New Solutions for Bicyclists Promise Safer and Cheaper Rides

Bicyclists who ride at night will soon be able to make themselves so visible to motorists in low light that fatal crashes might become a thing of the past.

Life Paint can save lives

There’s a collaboration of Volvo and a smaller startup that I read about called Life Paint. This is basically a reflective spraypaint you spray on your bike, your helmet, or your running clothes if you’re a runner. During the day, the spray is completely invisible. But if you are out at night, it makes you glow like a neon sign!

As a runner, I often wear a construction vest with reflective tape when I’m out exercising during the shorter days of the year. The last two I bought were a buck each at the 99 Cent Only store. That one buck could be the difference between life and death.

Remember, you have no chance if a car doesn’t see you. So think this through, you don’t want to be the most physically fit person in a casket.

Cheaper bike rides to come

Bike transportation could get a whole lot cheaper if an Israeli inventor has his way. Izhar Gafni has come up with a $9 bicycle made out of corrugated cardboard that’s almost ready for mass production, according to Fast Company.

It took Gafni four years to get the design just right with no weakened structural points. The bike is treated with ‘a secret concoction’ of organic materials to make it waterproof and fireproof. Then it’s given a lacquer finish.

He even tested a prototype in a water tank for several months and found its hardness was not compromised by lengthy submersion. Gafni’s bike has no metal parts. Even the brakes and bearings are made from recycled non-metal parts!

Technology’s solution to stolen bikes

BikeSpike.com is a company that allows you to monitor your bike’s location on a map using your phone or computer with the help of what they say is the world’s smallest GPS chipset.

The company got its start on crowdfunding site Kickstarter.com by allowing any one who was interested to fund the company.

As for me, the bikes I buy are too cheap for anyone to want to steal them! But if you have an expensive bike, I should note that people swear by graphite bike locks. There are a few models like the Krytponite KryptoLock and ULock that sell for around $30 on Amazon and elsewhere. Apparently, they’re so much better than traditional wire locks that can be cut very easily.