Orange County Choppers, Intel and Black Diamond have teamed up for a computerized chopper. Just like a car stereo, the computer is all weather and can withstand the vibrations of the bike. The bike has a digital dashboard which offers web access, and various forms of entertainment and processor based operations. Instead of rear view mirrors, the bike has a couple of LCDs and two rear mounted cameras.

That’s not all. Bluetooth capabilities, Wi-Fi, and GPS are also available. Did I mention that a fingerprint recognition system acts as the ignition? Depending on what it can do, the PC costs between $6,000-$10,000, plus now the price of the bike you want it on. I guess you pay for what you get.

Complex blog

Developed by Roland Kaufmann for his graduate ID thesis project at the University of applied sciences, Joanneum in Graz, Austria. The JANO Dual Bike Concept is a hybrid bicycle made of wood as the main material. I thought the first bicycle was made of wood, that was even before civilization, and now the future bicycle will be made of wood?are going backwards? Anyway, with the help of his tutor Christoph Pauschitz, Roland has documented step by step the birth of JANO “the Hybrid Dual Bike.” From his motivation to use wood as the central material, to his target market, to the development concept, everything is documented at the JANO site.

Just a few hours ago I was reveling in the supreme pleasure of working from a café right off the Venice Beach boardwalk, where the view included lots of graffitied palm trees, some smoggy mountains, a slightly-past-middle-age and very brave woman wearing just Daisy Dukes and a bikini top, and so many happy people on bikes. The bikes-galore thing really made me wish I had a ten-speed of my own, but I haven’t owned that kind of wheels since I scored an ‘84 Corolla around the age of 16. If I were to invest, here are some of the ThisNext-approved road bikes I’d have to consider first:

1. Trek 2100 Road Bike

Teigeman swears that this “fast, sleek, and sexy” road bike “changed my life” and transformed him into a “confirmed roadie that rides dirt once in a while.” As “one of the most well-engineered pieces of gear a person can own,” the Trek 2100 “is all about comfort, pro-level quality, and just plain fun. With a Trek 2100, you’ll have a pimpin’ ride that won’t break the bank, and you’ll never feel outclassed - even 10 years down the road.”

...continued: Hit the road

Designed for the “ultra-skinny, scary-fast, heart-rate-monitor-wearing contingent of the Santa Cruz Bicycle riding family,” the Santa Cruz Blur XC mountain bike has pedaled its way into the hearts of several of our shopcasters. “I love my bike because it fits me - it’s light and fast,” says Julie Kipfer of her Blur. “The suspension allows me to climb anything with ease. The descents are faster because I roll over every obstacle. I have now learned to trust my bike and I’m amazed what it carries me over.” Gordon also loves that lightness, adding that the bike is “durable and responsive” and “great for cross-country enduro-rides and can be used for cruising as well.” For Britt, it’s all about “the long climbs and fast rolling down hills,” while Gear Noise believes the Blur to be “very well designed, balanced, light weight, a real evolution in bike design.”

Everybody has a different head. Which is something you were probably already aware of, but it’s a key point for About.com to make in its guide to Bike Helmet Basics. “Even among helmets made by the same manufacturer, the shape of each model can vary widely,” the guide notes. “The only way you can figure out what works best for you is to go to your local shop and start trying on helmets.” Atlanta Bike Commuter agrees that visiting your local bike shop and checking the fit of various products is one of the best ways to simplify the “fairly daunting task” of helmet shopping.

In a post on the 10 essentials for bike commuting, Atlanta Bike Commuter selects the Bell Arc Sport Helmet ‘05 and as low-priced model that still gets the job done (“The biggest reason for a helmet to be over 100 dollars is that it will have more vents than a cheaper helmet, but still hold up in a crash,” Atlanta Bike Commuter points out. “More expensive helmets also are lighter and usually fit much better. I am a cost conscious biker and tend to stay in the 40-60 dollar price range for a helmet.”) Indeed, The Gear Junkie recently reviewed a series of bike helmets and crowned Bell’s Sweep XC as his favorite. “I felt comfortable using the helmet racing down the road and off trail on tough, muddy and root-laden singletrack,” says Gear Junkie, calling attention to the helmet’s “airy, lightweight design,” breathability, and easy-to-use twist-knob and chin-strap buckle. ThisNexters Brian Lopes and Gordon also recommend Bell helmets, with Gordon classifying the brand as “a great biking brain-bucket.” (“Little visor keeps some sun out of my face, light weight and keeps my head cool too,” he adds. “Adjusts easily and securely.”)

...continued: Best brain buckets

When runner/hiker/caver Ben, aka Bad Ben, isn’t maintaining his beer-brewing blog, he posts about his adventures in trail running over at Bad Ben’s Ramblings. But sometimes he shares stuff to just make us think, like one recent post showing off some spoof ads from those culturejammers at Adbusters. Our fave spoof of the lot:

Although triathletes appear less likely to indulge in survey-posting than some other categories of bloggers, they do indulge from time to time. AZ Ironman 2007 was recently tagged for a survey that’s going ‘round the triathlete blogosphere, revealing a few of his favorite (running/biking/swimming-related) things. Favorite part of racing, for instance? The camaraderie. Favorite running shirt? A Banas Sports Therapy cut-off. Favorite running song? “What I Like About You” by The Romantics. And number one on his list of top 5 “next 5 shiny things you hope to buy”: This very-shiny-indeed Trek Equinox 7 Tri Bike:

There sure are a lotta bike-porn addicts around the blogosphere. One of the latest peddlers: Tales of Slow, Brave Athena, who teases her readers with a money shot of the Trek T80 Navigator, leading one commenter to sigh:

“oooooh. Pretty. It’s like soft-core, Playboy Channel bike porn”

Show-and-tell doesn’t get much more intimate than a proud parent sharing photos chronicling his newborn’s actual conception…even if we’re talking about bikes not babies.

With some help from Felt, Ritchey Design, and Bontraeger, qcmier at TriAl v2006 has birthed a brand new bike that’s got his commenters cooing. Be among the first to view the baby photos here.

Vivid1’s blog, Excessive Velocity, is unusual in a number of ways: she’s one of the few females who blogs about motorcycling (and she actually owns three bikes: a Ducati 900SS a Honda CBR 954RR and the beautiful Ducati ST3 shown here)…she has equal enthusiasm for bicycling as well as motorcycling…and she takes great pictures not only of her bike, but of the country Illinois countryside she tours on all sorts of wheels. Here’s a woman living the ThisNext dream every day, and when we’re in the market for a motorcycle, we know exactly where to go.

How to keep your wrists and hands from suffering fatigue and numbness while riding? Don at Go Fast Pops just added some Extreme Steering Chunky Grips to his bike, to help deal with the nerve damage in his left wrist. Made from 100 percent silicone, the grips are UV-resistant, slip-proof, and super-shock-absorbent.

Flatman indulges in a little bike porn, showing off his latest craigslist find: the 2006 Giant TCR2, a road bike inspiring much drooling among his commenters - and us. A sneak peek:

Tired of leaving your dog behind, or running along (assuming its smaller) when you go out cycling? Want to save gas when you’re bringing him to the vet perhaps, but its just too far to walk? The Saavy Dog Lover found this cute and practical Doggie Bike Basket to let your pup ride up front.