Xtracycle’s EdgeRunner Could be the Ultimate in Urban Cargo Bikes - VIDEO

One of the most sustainable forms of transportation that we have is the humble bicycle, as it’s efficient, affordable, and doesn’t require any type of fossil fuels to operate. But one major drawback to using bicycles for everyday transportation is their lack of flexibility for carrying different sizes and shapes of loads (including passengers), which can severely their use by a wider range of the population. It’s one thing to load up your backpack or panniers with your gear for work or play, and another thing entirely when it comes to packing a week’s worth of groceries, or a load from the home improvement center, on your bicycle, and being able to easily ride home with them.

Cargo bikes, however, offer a lot more room for hauling, but tend to make a big compromise when it comes to maneuverability and weight, and let’s face it, not everyone wants to ride a bulky or heavy bicycle all the time.

But there’s a unique version of the cargo bike available from Xtracycle, which can not only carry bags or boxes with ease, but can also accommodate a passenger or two as well. Xtracycle’s EdgeRunner model combines a passenger seat, a bike rack, a bike bag, and more, into a “long-tail” cargo bike that is efficient to ride, handles responsively, and is lighter than a lot of other cargo bike options on the market.

The Xtracycle EdgeRunner has a low load platform over its smaller (20″) rear wheel, which helps keep the bike stable even when loaded, and a “step-through” high quality chromoly frame that’s easy to mount. The upright pedaling position makes it comfortable to ride, especially for longer trips, without sacrificing pedaling efficiency. The EdgeRunner is available in two frame sizes, three different models, four choices of colors, and features several accessory packages to fit the riders’ needs, from hauling gear to hauling kids. Xtracycle offers the LongLoader (for lengthy loads), the folding SideCar (for bulkier items), and the Hooptie, which adds a safety element when riding with children on the load platform.

Because the Xtracycle EdgeRunner is like having a trailer without having to pull one behind you, it could serve to be a great addition to any bicycle-centric business, from package delivery to food delivery, and could replace the family wagon for running errands or doing the shopping. Prices for the EdgeRunner start at $1599.

Source: Gas2.0

SkyCycle Highway Would Add Bike Paths Over London’s Railways

London has existed for more than two-thousand years as a major metropolis, but it’s only been the past century that the city’s ancient roads were given over to automobiles. While that’s unlikely to change anytime soon, the SkyCycle bicycle highway proposal would see bike-only lanes built over London’s extensive rail network.

Designed and proposed by architect Sir Norman Foster, and borrowing its name from a similar design unveiled last fall by designer Sam Martin, the SkyCycle would be a dedicated, car-free bicycle highway built on top of the metropolis’s many railways. As high as three-stories in places, the ten routes would encompass some 135 miles of bike-only roadways, a response to a drastic increase in cyclist deaths in a city where more and more commuters prefer pedal power over petrol.

In November, six London cyclists were killed in just 13 days, prompting renewed calls for a rush-hour ban on heavy trucks, a time when bicyclists make up to 25% of all of London’s commuters. London saw 14 cyclists deaths in total in 2013, which is unfortunately about average in relation to historical data, even though cycling use is on the rise. The SkyCycle proposal would give cyclists their very own paths to traverse however, freeing up the roads once again for both foot and automobile traffic. During my visit to London a few years ago, I was very nearly hit by cyclists on two separate occasions, my only warning being a brusqe “Oy oy oy!” seconds before an almost-collision.

Of course, adding 135 miles of bike lanes atop London’s rail network is neither a cheap nor quick solution, with the project taking an estimated 20 years and $329 million to complete. When finished though, up to 400,000 commuters could use the SkyCycle on an average day, seriously easing the congestion that plagues London’s streets while also reducing the travel times cyclists face.

While not exactly a unique idea, it’s one that seems to be gathering wider support as commuters grow tired of constant congestion and the high costs that come with travel by car. Bicycle ridership is up across the board, and after seeing the success of Amsterdam’s dedicated bicycle highways, these proposals are finally gaining the serious consideration they deserve.

Source: Dezeen

Kovit’s Carbon Tube Bicycle Has to Be Seen to Be Believed

This is Kovit’s latest Delta 7 road and track frame. The ultralight, carbon/kevlar bike was revealed to the world at last month’s Interbike show looking like something straight out of a sci-fi movie with a trellis of (what should be called) nanotubes and a wholly reasonable $3500 price tag.

I’m no expert on carbon tube bicycles- or, carbon tube anything, for that matter! As such, I’ll leave further descriptions of the Kovit Delta 7 to the 2 wheeled experts at Bike Rumor, who summed up the stunning bike’s structural advantages as follows:

What remains is the helically wound composite strands that are woven around straight strands to create isosceles triangles to form three dimensional ‘pyramids’. The result are tubes they say are incredibly resistant to bending, twisting and compression forces in all directions. The other benefit, besides being very lightweight, is that damage to one strand won’t compromise the integrity of the entire tube, as can happen with traditional carbon tubes.

The Kovit Delta 7 frame shown in these photos barely tips the scales at all. It weighs just 700 grams- about 1.5 pounds, or about what an iPad weighs with a Smart Cover on it.

What do you think, readers? Is $3500 too much for a bike frame, no matter how slick and trick it is? Is something like Kovit’s carbon tube wonder just the thing to get you to ditch 2 of your car’s 4 wheels? Take a few minutes to check out the photos from teh floor of IB13, then let us know what you think of the bike in the comments, below.

Source | Photos: Kovit, via Bike Rumor.

Dear Government, When do Cyclists Start to Matter?

Bike-lanes are always a hot-button issue for people living in major cities. If you commute by car, you probably have an opinion about them. If you commute by car and you’re an a**hole, you probably use them as right-turn lanes. If you commute by motorcycle or scooter and you’re an a**hole you blast down the things in rush-hour gridlock like they’re your own personal drag-strips and all the cagers are just there to watch. Regardless of your own personal feeling towards bike lanes, bicycle commuting is a thing that’s getting bigger. As such, local, state, and federal government will have to do something about it.

“But, Jo,” I hear you asking, “when will there be enough cyclists to force governments to do something about their safety and start enforcing some of the laws on the books?”

If you’d asked me that question yesterday, I might have said “when 25% of everyone commuting in a major city is on a bicycle, then I think the government will start to care.” It turns out, though, that several cities may be well over that 25% figure I pulled out of nowhere. At least, if CycleToronto is to be believed.

I was riding in the bike lane on Toronto’s Harbord Street last week during the afternoon rush hour and thought boy, there sure are a lot of bikes, so many that I stopped to take a photo of them. It turns out that this wasn’t an aberration, but a significant trend. Cycle Toronto recently did a traffic count and found that in the course of a day, fully 45% of the vehicles on Harbord Street were bicycles.

This is a street not unlike others in Toronto, where cars and delivery vehicles commonly use the bike lane as their ATM drive-through, it is almost always blocked.

I drove up Damen AVE in Chicago a few days ago, and that number seemed a bit fair. At least, it seemed fair in Ukrainian Village in the middle of a workday. So, if so many commuters are cycling to work, then why don’t police seem to enforce moving violations that put them in danger?

In my opinion, I think at least part of the reason is that the most visible cyclists are the brain-dead jackamoes that pedal through stop signs begging for pain and death. If we could get those idiots settled down and all stopped acting like the death of an un-helmeted, dark-color-wearing cyclist running a red light is some kind of tragedy then I think the other 95% of bicycle commuters might have a decent shot at some kind of protective enforcement.

Here’s hoping, anyway.

Until that happens, the best way to get governments to behave in a more pro-cycling manner is to write letters, make noise, and vote as often as possible.

Source: CycleToronto, via Treehugger.