The Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago has an exhibit dedicated to wearable technology—smart clothing and devices designed to extend the human body’s capabilities for health, strength, and safety.  The exhibit featured three novelties that have the potential to enhance safety while on a bike.

​Hovding Helmet - This is an airbag helmet for cyclists first introduced in 2011.  You wear the device like a collar and it inflates in 0.1 seconds to cover you head and neck in the event of a crash.  The Swedish developers claim an airbag affords 8x the protection of an traditional helmet.  The Hovding website has an fantasy video of a cyclist who crashes and has a flashback on all that is important in his life until he realizes he is saved by the airbag.  I doubt it is CPSC certified in the US and there are no US distributors listed on their website but it appears to cost about $300. ​

Living in an urban area constantly under development we hear calls for city officials and developers to plan for more green space.   The benefits of spending time in nature are well documented; reduced stress, better sleep, and overall well-being. While building and maintaining urban parks is something we still need to advocate for, since 1915 there has been a large green area on the outer belt of Chicago known as the Forest Preserves of Cook County.  Kevin Kuhn, Volunteer Program Specialist with the Forest Preserves came to the Jan. 21, 2020 meeting of the Evanston Bicycle Club to provide an update.

​There is an exhibit currently at the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago called The Art of the Bicycle.   Bicycles were first invented 200 years ago, so over the years there is plenty of material for any bicycle exhibit.  It is always interesting to see what the curators select as a focus, i.e. would it be a specific type of bike (road, mountain), classic races (Tour de France) , training (speed, ascending, descending), racing (winning, losing), types of cyclists (kids, women), equipment, style, learning to ride, or legends and champions? 

The milder winter has resulted in more rain than snow for our bike rides.  Even if you are not rolling out in the rain, there is a chance the skies can open up before you return home so being prepared helps you be safe and comfortable on your bike.  Preparations include you, your bike, while riding, and after the ride.