Click above for more images of the Bricycle Concept

A man by the name of Brian has taken an interesting approach to designing an eco-friendly vehicle to replace some of the single-passengers cars driving all over the roads in America, and he calls it the Bricycle. Using three wheels -- one up front and two in the rear -- the Bricycle allows human power in the form of pedaling along with forty-eight volts of electric assist at the front. The rider/driver sits in a reclined position inside a canopy of composite bodywork. Brian's design also features twenty-one different gearing choices for the operator.

While a vehicle such as this will likely never see mass-market appeal, it would serve to eliminate a certain amount of traffic and allow those who would choose to ride to work anyway an opportunity to do so with some weather protection. Additionally, the concept shouldn't be too expensive to recreate after the initial design work is complete. We like it.


[Source: Bricycles.com via Engadget]

Click above for more images of the electric bike train

Recently, while searching the net for the most interesting forward-thinking ideas around, we stumbled across a design for an electric bicycle which works sort of like a train. Sure, that sounds confusing, but a quick glance at the pictures below will likely make the concept easier to understand. While we in no way believe that a device such as this would make any real dent in global emissions or congestion, we do think that the idea has some merit for cyclists. Consider, for example, how expensive tandem bicycles are. With a vehicle such as this, a single rider can go his merry way alone or attach extra helpers bikes as needed. Additionally, the electric machine is collapsible, which should make it easier to store when not needed. Pretty cool stuff from designer Jiang Qian in China. A quick glance at his accomplishments makes us believe we're not the only ones impressed by his work.


[Source: Coroflot.com]

Somewhere between a normal pedal-powered bicycle and an electric scooter lies a class of vehicle which keeps the ability to pedal and adds some assisted power via a small battery pack. This new generation of vehicle is just as useful as the good old moped, except that the electric motor is free of pollution, which is something that most certainly cannot be said of the older two-stroke 'peds and even the newest four-strokers.

Ultra Motor has a new machine on the market known as the A2B which fits nicely into this category. Using a small electric motor integrated into the hub, the machine retains the look and feel of a normal bicycle. Constructed of aluminum, the full-suspension electric vehicle features a small lithium ion battery and is capable of traveling up to twenty miles on electricity alone. A second battery can be added, doubling the range. Of course, pedaling increases the miles between charges to as far as your legs can take you.

[Source: Ultra Motor via Hell For Leather]

The folks at Optibike have been building electric bikes for a few years and that experience now manifests itself in their ultimate creation, the new OB1. It takes the signature Optibike part, the patented Motorized Bottom Bracket (MBB) that uses a derailleur system to give you the optimum gear ratio and mates it with a 850W continuous brushless DC motor powered by 20ah of lithium ion batteries housed inside an aluminum monocoque frame. Add to that handlebars, brakes, derailleur, chainring, and cable ferrules made of carbon fiber. Suspend it with Fox Racing shocks and forks connected to TAG Dupont resin wheels and let it light up the night with twin 10W halogen lights. All done? Not even close. It has a fully integrated wireless PDA to monitor things like battery state of charge, motor temperatures, and expected range. You won't need to worry about getting lost either since there is also GPS satellite navigation.

According to their website "Your OB1 will be custom painted to your specifications by an artist at Gunslinger Custom Paint and the entire bike is covered by a 2 year full warranty". The battery is covered for 3 years or 30,000 miles and the wheels, frame, and Chris King Headset are guaranteed for life. Every flight of fancy has its price and the OB1 will set you back $12,995 if, of course, you act fast enough because quantities are very limited.

Optibike has a range of models besides the OB1 that are more than adequate for us mere mortals. Hit the jump for some videos of them in action doing craziness like traversing Breckenridge and climbing Pike's Peak.

Click on the image for more high-resolution shots of the E+

Electric bikes are becoming an increasingly intriguing option for commuters who live relatively close to work or for avid outdoor enthusiasts. As battery and motor technology forges ahead, the speed and range of ebikes surges with it, as evidenced by the new Electric Motion Systems E+. Although DOT requirements force a road-going electric bike to twenty miles per hour, tops, the E+ is actually capable of thirty when traveling off the beaten path. With no pedaling at all, the E+ can manage twenty miles on a single charge of its 36 volt nickel metal hydride pack, which is mounted in the front hub. Pedaling along can more than double the range. A 750 Watt electric motor comes standard, mounted to the rear hub, while a 1000 Watt upgrade is available. The E+ uses its own aluminum frame and comes equipped with a decent SR Suntour front suspension fork.

Other cool details include the ability to dial in resistance to your pedal strokes for fitness reasons and a built-in security system which makes the bike all but impossible to pedal. All of these propriety features and high specifications do not come all that cheap, though, with the E+ starting at $3,495.00, available with either a cruiser or mountainbike frame.


[Source: Electric Motion Systems]

Let me get this fact off my chest before I write anything else: this thing is flippin' expensive! Alright, now that we're through with that, let's analyze this electric bike, known as Pi. The frame is an aluminum monocoque, meaning that it is a single piece made up of metal which is all a similar thickness. Moving on to the electrics, the batteries are nickel metal hydride, not the better-but-pricier lithium ion. The motor is a 36-volt brushless DC model which produces about 1 horsepower, or 750 watts. Of course, add your human power to that power amount if you are willing to pedal. In case you were wondering, you are capable of producing much less than one horsepower! If you are willing to pay the $7,500 (!) asking price, you can find the bike at Design Within Reach.

If you do manage to cough up the money, you will be rewarded with an electric bike capable of less than 30 miles per hour box-stock. The bike has the power to go faster and can be geared to do so, but you'll need a motorcycle license for that. The asking price does include a designer helmet... The circular frame is probably where the name came from, you think?

One very cool piece of technology buried in that aluminum frame is the NuVinci planetary gearbox. This piece of hardware allows the bike to change gear ratios without actually manually switching gears. Click here for more on that. If you can afford the bike, you may also be able to spend the extra $1,800 for the solar charger, which further lowers your carbon footprint. Speaking of that footprint, just about any electric bike will offer similar CO2 output, but the Pi from Electrobike is designed with the reduction of emissions in mind, so you can feel good about that. Unless you get the gas/electric hybrid model (which will get its very own dedicated post later), which seems to fly in the face of the rest of the concept. If anybody actually does get one of these, make sure to let us know about it. It'd be interesting to compare it with a Segway, which is another really expensive way to get from point A to point B.

Related:

• A very nice (but very expensive) automatic commuter bicycle option

[Source: Electrobike and LA Times, Thanks for the tip, Domenick!]

We don't always need to take our cars places. Sometimes we can walk, and sometimes we can ride a bike. But... if you can't do that, how about taking a biofuel assisted bike?

MobiBike has created just such a vehicle using a folding Dahon mountain bike with front shocks and disk brakes, and added a Subaru 4-stroke 33.5 cc engine that is set up to run on E85.

Of course, there are also many electric powered bicycles available as well, and, if they travel under 20mph, you don't need any sort of license for them, according to federal law.

Related:

• In Australia, the bicycle is king
• Ten tips to make winter cycling easier
• The new business cycle: comfy bikes aimed at commuters

[Source: Treehugger.com]

In the past couple of decades the bicycle industry in the North America has focused mainly on fancy mountain bikes with full suspension and fast road bikes. While both of these styles of bikes are fairly well suited to their intended applications, the reality is that most people don't find them very comfortable to ride.

Now manufacturers are starting to turn back to what are called comfort bikes. These are the style of bikes with longer wider handle bars and where the rider sits more upright. Comfort bikes are becoming increasingly popular with older riders as the idea of leaning over the low handle bars of a mountain bike just isn't that appealing anymore. The Wall Street Journal had a recent piece on new enhanced comfort bikes with features like disc brakes, shock absorbing seats (to protect our ever-growing back sides) and even electric hybrids like the $549 iZip Urban Cruiser.

[Source: Wall Street Journal via TreeHugger]