Just spotted the Volkswagen Bik.e Electric Scooter on Wired’s Gadget Lab blog. Aside from the whole no-pedals thing, it’s definitely an interesting concept. Charlie Sorrel says:

The Bik.e is actually a sidekick for your car, something you are supposed to remove from the trunk when you have parked up and can go no further on four wheels. The Bik.e is electric, and folds up to fit in the spare-wheel well in the back of your car. While sitting in the dark like a kidnap victim, the Bik.e recharges from the car’s electrical system as you drive, meaning it is always ready to go.

Skip past the techno-themed intro to see Bik.e in action.

This reminded me of an email that I sent to Zipcar a few years back. My suggestion was that they should store folding bikes in the trunk of each of their cars, and rent them out through a “Zipbike” bikeshare program. They could piggy-back on existing infrastructure: they have already secured bicycle parking (read: trunks) throughout many metropolitan areas, they have already built a robust software/hardware payment and access system for rentals, and their primary focus is transportation. I haven’t used Zipcar for several years, but at the time they had many VWs in their Boston fleet. It seemed like a no-brainer to me, but I never did hear back.

Seems worth suggesting again to the carshare programs out there: Why not run a bike-sharing program out of the trunk of a car-sharing program?

My bicycle has a flat tire, so I’ve recently been walking to work. I seem to end up spending much of this time thinking about how to be less late when commuting without a bike. While I always follow the same route when biking to work — one that balances total distance with hilliness — I have found no clear best route for commuting by foot. My path changes the most in the Mission, where the ground is flat and the streets are on a grid. I never walk any more than necessary to get there, but I hate the idea of standing still at an intersection while waiting for a light to turn green.

The beauty of walking is that the sidewalk grid is more detailed than the road grid. A standard intersection has two crosswalks on each of the four corners. If you are trying to walk northeast, a North-facing red light isn’t a slow-down, since it will be accompanied by an East-facing green light. Since I can’t really remember which intersections have lights, I can’t really plan ahead too much. So I commute by heuristic.

So this is the sidewalker’s dilemma: When arriving at a street corner en route from Point A to Point B, how do you decide whether to turn or to walk? I’ll lay out a few variations to make things interesting. Feel free to leave your heuristics (or additional variations) in the comments:

1. Let’s start simple: There is a rectangular grid of streets with sidewalks on either side. Your work is n blocks over and m blocks down from your home.
2. Some intersections have traffic lights, but you don’t remember which ones. When you arrive at a street corner, you can see the color of the lights at that intersection.
3. You can look a block ahead of you to see if there is a light at that intersection, but you don’t know what color the light will be by the time you arrive.
4. Each light is on a different schedule, and the schedules seem to change. Lights have pedestrian crosswalk signals that count down seconds before the light turns. You can see these numbers as you approach the crosswalk. You can muster up the energy to sprint a bit to get to the intersection in time to make the light. But only some maximum number of times during the commute, because you’re not really a morning person.
5. You remember a few of the intersections that have lights and a few that do not.
6. There are several coffee shops in the neighborhood. You know where they are, you know you want a coffee, and you don’t really care where it’s from.
7. You’re running too late to walk. You head to the nearest bus stop.

Does this describe your commute? What’s your strategy?

My bike has had a flat tire for longer than I’d care to admit, so I’ve been commuting recently by foot and by bus. This leaves me with plenty of time to think, but mostly just thoughts about walking and/or taking the bus.

If you’ve spent time waiting for erratically-timed buses, you know this question well: Will I get there faster if I continue waiting or if I start walking? You can look to recent literature in recreational mathematics for some general guidance on this dilemma [1] [2]. But while waiting may pay off for the lazy mathematician, I like to get some exercise in the process. So here’s a twist on the problem: How far can I walk without missing the next bus? I’ll propose three practical solutions:

1. Walk backwards, so you can spot the bus as soon as it becomes visible. When you do, make a run for the closest stop (preferably in the direction of your destination.)
2. Move to a city that displays bus arrival predictions at bus stops. Run to the first such display, check out the next arrival prediction, and do some quick mental math as you start to walk.
3. Live somewhere that offers open access to city datasets including real-time bus location and prediction feeds. Write the following iPhone application, and then email me when it’s ready.

App description – Given your current location (determined by GPS), your walking speed (based on past commutes), and your destination and bus route (stored in preferences or assumed based on time-of-day), it calculates two commute options and displays each with an estimated time of arrival. The first option minimizes your commute duration while maximizing the portion traveled by foot, and the second option minimizes your foot-only commute time. For example:

Your best commute options today are:
* ETA 8:55am – Walk to Church St, then get on #48. (0.5mi exercise)
* ETA 9:05am – Walk directly. (2.5mi exercise, saves $2.00)

Any takers? Seems like it would be a great candidate for the DataSF App Showcase.

Somewhere, in your basement, in your garage, your old bike is leaning against wall. The tires may be flat, the chain may be a bit rusty, but the frame is the right size. Let’s start here. You’re willing to give bicycle commuting a shot, at least for a week or two. I don’t think this necessitates the Hyland just yet, but a tune-up at your local shop is definitely in order. Give them a call and schedule it.

Let’s skip ahead a bit. You’re enjoying the daily commute, have done a bit of reading online about the little things that help make commuting easier. But even after a two or three weeks, your seat is still uncomfortable. Or perhaps your back is sore from leaning too far forward. Or you’re having trouble seeing bumps in the road on your ride home. Whatever is bothering you most, it’s time to address it. Head back to the shop, and get that new saddle, the handlebar extensions, or the headlight. The following week, you’ll be able to appreciate the difference. Another few weeks later, when something else is bothering you, repeat the drill.

I’ve seen a few instances of the big, up-front new-bike investment based on good intentions to begin commuting, and it’s always sad when it doesn’t play out as planned. What I’m suggesting here is an alternative: that if you incrementally improve your commute, you will keep your investment in line with the experience payoff.

I’m not saying this will be pretty. I started in grad school (which, by the way, is an excellent time to begin commuting by bicycle), on an early-nineties steel-frame mountain bike, to which I bungee-corded a milk-crate to carry my laptop and books. Over the past few years, the milk-crate has been replaced with REI Garage Sale panniers, the seat has been replace by a more comfortable saddle, the pedals now sport Power Grips, the front headlight, rear blinky, and wheel monkeylectrics are all LED-based. The tires got skinnier, more puncture-resistant, and grew fenders. The handlebars sprouted comfortable extensions. The water bottle holder now holds my sound system. I’m still waiting for the opportunity to turn it into a NuFixie. Lest it should sound like I now ride a completely different bike, I will point out that these changes happened slowly, over the course of several years and thousands of miles of commuting. In that time, I continued to prove to myself that the incremental improvements were worth the time and cost. And while this early-nineties steel frame bike now likes like some sort of FrankenGiant, it’s one that I’ve been quite happy with.

At this point, now that I’ve convinced myself that I’m in it for the long haul, I feel comfortable investing in a shiny new bicycle. Every now and then, I stop in a bike shop to try out something new. Ultimately, I seem to always walk away disappointed, thinking about the ways that I wished the test-ride was more like my daily commute. I’m sure some day soon, I’ll try something that grabs me. But until then…

Click for larger image

Linux = Recumbent

via If Computers Were Bikes, What Bikes Would They Be? | Gadget Lab from Wired.com.

The idea is to build an automatic continuous transmission for a bicycle, by wiring up a controller for a NuVinci CVP designed to maintain a constant level of effort from the rider.

In the past year or two, I’ve spotted articles and reviews discussing an interesting new technology for bicycles: the NuVinci CVP from Fallbrook Technologies. The “CV” of the NuVinci CVP reflect the fact that the gear ratio is continously variable: While most bicyclists are familiar with the clicking feeling of switching between discrete gears, the NuVinci CVP offers an alternative in which a continuous spectrum of gear ratios are available. The demo video gives a nice overview. While a few high-end bicycles now incorporate the NuVinci into configured bike, you can also purchase just a hub or purchase just a pre-built wheel. Most user reviews so far have been quite positive about the technology, ratio speed range (350%), and test rides, but have been less positive about the added weight (~8lbs), reduced efficiency, and price (~$400). (See the reviews at bikehugger, veloblog, and bikecommuters).

…build a controller that continually adjusts the NuVinci’s gear ratio to maintain peak efficiency.

So let’s assume for the moment that the NuVinci CVP lives up to its billing. I’m suggesting that rather than constantly adjusting the NuVinci’s “CruiseControl” twist-shifter to maximize your efficiency, we build a controller that continually adjusts the NuVinci’s gear ratio to maintain peak efficiency. If I’m not mistaken, the effect should feel something like riding a stationary exercise bike. Or am I mixing up effort, power, and cadence? I did a bit of looking and came across one off-the-shelf power output sensor (the Polar Power Output Sensor Kit), and there are a whole slew of relatively cheap cadence sensors available.

Automatic controls for gear-shifting has made a recent resurgence, thanks to the three-speed Shimano Coasting group. Bicycles built on the Coasting components (or a similar system) automatically switch gears based on the bike’s speed (?? correct me if I’m wrong on this.) The goal of the Coasting system has been to enable simple bicycle designs for non-riders, by removing those pesky hand controls for shifting and braking. Clearly I have a different goal in mind than Coasting: elegance, not simplicity.

A bicycle that automatically and continuously maintains the preferred gear ratio (or cadence?) for the rider. Too good to be true? A simple afternoon hack? Please share your thoughts on the NuFixie Challenge…

Let me start by saying that I believe in visibility. And not in the dim-red-blinky kind of way. A healthy dose of LEDs and reflective tape cover both me and my bicycle when I ride after dark. But while my 4-AA front Cateye is quite bright, and my PlanetBike SuperFlash on back is nearly unmissable, my side visibility falls short. So a few years ago I picked up a pair of Hokey Spokes, and attached one to each wheel. (These battery-powered units attach to a spoke and fill the wheel with light from 16 yellow LEDs when it is spinning.) Last week, I took off the Hokey Spokes to try out something new: the Monkeylectric Monkey Light (m132s model.) I’ll start with a few videos…

I first heard of Monkeylectric last summer, when I met Dan Goldwater in Cambridge to see his then-current prototype. Dan, the force behind it, is a bona fide Maker. Prior to Monkeylectric, he was a co-founder of Instructables, a community site for how-to’s and DIY projects. He has contributed a large number of projects there, both LED-themed and bicycle-themed, and the Monkey Light clearly draws on this body of work. Where the Monkey Light differs, however, is in accessibility: It is for sale, already assembled and ready to use.

I will compare the Monkey Light to the Hokey Spoke based on the three criteria that I believe to be most important to the bicycle commuter: enjoying the commute, practicality, and staying safe.

Enjoying the commute:
There’s no questions about it: the Monkey Light is fun. Bright colors, in a variety of patterns, constantly changing.

I’ll repeat a request I made when reviewing another fun bicycle accessory: I’d like to see the lights blink to the beat of the music, a la iTunes Visualizer. Dan has posted schematics online, so perhaps this may not be impossible after all. If you figure this one out, please let me know…

Practicality:
Installation does take some time, but you only need to do it once. The included instructions are a bit skimpy, but Dan has posted a detailed guide on Instructables, which I recommend printing out. The unit is attached to spokes with zip-ties, and a set of rubber spacers eliminates any rattling. The Hokey Spokes, on the other hand, rattle incessantly, regardless of how much they are tightened. On the other hand, they were designed to be easily removable (with a screwdriver), and that does advantages over zip ties. I used the Hokey Spokes in the winter, when I ride home in the dark, but take them off in the summer, when it remains light longer. Now that the Monkey Light is zip-tied on, it’s not coming off again (unless someone cuts it off.) One suggestion: Before using the zip-ties, think about which side of the bike you stand on more often, and orient the Monkey Light so that the buttons are accessible from that side of the bike.

Unfortunately, the battery cage of the Monkey Light is not water-proof. You can either remove the batteries when parked outside on rainy days, or follow Dan’s Instructable on waterproofing the batteries, themselves. On the other hand, everything electronic outside of the battery cage has been coated with a water-proof layer, so you can use it in wet weather, if you so choose. The Monkeylectric website has photos of wheels partially-submerged in puddles during a downpour, to reassure you. I have yet to leave mine in the rain, but will update this review once I do… Monkey Lights now ship with a waterproof rubber cover for the battery cage, which works just fine.

When it comes to bicycle accessories for daily commuting, my preference is generally for road-ready manufactured products over homemade DIY products. Rain, snow, salt, constant jostling, and potholes are eventually unavoidable, and so my bicycle and the things on it must be able to handle that. So while it looks like a great project, I haven’t assembled a SpokePOV kit. Aside from the Hokey Spokes, there are other approaches to side-lighting for bicyclists. Commute by Bike reviewed the Pedalite Self-Generating Luminescent Bike Pedals earlier this year, and while it doesn’t look particularly bright, it wins points for not requiring any batteries.

Hokey Spokes do offer one feature missing from the Monkey Light: multi-unit synching. This is a cool trick in theory, but I found that the IR sensors were often triggered by bright sunlight, and frequently found them already running when I returned to my bicycle at the end of the day (Partially covering the sensors with electric tape solved the problem.) This synching and the fully-waterproof enclosure were two areas that the Monkey Light still lags behind. Perhaps next revision.

Staying safe:
The Monkey Light is significantly brighter than the Hokey Spokes (I included a direct comparison photo in the gallery above.) So to the extent that higher visibility means increased road safety, that’s good. I’m a bit worried about the swirling color light show being too visible, and causes a distraction to drivers, so, for the time being, I’ve been setting it to a single-color (orange.)

Summary: If you are concerned about cars not seeing you at intersections, the Monkey Light is a remarkably bright wheel-based light set. The customizability, hackability, and color variations may be unnecessary for a visibility-focused commuter, but hey, they definitely add to the fun.

Dan is offering a discount to readers of Bits and Bikes. Use coupon code “BIKECULT” when ordering to receive a 10% discount at the Monkeylectric web store. You can also purchase the Monkey Light through Amazon.

There are only three spots (that I can think of) to reliably mount a peripheral onto a bicycle: on the handlebar, on the rear rack, or in a water bottle cage. The front bar is a good spot for smaller trinkets that require attention, such as lights, bells, and electronics. The rear rack is a good spot for mounting assorted cargo, either in a milk crate, kitty litter buckets, or in plain old panniers. The water bottle cage, with one exception, is really only good for carrying one thing: a water bottle. The exception? When you bike sports a second cage.

A second water bottle cage opens up a slew of new possibilities. The iPod speaker is but only one option. There are all sorts of other creative uses for this space, ranging from home-brew lighting upgrades to a repair kit to the “Gadget Bottle” to other fully patented inventions. Know of others? Leave a comment.

What I like about these various designs is the creative use of the fixed space. iHome cheated a bit by shipping a larger-sized cage with their speaker, but in general, the size is a hard constraint. This reminds me of the large number of creative uses of Altoids tins in electronics projects, ranging from the MintyBoost to hundreds of Altoids tin projects posted on Instructables.

So what’s the right bottle to house your next DIY bike project? After some quick browsing on Amazon, my best find is this one from 3dRose LLC.

Related Post: My review of the iHome iH85b iPod Speaker

Bits > Check out the videos of the Yellow Drum Machine in action. (via boingboing)

Bits > Return to Dark Castle has recently been released for Mac OS X, after “10 years in the making” (and 22 years following the original.) Looking forward to trying out the demo soon.

Bits > Johnny Chung Lee has been doing some great work leveraging the sensors in the $20 Wii Remote for all sorts of interesting applications including multi-touch interactive whiteboards and head-tracking for VR displays. For more info, check out his procrastineering blog or the wiimote project forums.

Bikes >
Yehuda Moon and the Kickstand Cyclery has been keeping me entertained.

Bikes > Robin Chase (of Zipcar car-sharing fame) has been discussing the Velib bike-share program in Paris on her blog. (Related links: bike map and the bike-sharing blog.)

For the bicycle commuter who owns (and occasionally drives) a car: Looks like there will soon be an option for pay-as-you-go car insurance. Milemeter appears to still be a few months from opening up shop, but the description posted on O’Reilly Radar makes it sound very promising. Worth keeping an eye on.

Another option for part-time drivers is to have a membership in a car-sharing program like Zipcar. I found this to be a great first step after getting rid of my own car a few years ago. I’d love to seem them provide a few more steps for recovering car owners. Perhaps by adding some utility bicycles, folding bicycles, and electric bicycles to their neighborhood-wide sprinkling of vehicles?

REI.com is now selling a Dahon folding bicycle, branded as the Novara Buzz Fly-By. While it’s missing several commuter-friendly features that some other Dahon models offer (e.g. chain guard, rear rack, hub dynamo-powered lights), REI does provide an unbeatable guarantee on everything they sell. It worth a trip to one of their quarterly Garage Sales to fully appreciate this.

Finally, for those of you wondering if you should keep waiting for the bus or give up and start walking, a recent paper might provide some direction. Longer answer: Read the full paper. Shorter answer: Stay put.