On Friday I wrote about “Bloom”:http://duenos.net/article/426/Pedalpoweredplanting, the pedal-powered planting device from the “Power to the Pedal”:http://www.design21sdn.com/competitions/11 design competition at “Design 21”:http://www.design21sdn.com/, but since then I’ve discovered something way cooler from the same competition.

This entry by Joe Wentworth is rather obviously called “Retrofit Folding Handlebars”:http://www.design21sdn.com/competitions/11/entries/3095/gallery/18523 . Like the Bloom, this entry is innovative and stylish but whereas the Bloom was frivolous and intended more for statement purposes, these handlebars are oh so practical. The benefits of these bars are two-fold: Firstly they serve as a wheel/steering lock when closed which helps with storage (no infuriating slide down the wall/fence/lampost) and with security. Secondly, along with standard folding pedals, these handlebars narrow the profile of the bike to make storage more efficient which really matters when you have a lot of bikes.
In college my roommates and I used to hang our bikes on the wall using big old utility hooks and we would have paid dearly (at least 12 packs of Ramen noodles) for something like this. In fact, I would still pay a fair bit for this, but this being a design competition, there’s no link to buy it.
Other design entries I wish were real:
* “eBooks in the round”:http://duenos.net/article/350/eBooksintheround: A beautiful concept eBook reader that is just too pretty to be made.
* “Flying Men!”:http://duenos.net/article/337/FlyingMen: Imagine diving out of an airplane thousands of feet in the air, reaching terminal velocity and then landing right back on the ground, all without a parachute.