Daily Marauder

BIKING: GEEK FABULOUS STYLE by Marauder

BIKING: GEEK FABULOUS STYLE

Yesterday afternoon, I got a chance to catch up with Tarikh and Josh from Uncommon Projects and ride the GPS-enabled Yahoo bike. They worked with Yahoo’s Buzz Marketing team to develop 20 of these bright purple bikes loading each with geek fabulous technology that this little blogstress can’t get enough of. Here’s a look at the on board tech:

Tech Out Your Roll

• Nokia N95 phone with GPS and camera (lives within this box on the handlebars): The camera automatically snaps pictures every 1 -2 minute intervals on your ride. I particularly love the “Ride like a girl” sticker its former owner in Maine affixed to the bike. Rock on girl. The photos are automatically uploaded to a flickr account. Check out my Dumbo ride’s photo set here. Considering how much the bike shakes while in motion (especially on the cobblestones of Dumbo), the clarity of some of these photos was incredible.
• Solar-Powered Battery System: Solar Panels on the back of the bike keep the N95 charged for up to 2 weeks on a single charge. Very nice.

My only request would be some speakers. I rode with a guy in Cali who had an iPod connected speaker which fit snuggly into his water bottle holder. I think we listened to M.I.A.’s Paper Planes at least 10 times from San Francisco to LA. Rolling ghetto blaster. Loves it.

The Ride

This photo was taken from the bike’s N95 camera. Click on either photo above or below for the entire trip’s Flickr photostream. First thing, perhaps don’t attempt a Yahoo bike ride wearing heels and a dress. Here lies my first mistake. Secondly, don’t attempt to ride down a cobblestone street and then try to cross exposed rail. Blarg! I bit it on the streets of Dumbo within 2 minutes of test driving the bike. Luckily, the bike took a sweet picture of the road after my fall (see below) and more importantly, I didn’t ruin the bike. Sigh.

The Fall

Manhattan and the Brooklyn Bridge

I first saw the bike last year when I noticed some pictures of the bright purple monster on a friend’s photo stream. Since then, I have begged Yahoo for my own, a request I have been assured will be fulfilled for the upcoming Bike NY in May. 40 miles, the bright purple monster, and me. Stay tuned for the photo stream and honk if you see bright purple, two wheels, and a Daily Marauder sticker. And perhaps don’t drive too close. I’m prone to fall…

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