Cycling for 1 hour Can Power your House for a day

Here's a great way to lose those fat and keep you healthy while saving on energy cost. The CEO of 5-Hour Energy, an energy shot product, has developed a stationary bicycle that can produce enough electricity to power a small house with 1 hour cycling.

Manoj Bhargava invented the "Free Electric" which is a stationary bike that is connected to batteries which it charges while the user is using the bike. He developed the bike to make electricity available to places where there are no electricity in developing countries. If mass produced this will significantly reduce world poverty.

According to World Energy Outlook, an estimated 1.2 billion people or 17% of the world population do not have access to electricity in 2013.

“Energy is the great equalizer. So you try to look for that which is the one thing that will lead to benefits that are across hundreds of things,” said Bhargava. “Human mechanical energy is so amazing, why can’t we use that to create energy?” he added.

Bhargava said he “invented a hybrid bicycle that you pedal for an hour and you have electricity for 24 hours. We call it: Free Electric.”

The Free Electric bike will not only give you free electricity it will also help fight obesity.

Cycling Tires

Good cycling tires can make a difference in overall performance, good tires can give you lesser weight,

faster rolling resistance and better grip than other tires. It can also give you better adhesion, anti-flat

protection and improve efficiency. The tires you choose are very important since they can affect everything from performance, to handling, and safety. However, these tires are not cheap but higher quality tires last longer and perform better.

Upgrading your tires from 23mm to 25mm or higher will give you substantial comfort, since large tires has been proven to have less rolling resistance.

Here are some of the good tires on the market today: Clement Strada LGG, Continental GP4000, Specialized Roubaix Armadillo Elite, Vredestein Fortezza Tricomp,  Michelin Pro4 Service Course, Continental Grand Prix 4-Season, Panaracer Gravel King, Hutchinson Fusion 3 and Vittoria Open Corsa CX.

Bicycle Wheels

If you want to upgrade your bicycle wheels you would want it to be more aerodynamic, stiffer, and that will roll better than your stock bicycle wheels. This will give you more speed, and the power transfer will be more efficient. It will also give you a faster climb.

Here are some great wheels for your bicycle:

Fulcrum Racing 5 Wheels - it is lightweigh at 1,600g a pair and very comfortable to ride. Watch out it can be a little noisy.

Mavic Ksyrium Elite Clincher Wheelset - This set is light, stiff and has an amazing design. It is the ultimate upgrade wheelset. It has a a new U-shaped profile, with a wide 17mm rim. A pair of this wheelset without tires is at 1550g.  

If you are loaded then for the Lightweight Meilenstein wheels - It is superlight at 1180grams, it is 47.5mm deep. The wheel is stiff and it accelerate well. It is one of the best wheelsets availble in the market today, but it is way too expensive.

Braking Tips

Check out some braking tips to improve your ride. Braking is a significant skills that you'll need in order to stop faster, gain seconds when you are running through corners, going down descents and riding in groups.

This video will help you improve your braking skills.

Breaking in corners - breaking puts additional demand on your tires that can potentially overload them that can cause you to lose grip, chances are you can touch the breaks and not lose traction that could've gone through the time faster. The reality is that most of us do breaks in corners but the golden rule is make sure that you let them off when you clear the apex of the corners and then start to accelerate. In emergencies, when you apply the breaks full on mid turn make sure you straigthen up as you turn and then run wide if you can.

Breaking in races - as well as moderating your speed certain braking situations call for slightly different technique and one of this in bunch situations as a bunch turns on a sharp corner is a concertina effect. It means the riders at the back would need to break harder before they reach the corner and ride around slower and then accelerate back at speed afterwards. It's incredibly draining, and can take even a really strong rider apart and something like a criterion race. You can get around this though by doing your break early and leave a small gap between you and the rider in front of you. This little gap will mean that you have to slow down as much on the corner as you can use it to close the gap rolling back onto the wheel on front and exerting more speed. 

Air Braking - When you do need to break sit up at the same time your body will act as an air break and improve your stability at the same time.

Riding your Bike can Help Deal with Migraine

There's no cure for migraine headaches, however cycling can help you deal with the pain.  According to the  World Health Organization migraine is included in the top 20 causes of disability expressed as years of healthy life lost to disability. Severe migraine attacks is classified by the WHO as one of the most disabling illnesses, that is similar to dementia, quadriplegia and active psychosis.

Migraine is the most common neurological disorder that is usually characterized by severe headaches. Medications can help you deal with the symptoms but not cure it.

Dr. Carolyn Bernstein who heads the headache center at Boston’s Beth Israel-Deaconess Medical Center found a way to deal with migraine without the meds, indoor cycling. Bernstein also suffers from it and she said that cycling is ideal for people with migraine since the exercise is low-impact and there is no pounding.

“When we exercise, a lot of the time we feel better afterwards. We get all kinds of neurotransmitters going in our brain that can decrease pain levels,” Dr. Bernstein said.

A study that is done in Sweden in 2008 found that regular indoor cycling program actually improved migraine symptoms.

Precaution: Please consult your doctor before doing this exercise since extreme physical activity may trigger migraine headaches.

Anti-cyclist Facebook group

Oh there's a Facebook page dedicated to cyclists by cyclists haters in New Zealand. A cyclist has tagged them as "hate page." A member encouraging other drivers to mow down cyclists on the road is not hate? The Administrators of the FB page washed their hands and said that the comments and pictures are not their doing but by their members.

They said they want to promote safe riding and for cyclists to take more responsibility and follow the rules. They only want to  highlight the percentage of idiot cyclists creating a hazard on New Zealand roads.

Well looking at the pictures, I agree with some of them.

You can check out the page here: https://www.facebook.com/pages/NZ-Drivers-Against-Idiot-Cyclists/1533095093641369?fref=ts

Here's How you Can Increase Your Biking Speed Like A Pro

Pedaling harder will surely speed you up but here are other ways on how to improve your speed:

Make sure your Elbows are bent and tucked in to lessen wind resistance that slows you down. Try lowering your your body and bend it closer to the bars so you can slice through the wind.

Wear tight cycling clothes, it will also lessen the drag. If the weather is too cold, you can wear ultralight jacket that is windproof and water repellent. You will also need to wear a good quality base layer to keep the moisture away from your skin. A windproof cycle jacket will help keep your body stay warm and comfortable.

Losing weight will also speed you up since you have less force of gravity to deal with. Eating more healthy food and less of sugary stuff will help you lose weight.

Make sure that your Bicycle tires are inflated correctly, having the correct tire pressure will make it easier to spin.

Improve your pedaling efficiency, you can watch this video from Global Cycling Network for tips on how to improve your pedaling efficiency:

Video of an Old Man Riding a Scooter Almost Crash Cyclists in Women's Tour of Britain

An old man riding a mobility scooter almost caused a major accident at the 3rd  stage of the Women's Tour of Britain in Essex held last May 9.

The old man out of nowhere crossed the road, milliseconds before the riders passed. Marianne Vos and Laura Trott are among the high profile competitors in the race.

That was really dangerous for the old man and the athletes.

MTB New Downhill-FreeRide Compilations 2014

Check out the Short Compilation of The Crewsins MTB Downhill FreeRide 2014. The trail was in Bienne and Chaumont... pretty cool stuff! The Downhill freeride is extreme specially in a fairly thick woods, and the hills were a little stiff. The ramps are great in the clip they were like flying.

If you like the background music, it's "Nightcall" by Kavinsky

What to Do When your Gear Cable Snap While on the Road

Here's a great tip from "Global Cycling Network" on how to fix a snapped or broken gear cable. You will need to improvise to fix your bike temporarily so that you can pedal home and get your tool kit. Also before you do any fixing on your bike make sure that you are in a safe place.

Biker Filmed Road Rage Against Cyclist

Gareth William, a cyclist from London compiled all the road rage he captured with his helmet cam on his youtube account with the goal to improve cycle safety.

His username is CycleGaz, his video has been viewed by thousands already. They show incidents both of dangerous driving and cycling.

Biking down Water Slide stunt video

Check out this down hill er down water slide stunt video. This is a dangerous obstacle, since the water slides are extra slippery.

Road Bike Party 2 by Martyn Ashton, Danny MacAskill and Chris Akrigg.

Sugoi Firewall Z gloves best Gloves for Biking during Winter

Biking during winter is difficult, you need to protect your body from the freezing cold. Protecting your hands is important since you'll be needing them to squeeze the breaks before you hit something. You'll need a gloves that are water-resistant, lightweight, and can give you warmth. Sugoi Firewall Z gloves is perfect for this climate. It is sold on Amazon for $75.00.

It offers maximum warmth and dexterity. The gloves are mitten-shaped, it combines the three outer fingers in a mitt but have a separated index fingers that make it possible for shifting gears or braking. The gloves are insulated with G100 and G80 Thinsulate. It has a silicone accents to help you with your grip and reflective piping to aid with visibility.

Love Of Cycling

Check this clip about the culture of biking in LA that includes trick bike riders, fixed gear enthusiasts, and just everyday biking in LA.

The Audi e-bike Worthersee

Audi unveiled an extremely emotion-inspiring sports machine, the Audi e-bike Wörthersee at Wörthersee in Carinthia, Austria. The prototype cycle combines an electric drive and muscle power. Head of Design Wolfgang Egger comments: “As a high-performance e-bike for sports and trick cycling, it features the Audi core competences of design, ultra, e-tron and connect.” The Audi e-bike Wörthersee puts in its first major appearance at this year’s Wörthersee Tour, the 31st meet for Audi, VW, Seat and Skoda fans; trial biker Julien Dupont and downhill specialist Petra Bernhard will demonstrate their stunts and streetbike skills.

The uncompromising dynamism of the bike prototype is fully visible at first sight. “When developing the Audi e-bike Wörthersee we drew on motor racing design principles for inspiration,” explains Hendrik Schaefers, one of the designers at Concept Design Studio Munich. “The e-bike appears incredibly precise, highly emotional and strictly functional. Indeed, the design effort focused on its function as a sports machine. All design elements are thus firmly aligned to the technical features.”

The airy frame boasts a low center of gravity and a compact overall volume. In this way, the e- bike is superbly agile at the sporty handling limits. The lithium-ion battery is incorporated into the frame and needs 2.5 hours to freuteully charge. On long trial tours, only a few simple steps are required to remove the battery and replace it with a charged one.

The frame and the swinging arm that holds the back wheel are made of carbon fiber- reinforced polymer (CFRP). The same material is used for the 26” wheels, which feature an innovative “Audi ultra blade” design with broad flat spokes for an optimized transmission of pedal power. “We were able to demonstrate with the choice of materials just how closely design goes hand in hand with expertise in ultra lightweight construction,” Hendrik Schaefers comments.

Homogeneous LED light strips round out the frame and create the immediately recognizable Audi light signature. For extreme tricks and stunts the seat can be lowered to run flush with the frame itself. At the press of a button, the seat then rises up and the biker can adopt a comfortable position.

Cycling modes and countless other functions can be set using the touchscreen on-bike computer. The cyclist's smartphone hooks up by WLAN to the computer – when you start cycling, for example, the immobilizer is deactivated. Video images of the trial drive or of a trick, as recorded via the in-helmet camera, are uploaded to the Internet in real time via your smartphone.

Each trick performed successfully is then awarded success points, and as the number of points awarded grows, the cyclist receives awards and the challenge level rises, too. The rankings table in the Internet means you can measure yourself against other bikers and your friends. And where they happen to be comes to you via Facebook status reports that pop up on the Audi e-bike Wörthersee display.

The cyclist can choose between a total of five cycling modes – pure muscle power, the electric motor alone, or pedaling supported by the electric motor. In the “Pure” mode, the drive power is purely the product of the cyclist’s legs, while in “Pedelec” mode you are supported by the electric motor that then makes speeds of up to 80 km/h (50 mph) possible and gives you a range of 50-70 kilometers (31-44 miles).

If you select “eGrip”, the Audi e-bike Wörthersee runs solely on the electric motor and can reach a top speed of 50 km/h (31 mph). The cyclist then controls forward momentum using a gripshift and can configure the power as desired using the computer.

When performing wheelies, an electronic control system supports the rider when performing tricks and back-wheel biking. Different modes can be set using a smartphone or directly on the e-bike – either “Power Wheelie” mode, with adjustable wheelie angle for less skilled bikers or “Balanced Wheelie” mode for sporting challenges.

In "Balanced Wheelie" mode, the electronic control system maintains the rider’s balance, by compensating the biker’s movements forwards or backwards via the electric motor.

This means the rider can influence the bike’s speed by shifting weight: if you lean forwards the bike picks up speed, and if you lean back it slows. You select “Training” mode if you want to keep your performance constant for training purposes.

The electric motor is located at the lowest point on the frame and drives the bottom bracket shaft directly. The maximum torque delivered to the rear wheel is 250 Nm (184.39 lb-ft).



The electric motor generates a maximum output of 2.3 kW, a new world best for e-bikes. The complete bike excluding electrical components weighs in at 11 kg (24.25 lb), equivalent to a power-to-weight ratio of 9 kg (19.84 lb) per kilowatt, or 7 kg (15.43 lb) per horsepower – another record-breaking value.

from Yahoo

Portland top U.S. city for cycling

(Reuters)  Portland has been named America's best cycling city, according to a new ranking released on Monday. The city has the most cyclists per capita and even coffee shops that cater to two-wheelers,

It knocked Minneapolis, which was tops in 2010, to second place, followed by Boulder, Washington D.C. and Chicago.

"No other city in the United States has more cyclists per capita," according to Bicycling magazine, which compiled the list of the top 50 best cycling cities.

Although cycling culture is thriving in Minneapolis and Boulder boasts the second-highest percentage of bike commuters in the U.S., Portland scored top points in the ranking that evaluated bike culture in cities with 95,000 or more residents.

The magazine, which used data from the Alliance for Biking and Walking and the League of American Bicyclists, also looked at the number and quality of bike lanes, racks, routes and bicycling projects, cyclist-friendly cafes, as well as how many residents commute by bike and cycling clubs and events.

New York City, which will launch the largest bike share system in the country this summer, came in seventh, followed by San Francisco at No. 8.

Memphis was named the most improved city for bicycling.

Here is the top ten:

1. Portland, OR
2. Minneapolis
3. Boulder, CO
4. Washington, DC
5. Chicago
6. Madison, WI
7. New York City
8. San Francisco
9. Eugene, OR
10. Seattle

You'll find the complete list on bicycling.com.

Biker celebrates 82 years by riding 46 miles

Talk about dedication, inspiring story about grandpa rider:

Eighty-two years, two hip replacements and a bout with cancer have not stopped Harry Landry from long-distance biking.

Landry, a Thibodaux resident, credits the menu his wife, Nobie, offers up each day. His friends say he's just determined.

“He always comes back. He's like the Energizer bunny,” said Alan Kelly, treasurer of Bayou Country Cyclists, a local bicycling club where Landry is an active member. “I hope when I achieve that age, I can simply be on the bike.”

Two years ago, Landry, a former Marine and Korean War veteran, biked 80 miles to celebrate his 80th birthday. Hip-replacement surgery interrupted his plans to do the same last year, but he was ready for his 82nd birthday this year.

He took off Saturday, his birthday, at daybreak in hopes of biking 82 miles. He and a friend made it 46 miles before they ended the trip.

“It gets hot,” said Denny Ayo, a friend and fellow bicyclist who accompanied Landry. “We were over five hours on the road.”

They left Peltier Park about 5:45 a.m. and took back roads until they hit La. 311, where they biked to Houma and back.

The distance Landry traveled, Ayo said, is “almost from Thibodaux to the Huey P. Long Bridge.”

For a long-distance ride like the one he took Saturday, Landry said he begins adjusting his diet early in the week.

“I eat pasta, vegetables and a little meat,” he said.

He eats grits or cornmeal pancakes the morning of a big trip, he said.

Landry worked as a crane operator in the oilfield for more than 50 years. He retired in 1995 after working for Gulf Island.
Full story here

Portland World Naked Bike Ride 2011

Hey, check this out thousand of naked bikers out in the street of Portland.