Instead of strapping a fat guy onto your bike, a new—smaller—gadget has been created for bikers who are tired of getting stuck at red lights due to their bike's weight. This device can trick traffic lights into believing the bike is actually a car by sending out a strong magnetic field, thus tripping the induction-loop sensors in the roads. However, because this gadget is still only a prototype, it currently isn't available to consumers, so don't rid of your personal fatty quite yet! [Wired]

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By the looks of things, this double-wheeled bike concept can easily stand alongside gems like the 12-foot tall bicycle, face to face tandem bicycle and the running bicycle in terms of sheer stupidity and pointless danger. Since there is no chain attached to the lower wheels, I can only assume that the upper wheel is generating all the momentum—transferring the energy like a set of gears (although, I can't imagine that would be very efficient—and you would have to pedal backwards). At any rate, you would have time to think about how stupid this all is as you hit a pebble in the road and fall to your untimely death. [My Confined Space via Coolbuzz]

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Those traffic loop sensors embedded at stop lights to detect the presence of a car have always provided fodder for vehicular snake oil vendors: I've seen products promising to eliminate red lights ONCE AND FOR ALL by ingeniously fooling a mysterious (but gullible, apparently) system hidden below the pavement. While false promises abound, this patent for bicycles seems to be more on the legit side, and could result in more carefree whizzing through intersections than previously allowed.

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True story*: After having my bike stolen for the third time in as many months a few years ago, I had the exact same idea as the SmartLock from designer Mike Lambourn. Except instead of dye and pressurised gas inside the cable lock, I envisioned explosives and shrapnel to teach the bastards a real lesson. Obviously, it never got off the ground - it's fairly difficult to buy explosives in today's terror-filled society. And besides, this is a much better idea - the dye the SmartLock sprays will mark the bike, the crime scene and the criminal, making it easier for the cops to catch the perp. And even if they wash off all the dye, the cable also includes Smartwater, a special invisible liquid that is practically impossible to remove and can be detected by police using UV sensors.

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If you caught ABC's "American Inventor" last season you may remember "The Gladiator Claw" bicycle storage device as one of the finalists. Well, the folks behind the Claw have used the startup money earned from the show to turn their idea of a push-button catch and release storage hook into reality. Basically, it is a modest but clever upgrade to basic hook systems, but if you have a really nice bike it may be worth dropping an extra $US60 on. Plus, I don't see why it could not be used for other items as well. The Claw is now available to pre-order for a November 15th release. [Amazon and The Claw via Crunchgear]

OK, I'll admit that this self-stabilising bike is clever: it's kind of a Segway turned sideways, using gyros to detect if it's off-balancing, and adjusting the steering automagically to compensate. It's also a standard electric bike, so it propels you along without needing any annoying foot-power: very 21st Century indeed.

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You may not like it now, but you would be thankful for that big butt of yours if you ever got a chance to ride a bike fitted with designer Deco Goodman's "Commuter Cyclist's Sustainable Energy Source." The device attaches underneath the seat and collects power generated by the compression of the seat springs, braking, pedaling etc. As a result, the electricity could be used to power headlights/taillights and any portable gadgets you bring with you on the road. As you might have guessed, it is only a concept at the moment, but at least it doesn't sound completely far-fetched.

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A black bike with a broomstick mechanism designed to steer it? It must belong to... a witch! A witch! A witch! A witch! We've found a witch! A witch! A witch! A witch! A witch! We've got a witch! A witch! A witch! Burn her! Burn her! Burn her! We've found a witch! We've found a witch! A witch! A witch! A witch! We have found a witch. May we burn her? Anyone has a duck?

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Past generations decked out their bike spokes with playing cards, this generation is doing it with LEDs. One of the best examples so far comes from a Flickr user that utilised six SpokePOV kits to turn his bicycle wheel into a stunning, illuminated Obama logo. If you would like to do a little campaigning of your own, all of the .dat files necessary to reproduce the effect are available on Aneel's Flickr site. Naturally, you can customise it to endorse whichever candidate you choose. Either way, it definitely makes a statement. [Aneel's Flickr Page via Make via Likecool]

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These Down Low Glow light bars for your bike are one wheel hydraulics system away from true low rider status, but that's not actually their true purpose. While at first glance they may appear to be the epitome of bicycle tchotchke, the manufacturer lays out a somewhat convincing case as to why riders should invest $US110 to trick out their Trek.

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