatic transmission for bicycles is being developed by researchers at UK-based Cambridge
Consultants. Utilizing a stock Shimano Di2 electronic gear-shifting system, various bikemounted sensors and a handlebar-mounted iPhone, it automatically shifts gears in order to
keep the cyclist pedaling at their preferred cadence.

When the rubber meets the road

Although it adds weight and complexity to the bike, and more thinking to the riding of said bike,
we still cant help but admire the engineering that went into the ADAPTRAC system. Consisting
of a network of hoses, switches, gauges, system-specific wheel hubs and a compressed air
tank, the system allows mountain bikers to inflate or deflate their tires while riding.
If a rider is approaching a hill or a rooty/rocky section of trail, they can increase their traction by
letting some air out of the tires when they get to a long flat section, rolling resistance can be
minimized by pumping the tires up.
Price: $1,470.50 (complete kit)
Honorable mention: Britek Tire and Rubber is developing a mountain bike tire/wheel known as
the ERW (Energy Return Wheel) that doesnt get flats or require air, and that also reportedly
converts bumps in the trail into forward momentum. We were also intrigued by the BTPS nocontact electronic tire pressure gauging system.

Have a seat

What, you dont like road vibrations traveling up into your butt? Well, perhaps
the BioFloat carbon fiber seatpost might be for you. Its saddle rail clamp is cradled within a pair
of flexible clamshell-style elastomer inserts, isolating it from the rest of the seatpost head. This
not only helps soak up some of the bumps, but it also allows the saddle to move with the riders
butt as they pedal, supposedly minimizing pressure points.
Price: $200 (estimated)
Honorable mention: The BodyFloat seatpost uses two coiled springs instead of elastomer
inserts to soften the cyclists ride. Ergons CF3seatpost is designed to do the same thing, but
via two parallel carbon fiber leaf springs.

Thieves, beware

Weve covered plenty of clever locks in the past, but a sufficiently motivated thief can get past
pretty much any lock yet created. If your bike is equipped with Integrated
Trackers SpyBike system, however, you could still get it back.
At the heart of the system is a GPS tracking device/vibration sensor, that is hidden inside the
existing headset. Once activated via an electronic key fob, that device will detect if the bike is
moved as long as it continues to move, the device will upload its coordinates to the cloud
every 20 seconds. Users can check on the Integrated Trackers website to get those
coordinates, then advise the police accordingly.
Price: $154 and up
Honorable mention: Sometimes, thieves are content to just make off with parts of a bike.
The infiniti3D system is intended to keep that from happening, by replacing a bicycles existing
component fasteners with ones that can only be removed with a tool thats unique to that bike.

Protectin your noggin

You could attach lights to your bike and put on a helmet ... or you could just wear a Torch
T1 helmet, which features built-in lights. The T1 has a water-resistant panel of white LEDs on
the front and a panel of red ones on the back that can run in either flashing or steady mode.
While the current model wont light up the road ahead of you (much), it will help ensure that you
get noticed by drivers.
Price: $120 (pre-order)
Honorable mention: Helmets can be bulky things to carry around. In an attempt to address that
problem, Carrera has developed an expandable bike helmet that can be squeezed together like
an accordion when not in use.

Thems the brakes

About two and a half years ago, the International Cycling Union announced that it would start
allowing the use of disc brakes on cyclo-cross bikes. This means that while new bikes now may
come equipped with such brakes, owners of older bikes are stuck with using cantilevers ... or
are they?
Bicycle brake manufacturer TRPs Parabox system allows these cyclists to use their existing
cable-based brake levers with after-market hydraulic disc brakes. Its junction box master
cylinder clamps onto the handlebar stem, just beneath the bars. This is linked to the levers via
two hose-enclosed cables, which activate the cylinder mechanisms within the box, providing
hydraulic braking power.
Price: $470
Honorable mention: Although some mountain bikers have seen hydraulic rim brakes before,
theyve always been quite a rarity in the world of road riding. That changed in 2012, when
Magura released its RT8 TT hydraulic rim brake system for lightweight time trial and triathlon
bikes.

The right tools for the job

Hand pumps may be easy to bring along on a ride, but floor pumps will put air in your tires a
heck of a lot more quickly. BioLogics PostPump 2.0, however, combines the portability of the
one with the easier pumping of the other. Its a floor pump that doubles as a seat post, so it
simply serves as part of your bike when youre not using it.
Price: $50
Honorable mention: Your handlebars are hollow, so why not store tools in there? Thats the idea
behind the Incog multi-tool. It consists of several commonly-used tools that are linked together
like sausages, then fed into the bars.

Dont forget about the kids!

Training wheels who needs em? The Gyrobike instead starts out with no pedals, so the wee
ones can push themselves along with their feet. Once they get a bit more experienced, the
pedals go on, as does a gyroscopically-stabilizing front wheel. Finally, that wheel can be
replaced with a regular one.
Price: 229 (US$362)
Honorable mention: Bikes are rather expensive to keep replacing as your child gets bigger.
Orbeas Grow Bikes will save you a few upgrades, however, since their frame can be
lengthened as with regular kids bikes, the seatpost and handlebar stem can also be raised.

And just one more ...

While 2012 saw the introduction of some very fancy, lust-worthy bikes, if itsinnovation were
talking about ... well, that would be the Bicymple. Imagine if you took a unicycle, with its directdrive wheel-mounted pedals, but then added a short frame, handlebars, and a front wheel. Both
wheels are mounted on forks with headsets, so they can both turn. This makes nutty things like
crab-riding possible. Perhaps this might not be your first choice as a go-everywhere doeverything bike, but it certainly looks like it would be fun.
... and thats what its all about, right?
Price: $800 and up (pre-order)