#HTE

Best Bicycle Concepts, Developments and Accessories of 2021

This year we saw plenty of bicycle and bike-accessory news, from crazy concepts to practical modifications. Our favorites are the ones that are both crazy and practical, like the Cercle Bicycle, a thesis project by Industrial Design student Berhard Sobotta.

Probably not as practical, but certainly eye-catching, is designer Stephan Henrich’s “infinity”-wheeled bicycle concept.

Also not practical, but we just had to watch it: This maniac replaced his bicycle wheels with sawmill blades, for frozen lake riding.

Speaking of metal wheels, a startup is rolling out METL bicycle tires made from shape memory alloy. They’ve licensed the tech out to NASA for their Mars Rover tires.

Same guy who made the sawmill blade wheels also made these DIY airless bicycle tires out of PVC.

From Germany comes the Convercycle, a bicycle that transforms to cargo bike length.

If you’ve already got a cargo bike, CargoDrive lets you replace your bike’s front wheel for e-bike cargo capacity.

If you want to haul cargo with a regular bike, check out the Ein, a “weightless” bike trailer that uses electric motor to cancel out its own weight.

The Trailerduck might do the Ein one better. It’s a self-powered, auto-following bike trailer that can haul 600 pounds.

Bicycle as workbench? That’s just one of the configurations of the Cake Ösa, a utility e-bike.

Gocycle’s G4 fast-folding e-bike drew plenty of eyeballs this year.

Biking in cold weather? Polar Plugs are heated handlebar inserts.

If you’re looking for a more comfortable grip, a startup called Personomic says their custom-fit silicone bike grips offer better support and less pain.

And speaking of less pain, this company in New Zealand offers more comfortable handlebars made from shock-absorbing bamboo.

If it’s a more comfortable saddle you’re seeking, Specialized says their S-Works Romin EVO saddle, which is made from a carbon-fiber shell and a 3D-printed rubber-like polymer, is designed to compress in all the right places.

In “A Product Designer vs. a Graphic Designer’s Approach to a Bike Safety Device,” we felt the graphic designer had the better solution.

We ran a “Yea or Nay?” on this bike turn signal that activates when you look to the side.

A startup called Oonee says they can end bike theft by providing free storage pods in public spaces.

We took a look at the world’s longest indoor mountain bike trail.

During the pandemic, we were fascinated to learn that for safety, kids in Barcelona bike to school in massive mobs called a “bike bus.”

And for the opposite of safety, we also stumbled across these grown men downhill racing on tiny children’s bicycles.