Friday Fun: Innovative gift ideas for urban cyclists
Have a biker on your gift list? These products can make urban cycling even more fun. Photo by Luis Hidalgo/Flickr.

Have a biker on your gift list? These products can make urban cycling even more fun. Photo by Luis Hidalgo/Flickr.

Happy Thanksgiving TheCityFix readers! For many of you, it is time to begin the search for the perfect gift for your friends and family before the holidays. If you have a cyclist on your gift list, these biking innovations could make their urban cycling experience easier, safer, and more fun.

Demand for sustainable mobility options is on the rise in cities worldwide, and cities are increasingly building new biking infrastructure. Bike-share systems are growing around the world, and cities from São Paulo to Istanbul are creating new bike lanes. At the same time, innovative new products are making urban biking more convenient and safe, helping to encourage city-dwellers to switch from their car to their bike. These bike innovations are so cutting-edge that they are only available to pre-order, but even pre-ordering these devices would make any of your biking friends and family very happy this holiday season.

Hammerhead helps bikers navigate the city easily

Smartphones have made navigation easier for many forms of transport, but they can be difficult and dangerous to use when biking in a city. Hammerhead aims to change this using an innovative attachment to the front of your bike that uses turn signals to direct you along your route. Hammerhead connects to your smartphone and uses city bike map data to guide you. Blinking lights tell bikers when to turn, and can even alert bikers to hazards on the road. Users can share their bike routes with each other and rank routes, allowing other cyclists to see the best way to navigate their city. Take a look at this product in action:

BitLock uses smartphones to keep bikes secure

Do you ever have trouble finding the key to your bike lock, or worry about your bike being stolen? BitLock is a technology-enabled bike lock that aims to replace your key with your smartphone. With the BitLock app on your smartphone, you will automatically unlock the BitLock device on your bike as you approach it. When you park your bike, BitLock uses GPS to remember its location so you don’t have to. BitLock even allows you to share your bike’s location with friends, and give them access to unlock your BitLock with their phone if they need to borrow your bike – taking bike-sharing to a whole new level. See how it works:

Copenhagen Wheel gives cyclists an extra boost

Ever wish you could speed up your bike commute or make it uphill without spending so much effort? The Copenhagen Wheel – created by Superpedestrian – attaches to the back wheel of bicycles to multiply cyclists’ pedaling power 3-10 times. The Wheel is responsive to bikers’ pedaling behavior, pushing with increasing power as riders pedal harder.

This transformative innovation might be too pricy for your holiday shopping at $799, but it could make a biker never want to drive again! See how the Wheel works:

Have any other innovative cycling products that you are getting your friends and family this holiday season, or ones you hope they are getting you? Share them with us on Facebook!

 

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