Bikes

A full-suspension electric 29er built for the city, the Åska may look like the latest electric light motorcycle, but a Gates carbon belt drive and Pinion gearbox keep your feet and calves engaged, while the modular design lets you swap in new components.

An advanced tire technology developed by NASA for use on planetary rovers could be coming to a bike lane near you, with startup the Smart Tire Company leveraging the technology to introduce an airless shape memory alloy tire for bicycles.

A new study has delved into the mechanics of muscle maintenance, finding that even short stints on a bike can boost the activity of “death marker protein,” which clears out damaged muscle proteins to keep things in working order.

There are many electric-assist bikes available, and most will offer the rider different levels of assist, selectable from the handlebar. But the Greyp G6 unveiled in Zagreb, Croatia, on Friday can monitor a rider's heart rate and adjust the level of assistance it provides accordingly.

"Why am I doing this again?" I asked a friend, half-joking but also half-serious, as he helped me strap enough luggage to fill a small suitcase onto the seatpost of my bike. I was about to ride alone into the forest for two days, on the hunt for adventure.

At CES this week in Las Vegas, UK bike retailer Halfords announced mid-year availability for the world's first e-bike – the Cybic E-Legend – that has Amazon's Alexa cooked in, meaning that riders will be able to ask the cloud-based voice assistant for directions and more.

Bike helmets can look dorky and are often too bulky to stash in a bag. The Park & Diamond is a new helmet designed to solve both of those problems, resembling a baseball cap when it’s on your head and collapsing down to the size of a water bottle when it’s not.

Brothers Bob and Tom Schiller are looking to bring back local bike frame production. Taking lessons from the auto industry, the twins decided to try and reinvent the way a bike frame is produced. And the first model is rolling off the production line.

Imagine cycling across not only hundreds of miles of desert terrain, but up thousands of feet in elevation at the same time. That’s the harsh reality for the battle-hardened cyclists taking part in the Gaes Titan Desert race.

​It built its success on cars, but Uber hasn't been afraid to explore other forms of transport as it looks to stay ahead of the game. The ride-sharing company is now making a move into transport of the two-wheeled variety, with the acquisition of an electric bike-sharing service called Jump.

Last week in Geneva, Cervélo Cycles launched a limited edition Lamborghini version of its P5X triathlon bike that's said to echo the aesthetics of supercars like the Centenario. Little wonder that it's being described as "the fastest and most technologically advanced tri bike of all time."

​E-bikes come in some pretty strange shapes and sizes these days. With a missing seat post, the BMX-inspired e-bike does have some points of difference, and also comes with an optional solar-powered charging pack so you can stay on the move without tapping into the grid.