You Have To See It To Believe It — An Invisible Helmet?!

Tired of Helmet Hair? Now You Don't Have To Be!

It is well known that wearing a helmet when you ride a bicycle greatly increases your chances of surviving an accident. If you are constantly riding in traffic, commuting, or just really enjoy riding — your helmet is probably the number one thing you want to make sure you're wearing when you pedal away from your house.

Anna Haupt and Terese Alstin, both Swedish industrial design students came up with an idea for an invisible helmet in 2005 while they were studying at the University of Lund.




The technology is based on airbag technology but also uses motion sensors to detect when the body is moving abnormally. In circumstances when cyclists are in an accident or begin to fall, the helmet deploys an inflatable nylon hood around the cyclists head.

"It recognizes that your body is having an abnormal movement that you can't have unless your body is positioned radically different than how it's supposed to be," Alstin says. "In a way, it's technology that has existed before, but used together in a new way.

A cold gas inflator, positioned in the helmet's back collar, pumps the hood with helium when the sensors are triggered. The helmet stays inflated for several seconds so that it can absorb the shock of multiple hits in the same accident, before releasing the gas, and slowly deflating.

"We're hoping to enter new areas of usage and develop the technology further into new applications [so we can] save people in other ways," she says. "There's a lot to be done– we're definitely not short of ideas"

3 Ways to be Safer In Traffic

Being A Move (or Five) Ahead of Motorists

Anyone who has ridden a bike for an extended period of time has probably had some close calls when cycling in heavy — sometimes even light traffic. While some of those times may be a result of carelessness or multitasking on the part of the rider, we are all too well aware of how distracted and careless drivers can be.

It should suffice to say that defensive riding is the number one way to prevent accidents when out there in the cold street. One reason for that comes from this road proverb: You can drive a truck between what motorists ought to do - what they're legally obliged to do - versus what they actually do. Just because I have the right of way does not mean I can proceed in the comfort that my rights, life and limb will not be violated.

So let's examine a few of the most common places to be aware of danger so that you may avoid nasty collisions or falls.


Cars Turning Right

When passing a motorist (or when one passes you) take a quick second to look through the window of the car. You will be amazed at how much you can divine of a motorist's knowledge and intentions.

Did he see you? Is he looking in his rear or side view mirror? Is he slowing down to make the right turn? Is he concentrated on the flow of incoming traffic— without looking back at you?

Remember - no matter how much it doesn't seem like it - motorists don't want to hit you either. Give them the benefit of the doubt and slow down a bit when you are in a place that you can tell it could be dangerous if motorists are distracted.

Cars Turning Left

Typically, seeing a car that is turning left is not too difficult to do. However, if you are riding in dense traffic, sometimes the traffic going in your same direction can hide a left-turning motorist from your view. If you have to ride in traffic like that, look for an opening in the traffic in front of you. The likeliest reason for this space is to allow a vehicle to cross the road, right in front of you.

Attentive Posture

Many of us who have ridden for a long time know fellow riders who tend to crash more than others. Typically, these are the inattentive riders. This might be excused, but for the consequences. At some point inattentiveness, and the disinclination to practice defensive riding, shifts the blame onto the cyclist. When you decide to engage in the sport of cycling, you're the one who'll pay the steepest price in an accident, regardless of whom is at fault.

The safest posture is to assume the worst from those on the other side. Then, you'll be pleasantly surprised when these drivers do the right thing and, more to the point, you're more likely to arrive home safe and sound and able to ride another day.

Bicycle Chains. How Are They Made?

Check This Out! Making a Bicycle Chain is a Complex Process!

A bicycle chain is essentially a roller chain. It's designed specifically to transfer pedal power to the bicycles rear drive wheel.


The manufacturing process starts with a punch press. It cuts and presses steel into the shape of chains inner link, which looks a lot like a figure eight. Incredibly, the punch press generates 10,000 links per hour! Each of the links have been made to interconnect, their contours formed to travel easily across the bikes gear sprockets.



Samples of these inner links are sent to a measuring station  to confirm the space between the holes is precisely twelve point seven millimeters. The tester also guages the diameter of the holes which must be accurate to within a fraction of a millimeter.

Then the links are baked in an oven at more than 1500 degrees fahrenheit. The blazing heat followed by a quick cool down hardens the steel. They now shovel these interlinks into a donut shaped machine. They add ceramic and silica powders, and poor in a small amount of water.

They then close this lid on the machine. It shakes vigorously causing the powders and water to form an abrasive paste that polishes the links. They load the polished inner links into a metal basket and shut the door.

Machinery plunges the basket into a series of chemical baths to give these inner links a nickel teflon veneer. The nickel teflon surface will resist corrosion, and it's smooth texture will allow the chain to travel easily over gear sprockets.

The bike chain's outer links get a different kind of finish. Unlike the inner links, they don't travel over sprockets so simple nickel plated will do.


They are now ready to assemble the chain one section at a time. Tubes feed the parts one by one into an assembly machine. Gripper arms adjust their position to assemble the links to other chain components such as retainer rings and spacers.

The machinery presses pins into the links holes to secure the assembly. Then grippers move the completed section of chain down the line.

It takes a whole lot of little pieces to build one short section of bicycle chain. The sections are linked together in one long chain, which winds by an inspection station to be examined for flaws.

 After that the chain takes a dip in hot oil to lubricate the links preventing squeakiness and wear down the road. The chain exits the lubrication station and travels through an absorbent material which soaks up the excess grease. A laser tool then signals the location where the chain has to be cut and blade chops it at the exact spot.

A standard chain is just over fifty six inches in length. It consists of one hundred fourteen inner links and one hundred fourteen external ones. And that's more than you will ever need to know about chains!

[VIDEO] Got A Flat Tire? Fix it in Five Minutes Or Less

Let Richard From Gotta Ride Bikes Talk You Through The Steps Of Changing A Flat 

 

He's Got Some Great Tips and Tricks For Making the Process As Quick and Easy As Possible.

 

6 Ways To Improve Hand Comfort On The Road

Experiencing Pain or Discomfort In Your Hands? Maybe This Will Help -

Check Out Our Recent Post About Pedaling Efficiency HERE!

 

1. Handlebar-Shoulder Ratio:

One way to get an idea of what width handlebars works best is to measure the distance between your shoulder blades. Have someone hold a yardstick against your back to take a reading.

Drop handlebars come in sizes ranging from about 38-cm to 44-cm wide and you select by matching the width of your shoulders. So, if the distance between your shoulder blades is 42-cm, that's what the handlebar width should be, measured from the center of the other end. Some manufacturer's measure from outside-to-outside, so check with us if you're not sure.  

2. Improve Breathing and Control

The right bar width will provide comfort and increased efficiency because you'll be able to breathe better. It's especially noticeable if you've been using too-narrow a drop handlebar and you climb frequently. You'll appreciate additional leverage too, whenever you stand.

3. Extra Padding

If regular tape doesn't provide enough comfort, another effective improvement can be made by inserting additional bits of padding under the tape and the hoods. In this case, we've used the excellent Marsas foam inserts.

After positioning and holding them in place with electrical tape, try not to overlap the bar tape as much as you would normally when wrapping – you'll need to save a bit for the extra bulk and slightly bigger diameter of the padding to make it last to the end at the top of the bar.
Other padding can be installed under the brake hoods, but this takes a bit of doing, as you have to roll the rubber back far enough to make access easy and prevent folds. Do this before taping up.

4. Bar Tape


The padding on your handlebars is one of the easiest and most effective ways of making your bike a more comfortable ride. Some tapes contain a gel-like material integrated into the fabric to make it even more forgiving.

After you've removed the old tape, start winding the new stuff from the bottom of the handlebars upwards. The trickiest bit is getting the tape to go around the brake lever body in a tidy way; use one of the extra pieces of tape provided to hide the lever clamp – too many wraps around the clamp zone and you may run out before you get to the top of the bars.

Finish off by cutting diagonally in line with the edge of the bar bulge and tape the edge over with some black electrical tape to make it neat and tidy.



5. Try Higher Bars

Riser bars are also available, which are models that slope upwards on the ends to provide less bend in your back when you lean forward to grab the grips. Many off-roaders find that risers are just the ticket for a more comfortable position. THey're also typically a bit wider than flat bars to provide additional leverage, which is helpful on technical terrain.

6. Lever Adjustment

As well as making life safer and less tiring, getting your lever reach correct will boost your confidence by increasing your braking control. Some Shimano STI levers can be moved closer to the bar by either screwing in the small adjustment screw as shown (Sora models) or inserting a set of spacer shims (current Tiagra, ST-R600, ST-R700).

You'll need to release a bit of cable at the brake anchor bolt to bring brake adjustment back to normal, then retighten firmly; but check that the cable hasn't suffered from cut strands at the old pinch point, and replace if in doubt.

If your levers have no adjustment, releasing a little cable will help you achieve an easier braking action, especially if you have smaller hands.