The Goat

This killer little brake lever from Dia-Compe is tailored to fixed-gear bikers who like to add a little safety. You can operate it from either hand, though it won’t work in suicide mode where you grab both sides in a panic. One side pulls the cable and the other shortens the housing. The Dia-Compe Shot Lever will cost about $60, which shouldn’t be too much for those guys paying more than retail for used Pistas on Craigslist.

via Urban Velo

A 29-year-old British woman will attempt to break the crazy record by skydiving over Mount Everest. She’ll throw herself out of a plane about 465 feet above the summit (29,035ft) and fall alongside it until landing in a meadow at the elevation 12,350 feet. She has to carry supplemental oxygen and use a Queen-size parachute since the air is so thin at such elevations. I’d also recommend bringing a sled and some snacks in case she accidentally lands higher on the mountain than she plans.

One thing here—I’m a little fuzzy on what “alongside Everest” means. Can she just see the mountain on the horizon, or will she be flying along the surface in one of those wing suits?

via Wend

This guy I went to high school with would wear his childhood Batman costume to class on picture day. He was years ahead of his time; I wouldn’t be surprised to find out that he’d been the head writer on Arrested Development. I still laugh when I think of seeing him drive by on his Spree moped with the cape flying behind him. So it’s with an appreciation for the ludicrous that I look forward to seeing a fixed gear rider sporting the new Dashing Tweeds Cape. If $800 is too much for a cape from Dashing Tweeds, you can pick up a traditional cycling cape from Jeantex for about $70, or you could just tie an old blanket around your neck.

via Velorution

I want to get one of these waterproof backpacks to carry a towel around that I’ll use only for drying my back off after getting done with bike rides. There’s something about the combination of the words “dry” and “bagger that doesn’t quite roll off the tongue; they should have just called it the peak—too bad some jackass probably has that name copyrighted. Anyway, the Dry Peak Bagger from Outdoor Research is a small, 9.2oz waterproof backpack that’ll be great for carrying your rain gear into a storm or your goldfish home from the pet store. The Dry Peak Beggar (ugh) costs $50.

Some jackass in a suit and black BMW 328i thought he’d send me a signal about staying on my side of the road by passing close enough to smell my Irish Spring soap. Kind of pissed me off, but it’s not so bad compared to this homeless man in Boulder who was hit by a car and a train on the same day. The man was released from the hospital at 3am after walking away from a hit-and-run by a car only to make the questionable choice to cross a narrow train bridge to his transient camp. I suppose you figure you’ll be okay crossing the trestles after getting hit by a car—the law of averages and all that. I mean, it doesn’t seem like a lot of trains would be rolling through in the middle of the night. He tried to outrun the train and make it to the other side, but ended up getting knocked off the bridge and landing in a river 10 feet below him. He didn’t receive any serious injuries.

It also bothers me a bit that the Post blog refers to the place where he sleeps “under the stars” as a camp. It’s one thing if he wants to sleep there, but Denver (like every other big city) has a huge homeless problem. I know the police chief of Minneapolis offered to buy any homeless person a free one-way bus ticket to Denver for a few days until Denver caught wind of his little plan. The National Coalition for the Homeless can help out where government falls short at watching out for its citizens.

via Neatorama

People will get out of your way when you run through the airport with the Samsonite OBAG Suitcase. When feet are run over they’ll be mending with trips to the hospital—not mumbled apologies. You could actually probably skip doing any laundry while you’re on vacation, and then just fill the bag with warm water, detergent, and your filthy clothes. I’m going to get one of the OBAGs and use it to carry around spare car tires.  

via Oh Gizmo

The bamboo bike magician Craig Calfee is experimenting with a new design idea that would improve the strength of his bikes and make them even better suited to crunchy white people. He’s growing bamboo through forms that bend it into shapes he can use for couplings and joints.

Calfee said he’s experimenting with a limited number of plants, but can envision fields full of bamboo. “It’s like mass production,” he said. “A factory in a field. You can have row after row of bamboo growing into the right structures for bike frames.”

I like Calfee’s vision, but I don’t like that someone could saw through my bike to unlock it and steal my wheels.

via Wired

Stick these metal plates in your carry-on and wait for hilarity to ensue while your bag’s running through the x-ray machine at the airport. Artist Evan Roth came up with this ingenious way to get a free plane ticket to Cuba and the sunny beaches of Guantanamo Bay. Those guys working for the TSA really have an appreciation for physical comedy.

via Gizmodo

I’ll finally be able to stop spraying my friends’ disc brakes with motor oil if this stuff works. The brake manufacturers at Swiss Stop have rolled out a Disc Brake Silencer that you spray on annoying brakes and then hope it does like it says. I’m not sure what this miracle juice in a spray can is made from, but if it works I’ll use it for everything from fixing brakes to marinating steaks.

via Bike Magic

Modular outsoles are popular on highend bowling shoes, and now Patagonia’s taking the concept to eco levels. On bowling shoes you’d swap out the type of leather sole depending on what kind of slide you want or how many bowling alley martinis (beer with olives) you knock back per game. Patagonia uses these strap-on rubber outsoles for a couple reasons: First, so you can get muddy at the campsite and then leave the outsole in your vestibule, and second, so they won’t need to use toxic glue to put your shoes together. These Patagonia Salt & Pepper Shoes are just the beginning; Patagonia has a full line of these slip-on slip-on shoes.

via Treehugger