Bike Intelligencer » bicycle

iPod Touch/iPhone Blinker: A Joke?

Paul Andrews, BI editor — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 07:12:15 +0000

So yeah, you’re stuck riding at night without a taillight…but you’ve got your iPhone! This supposedly is an app that converts your device screen into a blinker. Um, right. How much did you pay for your phone/iPod Touch? You’re mounting it how, exactly?

OMG! University Dean Investigated in Stolen Bike

Paul Andrews, BI editor — Sat, 14 Feb 2009 16:20:11 +0000

Making the rounds: a University of South Florida dean who makes $384,000 a year is caught on camera in an incident police are investigating. The dean pleads “lapse in judgment” but his explanation begs the question: If he was so concerned about helping his comrade, why didn’t he just buy him a new or used bike? Not like he’s hurting for cash…

It’s such an obvious question, yet the St. Pete reporter apparently didn’t ask him.

YouTube video below, but to see full-screen version click here.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GMeYa8tZWaE&hl=en&fs=1]

Electronic Gear Shifting: Good idea?

Paul Andrews, BI editor — Sat, 14 Feb 2009 17:57:08 +0000

The New York Times takes a look at the latest electronic shifting iteration, from Shimano. Couple of interesting points: Time trialists can shift without changing position on the bars. But there is no manual override if the system fails.

The article does not discuss weight or crash-worthiness, but Wired had this from an unidentified source: “According to the company, Di2 will be 67 grams lighter than the current Dura-Ace 7800 and only 68 grams heavier than Dura-Ace 7900, the snazzy forthcoming 2009 suite of parts.” Not a huge weight differential, except in racing. But the drawbacks of e-shifting, including battery failure, may keep most of us away, especially given the premium ($4,000).

Also no comment on crashing. E-thingies tend to be a lot more fragile than their mech counterparts. That may not be so much a factor in racing, but for real-life use it could be make or break (so to speak!). As far as Bike Intelligencer‘s first love, mountain biking goes, um, let’s just say an e-future isn’t in the cards any time soon.

It’ll be fun to try the system at some of the upcoming bike shows.