Remember the communicators worn by those serving on the USS Enterprise in Star Trek: The Next Generation? Well you can think of the HIOD One as kind of the same thing. Except that instead of being used on a Galaxy-class starship, it’s used by bikers. And instead of being able to communicate to the entire crew, even when off-ship, the HIOD One lets you talk to 5 other riders at a distance of up to 1,300+ feet.

The HIOD One system appears to be composed of three components. A handlebar mounted control unit that features a high-contrast OLED display. A voice unit that is worn on the rider’s arm, and a wireless microphone that attaches to the chin strap of their helmet. They all speak to each other over Bluetooth, allowing you to easily communicate with other riders while still paying attention to the road. And because the system does rely on BT, it’s also able to place and receive calls from your mobile phone, or stream music without you ever having to manually operate it.

Now I realize the whole TNG analogy I made was maybe a little ambitious. So perhaps comparing the HIOD One to a modern equivalent of the CB radio is a bit more accurate. And as for pricing and availability? It looks like the company behind the HIOD One is still looking for distributors and dealers to sell it. So it could be a while before you can get your hands on it.

[ HIOD One ] VIA [ Shiny Shiny ]

Just because I’m a gadget blogger and have an affinity towards all things high-tech, doesn’t necessarily mean I think everything needs to be upgraded. I still happily use a manual toothbrush, the fan in my bedroom still has blades, and I find it hard to believe that a $180 bike-mounted camera system could outperform a simple mirror.

Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying this Owl 360 setup doesn’t work as advertised. It consists of a small CMOS camera you mount below your bike seat — pointing backwards of course — which feeds a live video signal to a 3.5-inch LCD display mounted to your handlebars. A 3.7V lithium polymer battery provides about 5 hours of use on a single charge (probably less when it’s cold outside) and also powers a ring of ten LEDs around the camera lens, making the rider more visible at night. Since the LCD display would probably be stolen faster than it takes for you to lock your bike up, it easily detaches from the handlebar via a hotshoe mount, allowing you to leave the cabling in place.

But, again, while certainly ‘high-tech’, I can’t see how this would outperform a simple rear-view mirror, which doesn’t need to be charged I might add. Perhaps if the camera had a generous wide-angle lens so you could take in everything behind you it would be worthy of consideration, but that certainly doesn’t seem to be the case here.

[ Owl 360 Bike Camera ] VIA [ Gizmag ]

With a device called a PowerWheel attached to my bike I’d expect to be easily pedalling my way up steep mountain courses, or even towing cars out of ditches. But instead of making your ride easy, the PowerWheel is designed to do just the opposite. It’s a complete wheel designed to replace the standard one on your bike while you train. And thanks to a specially engineered hub, pedalling, even at slower speeds on a level road, becomes far more strenuous.

As to how strenuous is up to you, since the PowerWheel can be adjusted between 7 different levels of resistance, or completely disengaged when you’ve had enough. It’s even clever enough to automatically disengage when you’re riding slower than 6mph so the bike is easier to handle at slower speeds. And the same happens above 30mph, to prevent the resistance mechanism from overheating. Pricing and availability are still TBA, though, a simpler version known as the SlowWheel will also be available. While it only has 3 resistance settings, it’s also designed to be more affordable for those not training for the next Ironman race.

[ PowerWheel ] VIA [ Gizmag ]

For most casual riders, the arrival of Fall, and eventually Winter, means their bikes go into storage until the temperatures warm up again. But if you use your bike for commuting to work, or are used to dealing with the elements on a ride, freezing temps probably aren’t going to stop you. Particularly if you invest in a set of these heated grips from A’ME. They easily replace the standard handlebar grips on your bike (you just slide them on and tighten a screw) but are a vast improvement since they heat up to one of 6 different temperature settings.

Besides just comfort, the heated grips also improve bloodflow and dexterity in your hands when it’s freezing outside. So, you know, you can still operate your shifters and brakes. The various components to the system, including the grips, the battery pack and the charger are all sold separately. But you’re certainly better off just getting the whole setup as a kit for $199.

[ A’ME Heated Bike Grips ] VIA [ Urban Velo ]

Before they’re old enough to tackle a 2-wheel bicycle, most young’ns start off on either a tricycle or a push bike. Neither of them require much in the way of balance skills, but the latter tends to be a bit more stylish. Usually looking like a wooden jigsaw puzzle pulled from the pages of an IKEA catalog. But Ryan Callahan, an industrial designer at Trek, took a far different approach. Inspired by the sequel to TRON, the learning bike he created for the TrekWorld 2012 show looks like a miniature version of the light cycles seen on screen. Albeit with a raised set of handlebars to make it easier for kids to ride.

At this point it’s very regrettably still just a concept, and with the marketing push for the TRON sequel being over a long time ago, I have my doubts this will ever become a reality. Though with rumors that a third TRON movie could be a possibility, I’ll keep a small flame of hope alive that one day my kids will be tooling around the backyard on one, making impossibly tight 90-degree right and left hand turns.

[ Bicycle Design - Learning bike concepts from TrekWorld 2012 ] VIA [ Wired Gadget Lab ]

I’ve never ridden in anything that can remotely be considered a bike race, but apparently things can get so intense that even reaching for one’s water bottle can cost the rider precious milliseconds on their time. At least according to a company called Showers Pass who’ve created a sort of bike mounted CamelBak system called the VelEau.

A canteen/tool pack mounted to the rear of the seat holds 42 ounces of water which is made accessible to the rider via a frame-routed tube system that ends in a tethered valve held securely to the handlebars with magnets. This allows the rider to grab a quick sip while not having to worry about reaching or properly replacing a bottle in a holder. And on a hot day it keeps a heavy pack full of water off their backs. Available sometime in July with an MSRP of $79.99.

[ VelEau 42 Bicycle Hydration System ] VIA [ Bike Snob NYC ]

Riding a bike in a big city during the day is dangerous enough, but when the sun goes down at night you better make sure you’re as visible as possible to motorists who are already pretty annoyed at having to share the road with you. And while you probably shouldn’t exclusively rely on these to make yourself stand out while riding, SUCK UK’s reflective gloves and socks are a good start.

The socks feature a reflective patch on the pack that becomes visible once you’ve tucked your pant legs into them, while the gloves, which seem a bit more useful to me, feature a reflective arrow on the back making your hand signals extra visible to vehicular traffic behind you. Both are available in a one-size-fits-all unisex design, with each pair costing ~$24 (£15) which is a small price to pay for a bit of extra safety.

[ Reflective Biker Gloves And Socks ]

Pioneer’s skunk works is apparently looking to raise the bar when it comes to cyclocomputers. Typically they’re nothing more than a glorified stopwatch you attach to your handlebars which calculates your speed, time and distance traveled. But Pioneer’s developed one that runs on Android paving the way for a cyclocomputer that’s not only way more intelligent, but also displays your details in a far more graphically-enhanced manner.

But what I think will appeal to most cyclists, who spend their time with their eyes on the road anyways, is the wireless sensors Pioneer have also developed which attach to the crank and measure the force of the rider’s pedaling, displaying the results as graphical vectors for each foot. Probably more information than the average rider needs, but I’m sure serious athletes in training will relish all the extra info about their performance.

[ DigInfo TV - Pioneer Android-based Cyclocomputer ]

When you’re a kid learning to ride, bike safety is the last thing on your mind. But when you grow up and take your first ride around the big city, all those lectures from your parents start to make sense. When you’re sharing the road with motorists there’s no such thing as being too safe, so you might want to consider these Bicygnals which give your bike a bonafide set of easy-to-install turn signals and high-visibility lighting.

Powered by a set of 4xAA and 4xAAA batteries the Bicygnals come in a pair for mounting on both the front and rear of your bicycle. The turn signal buttons are mounted within easy reach of where you normally grip the handlebars, and the lights are connected via a 2.4GHz wireless signal so the rear turning indicators stay synced to the front without you having to run any wires across your frame. They’re also designed to cleverly stick together, back-to-back, when not in use, and include a handy storage case so you can take them with you when you lock up your bike. In the U.K. you can get them from the Bicygnals online store for £44.95, and in the U.S. and Canada from the Cycle Force Group online store for $69.95.

[ Bicygnals ]

Winner of a 2010 Red Dot Design award, the SEIL (Safe Enjoy Interact Light) bag concept was created by Lee Myung Su to provide a safer way for cyclists to signal. Technically when signaling with their hands a cyclist is only riding their bike with the other hand, which can be dangerous. So the SEIL fixes that problem with an LED-equipped backpack and a detachable wireless remote which can be mounted on the handlebars. And besides signaling your turning intentions, the SEIL bag can also be used to let others on the road know when you’re about to slam on the brakes, or even if there is an emergency.

[ Design You Trust - SEIL bag by Lee Myung Su design lab ]