The ultimate gizmo bike
I’ve always felt there was a strong affinity between technology folks and cycling. Admittedly I spend a fair amount of time in Silicon Valley, so my opinion may be somewhat biased. The cycling industry itself has its own fair share of cool gizmos for all of us Freds to drop or hard earned cash on. From cycling computers to helmet cams to bikes that post to twitter for you, electronics have found their way into the cycling world.
This was taken to a completely different level, however, by Steve Roberts. Not only did he spend years of his life pedaling around the country, he did it on one of three “unique” bikes he put together himself. It is not the frame or configuration of the bike that makes them particularly interesting. No, it is the array of electronics that he incorporated into his rides that really sets him apart.
I happened across Steve’s story over at the 14 Bike Co. blog where they had posted a pair of videos of Steve speaking about one of his bikes. Going beyond the normal cycling computer, Steve actually integrated cutting edge (for its time) technology right onto the bike. A custom keyboard system right in the hand grips, on board burglar alarm system, mobile network access in the days before the proliferation of cell phone technology – Steve did it all. His final project – BEHEMOTH – found its final home in the computer history museum.
After watching the videos (below) I found my way over to a website that has all of the technical details of these three creations. If I had a recumbent like this one, well….