Racing, when stripped down to its barest element, is you and a machine against the clock. I’ll make the argument that other competitors are largely irrelevant, since the fastest lap times are all that really count. Downhill urban mountain biking, then, easily fits into the definition of racing, and you can’t watch the video below without being impressed by the rider’s skill and determination. I wish I knew his name, because I’ll say this – the guy has balls to ride anything that fast with zero margin for error. I can’t see a sport like this taking off in America for two reason: first, we don’t have the steep, narrow, winding streets that Valparaiso, Chile does; and second, no sanctioning body in their right mind would hold a race like this in the land of litigation. Enjoy the video, but don’t even think about watching it if motion sickness is a problem.

Want more downhill insanity from the Valparaiso Downhill? Here’s hi-def video from the 2010 race.

Jean-Yves Blondeau is also known by his nickname, “Rollerman”. The French industrial designer originally created his roller suit as part of his graduation project from Paris’ Olivier de Serres design school. Since then, the suit has brought him worldwide notoriety, like this race (from 2007) where Blondeau threw down against a motorcycle rider for a Japanese game show. I’d like to give you a turn by turn narration, but I don’t speak Japanese and it’s not like the action is hard to follow. So who’s faster down a mountain road, rollerman or the guy on the bike? Watch the video below to find out.

I don’t have details on the bike, the rider or the road, but it seems to me that the rider wasn’t pushing particularly hard. The absence of lean angle in the corner leads me to believe that the guy was phoning it in and had instructions to “let Rollerman win”. That doesn’t take away from Blondeau’s performance, especially since the roller suit looks damn hard to steer. Patched pavement looks particularly unpleasant to hit at speed, and I can’t image that potholes are much fun, either. I’m not averse to going fast on anything with steering and brakes, but I’ll take a pass on the roller suit. Whether or not his victory against the guy on the bike was legitimate, Blondeau is still chock full of crazy. Need further proof? Here’s another video of Rollerman in action.

Source: WTF Japan, Seriously, via Neatorama

Ok, I’m not sure if a pedal powered snowplow actually would make snow removal fun, but I needed a title for this post so that’s what you get. Meet Kevin Blake, the guy in the video and the inventor of “Mr. Plow” (catchy right?) Machines like this generally come about when you mix alcohol, loads of downtime and a bong that shaped like a tuba. It’s not pretty, but it looks to be functional and may help those who shovel keep their backs intact while losing some weight at the same time. Made from a combination of box steel tubing, old lawn tractor tires and a few Walmart snow shovels, Mr. Blake sees his contraption as a way to safely plow your driveway while at the same time, reducing carbon emissions. Now while I don’t think that he’ll be winning any awards for curing the effects of global warming, it’s good to see that there are still some folks who can think outside the box, while still being kooked up inside of one. Click through for the vid.

Last week we brought you the first of four short films that BMW is releasing as part of a documentary series about The Future of Mobility. Part I talked about how the residents of our new mega cities (populations of 15 million or more) will have to adapt to smaller living quarters, vehicles and lifestyles that are somewhat scaled down from what most of us experience today. Some people believe this is a good thing and a way to be more efficient, which at the end of the day it probably is. What I want to know however, is where is the line drawn between ultra efficiency and quality of life?

Part II of the series takes us to a society, that according to old science fiction, was going to be filled with flying cars, teleportation and mobile jet packs. The truth of the matter is though that we human beings are still using the same methods of transportation that we used 80 years ago. Planes, trains and automobiles still operate essentially the same way they did all those years ago and while the technology has changed, our basic modes of movement are exactly the same. So what are your thoughts, how do you think we will be getting around in the future?

Source: bmwactivatethefuture.com

Image: Street Flyer

The Street Flyer looks like the most insanely dangerous, yet over-the-top fun vehicle I’ve ever seen. Still in the prototype stages, the Street Flyer was the brainchild of Dr. Carsten Mehring, who wanted to build a lightweight vehicle that allowed the operator to “run” from a suspended position. The net effect would be to re-create the sensation of hang gliding, without the associated risks or inconveniences (travel to a cliff, for example). The version you see here is a prototype built by students at the Colorado School of Mines; since propulsion comes from gravity or from running, it’s not yet practical for long distance travel.

An electric motor powering the rear wheel would change that, and the fabric covered backbone would allow plenty of room for lightweight lithium ion batteries. While the current Street Flyer lacks practicality, imagine one with a motor-driven top speed of fifty miles per hour and a range of 50 miles per charge. I’m no expert, but I suspect that’s very do-able with current technology, and it probably wouldn’t cost as much as an electric motorcycle. Getting approval to operate a Street Flyer on the road would be a whole other issue, since the vehicle’s size and utter lack of crash protection wouldn’t exactly endear it to the DOT. Still, it looks like an obscene amount of fun, and I’m more than willing to serve as a test pilot for any and all future electric versions. Want more info? Check out the Street Flyer website.

Source: Street Flyer, via Neatorama

I’m still not overly convinced that hybrid bicycles are the way to go. Around NYC we see them all the time, but they generally have some type of delivery person behind the bars. In that application I can totally see their usefulness, but as an exercise machine using a hybrid bike seems like a cop-out to me. Others, like the guys over at M55 Bikes however don’t seem to agree. You see they’ve just designed what may in fact be the ultimate in two-wheeled, people assisted mobility. Meet the M55 Beast, a bicycle with the looks of a professional downhill racer and infused technology even the Terminator would appreciate.

I’m not a cyclist per say, but that doesn’t mean that I don’t find this thing to be super cool. Designed for full-on cross country excursions, the Beast was built to not only be rugged by utilizing the best components such as Brembo brakes and Fox suspension, but it was also designed to move. How does 45 mph and up to 75 miles on a charge sound – pretty damn cool right? Pricing is not available as of yet, but you can pretty much bet that this sucker is going to be big money. But hey… if you’re looking for the best bike, with the best components, combined with some kick-ass technology then the M55 Beast may just be the ride for you.

Source: M55-bike.com

The M55 Beast just looks evil. Photo: M55

Electric bicycles are nothing new, but the demand for sensible commuter transportation that doesn’t rely on gasoline has increased their popularity in recent years. Most range from around $1,000 to just under $4,000, depending upon quality, range and components. If you’ve priced high end mountain or road bicycles lately, you’ll realize that the cost for a decent electric bike is about the same as the cost for a good mountain or road bicycle. As with cars, speed costs money: the question is, how fast do you want to spend?

One manufacturer, M55, isn’t content to exist in the world of commuter electric bicycles. Since there are already enough two-wheeled-Prius’ on our streets, M55 has decided to build an electric motored super bicycle, dubbed The Beast. The Beast’s frame is made from CNC milled 7075 aluminum, fitted with carbon fiber plates to hide the batteries, wiring and motor. Like a hybrid vehicle, the motor provides supplemental torque to enhance the riders own output; that said, it’ll still take you 27 miles on full throttle, should you get too lazy to pedal. Top speed is a more-than-sufficient 48 miles per hour, and components are best in class. Brembo twin-piston brakes? Check. Rohloff Speedhub gearing? Check. Fox front fork? Also, check.

The M55 Beast weighs in at about 70 pounds, so the “Beast” moniker is strangely fitting. Electric motor assist or not, I can’t imagine having to pedal the thing uphill if and when you forget to charge up the lithium ion battery pack. Then again, if you can afford the Beast’s price of admission ($35,300), you probably have someone on staff who can pick up the bike for you and drive you to work in comfort. If you like the concept of a bulletproof electric bike, but can’t cough up enough money to buy a Beast, M55 is also working on a kinder, gentler version dubbed The Daemeon. It won’t be quite as heavy-duty as the Beast, but it will sell for a more reasonable $13,300, or nearly the price of a Brammo Empulse 10.0 electric motorcycle. You know which one I’d opt for.

Source: Autoevolution

It’s been a long time since I was a serious cyclist, but I’m still a sucker for the Tour de France. Maybe it’s schadenfreude, getting to watch some of the best athletes in the world push themselves to the breaking point from the comfort of my leather recliner. Maybe it’s the drama of racing, since top level cycling has all the strategy, planning and crashes of Formula One racing. Maybe it’s just sheer wonder at watching guys complete the equivalent of a marathon, day after day, for nearly a month.

The 2011 Tour de France runs from Saturday, July 2 to Sunday, July 24. The race starts in Vendée, on the Atlantic coast in western France and finishes with the traditional ride down the Champs-Élysées on the final day. In between are 21 stages of hell, including flat stages (as easy as the Tour de France gets), mixed stages, mountain stages (four with summit finishes) a team time trial, an individual time trial. The race crosses into Italy on July 20, as the riders tackle some of the most difficult climbs in the Alps, before returning to France on July 21. Unlike previous Tours, Italy is the only foreign country visited in 2011.

Yet to be determined is the cast of characters. Lance Armstrong has already said he won’t be back, but he’s said that before. A lot of fans, myself included, think that this may be Andy Schleck’s year, especially with the support of his brother, Frank. Alberto Contador, last year’s winner, finds himself surrounded by the same kind of doping scandal that seems to haunt all world class cyclists; whether or not he’ll even compete depends upon the outcome of the current investigation. There’s still plenty of drama to play out before the race starts, but this much is certain: I’ll have my DVR set up to tape Versus’ live coverage of the race, starting on July 2.

Felix Baumgartner. Photo: Red Bull

On paper, it sounded like a simple enough concept. Felix Baumgartner, sponsored by Red Bull, would pilot a balloon called “stratos” to an altitude of 120,000 feet. One there, he’d step out of the basket and free fall to a reasonable altitude, breaking the speed of sound on the way down. The list of things that could go wrong was extensive, and none of them seemed like a particularly pleasant way to die. Brain hemorrhage, anyone? How about hypoxia?

Strangely, what did go wrong occurred in a California courtroom, when Daniel Hogan sued Red Bull for stealing his idea. Hogan alleges he pitched the idea to Red Bull in 2004, and that Red Bull shot him down. Hogan claims that the ad revenue associated with the jump would be worth between $375 million and $625 million, so he’s seeking both compensatory and punitive damages.

Red Bull denies that they’ve done anything wrong, but has agreed to stop the jump until the case has been resolved. For now, at least, the free fall altitude record set by Air Force Colonel Joe Kittinger (102,800 feet) back in 1960 remains safe. I’m sure as hell not going to give it a try.

Source: Autopia

Don’t tell that to Jeb Corliss, BASE jumper and wing-suit flyer extraordinaire. You know, the former host of “Stunt Junkies” on the Discovery Channel, who was fired after being arrested for attempting a BASE jump from the observation deck of the Empire State Building? I can see why the NYPD may not have a good sense of humor about that.

This video is a compilation of his favorite wing suit jumps to date, including segments from the Matterhorn, Rio de Janeiro and Switzerland. The “goal posting” segments, where he shoots a gap between trees or cliff faces, are particularly insane. Still, I think the most impressive thing in the video is his speed in proximity to the ground. One mistake and your life ends with a very loud, wet splat. As a particularly observant YouTube fan put it, “His balls are so big he’s not falling back to Earth; Earth is falling back to his balls.” Well said, rrife, well said.