Washing machines and dating: The weird world of cycle tech

6 May 2016

There are many ways to spend your money as a cyclist, but with dating and washing machines becoming integrated, it’s all getting really weird.

About a year ago, I looked at cycling and the growing ways in which consumers can smarten up their bikes. There were GPS-armed pedals so you knew where your bike was, a smart helmet that checked your vitals, handlebars that blinked to tell you which way to turn and even easily-added wheels to give you a bit more thrust.

These were a mixture of clever thinking and trivial meddling, but they each added something to bikes, and for that I applaud the creators.

However, two cycling tweaks I’ve noticed since deserve mention now – the first is the Tuvie Bike Washing Machine.

Exercise bikes in the home are gradually becoming more popular, so too is energy conservation. So, obviously, washing machine hybrids are the way to go.

The concept is simple: pedal away on the Tuvie and the drum rotates, churning the clothes in the drum until they’re clean. The pedalling also generates small amounts of electricity that powers a monitor of some sort – the world hasn’t enough screens after all.

Alas, it’s just a concept, with no news on how the water is loaded or drained from the drum, or whether or not this will ever hit the shelves.

The Tuvie Bike Washing Machine is a wonderfully bizarre concept | Bike tech

The Tuvie Bike Washing Machine is a wonderfully bizarre concept

The second evolution of note is Ride2Love: the new dating site for cyclists. Users fill in their details, which, much like other dating sites, takes in things like eye and hair colour, age, social interests and everything in between.

However, there are other questions like ‘What bike is in your garage that you would never sell?’ or ‘What is your worst crash?’ that help tailor the matches even more.

So, you can wash your best shirt while pedalling away, building up the leg strength for your cycle date with someone you met online. Synergy.

Gigglebit is Siliconrepublic.com’s daily dose of the funny and fantastic in science and tech, to help start your day on a lighter note.

Main image of cyclists via Shuttertsock

Gordon Hunt was a journalist with Silicon Republic

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