Here’s something interesting you may not have heard of before: a bike wheel that won’t let you fall. The Gyrowheel can be mounted on the front of a bike and uses “gyroscopic technology” to keep beginning riders upright. It does this by re-centering the bike when it senses a wobble which supposedly helps kids (and one day adults) learn to ride a bike quicker. Think of this as training wheels without the stigma of those ugly rear wheel attachments.

I have to admit I’m pretty skeptical about this. First of all, learning to fall is an important part of learning to ride a bike, whether you’re 5 or 45 years old. How can you learn to balance on a bike when the bike does it for you? Fortunately Gyrowheel allows you to step down the stability setting as the rider becomes more comfortable, kinda like Nicorette does with nicotine levels.

I’m also a little confused about the concept of using “gyroscopic technology” to balance a bike. Isn’t that what wheels do in the first place? I’m pretty sure when I learned about gyroscopes in elementary school the example they always used was a spinning bike wheel. However, the Segway also uses gyroscopic technology for balance so there must be something to the idea.

Check out the video below - looks like it works pretty well.

While this isn’t an MTB product (yet) it’s interesting to think about where these tech could find itself in the future. Could we see this migrating to mountain bikes for adults who want to push the limits but with a safety net underneath? (online FAQ says adult version is coming) Perhaps pros practicing daring new tricks could use the technology to nail the perfect technique or rental bikes equipped with Gyrowheels at ski resorts could allow any newb to have a blast on the trails.

Regardless of what happens with the Gyrowheel, it’s always cool to see new ideas in the cycling space. Pick up a 12-inch magic wheel for your kid for $99.99.

via Springwise.

More in depth video from Interbike explaining how the wheel works:

You’ve probably seen a folding mountain bike before but this one is different - it’s meant to be carried in a backpack! The “Mountain Monk” is from German designer Thomas Kaiser and the idea is that you hike up a mountain with the bike on your back then ride the thing back down - sorta like a self-shuttled downhill run. Although at least one prototype exists Kaiser is still looking for production partners.

The Mountain Monk sports both front and rear suspension and disc brakes but skips the pedals since it’s meant for downhill riding only. The bike isn’t light - the current model is about 21 pounds - but it still beats pushing your 40 lb. rig uphill. The 3 gallon backpack also includes a pouch for your helmet and gloves. Could this be the start of yet another mountain biking offshoot - bike hiking? We’ll be keeping an eye on the Mountain Monk…

Via Wired Blog.