Designed by the people at GeoSpace Studio, the FireFly has also been equipped with colored LED lighting on the lower portion of the covering. Since the covering itself is transparent, the lighting effectively fills in the entirety of the FireFly and gives it the appearance that is glowing. You know, not unlike the business end of an actual firefly insect. Used in tandem with the two headlights, you can see how the Firefly makes riding your bike trike that much safer at night. Drivers can see you and, thus, you’re far less likely to get hit.

I imagine you’d have some trouble with the steep hills of San Francisco, but that’s going to be true of most recumbent tricycles anyway. I’d also worry about visibility. While the dome where your head pops out is transparent, I can see how snow, mud and other debris can quickly obscure your vision. And you can’t clear it off without stopping, getting yourself out, and wiping it down from the outside.

Even so, the FireFly represents an innovative take on human-powered transportation. Too bad GeoSpace Studio has not announced any plans for a commercial launch.

[Source]

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I’m all for going green. If possible, it’d be great if more people took public transit and rode their bikes. However, because of the weather, a lot of commuters don’t want to ride their bikes in the rain. The Hase Klimax 2x fixes that with an optional portable rain cover.

What you see is basically a recumbent bike (it’s really a trike, since there are three wheels), but it is power-assisted. There is an electric motor there to, “assist users climbing hills or over logner stretches.” There are pedals too, if you want to make use of your own human power. That said, it’s the detachable rain cover that’ll save you on the ride to work.

The rain cover folds up when not in use, but it can also be set up quickly, unfolding around the user without the use of any tools. Toss on a poncho, some goggles and a helmet and you’re ready to brave the elements on the way to your downtown corner office. At least that’s the idea. Test rides are being offered in Europe, but I can’t seem to spot pricing info.

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