The Powerplus Swallow is certainly an interesting concept.  It’s a windup bike light and phone charger in one. Now, I’m pretty sure this won’t outshine our favorite light, the Planet Bike Blinky Superflash, but you never know.  According to the ECOutlet (cute…), the light will shine intensely for 8 minutes for every 1 minute of winding you do.  Also, 1 minute of winding will give you 2-8 minutes of talk time or 20-30 minutes standby time.  Ok, I admit, this could be useful if it worked well.  The next time …

NPR is running a great article about a Brooklyn, NY bike shop that teaches you how to build your own bamboo bike.  Not only do you get the priceless bike building knowledge, but you also get to keep the bike.  In our article from July of this year, we talk about the rise in bamboo bike sales for Calfee bikes in the UK.  The downside is that Calfee bikes will run you nearly $5000.  You can build your own bamboo bike at Bamboo Bike Studio for around $1000, and most of …

The Ikea hacker blog has a pretty slick bike rack for a lot less than many commercial bike racks.  They’ve hacked an Ikea Stolmen post to turn it into a two-bike indoor rack (although, this could be used in a garage as well, I suppose).  The parts for the rack will cost around $60, and take about a 1/2 hour to build, depending on your skills.
From the blog:
he says, “there are a lot bicycle storage/rack-systems on the market, but none of them met my expectations in function/style and price. i …

The Daily Peloton has a review of the “Audio Bike” music system specifically designed for the biker that likes to train to music, but also considerate of others, and is safety conscious.  The system consists of a mount, speakers for each of the handlebar ends.  The speakers have batteries that need to be charged, but do look pretty unobtrusive on the bike.  The mount looks pretty useful as well, especially if you have an iPhone or iPod touch.

Bright Bike kits are the brainchild of Michael Mandiberg.  They are simple DIY kits for making your bike much more visible to cars at night.  Just look at the video on the Bright Bike website for a better idea of exactly how dramatic the difference is between a bike with the kit, and without.  Whats included for the $15?  

The New York Times has put together a terrific gift guide for cyclists. There is one twist, however. Everything in the gift guide is a product made in NYC. You also won’t find the classic gifts like multitools, or bike pumps on the list. They have put together a list of thoughtful, and unique gifts for any bike enthusiast.

Taking a queue from the hybrid car designers, MIT has shown off what it views as the future of must-have bike accessories.  The concept, called the Copenhagen Wheel, is a set of intelligent components encased in the rear wheel; a battery, electric motor, bluetooth to communicate speeds to an iPhone, and various other tech.  As you slow down, the sensor detects the speed change, and uses the braking to charge up the battery.  As you speed up, the sensor detects this, and kicks in the motor to help you out …