Bicymple strips design down to the core, removes bike chains

The prototype for the Bicymple tears it down to just a bar, handle, seat, and two wheels. And you didn't think bikes can get simpler.

When the weather is nice out, nothing is a better activity than getting your bike out of the garage and going for a beautiful ride. That is, unless you’re constantly interrupted with your pedaling when the bike chain falls out and you have to stop to fix and get your hands all oiled up. Bleh. Yes, I could get it fixed at a shop, but screw that noise. Peeves like those are why I’m particularly drawn to the Bicymple, a design that strips the chain component to make the entire vehicle more flexible.

“By removing the chain, the number of moving parts and overall complexity is significantly reduced. A direct-drive, freewheeling hub joins the crank arm axis with the rear-wheel axis, shortening the wheelbase and minimizing the design,” describes Bicymple designer Josh Bechtel. “More than just a stylish concept bike, the bicymple is comfortable, easy to ride, and brilliantly simple to maintain … The optional rear-steer mode is reminiscent of custom ‘swing bikes’ and allows tighter turns and ‘crab-riding.’”

Basically, it’s two unicycles attached with a bar. Who knew such a concept could turn into an interesting, minimalist bike? 

From the looks of the demo video, the Bicymple sure looks like a fun ride, and maybe slightly more difficult than your average bike. We could only wonder about the physics and how much weight you have to put into the front and rear wheels to properly control the bike. Questions aside, the stylish and minimalist design is something that’s always trendy and appreciated in our eyes, and we hope you think it’s cool, too.

Source : digitaltrends[dot]com

Is Scottevest the biggest smartphone case ever, or a really dorky jacket?

Hate taking your smartphones out of your pocket upon new notifications? Scottevest's Quick Draw pocket lets you access them through the fabric.

With colder weather approaching, many of us are already thinking about preparing the right clothes for the season. The most important criteria are that the clothes must be both stylish and functional. So when we caught wind of the Scottevest Fleece 7.0 jacket, we couldn’t help but wonder: is this thing technically just a fleece with cool features, or the biggest gadget case ever?

Here’s how Fleece 7.0 (we didn’t realize there were that many versions before) works. As many of you will be stuffing your hands inside your jacket pocket during the winter, it’s only convenient that you don’t have to remove your hand from that warm little nook when your smartphone rings. Instead of pulling your phone out, removing your non-conductive glove, and checking your messages, you can just flip the pocket over to reveal a transparent fabric that will allow you to access your phone without pulling it out of the pocket. The Quick Draw pocket, as Scottevest coins it, is made with Clear Touch fabric that is conductive enough to let you control your touchscreen device through the layer. Whether this will interfere with your screen while the phone is just rubbing against your belly, however, we’re not so sure.

Aside from the Quick Draw pocket, Scottevest Fleece 7.0 also has a myriad of pockets to store all your must-have gadgets on the go. Basically, it’s another way to get on a flight without checking your bag for just tech accessories alone. With a whopping total of 23 pockets, including a loophole for your earphones to hang at the collar while connected to your pocketed device and a pocket big enough to hold an iPad and a water bottle, Fleece 7.0 seems like a surefire way to keep warm — whether from the heat of your gadgets or the fleece itself. The jacket sleeves are also removable to convert into a vest for those comfortable fall days.

While the idea of novel and technically useful, in terms of real world practicality, this jacket might just make you the biggest geek ever. Can you imagine hugging someone with your iPad sitting at your ribcage? What about the square body shape from all the stuffed gadgets in your jacket? For the die-hard gadgeteers, perhaps function defeats style. We’ll leave you that thought to ponder while we slip back into our no-pocket fleece blanket with a nice cup of tea. Ah, fall.

Intrigued by the Fleece 7.0? The item is available for pre-order today at $160 in your choice of black or red fleece, with a shipment date estimated for the end of the October.

Source : digitaltrends[dot]com