Want to know the hottest trends in bikes? Well, you have come to the right place. The picture above is Dekra's "chainless" bike which replaces your standard noisy, greasy chain with a totally self contained system. Not simple enough? Another popular trend are super simple fixed gear or track bikes that are single speed, do not coast (the wheel only turns when you pedal) and have no brakes. Not strange enough for you? How about "retrodirect" bikes which, unlike most bike where pedaling backwards either brakes the bike or does nothing, retrodirect bikes pedaling backwards moves the bike forward. A video of a retrodirect bike in action is below the fold.

How about a biking controversy over a speed record (yes, biking actually has a controversy that didn't involve doping)? Graeme Obree made a bike from washing machine parts with the innovative tuck position (where the handlebars allow the rider ride with their hands close to their body) and broke biking records. The world governing body of biking, Union Cycliste Internationale, said the position is illegal, so Graeme created the superman position which the UCI said was illegal as well. The whole story was the subject of a book and movie, The Flying Scotsman, and you can watch the trailer for the film below the fold.

Related:

• Bikes: safer than cars, not as safe as flying
• How commuting by bicycle can reduce your car insurance
• Paris launching citywide bike rentals (and they're cheap!)

[Source: NRP, YouTube]

I stumbled upon this rather gratifying article on Wired, and thought you might like to see it too. It's apparently become "hip" to ride a bike in many large metropolitan areas. Seattle, Chicago, San Francisco and London are all burgeoning bike markets, to the point where each of these cities and more have their own bikes named after them. According to the article, it's the simple single-speed bike that is becoming the most popular. I can totally understand why, with no gears to change and adjust, the appeal is in their simplicity. Sure, it might be nice to go down to the granny gear for that particularly steep hill near your favorite hangout, but you can always get off and push if need be. And, you'll probably get in good enough shape in a little while that you won't need to.

"My friends in Boston were getting into these bikes, and it was just sort of appealing to me. It's like there's nothing to worry about, and they're just a blast to ride," says Matt McDonald, in the article. That they are, Matt!

Related:

• San Francisco looking at bike sharing, through Clear Channel

[Source: Wired Cars 2.0 Blog]