Bike + Umbrella, Then & Now

I have noted this before, but there are very very few new ideas for how to improve bicycles (that are good, anyway).


A "new" product first patented in 1896

Other bloggers have looked at this device, the "Überhood," and critiqued its likely performance, for example Mr. BikeSnob and the Wired Gadget Lab. (It turns out an Überhood isn't a neighborhood that is better than all the rest.)

And I had a blog post about a similar product - patented in 1896!


One assumes they weren't trying to get the 1896 equivalent of $79 like the Uberhood people, but it still failed

I wonder why they haven't looked for Kickstarter funding.

Riding in the Rain (with Umbrella)

Seen while walking the dog, Sunday morning

This fellow was slowly making his way on the sidewalk, umbrella in hand, early Sunday morning as I was walking the dog. I have seen this in photos of people riding in the Netherlands but a little unusual here. Presumably he was on his way to work and probably wishing he had a car. Some cycle riders I see pretty clearly would prefer that transportation option.

Poor quality of photo result of poor quality of camera in cheap phone, alas.


What the fellow needed, I suppose - patent application made in 1896