If you love getting some air between you and the ground while doing tricks on your bicycle, then you will love the Paravelo. Designed by two British men who have a passion for both cycling and aviation, this extraordinary folding bicycle comes with a trailer powered by a giant fan and a fabric wing that doubles as a tent. The flying bike’s inventors don’t necessarily promote their product for the daily commute, but they do envision a future of combining flying the Paravelo and camping – “flamping.”

Read the rest of XploreAir Paravelo: World’s First Flying Bicycle Lifts Off the Ground

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Post tags: aviation, Crowdfunding, cycling, flying bicycle in England XploreAir, green transportation, kickstarter campaign, News, Paravelo, The Wright Brothers, world's first flying bicycle

We recently told you about Moto Electra‘s bold attempt to drive an electric motorcycle across the United States in just 3 days – and on June 6th the team accomplished this world record-breaking feat! Battling temperatures over 100 degrees, punishing rain and bike repairs, the racing team hit their goal while showing the world the potential of electric motors.

Read the rest of Moto Electra Sets World Record by Crossing the US on an Electric Motorcycle in 3 Days

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Post tags: battery technology, coast-to-coast drive, coast-to-coast motorcycle drive, coast-to-coast motorcycle record, cross country drive, electric bike, electric motorcycle, electric motorcycle coast-to-coast, electric transportation, electric vehicle, Moto Electra, Moto Electra Racing, Thad Wolff, world record drive

Bike helmets save lives, but they have two strikes against them: They can be cumbersome and difficult to carry when you aren’t wearing them, and let’s face it, they often look pretty dorky. Closca, a Valencia, Spain-based helmet maker, seeks to solve both of those problems with a new helmet that looks cool and can fold up for easy storage between rides.

Read the rest of Closca Unveils Stylish Urban Bike Helmet That Folds Up for Easy Storage

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Post tags: bicycles, bike helmet, biking, Closca, Closca helmet, foldable bike helmet, folding bike helmet, urban bike helmets, urban biking

If you’ve ever dreamed of levitating out of traffic when cycling to work, your dreams may soon come true. Three Czech companies have joined forces to develop a helicopter/bicycle hybrid, complete with giant propellers above the front and rear wheels. Although the bike isn’t quite ready to carry a human on board, it has already been tested by remote control and it can fly for five minutes straight.

Read the rest of Flying Helicopter Hover Bike Takes Off in Prague

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Post tags: Czech flying bike, eco design, flying bike, green design, green transportation, helicopter bike, sustainable design

Vasileios Roumeliotis transformed an old bike tire into this beautiful Wheel Light for Roumelight. This lamp is made from a recycled bicycle wheel set on a black glass surface which acts as a canvas, showcasing the play of light and shadow. The Wheel Light can be illuminated by a striking circle of 18 dimmable bulbs (G4) or a hidden length of perimetric LED tape that gives off soft ambient light. The lighted wheel represents both a green method of transportation and an enlightened forward movement full of inventive ideas and creativity.

+ Roumelight

Via Decoholic

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Post tags: bicycle, bike, bike parts, bike wheel, green design, green interiors, recycled bicycle wheel lamp, recycled bike parts, Recycled Materials, Roumelight, sustainable design, Vasileios Roumeliotis, wheelight

When transit watchers look back on 2013, they’ll remember it as the year of the bike share. Last month, the country watched as New York rolled out Citi Bike to much fanfare (and plenty of grumbling). Then, a couple of weeks later, Chicago officials announced plans to rollout “Divvy,” the Second City’s new bike-sharing program. Now, the latest city to catch the bike-sharing bug is San Francisco, which is set to launch a bike-sharing program of its own in August. Unlike New York and Chicago, San Francisco isn’t committing to a full-scale rollout just yet. Instead, the City by the Bay will launch a one- to two-year pilot program to test the system’s efficacy.

Read the rest of San Francisco to Launch Bike-Sharing Pilot Program this Summer

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Post tags: bay area, Bay Area Bike Share, bicycles, bike sharing, bike sharing system, biking, Citi bike, green transportation, San Francisco, SF Bay Area, SF Bike Sharing, SFMTA, silicon valley

Inspired by a thriving demographic in Vancouver, Mobiel is a multifunctional cart designed to support the day-to-day needs of commercial urban farmers – people who grow food on a medium to large scale on urban land to sell it to markets, restaurants and other businesses. Beginning with the basic features of a wheelbarrow, this cart has the added benefit of organized tool storage, and it can be easily attached onto the back of a bicycle to carry goods from the farm to the market or from one plot to another. Mobiel carries on the narrative of city farming through its unique functionality and its distinctive character.

+ Mobiel

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Post tags: bicycle, bike cart, Botanical, cart, clea lautrey, farming, Gardening, green design, green garden, Mobiel, multifunctional design, sustainable design, urban farm, vancouver, wheelbarrow

London may be getting its own version of the High Line park along the River Thames. The team of Erect Architecture and J&L Gibbons landscape architects were chosen in a competition organized by RIBA and Vauxhall One. Their design combines a lush elevated promenade with a series of temporary installations, acting as both a commuting route and cultural attraction for locals and tourists.

Read the rest of London Plans a High Line-Style Park for the River Thames

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Post tags: eco design, Elevated park London, Erect Architecture, green design, high line park, J&L Gibbons, redeveloped Battersea Power Station, river thames, sustainable design, Vauxhall Pleasure Garden

Tokyo’s underground bicycle storage system looks more like an elaborate mechanism from a sci-fi movie than a parking lot for cycles. Put into motion with a single push of a button, the Eco Cycle Anti-Seismic Underground Bicycle Park, built by Japanese engineering firm Giken Seisakusho Co. LTD is just seven meters wide, but it’s deep enough to store 144 bicycles. The system provides the city’s bike users with an efficient parking solution that ensures complete safety for cycles. Hit the jump to see a video of the bicycle park in action!

Read the rest of Tokyo’s Eco-Cycle Park Bicycle Elevator Stores 144 Bikes Underground

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Post tags: anti-seismic design, bicycle parking, bicycles, Eco Cycle Anti-Seismic Underground Bicycle Park, Eco Cycle Bicycle Park, Giken underground bike park, green transportation, no emission vehicle, Tokyo bicycles, underground bike park, underground building

It only took a few thousand years, but someone has finally reinvented the wheel—and it actually works better than the original. Skateboarder David Patrick’s crazy SharkWheel was discovered by chance while he was creating a cube out of six soft pieces of piping. Patrick dropped the cube by accident, and to his amazement, the piece started rolling and it didn’t stop.

Read the rest of The Wheel of the Future is Here and It’s Shaped Like a Cube

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Post tags: David Patrick, eco design, green design, reinventing the wheel, SharkWheels, skateboarding wheels, Square Wheels, sustainable design

Everyone should recycle their cans – but we never thought we’d see a working roller coaster made entirely from packaged food products! Designed and built by a team called “Thinking Outside of the Can,” the Roller CANster was one of the winners at this year’s Canstruction Madison. All food from the cans will be donated to MOM’s Food Pantry, which in turn invites the public to view the structures and contribute their own donation of canned food to help end hunger.

Read the rest of Working Roller Coaster Made Entirely From Cans Unveiled at Canstruction Madison 2013

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Post tags: aluminium, can recycling, Canstruction, Canstruction Madison 2013, recycling, Roller CANster, Thinking Outside of the Can, tin recycling

Bicycles are one of the world’s most efficient modes of transportation – but ride one in the rain and you’ll wind up with a soggy seat as the rear while kicks up a steady stream of water. Enter the Musguard – a clever rolling fender that can be carried wrapped around your bike’s frame or stored in a pack. When cloudy skies threaten to ruin your ride, simply unfurl the lightweight Musguard and hit the road.

+ Musguard

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Post tags: bicycle, bicycle fender, bike, bike fender, green design, green transportation, mudguard, musguard, sustainable design, sustainable transportation

Technology has brought bike accessories way past the classic bell-and-handlebar-streamer setup. Monkey Light Pro enables you download and display your own LED animations. The kit consists of four pieces for each wheel that can be bolted to the spokes. The waterproof, full-color display is already loaded with artwork and is able to be customized with personal playlists via Bluetooth. Good for eight hours of run time, the built-in lithium-ion battery is able to be recharged via USB cable. The lights are stabilized for speeds ranging from 10-40mph and are double-sided so that everyone has the chance to see you ride in style.

Read the rest of Monkey Light Pro Lets You Download and Animate Your Own Bike Wheel Display

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Post tags: animation, bicycle, bluetooth, California, cycloscreen, fukushima wheel project, interbike, kickstarter, LED, maker faire, monkey light pro, monkeylectric, old bond, rohs compliant, siggraph, sxsw, university of brisbane

Good news for New Yorkers who’ve been waiting patiently to take a shiny new Citi Bike for a spin. The city officially opened the bike share program to all riders (it was previously only available to annual members) this past weekend. So if you felt left out last week, be sure to head to the closest Citi Bike kiosk and get riding today.

READ MORE >

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Post tags: bike smart, bike stations, Citi bike, citi bike launch date, citi bike official launch date, citi bike share, citi bike share program, Citibank bike share program, citibike, city bike share programs, department of transportation nyc, gramercy park, Hurricane Sandy, new york bike share program, new york bike share stations, new york bike tours, nyc bike share program, nyc bike tours, nyc transportation, shelly mossey, Transportation Alternatives, urban mobility project, when does citi bike launch

Read the rest of Buenos Aires’ Feria Puro Diseno Showcases Brilliant Eco Designs from Across Argentina

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Post tags: "green furniture", 3D printing, Argentina, bamboo, bicycles, Buenos Aires, cork, crafts, dr. no, Felt, Green Design Events, green materials, green products, kuku, liten, Marcelo Arias, planar, pomada, Recycled Materials

When riding a stationary bicycle, it easy to feel as though you aren’t getting anywhere or doing much of anything other than managing a quick workout. The cardio is great, but what if you could capture the energy generated by all that pedaling? Instructables member KlockworkKevin has created an ingenious bike-powered generator hidden inside his patio furniture. When not in use, it is a colorful porch appointment that can be easily transformed into a power-making machine. As an added bonus to being unassuming and out-of-the-way, the generator is quieter than the previous models he built using noisy cordless drills.

Read the rest of Patio Furniture Transforms into DIY Bike-Powered Generator

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Post tags: "wind turbine", battery, bicycle, bike, deep cycle marine battery, e-waste, generator, instructables, instructables green design contest, inverter, klockworkkevin, patio furniture, solar panels, voltage regulator

New Yorkers rejoice – NYC’s first bicycle sharing program just launched with 6,000 bikes! So far over 10,000 people have signed up to use the brand new Citi Bikes in Brooklyn and Manhattan, and the system will soon be expanded to Queens with 4,000 additional bikes and 330 more stations. Hit the jump to learn more about this innovative program, which now offers New Yorkers a fun, healthy, and low-emission mode of transportation.

READ MORE >

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Post tags: bike smart, bike stations, Citi bike, citi bike launch date, citi bike official launch date, citi bike share, citi bike share program, Citibank bike share program, citibike, city bike share programs, department of transportation nyc, gramercy park, new york bike share program, new york bike share stations, new york bike tours, nyc bike share program, nyc bike tours, nyc transportation, shelly mossey, Transportation Alternatives, urban mobility project, when does citi bike launch

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Post tags: bike commuting, boating, cities, Fishing, green roofs, Nature, outdoors, parks, walking tours

Hot on the heels of the launch of New York City’s new bike-sharing program, Chicago officials announced this weekend that the Windy City will kick off a bike-sharing program of its own by the end of June. The program, known as “Divvy,” will ultimately include 4,000 bikes that will be parked at 400 solar-powered hubs spread throughout downtown Chicago and the surrounding neighborhoods. At an event this weekend, transportation officials showed off the three-speed Divvy bikes, which will be painted light blue and feature upright handlebars.

Read the rest of Chicago Announces Plans to Roll Out “Divvy” Bike-Sharing Program in June

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Post tags: bicycle, bike sharing, Bike the Drive, bikes, Chicago bike-sharing, Chicago Divvy Bike, cycling, Divvy, Gabe Klein, green transportation

Apple just announced new details regarding its plans to produce its next line of Macs stateside. In a Senate hearing last week, Chief Exec Tim Cook said that Apple has invested $100 million to build a new Mac factory deep in the heart of Texas. The announcement signals the fulfillment of Apple’s promise to the US government to build at least one line of Macs on American shores by the end of this year.

Read the rest of Apple Announces Plans to Produce New Line of Macs in Texas

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Post tags: apple, Apple tax fraud, eco design, foxconn, green design, Made in the USA Mac, sustainable design