Speaking of Shimano components, a few weeks ago I saw a prototype for a hubless bike — that’s right, a bike without any ball bearings, that has no physical contact point between wheel and frame, cranks and frame, or fork and frame. How’d they do that? Here’s how: All moving parts are suspended in powerful magnetic fields. (Not clear whether a rider of such a bike would need to fill his CamelBak with battery acid to keep the magnets juiced, but Cytomax is loaded with electrolytes after all.)

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Today, someone forwarded me this video of a new carbon mountain bike frame that weighs less than three pounds. It’s called the Arantix and it’s built by Delta 7 Sports. The frame is an open lattice-work of carbon fiber, and its makers claim that this makes dents, scratches, and nicks less catastrophic than traditional carbon composites like OCLV.

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Having ridden my solid-tubed steel commuter bike beneath the Interstate 35W bridge about an hour before it collapsed last summer, I’m not sure my grasp of physics allows me to fully buy the argument. Still, looks cool — even if it is remindful of a pasta strainer or a Habitrail.