bike light writing

Check out this nice holiday greeting from San Fran-based Mission Bicycle Co. -- created with none other than a bike light!
Simple yet so magical... also here's a little history on light drawings including more beautiful and inspiring images by Man Ray and Picasso.

Thanks, Jefferson!

carbon dioxide detector

images of Climate Dress via Ecouterre

Another interesting use of the Arduino Lilypad... Diffus, a Danish design company, has created this beautifully crafted Climate Dress which monitors and responds to the amount of carbon dioxide in the air:

The Climate Dress is made of conductive embroidery, over hundred of tiny LED lights inserted into the embroidery, a CO2 sensor and an Arduino Lilypad microprocessor. The LEDs visualize the level of CO2 in the nearby surroundings and are powered trough the embroidery.

Just imagine this application on cycling apparel - LEDs pulsating based on the air conditions as you bike alongside city traffic. The more harmful, the faster the pulse...

via Tuned Into Cycling

seasonal bike love

Copenhagen Christmas via Inhabitat

Barcelona (cones) Trees via Wired

Milano Carouselle via Design Boom

Lots of joyful pedal-power installations are popping up in cities around the world this holiday season...

Copenhagen, Denmark (top) might be taking the lead with 15 bicycles in the City Hall Square lighting up 700 LED bulbs that a 17-meter-tall evergreen.

In Barcelona, Spain (middle), once the sun sets you can hop on a bike and contribute to powering the LED adorned Christmas tree in the central Mercat Santa Catarina square.

While in Milan, Italy (bottom), Carouselle by Ignacio Ojanguren Alvarez, Christina Perdikaki, and Hafsteinn Juliusson. By pedalling the stationary bikes you light up the over sized lamp!

light + pump

Two city cycling essentials in one. It's funny to see this bike light/pump since JUST YESTERDAY a friend of mine got a flat tire going over the Manhattan Bridge RIGHT AFTER we were discussing how important it is to carry a pump (particularly since we both often ride home alone late at night). The PUYL is "the first permanent illuminating bicycle light which does not need a battery" since it uses electromagnetic induction. The light’s battery gets charged when pumping -- ensuring a long life cycle! Here's hoping that this gets out on the market soon...

Via Core77

(new) helmets + (new) lights + (new) little carrier

Naturally Core77 has great coverage of the recent EUROBIKE show which had more than a thousand exhibitors from 42 countries. Here are some items included in Core's photo gallery hitting the market this year which I could not resist posting... Catlike Whisper Plus with the most beautiful vents (from Spain)

Viva Bikes helmet composed of fiberglass and leather (from Denmark)

Axa Basta remote control to help find your bike! (from the Netherlands)

Fibre Flare bike light sticks are just cool - versatile w/ a touch of 80's - checkout the U-Tube video of them in action (from Australia)

Fahrer little clutch which can be mounted in a number of ways onto your frame (from Germany)

Interior photos via Core77's photo gallery

(intense) night lights

California based company MonkeyLectric creates some really intense LED bike systems. Think ground effects on cars - but on bikes. Their products stemmed from founder Dan Goldwater's project at MIT (clear plastic bike with LED edge lighting).

The Monkey Light is a revolutionary bike light that keeps you visible. It features 32 of the brightest full color LEDs available, and cutting edge visual effects designed by our electronic artists. It's easy to mount on the spokes of nearly any bike wheel - Road, City, Cruiser, Mountain and BMX bikes. The digital effects are instantly customizable - with on-board buttons you can choose the colors, patterns and mood to fit any situation.

LEDs can be customized to create images shown above. Check out their circuit board on their website here

night light

Every once in a while I spot a commuter biking through Prospect Park at night, with what I consider to be the brightest rear bike light in NYC. The light is made up of rings of ultra bright LED lights. It's so bright it looks like there is a car up ahead - how wonderful would it be if everyone had one of these.

rain + shine

While in Copenhagen last summer, the sight of cyclists in the rain with umbrellas was a novelty.

But how about THIS umbrella with 64 individual LEDs via Intructables Imagine, a car would be able to spot you from at least a mile away. Magical + safe.

And it's dimmer adjustable so you can set how bright you want to be - anywhere from dim ambient light for strolling in the dark to carrying your own portable supernova beacon of light

Top pic via Copenhagenc Cycle Chic