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The next Mobile Social is Vegas!
So the biggest promise of the whole show may come from the Ellsworth/NuVinci concept bike.
Its NuVinci drive system is the latest shot at what many engineers have called “the Holy Grail” for inventors, a continuously variable transmission. The idea of a CVT is that instead of having distinct gears, a mechanism somehow provides a way for an input and output to change their relationship smoothly to “gear up” and “gear down” smoothly, without jumping from gear to gear.
Here's the page on CVTs from Howstuffworks: It notes that the first CVT patent was granted in 1886, and that US carbuyers have been able to buy CVT autos since 1989, but that most automotive systems use a pulley system, where a belt moves higher or lower in a gap between two cones, changing the effective size of the pully.
The NuVinci system, on the other hand, borrows from planetary drives, enough that its manufacturers call the NuVinci a “CVP” system, or Continuously Variable Planetary. In this design, a series of 3-12 drives function as the “planet” gears in a planetary system with a movable cage altering their relationship to the “sun” gear. The whole thing is bathed in a new fluid from Valvoline called Inveritorc.
Cars generally control their CVTs through onboard control computers, figuring what ratio is best for given engine horsepower and torque. The NuVinci leaves that to the rider, so you will have an adjustable input, probably like a motorcycle throttle, that lets you choose “harder” or “easier” in any interval at any time. Suddenly hit the bottom of a big hill? Twist that grip all the way down. Want to pedal 3 more rpm on the flats? Twist it a little.
Of course, only time will tell whether this mechanism's going to stand up to everday (ab)use.
The Ellsworth is deserving of mention even if it were sporting a Sturmey-Archer 3 speed hub: It's a gorgeous combination of cruiser-bike and motorcycle styling cues, slathered in immaculate Ferrari red, and even includes partial fenders.
OK cool on Coasting and all, but the website is like Myst of something. As Jason noted, "is there a secret telescope I need to look through to find the key to get in?" Ya know, I don't know either. The coasting people I met were anything but mysterious, but I'm just as lost on that website. Don't know if its not working right, not loading, PC only, or maybe I need a secret handshake password invite from Coasting Girl?
I was interviewed by Bicycle Retailer and Industry News for their Interbike Dailies and, well, I hope it was good! I'm back in Seattle, so I haven't seen the issue, but asked Mark V to grab me a copy. In the interview I mentioned a deal I've got on TypePad. If you didn't get a postard or meet me at Interbike, let me know and I'll send it to you in email.
Many other bloggers are blogging away at Interbike and there's a meetup tonight. Recent posts from the interbike o ' sphere include
Mark V is on assignment for Bike Hugger@interbike and just sent in this photo.
Mark is covering all-things fixed for us and I just posted his first report about a freakin' bamboo fixie.
Arguably the best in show, it's that or the Ellsworth, is the Sycip Alfine. Note the clean lines, attention to detail, powdercoat finish, and focus on an urban, utility bike. As I posted earlier, a theme at Interbike is bikes as fun transportation solutions. I wish I had more time to talk Jay as I was really impressed.
The Sycip bike also represented the struggle the industry has had in the USA with urban, city bikes. I heard that at Eurobike every manufacture had an Alfine bike and at Interbike there were just a handful.
At Bike Hugger, we're doing our part to see more bikes like this.
These two just stopped right in the middle of the show floor to check out each other's shoes.
Funniest part was that underneath their cool shoes were cycling socks!
I'd heard that all who go to Interbike seek out Limar Helmets Girl and when I found her, her aura was so strong it disrupted my cameras auto-focus beam, and resulted in this blurry photo.
Emma was nice enough to sign a poster for me and thousands of other attendees.
Just uploaded a bunch of new photos to our Interbike photo gallery, including Ellsworth NuVinci bike, Sycip Alfine, and more.
NYTimes.com | Blogging the Hand That Feeds You
Congratulations to Tim Jackson of Masi, also known as masiguy, featured in the New York Times today, in a story about business blogging. Maybe my favorite thing about the story is the awesome fisheye riding photo that kicks off the story.
Certainly, getting the company mentioned in The Paper of Record goes a long way to demonstrate the value of blogging your business. Bike Hugger Brother Byron, of course, has a dog in this hunt: He literally wrote a book on business blogging, and he's also serving as an unofficial Interbike ambassador for SixApart, offering a free month and a lifetime 10 percent discount for exhibitors interested in blogging with TypePad.
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