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 …

My home town LBS, The HUB Bike co-op of Minneapolis, sponsored an event for people to design the most unique and useful bike gadgets.  Originally conceived by Brady Clark and engineered by Mykle Hansen, the SPEED-VEST is a cycling vest that uses electro-luminescent wire, a cyclocomputer, and an Arduino to show your current speed on your back for all to see.
With a reflective vest, and a giant glowing billboard on your back, we have yet another way to be seen while commuting to work (in style).
Click here for a complete …

In part one of “You’ve just bought a bike, now what?”, I covered the essential items you’ll need after purchasing your (likely first) bike, including the helmet, spare tubes, patch kit, tools, and pump/CO2. Part 2 covered the seat wedge, pedals, shoes and cleats.
Part 3 of this series will help you with the sunglasses, cyclocomputer, headlight, and taillights.

Cateye is like the old faithful of cycling computers. They are reliable, accurate, and have been around forever. The Cateye Strada Cadence (CC-RD200) continues on with this tradition as it’s an excellent computer for the cycling enthusiast.
This computer can track your…you guessed it…cadence, along with a few other useful monitoring statistics. It also tracks your current speed, maximum speed, average speed, odometer, 2 trip distances, elapsed time, and clock. I’m not really sure if I can even think of any other features that I would need; …

Garmin has announced that they will be releasing the Edge 605 and 705 in the first quarter of 2008. We’ve taken a look at the Edge 305 over a year ago, and these have definitely stepped up the features.
These are the latest in GPS-enabled cycling computers that have the ability to measure your speed, distance, time, calories burned, and altitude. The Edge 705 also has the ability to track your heart rate, cadence, power (from optional third-party product), climb, and descent.
One of the neatest features is the virtual partner …

MyCyFi, Inc. has introduced the Cy-fi, a wireless bicycle speaker with iPod compatibility. The Cy-fi speaker mounts to the bike frame, and you simply keep the iPod in a jacket pocket or armband. The Cy-fi features wireless audio with “Kleer technology,” track, volume and playlist controls on the speaker, letting the rider leave the iPod in a pocket, a 30-pin wireless transmitter for iPod, the ability to broadcast music to up to four Cy-fi systems at once, and a speaker weight of under 3 ounces.
This system may actually be a …

The Shimano Flight Deck is a great alternative to the Cateye Mity 8 cyclocomputer. It’s a more expensive alternative than the Mity 8 running from $40 to $160 (depending on which harness you get, and if you need one), but does include many additional benefits.
The neatest features is how it integrates to your Shimano shifters. You can check out your gears at a glance on the LCD screen. This is great for setting up after coming out of a hill.
Front and rear gear positions are always displayed …