Tag Archives: suspension

Redshit Redshift Shocktop Gives You A more Comfortable Bike Ride

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There’s a few things you can do to smooth out your bike ride, from outfitting your bike with shocks and springs, to a simple gel mat on the seat. Shocks and springs are kind of a no-go on road bikes, so the Redshift Shocktop will be welcomed by speed aficionados looking for less vibrations on their next ride. The Shocktop approaches the issue of bumpy rides with a bendable stem that allows the handlebars to travel up and down with every crevice you ride over, smoothing everything out. Large bumps saw a reduction of up to 70%, while the simple “road buzz” that every rider is used to is pretty much eliminated. The company offers several length stems, with different stiffness levels (thanks to twin interchangeable elastomers), so that you can adjust your experience to your liking. Installation is done in minutes and requires no special tools other than maybe a screwdriver.

It’s $109, you can pre-order it now, and expect delivery in April 2016, in time for the 2016 riding season.

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[ Product Page ] VIA [ TheAwesomer ]

Aftermarket Trucks Add Suspension To Your Skateboards

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Putting suspension systems on your skateboards is the kind of feature you never really knew you wanted. It’s not like most skateboarders are ever complaining about how rough their ride is. But now that we’ve come across the Avenue Trucks, we’re left wondering what took so long.

Unlike some other suspension skateboard trucks (such as those made by Seismic), Avenue Trucks don’t incorporate coil-type shock absorbers. Instead, they utilize a simpler leaf spring-like design, where the magnesium main body of the truck is mounted on a folded-over metal baseplate that can flex by up to half an inch (12.7 mm).

The body is able to pivot relative to that plate and unlike traditional trucks, it features a “floating” pivot point that reportedly results in smoother turns and more control.

Considering a very reasonable $45 pledge will net you a pair of these trucks, we think it’s a great idea, assuming of course that it results in a more comfortable ride with no drawbacks. It’ll be interesting to see the feedback from the skateboarding community once these hit the market, which should happen in September, assuming they reach their funding goals.

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[ Project Page ] VIA [ Gizmag ]

Miss America Prom Invitation Prompts Suspension

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What started out innocently enough ended up becoming a serious matter. A student at the same high school where Miss America, Nina Davuluri, studied planned to ask her out to the prom. His...

GenShock electricity-generating active suspension is coming to passenger cars, eventually

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ZF to produce Levant Power's regenerative car suspension

Levant Power's energy-producing GenShock suspension has been stuck in limbo for a while, but the company has just announced a deal that could finally put the technology in passenger cars. Automotive component firm ZF has agreed to help develop a GenShock-based active suspension that will both convert road bumps to electricity and smooth out its host vehicle's ride. The system will theoretically offer the comfort of a luxury sedan, the power efficiency of a hybrid and the nimble handling of a sports car. It might even simplify repairs -- since GenShock recovers energy through pumps, it can raise each wheel without needing a jack. ZF doesn't yet know when we'll be driving cars with the new suspension, but the technology is reportedly inexpensive enough that buyers won't require a supercar-level budget.

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Via: Autoblog

Source: ZF Friedrichshafen

Edison2 shows off an updated Very Light Car EV by exposing its unique frame (hands-on)

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Edison2 shows off an updated Very Light Car EV by exposing its unique frame handson

We've had a few looks at Edison2's Very Light Car (VLC) project including its gasoline-powered X-Prize winning incarnation, but today's EV looked a bit different. In an event at the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, MI, CEO and founder Oliver Kuttner showed off the latest version of the vehicle, this time unskinned -- while referencing similar body-less showcases of the Lamborghini Miura and Volkswagen Beetle -- to show off the innovative suspension that contributes greatly to the car's light weight. The in-wheel suspension units connect to single piece axles that bookend the car's chassis and feature fewer contact points than traditional car suspension designs. Kuttner claims this technique will also feed back into conventional car bodies, opening up more space and taking weight out of future vehicles. Check after the break for more details about what's changed and what's next for Edison2, or dive into the gallery to take a look for yourself.

Gallery: Edison2 VLC at Henry Ford Museum

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Egyptian court suspends YouTube for a month over controversial film (Update: Google statement)

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Users of YouTube in Egypt could face a month-long blackout of the service after an administrative court ruling ordered the website's suspension. The ministries of communication and investment have been ordered to block the popular video sharing site, reports news agency MENA, for hosting the movie short Innocence of Muslims. The American-made film has caused strong reactions since its release in September, at which point the initial complaint about YouTube's showing of it is said to have been made. Today's decision is a result of that ruling, and while the service should still currently remain online, Egypt's National Telecommunication Regulatory Authority has claimed it will uphold the suspension once it receives confirmation of the verdict. This isn't the first time access to YouTube has been restricted by a government, and the very same film caused the Pakistani prime minister to call for a similar ban at the time of the movie's release. The 13-minute video is still available on YouTube, implying that the site deems that it doesn't breach its own guidelines, but it does come with a warning for user discretion due to possible offence. We've reached out to Google for comment.

Update: Google has responded with the following statement:

"We have received nothing from the judge or government related to this matter."

Update #2: Our friends in Egypt tell us YouTube is working fine for now -- at least as of 13.30pm today.

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Source: Reuters

Visualized: the history of the Formula 1 car in 60 seconds (video)

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Visualized the history of the Formula 1 car in 60 seconds video

Formula 1 car technology has come a long way since it first hit the asphalt banks 62 years ago. It's been hard to convey the sheer amount of change in a succinct way, but Rufus Blacklock may have nailed it in exactly one minute. Abstract versions of the cars show us the progression from the bullet-shaped cars of the 1950's through to the low-slung, wing-laden beasts we know today. If the clip is a little too F1-fast, there's also an infographic that details exactly when certain technology changes came into play, starting with the first wings in 1968 through to modern (and at times controversial) introductions like KERS in 2009. Click past the break for the video, and check out the relevant source link for a quite literal big picture.

Continue reading Visualized: the history of the Formula 1 car in 60 seconds (video)

Visualized: the history of the Formula 1 car in 60 seconds (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 03 Jul 2012 21:53:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Saginomiya driving simulator steers real car, isn’t quite Avatar on wheels (video)

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Most simulators act in isolation from the real world, so when we see one that breaks out of its virtual shell, we're more than a little intrigued. Saginomiya has designed a driving simulator that's directly linked to an actual car's components sitting on a six-axis motion system. The whole affair works as a form of virtuous circle for testing, where the real parts feed on the simulator and vice versa: since the simulator is based on the internal model of the car, it can translate road results directly to the suspension and steering of the physical components, which promptly loop around and dictate force feedback in the simulator through actuators in the steering wheel. Apart from creating what amounts to the real real driving simulator, Saginomiya's invention is a huge boon to automakers, which can test how key components work without having to build the whole vehicle first. Sadly, the simulator likely won't reach full-on Avatar levels and steer a car on a real road anytime soon, but it's engaging enough that we can see more than a few test drivers putting in overtime just for kicks.

Continue reading Saginomiya driving simulator steers real car, isn't quite Avatar on wheels (video)

Saginomiya driving simulator steers real car, isn't quite Avatar on wheels (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 30 May 2012 00:17:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Brammo Empulse and Empulse R Get Price and Launch Date

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If you're into being green, but prefer motorcycles over cars Brammo has announced the availability and pricing for its coming Empulse electric motorcycles. The Empulse comes in a standard and an R...

Weibo services ‘punished’ for Beijing coup rumors, comments temporarily disabled

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For a country who doesn't really do April Fools' Day, you know China means business when it lays the smackdown on its weibo services. Here's the background story: about a week ago there was a rumor on the Chinese web about a military coup on one of the main streets in Beijing, and coincidentally I was in town around the time (for the Windows Phone launch). Funnily enough, I wasn't aware of this at all until my taxi driver in Hong Kong asked me about my visit, as he claimed that the passenger he picked up beforehand was actually a Chinese military officer who had several intense phone calls about said coup.

But of course, nothing actually happened. In fact, the guards at Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City were pretty relaxed when I visited on that very day. As for the rumormongers, the Chinese government announced through Xinhua that 16 websites have been shut down and six people have been detained, while local microblogging platforms Sina Weibo and Tencent Weibo have been "criticized and punished accordingly," though it didn't elaborate on the details. All we know is that comments under each weibo post are now disabled until local time 8pm on April 3rd, during which these two companies can, in their own words, clean up the mess. Well, at least we now know where to draw the line for China's April Fools'.

Weibo services 'punished' for Beijing coup rumors, comments temporarily disabled originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 31 Mar 2012 22:40:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Tech In Asia  |  sourceXinhua  | Email this | Comments