12 Personal Genetics Kit, Unicycle Riding Robot, My Entry For The Commuter Bike Design Competition & More....

Its been a while since I have brought some good cross-pollination, so here are some interesting stories for this week to delve into. I also call them cycling 'shorts'. No stink, and no charge, ok?


1. 23&ME PERSONAL GENOME SERVICE : I'm an avid reader of the Time Magazine. For those who didn't hear, the publication has named the 23&Me Personal Genome Service as 2008 Invention of the Year.


This is a revolutionary product that brings personal genotyping to the masses. 23andMe is dedicated to helping individuals understand their own genetic information through DNA analysis technologies and web-based interactive tools. 23andMe analyzes your DNA using a genotyping chip. The chip used is an Illumina HumanHap550+ Genotyping BeadChip . 23andMe has also added a customized set of SNPs to the chip. The company's Personal Genome Service informs customers how markers in their genomes affect their propensity for over 90 health conditions and inherited traits, traces customers' genetic roots back to the origin of the human species, and allows customers to compare their genomes to those of family and friends who are also 23andMe participants.

Here's my curiosity : Can this tool be used to answer the question whether a person has the genetic potential and talent to be a competitive athlete close to pro ranking? That goes even for top rank cycling. No seriously, if you found out that you didn't have the genes to be up there at the cream level, you would be better off not working your butt off trying, correct? And could this be used by coaches to identify cycling talent at a young age, by looking at a person's athletic genome map?

What do you think? Scary technology or does it have potential?



2. MURATA GIRL THE UNICYCLING ROBOT : ForJapanese tech loving people.. finally, Murata Manufacturing has a female compatriot for the Murata Boy! See its features here.

But think about it. While these robots may have taken years of R&D to produce tiny baby steps on a bicycle, they still cannot approach the learning capacities and control mechanisms of the human brain.





3. OHM PERSONAL ENERGY DEVICE FOR CYCLISTS : The title of this design may sound misleading since it isn't something you eat, drink or dope with.




The Ohm device targets cyclists, relying on magnets and a dynamo to store up power which can be used to power up your portable electronics including cell phones and MP3 players. Ohm magnets are hooked up to bicycle wheel spokes, where the N42 neodymium magnets offer an optimal balance of durability and magnet strength (see Neodymium). As the user cycles, the wheel spokes will turn and start inducing current in the Ohm which is subsequently stored in an internal 1200 mAh lithium ion battery. Once you've arrived at your destination, the Ohm can be removed and used to juice up your exhausted gadget. It takes around an hour of cycling to fully charge a cell phone.

Learn more about how it works here, through its designer Xavier Unwin. More and more of these personal energy devices are appearing in the market. If you'll remember, I had a post a while back on the Kurt Kinetic 911 energy storing trainer system.



4. CYCLOCOMPUTER CAN'T COMPUTE HIGH SPEEDS : This video shows how your bicycle speedometer is useless close to and beyond 99mph (hardly a matter of concern since you'll never reach those speeds in your lifetime riding)





5. BUYING STOCK IN SCHWINN? This is for all you budding investors. Would buying stock in Schwinn or other bicycle companies who appear to be doing well in the financial crisis be a wise decision? Find out, and comment here.



6. SMP PEDAL DESIGN


Here's the interesting website of possibly the only side mounting bicycle pedal in the world. I'm very interested to know whether Pasadena Bicycle Manufacturing still exists today. And what about this pedal? I certainly haven't seen any in the market. Does any one have any info to share with us?



7. MY ENTRY TO "COMMUTER BICYCLE FOR THE MASSES" COMPETITION : Bicycle Design has a commuter bike design competition up. While I think that there can be further innovative design ideas to make cycling safer and more fun, for something like a bicycle - I don't think there can be ONE "Perfect" bicycle design that will fit everyone's satisfaction. Its kind of like saying, design one perfect car for everyone. That stuff didn't happen, and won't.

Perfection is highly individual. It is a biased idea. To make everyone's preference be the same model of bicycle, you need to change their mindset, or brainwash them. I think this will be a good juncture to point out that I'd not only design the bike, but will also design the perfect commuter so they can stop whining!

But yes, you can always build a better mousetrap, why not?

So James, here is my contribution to the design challenge.


My "blue ocean" design philosophy is pretty educative in nature : "First teach the new bicycle rider about what he or she needs in a bicycle through an involving exercise."

Just think about the number of other advantages and simplicity this "ground breaking" design affords (no pun intended).

1) Top notch aerodynamics
2) Full body workout for ass, abs and tree trunk triceps
3) No need of brakes or absurdly heavy steel tubing to make an overall lighter design, which ultimately translates to higher power to weight ratio since the denominator in that ratio is now 25 pounds lighter. No need of fenders too, since the rider is now fending for himself.
4) Dynamic wheelbase feature makes adjusting possible on front and rear contact points for a more tighter or comfortable ride
5) Adaptive stiffness - Flexy when you're relaxed, rigid when you're having a stiff neck.
6) Low center of gravity for drag reduction and cornering efficiency
7) Additional rear thrust possible during a bad stomach day
8) Excellent cooling offered by splashing dirt water on body, or when launched in the air by road bump
9) Custom design? Oh hell yeah, this is as custom as it can get!!
10) All the above features will make the vast "blue ocean" of non-cyclists better appreciate a bicycle design suited for them. For instance, the rider in this case can go home and evaluate exactly where they had muscle aches and body sores to help choose a suitable and equivalent mechanical component to do the same job (instead of them)

Okay Cannondale. Now hurry up and ship me my prize.



8. MYTH BUSTERS PROVE DRAFTING ADVANTAGES : Stupidity aside, here's some known facts. Drafting saves you energy and its not a myth. Well, The Mythbusters also went ahead and proved it in one of their episodes on Discovery Channel.

Remember this scene from the movie Breaking Away?




The Mythbusters did the same thing, validating the physical advantages to bicycle drafting by monitoring a heartbeat sensor. With all the cool instrumentation these guys can come up with, I'm surprised there wasn't a single power meter around! Powertap & SRM, you guys need to seriously bring your prices down!





9. CYCLIST'S ZODIAC : Do you know yours?

Courtesy : Nealskorpen

10. That's all for now folks. I'll be BACH but don't forget your chillout tune for this week!