Green Thing Blog

Cycling's just lovely isn't it? Particularly on a sunny day, there's nothing better than having the air swishing past you as you zip past traffic jam-trapped cars, knowing you're getting from A to B without any C and having a whole jolly lot of fun in the process.

But for those of us whose biking habits follow something of a vampiric pattern it can be another story altogether. Cycling at night can be pretty scary when you can only just see where you're going with just a tiny little headlight high above the ground it's supposed to be illuminating, not to mention the threat of half asleep drivers who don't see you no matter how many hi-vis vests you're wearing.

Well, fortunately there should soon be an end to these worries thanks to inventor Kent Frankovich's Revolights prototype. These brilliant beacons consist of two LED laden hoops that clip onto bicycle rims, blinking on and off at a frequency related to the speed of the cyclist.  The Revolights, powered by lithium-ion batteries, light up the front half of the front wheel and the back half of the back wheel, illuminating the road both ahead and behind as well as making the bike unmissable to motorists. They also happens to lend the cyclist a certain futuristic look, so they're perfect if you find the present a bit passé.

The project was launched on Kickstarter in August and it is hoped the Revolight will be in production by the end of the year so keep it in mind as a potential Christmas present for the nocturnal cyclist in your life.

Cycling is pretty all round excellent, for you and for the environment. Find out loads of interesting stuff on Pedalling the Pedals here or read this encouraging tale of how a stolen bike was stolen back by its owner.

(Spotted on Springwise)

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(Image: Silverbacklab)

Every time I'm out with my bike and need to pedal long distances I always bring some good music with me. So you imagine my annoyance when my iPod battery died five minutes after I left my friends' house.

"I cant believe it! Why did I not check it before leaving home? What an idiot!"

When I got back home I found that Silverback, a German bike maker, just designed a brilliant and innovative idea to fix my problem! A bike with built-in USB ports that charge up your devices whilst you pedal. What an ingenious invention! Moreover we don't have to forget that bikes are (and will always be) 0% CO2 Emissions and 100% COol in fashion.

There are two Starke models both equipped with an integrated USB port that, connected to the front dynamo hub, gives energy to low-voltage devices - becoming your best and inseparable friend in low batteries situations. Pricing and availability have yet to be announced so you don't have to rush right now to get one but keep your eyes open!

You don't want to miss this great opportunity to Pedal the Pedal while at the same time Plugging into Better Electricity.

(Spotted on Springwise)

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(Image: Yanko Design)

The Riding Patner is a new type of solar bike light, shaped like a small hugging human that clings to your bike and glows to show other road users where you are. Adorable and useful, it also doubles up as a shoulder pad if you need to carry your bike. Not convinced? Here's 6 reasons why the Bike Buddy is so good.

1- It Plugs into Better Energy. Instead of consuming electricity or draining batteries it gobbles up day light for few minutes and glows as soon as darkness falls, lasting for more than 8 hours.

2- It will always Pedal the Pedals. It'll never leave you alone. Unless you forget to bring it.

3- It can also be used as shoulder-pad, this means that in case you have to carry the bike it will save your shoulder from hurting. And if your carrying your bike in the dark, it will still light up so everyone can see how strong you are!

4- Saving light by using solar materials the little buddy does its best in wasting no energy and re-using it when needed.

5. It's super cute

6- It goes Easy on the Meat. OK, so let's be honest, it doesn't eat meat at all! It just needs a bit of light and its stomach will be magically full of energy.

(Spotted on Yanko Design)

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We are none too impressed by the new bylaw in Toronto that is making it illegal to park your bike anywhere other than a proper bike rack or official city bike post. As such we've come up with a list of ingenious parking solutions for you and your bike.

(Image: thegoodbike)

1. Disguise your bike as some wonderful art a la The Good Bikes to trick the man into letting you park your bike anywhere you like!!

2. Alternatively you could hang you bike on a bike tree.

(Image: bikerumor)

3. Or even in a real tree.....

4. Allow your bike to scale up lamp posts for a great space saving way to park your bike

(Image: decoatz)

5. If you need somewhere to park a bike in your own home, think about putting it on the wall. Click here for advise on how get it mounted.

(Image: isayitsotrue)

6. If interior walls aren't your think you can always think about hanging it out the window.

(Image: toxel)

7. Carry it around on your back all day when you out of the city and are exploring the outdoors.

8.  A bike rack in the form of a conveyor belt!

(Image: coolfunpics)

9. Instead of slinging your runners over a telephone wire, park your bike on them.

(Image: knowhowshopla)

10. Combs and bikes go surprisingly well together!

With all these great ways to park your bike we're sure that you will be eager to get out there and Pedal-Those-Pedals!

(Spotted on Treehugger)

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Suitable cycling attire doesn't just have to be about squeezing yourself into lycra. It can also be about wearing cute high-vis buttons like these SpotMe Badges.

They were designed and made by Katie Barton after she decided she needed better visibility when cycling in London but didn't want to compromise her style by donning a high-vis vest.

They are made from reflective fabric and then decorated with beautiful stitching so you can pin them to your bag, your coat, your gloves, wherever you want, and look pretty during the day and easily seen at night.

(All images: SpotMe)

These adorable badges help you to be well lit up and riding safely whilst you Pedal the Pedals this winter.

(Spotted on London Cycle Chic)

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