Did your father say that he walked to school when he was your age? In the snow? Uphill? Both ways?

Well, that ain't so hardcore. In the Netherlands, kids have to pedal their school bus:

Built by Tolkamp Metaalspecials, and sold by the De Cafe Racer company, the bicycle school bus (BCO in Dutch) is powered entirely by children and the one adult driver (although there is an electric motor for tough hills). Its simple design has eight sets of pedals for the kids (ages 4 to 12), a driver seat for the adult, and three bench seats for freeloaders. The top speed is about 10 miles per hour, and features a sound system and canvas awning to ward off rainy days.

Read more at Co.Exist: Link

It may not be a guaranteed in for the biker gang of your choice, but at least you don’t have to put gas in it! The BOXX electric bike is the new square way to get around town without negatively impacting the environment, although people may complain that it’s a bit of an eyesore.

It goes up to 35 mph, so you won’t really be hitting the highway on this bad boy, but maybe the light (120 lbs.) and short (36 inches long) body style is what you’re looking for, like when you need to pick it up and run away from that biker gang you tried to join.

Link

National Geographic selected ten amazing people for their Adventurers of the Year. You can read about each one and then vote for your favorite to win the People’s Choice Award (through January 18th). One of those finalists is rider Danny MacAskill, whose stunt videos have gone viral over the past couple of years. Read more about him at NatGeo’s Intelligent Travel blog. Link -Thanks, Marilyn Terrell!

You've seen them (or maybe you are one): holier-than-thou urban bicyclist who think they're better than their environmentally destructive, car-driving brethren.

Will Doig of Slate's Dream City blog is a cyclist - and he has written about the image problem of urban bicyclist:

Urban bicyclists have an image problem. They’ve become stereotyped as pretentious, aloof jackasses, and a lot of this has to do with the changes taking place in cities right now. [...]

Railing against bikes, in fact, became a great way to sell papers. A hundred years ago, newspapers ginned up scare stories about the threat that hapless women on bicycles posed to pedestrians. Today, old-school tabloids like the New York Post have found that the bicyclists-versus-everyone narrative still resonates. In Op-Eds with titles like “Bike-Lane Bloodbath,” bicycles are portrayed as weaponized toys, and isolated accidents are held up as proof that bicycles are an urban menace. Last week in San Francisco, a 23-year-old bicyclist was charged with misdemeanor vehicular manslaughter for striking and killing a pedestrian — a tragic incident, but one that occurred in a city where 800 pedestrians are hit by cars every year. Still, the story was front-page news, sparking an online uproar: “I’m sick of bicycles and their cocky, self-righteous riders,” one commenter wrote on the San Francisco Chronicle’s website. “Bicyclists believe that they are untouchable.”

So 'fess up: are you a bike snob? Link - via Metafilter

MAKO Bike Tool – $47.95

Have you been spinning your wheels trying to come up with the perfect gift for the bicycle enthusiast in your family? You need the MAKO Bike Tool from the NeatoShop. This great little gadget is 12+ tools in one and is made from Titanium. It includes:

• 1/4″ hex bit holder
• 8mm box wrench
• 9mm box wrench
• 10mm box wrench
• 15mm box wrench
• 16mm box wrench
• 14g spoke wrench
• 15g spoke wrench
• 6mm allen head
• 8mm allen head
• #2 phillips
• T25 torx
• and a bottle opener

Be sure to check out the NeatoShop for more fun Tools.

Link

Starting next summer, a partnership between New York City and Atla Bike Share will set up ten thousand bicycles for public use. Membership cards for the year will be priced lower than a monthly MetroCard, and the first 30 minutes of bike use is free. The video features Atla’s successful bike program in Washington, D.C., the largest in the country.

Link -via Gizmodo | Video

Chris Unitt was brave enough to become a prop for a bicyclist during a promotion for Cirque Eloize in Boston. He’s got more nerves than I do! Link -via The Daily What

A bicycle can be an art medium just as much as a canvas or a wall, right? Imagine riding around on this flamingo bicycle, with all eyes upon you! This is just one of Ten Unique Bikes (many of them roadworthy) compiled in a list at Unique Daily. Link

(Image credit: Flickr user David’s digits)

This lime-green Lego bike was just one of the highlights of the Brickmagic Lego convention in North Carolina earlier in May. Check out their Flickr photostream for tons of other amazing creations.

Link via Geekologie

The design called PIT IN uses a desk or table as a bike rack. The bicycle seat then serves as a chair while you work or take a break. That is, if you are OK with sitting on a bicycle seat while you’re not riding. This could only be comfortable if my bicycle had a tractor seat. Link -via Laughing Squid

Those are few words that came to my mind when I read this news story from The Palm Beach Post:

That, my friends, is determination: Link -via BuzzFeed

I never bought a wheelie bar, but this ad from 1966 brings back memories of doing stunts on my old spider bike, like standing on the seat… Then my mother instincts kicked in. Hey! These kids aren’t just riding without helmets, they aren’t even wearing shoes! And who encourages their kids to do wheelies, anyway? Things sure have changed in 45 years! -via Nag on the Lake

It’s now called the “special flip” because “Special Greg” Powell was the one who accomplished it. This performance of Nitro Circus was recorded in Gosford, Australia. -via reddit

Believe it or not the lightweight bicycle pictured above was printed out on a computer. Designed by scientists in Bristol, England, it is created by building up layers of nylon powder through a process known as Additive Layer Manufacturing. The computer-aided design is sent to a printer  filled with the powdered material.

A computer splits the 3D design into many 2D layers and a laser beam is used to melt the powder material into the first of the layers.This is then covered by a new layer of powder and the process is repeated with the next ‘slice’.The manufacturing process uses about one-tenth of the material required in traditional methods, reducing waste.

Made by the European Aeronautic Defence and Space group this bicycle is as strong as steel but weighs 65% less.

Link

A particularly steep hill caused grief for many competitors at the BUCS Cycling Championships at Moelfre Hall Downhill Track in Wales. If you think the hill doesn’t look all that steep in this video, notice the angle of the spectators. Bonus: Banana Splits music by The Dickies. Link -via Metafilter

The Presurfer has the video clip (turn down your sound, though): Link

This is something you can honestly call mechanical animation. Tim Wheatley made his own zoetrope out of a bicycle wheel! -via @LettersofNote

The idea is not going over too well upstate.

“Collecting money from parents and from little kids – that would give us their allowance money to be able to ride their bicycle – to pay for a license plate . . . that’s gone too far,” says Erie County Clerk Kathy Hochul.

Ed Reilly of WKBW ha more: Link

This helmet-cam video might make you a bit woozy. Filip Polc rides down a steep path in Valparaíso, Chile as the crowd watches. -via The Daily What

What do you get when you cross bicycling with Bauhaus design? Behold the BauBike by Michael Ubbesen Jakobsen:

The BauBike is inspired by Bauhaus design. It is constructed around the geometric shape of the square and the equilateral triangle. The design is stripped down to clean lines and raw material.

Link – via thecoolhunter

Flickr user Tor Weeks created this clever poster illustrating the various types of bicycles you’d find in San Francisco. The Tenderloin (a sketchy part of the city, for those of you who don’t know) version is quite appropriate!

See the larger version: Link – via Laughing Squid

Horse with Hands Riding a Bike is a one-subject blog, but it’s not a simple subject. What’s hard to draw? Horses. Hands. Bicycles. Put them all together for a true test of anyone’s drawing skills. Edward Carter did a good job with this one. Hero of Switzerland challenges anyone to draw a horse with hands riding a bike and submit it. Link -via b3ta

Visit Steven M. Johnson at his website.

Sometimes all you need are some creative words to illustrate your idea. Behold the Bicycle Typogram by Aaron Kuehn for the Los Angeles County
Bicycle Coalition: Link (you’ve got to see at full-screen to capture all the clever details)

It’s only a concept now, but designer Juri Zaech is working on a real prototype of his "Write a Bike" concept. If it works out, then you’ll be able to special order a bike that spells your own name. Can’t wait to ride the Neatorama bike!

Cubiclebot has more pics: Link

The link goes to a fulltext and extensively illustrated manual from 1876, offering tips on how to get on and off the high-wheeled non-tandem bicycles, how to ride side-saddle, and how to ride without using the hands (or the hands and legs), supplemented by some useful training tips:

The daily use of the cold bath, or tepid if necessary, cannot be too strongly insisted upon; and also early rising and going to rest; and the avoidance of all rich viands, such as pork, veal, duck, salmon, pastry, &c., &c…”

Link, via.

Sign? This bicycle shop in Atlandsberg, Germany, needed no stinkin’ signs because they’ve got 120 bicycles mounted on the building’s wall – via Flavorwire

Cubiclebot has a video clip of a bicycle rider going the wrong way hitting a pedestrian who was jaywalking. Watch how two "fails" cancel each other out: Link

These scans of an old safety booklet for children called It’s Great to be Alive! are full of gruesome injuries that befall careless bicycle riders, pedestrians, and kids at play.

In fairness, adults didn’t have a lot of options in those days, so using abject fear was a common parenting tool. There were no reflective bicycle helmets or knee-pads for skateboarders, no designated bicycle lanes, many fewer supervised activities, and we didn’t even have seat belts in cars until the mid-1960s. When accidents happened, they were usually pretty grim.

See more mayhem in this article from Gene Gable. Link -via TYWKIWDBI

I didn’t cry but I jutted my lower lip out the entire way home. It was a genuine sad face. I tried to stop the sad face but I could not. I really love my yellow bike, and it is summer and riding your bike is the best, and also it is my main form of transportation around town. I didn’t know how I was going to be able to afford a new one, and seriously, I was super bummed. It is a material object, yes, and it can be replaced, but it’s MY BIKE AND I LOVE IT.

I sad-faced myself to sleep.

This morning I woke up around 9 AM and checked Craigslist to see if there were any reasonably priced bikes on there and lo and behold, there was a picture of my bike for sale for $75. They even had a picture of the scratches.

The story gets exciting from that point. Her friend did some detective work, and the police set up a sting operation. Then she had to meet the guy who had her bike. It sounds like a television show that wraps up in an hour, and it all happened just today. Link -via Buzzfeed

Did you hear the story about how Allie tried to learn how to ride a bike? She was deathly afraid of the contraption, and for good reason, which you can read about at Hyperbole and a Half. Link

Food would be served on plastic or ceramic dishes at seating made from tree trunks. Coffee and juice would be dispensed in purchasable mugs that would fit in a bike holder. And to capture the zeitgeist of the Wisconsin north woods, beer and wine would also be on the menu.

The proposed location near a golf course is “the one place where you can’t hear any cars in the middle of the city,” beside a bike path that sees 2,600 users/day.  The city’s mayor has indicated he supports the proposal.

Link. “Type Bike” image available on t-shirt from Neatoshop.

Korean designer SungKug Kim made this bicycle and a couple of others which incorporate the shapes of antlers and horns and named the art project Bi-King. Link | Artist’s site -via Chris Tackett

At some point you have to grow up and leave your childhood toys behind.  Or not!  You could just remove Dapple Gray from his springs, give him a fresh coat of paint, and mount him on your bicycle for a distinctive ride that will never be confused with anyone else’s at the company bike rack. The artist is Flickr user carriepie, who made this piece to take to Burning Man.

Link – via nagonthelake

From the Upcoming ueue, submitted by Marilyn Terrell.

YouTube link.

Time lapse video from the fourth largest city in the Netherlands.

This is an ordinary Wednesday morning in April 2010 at around 8.30 am. Original time was 8 minutes that were compressed into 2 minutes, so everything is 4 times faster than in reality. The sound is original.

This is one of the busiest junctions in Utrecht a city with a population of 300,000. No less than 18,000 bicycles and 2,500 buses pass here every day. And yet Google Street View missed it. Because private motorized traffic is restricted here.

These cyclists cross a one way bus lane (also used by taxis and municipal vehicles), two light rail tracks and then a one way street that can be used by private vehicles.

Commentary at the link addresses the absence of helmets on the cyclists.

Via The High Definite.

This folding, pedal-free electric bike designed by VW, made its debut at Auto China 2010 and is designed to fold up and fit in your spare tyre comparment. The Bik.e is capable of 12.5 miles on a full charge with a top speed of 12.5 mph, and it’s designed to draw a charge from the car itself so you won’t need to worry about plugging it in.

The idea is not particularly to use the bike for emergency breakdowns; it’s more for helping you reach a destination that the car alone cannot access, or where parking is not available where you want to go.   Apparently this is not just a concept – the bikes will be marketed, although pricing information has not been released.  A video at the link shows the bike in use.

Link.

Kevin Hughes, 47, a cyclist from the Welsh city, said: "It’s just hilarious. I saw it as I was cycling past and couldn’t believe my eyes.

"Obviously nobody could cycle in it because it is so small. You just have time to get in the saddle before getting off again."

The bureaucrats, of course, have a perfectly logical reason:

A Cardiff Council spokesman said the lane is intended to "highlight the interface between the eastbound carriageway and the beginning of a new contraflow facility".

He said it would help cyclists cross the busy city centre and give them somewhere safe to stop before turning.

He said: "The purpose of the new facility is to enable cyclists to ride safely and legally in the opposite direction to the flow of traffic.

"The marking helps to highlight the point at which cyclists can turn left off the carriageway to join the contraflow facility."

Link (photo: Wales News)

Costing up to $11,000 for a pair, the wheel-skate features two large carbon fibre wheels. The skater’s feet are suspended below the axle, which is believed to enable a smoother ride than skiing or cycling and can be worn for hours without discomfort.

It can also reach a top speed of 40km/h.

To pull up, skaters need to do a “t-stop,” where one foot is dragged sideways on the road surface.

Mr Jenkins, 50, came up with the idea by combining his favourite forms of transport – skiing, cycling and skating.

Link via Geekologie | Video | Official Site | Photo: Sunday Mail

So perhaps it’s better if I just limit myself to adoring this ingenious bicycle and propane-powered mobile cotton candy maker in China. The sugar is heated with propane, and the cotton candy is spun using the bike pedals.

Wonderment blog has the video clip [embedded YouTube clip] | MAKE blog has larger pics (Photo: Kai over at MAKE) – Thanks Amie!

Bill and Amarins packed up their three young daughters Cheyenne, Jasmine, and Robin and set off on a 7,000 mile journey from Mt. Vernon, Kentucky (just up the road from me) to Alaska. What’s different about this trip is that they are traveling on a bicycle built for five! They call themselves the Pedouins, which is combination of pedal and Bedouins, meaning nomadic people. The journey included a detour to Mexico, since the purpose of the trip is to teach their children about the world. The family began the trip in October of last year, and they’ve made it to California so far. You can follow their adventure on their website. Link -Thanks, Hanan!

Welsh artist Pete Fowler, who created the really cool artwork for the band Super Furry Animals, made a "Twike" – a bicycle that will tweet its location as you bike around. It’s an art project for the Chance Collective for London’s EAST Festival that’s going on now (March 4 to 11).

Emma of Cakehead Loves Evil blog told us:

The decision to create the ‘Twike’ came with the festival’s ongoing theme of cycling. We are going to be personally cycling loads of fantastic events for cyclists in this year’s EAST including the Cycle East gig tour where you can travel to three gigs taking place in splendid East London locations all in one afternoon, on your bike, for free. Pete was chosen as he works and lives in the very heart of East London. [...]

Working with The Greenhouse Group, the bike will be fitted with a mobile which is programmed to tweet out messages when it comes within range of key areas of the festival, encouraging people to not only follow the bike online but also offline around the festival; there will also be a google maps mashup which shows the path of the bike through East London.

Link | Pete Fowler’s official website and blog | Making of the Twike video – Thanks Emma!

Check out Pete’s vinyl toy, previously featured on Neatorama: Full Vinyl: The Subversive Art of Designer Toys

Update 3/4/10 – Flickr photoset here.

For a class project, nine mechanical engineering majors at Yale built a bicycle with a spokeless back wheel. One of them, redditor zhoalander, described the design in a thread at reddit:

It’s a single speed setup. We used two cranks and two bottom brackets in the front to gear up the ratio. It goes from (IIRC) 53 to a 13, which is connected to the second crank and another 53 which connects to the rear hub. The rear hub is just a normal ratcheting rear hub that we mated to our belt pulley. Not sure if all these bike terms are right, but that’s the general idea.

The front wheel would be almost exactly the same as the rear wheel except that it could be a little lighter. Some of the aluminum can be shaved off since there’s no powertrain to connect to.

At the top of the thread, there are imgur links to more pictures of the bike.

Link via CrunchGear

Bike riding can get a bit boring after a while. So why not read a book while you’re at it? The Performance Book Caddy attaches to your bicycle’s handlebars, letting you focus on your text while riding. What would possibly go wrong?

Link via DVICE

Bergmönch is an interesting idea! Now you can climb a mountain with a backpack, and then unfold the backpack into a scooter of sorts so you can wheel your way down. The question: is a speedier descent worth carrying the extra weight up?

Link – via artsyspot

From the Upcoming ueue, submitted by sanela.

Engineer Carl Morgan’s son complained that a certain hill was too hard to climb on his bicycle. Could his dad invent a machine to help him power over these inclines? The answer came in “Joules”, an electrically-powered robot that rides in the back seat of a tandem bicycle:

Morgan spent months modeling how to transform a motor’s spin into pedal-pushing legs. The motor inside Joules’s torso turns a series of linked belts and chains that transfer power from one area of the robot to the next. Each upper leg pivots at the hip, raising and lowering its knee and forcing the lower legs to turn the pedals. He also added “bones” (rods on the outside) for needed stiffness.

Morgan was nervous when he climbed in front for the final test, but Joules easily cruised to the top of the hill. The bike could probably do more, even hit 30 mph, but Morgan says he doesn’t plan to find out: “Abject cowardice on my part means we’ll never know for sure.”

Link | Official Website

The day I left Dawson, March 2, 1900 was clear and crisp, 30° below zero. I was dressed in a flannel shirt, heavy fleece-lined overalls, a heavy mackinaw coat, a drill parka, two pairs of heavy woolen socks and felt high-top shoes, a fur cap that I pulled down over my ears, a fur nosepiece, plus fur gauntlet gloves.

Along the way, Hirschberg suffered from exposure, snowblindness, and a broken bicycle chain. He came close to drowning. His money was gone. Still, he made it to Nome. Link -via Metafilter

(image found at Center Scene)

The intention of our Bike Friendly Service program is to create a consistent policy and experience for our guests in the drive thru.  To support this program, a cross-functional team, including members from Hawthorne Burgerville and community members from the Bicycle Transportation Alliance, have designed and are beginning the implementation of the first phase of the program.

Link via BikePortland

This working bicycle is also a work of art! The Forkless Cruiser is a graduation project by Olli Erkkila, a student at the Lahti Institute of Design in Finland.

Link

From the Upcoming ueue, submitted by oezicomix.

Mr Bowthorpe cycled through France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, Poland, Ukraine, Romania, Bulgaria, Turkey, Iran, India, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and the United States – taking flights where necessary – before coming back to Europe.

This week he pedalled through Spain and France before catching a ferry across the English Channel to Portsmouth where he met his mother and father.

He finished his ride back at his Hyde Park starting point accompanied by his brothers and 20 other cyclists.

The trip around the world raised £55,000 for research into Parkinson’s disease. Link -via Unique Daily

Linsey Pollak, Brendan Hook, and Ric Halstead comprise The Cycologists, an Australian band that bases its preformances on a bicycle theme. They’ve fitted their instruments into their bicycles, as the video above demonstrates when the musicians use their seats as clarinets. Other instruments include tuned bicycle bells, flutes that work as handlebars, and panpipes powered by tire pumps. The Cycologists’ stage shows are quite complex and you can see videos of them at the link.

Link