In the early '90s, Wisconsin-based Trek Bicycle pioneered the use of carbon fiber in bike frames. The material, though much admired for its strength and weight, is generally understood to be impossible to recycle. Fast forward a couple decades, and the cycling company has launched a full-scale carbon recycling program for all of the scrap carbon fiber generated at its U.S. facilities. "It is......read more
When I bought the first-generation iPhone, it took me all of four days to leave it in a cab, never to see it again. Meanwhile, the phone it was meant to replace, a not-remotely-smart Nokia brick dating from the previous century, had weathered a drop into a toilet and traveled with me to Europe and back -- twice. It still works. Sound familiar? Maybe not, but there's something to be said for......read more
Ryan Yee knows a thing or two about cycling. By the age of 14 the Arcalis founder was competing on the California mountain bike circuit, and by 2006 he owned and managed one of the country’s top pro cycling teams. With Arcalis, Yee builds serious bikes for serious riders, offering one-on-one consultations so buyers get the best machine for them. At Woven Society, you start with......read more
New York-based photographer Bridget Fleming spins street style around with her unconventional take on fashion blogging. Fleming's Downtown From Behind blog features backside views of bike riders on the streets of Lower Manhattan, creating "an environmental portrait for each street and its subject." The project is nothing if not ambitious. With subjects ranging from musicians and models to chefs......read more
In all types of design, the happiest place is where simplicity, utility and beauty intersect. Pave, a Barcelona road bike shop designed by architect Joan Sandoval, is nicely ensconced in that happy spot. The clean, minimal build-out features back-lit boxes for displaying bikes, a cycling lit library where visitors can hang out and drink coffee, a lounge area for watching races, and showers for......read more
From Brian Eno to Autechre, musicians long have used found objects to create sounds for songs. Hell, one of the greatest records of all time, the Beach Boys' Pet Sounds, has a song ("You Still Believe In Me") featuring bike bells and horns. But this we've never seen. In "Bicycle Sounds," a short video from photographer Stephen Meierding (who shot the Biolite Stove!), we watch and listen to an......read more
If you love your bike as much as we love ours, then there's no way you're going to leave it exposed to thieves and weather overnight. Steven Tiller of Sacramento's Reclamation Art + Furniture has envisioned a perfectly sustainable solution with the Bike Valet, a wall-mounted bike storage unit crafted by hand from salvaged walnut wood. Apart from its attractive look, the coolest thing about it is......read more
Every time we travel to a new city, we find ourselves desperately wishing we had bikes to cruise around and explore. Enter Spinlister, a web startup positioned as the Airbnb of bikes. The fledgling NYC-based company is creating a peer-to-peer bike rental network that allows bicycle owners to rent out their bikes to neighbors or travelers. Now live in New York City and......read more
This Bicycle Frame Handle from Walnut Studiolo offers a neat solution to the problem of carrying your bike around spots where riding isn't an option. The 7.5" strap of leather, called the "Little Lifter," connects to the frame via adjustable buckles affixed just above the derailleur, making the bike easy to lift and carry. By lowering the bike's center of gravity, the handle......read more
When you ride a bike, your legs generate power (duh), and no small amount, either. According to Mapawatt, pro cyclists riding the Tour de France generate as much as 430 watt-hours. What if we could capture that energy and use it to power other stuff? That's the question asked -- and answered -- by Fenix, an SF-based tech company focused on creating renewable energy products for emerging......read more