Titanium

Thanks to the current ebike gold rush, we're seeing many models coming to market that are basically cheap bicycles with motors. Such is not the case with the OL+EM, however, which features a custom-fit titanium frame and some top-end components.

In recent years, we've seen an increasing number of multi-tools that incorporate a carabiner main body. One of the latest is the Octo, which features a fold-out magnetic bit driver that doubles as an automotive window glass breaker.

Brompton has reworked its iconic folding bike design for its lightest model ever. Thanks to the T Line's titanium frame, a new drivetrain and carbon fiber components, the finished bike comes in some 37 percent lighter than an original all-steel ride.

It's common for outdoorsy types to carry both a compact flashlight and a lighter, in the form of two separate devices. The Hunt 4.0 combines them in one titanium-bodied unit, along with a pry bar.

If you tried carrying a wrench, bit driver, knife, crowbar and bottle opener with you at all times, your pockets would get pretty full. That's where the Pichi X2 multi-tool comes in, as it combines all five functions in one device.

In 2015 we first heard about the Helix, a compact-folding, lightweight titanium bike. One successful Kickstarter campaign later, it has now finally entered commercial-scale production – and it's not made entirely like other titanium bikes.

Ordinarily, bicycle computer mounts are aluminum things that clamp onto the handlebars, and that cost about $20 to $40. Silca's new stem-mounted Mensola, however, is 3D-printed out of titanium, and will set you back a cool US$175.

With a lineup of titanium pocket tools and pens, Tennessee's Big Idea Design has established a name for itself in small, lightweight everyday carry (EDC). Its new Bit Bar Inline shrinks and lightens that EDC even more.

Although there are now bikes with 3D-printed titanium frames, they're out of most cyclists' price range. That said, if a current Kickstarter campaign is successful, you may soon be able to buy a set of thin, light pedals made in the same fashion.

It can be tricky enough getting titanium implants to bond with the surrounding bone, but when the patient has osteoporosis, things get even harder. An experimental coating may help, though, by first boosting and then blocking inflammation.

Engineers at Cornell University have developed a new technique for 3D printing metallic objects – and it involves blasting titanium particles at supersonic speeds. The resulting metals are very porous, making them useful for biomedical implants.

If there are two things that gear nerds like, it's multi-tools and carabiners. We've thus seen a number of devices that combine the two, with the latest being the titanium-bodied Mul.Ti.Biner 2.0.