While Riding around on the internet, I have seen some odd stuff. As have we all. One such thing is the Conference bike. The concept is interesting enough, and I suppose it is a good thing for individuals like the blind or handicapped to get in on the cycling fun, anything else just looks odd. Why is the main picture for this thing look like a Wiggles bikeathon??
 |
| The Wiggles... no wait even they would find this embarrassing. |
 |
| The Real Wiggles...Much more respectable |
A seriously bad attempt at making something look fun whether it is or not. Catch phrase suggestion that is appropriate, "more funner than something less fun than our funnerest bike!". Although theirs is not a bad marketing concept, since it seems to get it attention for its silliness from the likes of me. It is being marketed to corporations as a team building tool. Nothing says "team" in a corporate setting like doing circles in the company parking lot staring at the same people you would at a conference table, only now wishing they would peddle harder but not sweat so much. A novel concept for sure.
. . .
The Bicycle cozy. The one thing my grandma never thought to knit one for. Apparently in New York some graffiti artist is knitting anything not moving into a cocoon of color. From street signs to bicycles where the rider must have been getting a full body wax. This may be coming soon from the anal retentive cyclist to you as soon as someone on
etsy figures out a way to cash in on this.
Next, the treadmill bike. Wow, as if we needed more options for people to clog bike paths. This one is flatly ridiculous in concept. If your going to run, run, why do you need it mounted on wheels? Too many things wrong with this to mention. Besides, it looks like a scooter for the insanely large.
 |
| Only missing a snack bin and chino-latte cup holder (available soon as an accessory) |
The camper bike will likely find a fan base in the hippie cross country types that will want a green way to camp without spending money on gas for an RV. Currently residing in Asia, the design will likely emerge in the US near the West coast as some surfers house. Keep an eye out for this one. Then poke that eye out.
 |
| Winnebago soon to follow with their own version |
One good bicycle invention/design is this Fiets bus from Germany. With all the problems in US schools with ADHD and the like, this would help us greatly in meeting school budgets and excessive kids energy in the classroom. With some of the bus routes near me, a good ten mile ride to get all the little booger nosed kids sounds like the answer to all our districts problems.
 |
| Finally a way to harness the largest source of energy in world. Kids! |
 |
| The US version would have to incorporate some restraints or locking seat belts. |
This One is from Honda, and designed to teach safety to cyclists, or kids that want to grow up to wear lycra and sperm helmets. The new age in tech however always starts with good intentions, but soon becomes fodder for the next Nintendo system, or couch trainer. I'm sure costs will keep this out of our hands at home for some time though. maybe a year or two.
But Wait!
Last but not least is actually a fairly good idea. There are other versions of this concept out there, but these pics illustrate the concept. Bike trees. Rather than jamming your wheel into a crowded rack, and snaking a lock around parts of your bike that you would rather not scratch, these trees let you walk your bike up the groove, and they lock in place. Similar to public lockers, you pay some kiosk, and get a pass code or key or something. When done with your shopping, coffee, or scratching that deuchebag off your hit-list, just unlock with the code (or key), and your bike un-docks for your removal. Pretty nifty. It can hold as many bikes as a standard bike rack on the sidewalk with less of a footprint, so they claim, one look at this says its just a round footprint, not a long rectangle. It also has a degree of more interesting appeal. Im not saying it is more attractive, but more interesting. The only issue is that it adds vertical clutter to a street scape rather than some horizontal sprawl with current bike racks. Most of them are cleverly disguised by bushes , shrubbery or planters. The bike trees are harder to hide if one wanted to. It does add advertising space on the umbrella for cities to cash in on. One could argue that over time they might pay for themselves. I won't though, nothing ever does.
On the same topic, there is a bike tree like parking garage in japan. It is friggin' huge though. the largest holds 6400.
 |
| Early unsuccessful attempts at this concept |
