A couple of the awards at this year’s CES mentioned a metal mesh tire, based on NASA research and missions. Originally developed by NASA and now commercialized for terrestrial use by The SMART Tire Company, these superelastic tires are airless, durable and will never go flat. Made from a special advanced material, NiTinol+ (nickel titanium), … Continue reading Flexible Metal NASA Robot Tires Now Available for Bicycles
The February 1942 Battle of Singapore after the Malay campaign by the Japanese is perhaps the worst defeat of British arms in history. A core technology in the battle was the bicycle, used by Japanese troops in the jungle — despite having little to no prior relevant experience — to apply rapid and constant pressure … Continue reading Battle of Singapore: “Broken Down Bicycles Were an Unexpected Psychological Weapon”
After Soviet soldiers had walked on foot an estimated 2,500 km from Stalingrad to Berlin, their sentiment went something like this: Commandeering a bicycle from Nazis (who literally had stolen everything while initiating illegal war) wasn’t entirely unexpected even if unapproved. In fact, it was reported that Soviets inside Berlin would not take anything let … Continue reading The 1945 Soviet DeNazification of Bicycles
Nearly a decade ago I wrote about the increase in bicycle sales after disasters. I won’t go into why people moved away from these logical options for transportation and to the illogical gasoline automobile. Kunstler does a good job of that in The Geography of Nowhere. Instead, I want to point out here that the … Continue reading Bicycles Deemed Best NYC Transit During Pandemic