Velopresso - Espresso Cart Trike
/velopresso-espresso-cart-6502.jpg "Velopresso - Espresso Cart Bike")
- AeroPress Coffee and Espresso Maker - $25.95
- Ceramic Funnel Coffee Dripper - $23.00
- Mini Mill Slim Coffee Grinder - $33.40
- Nespresso Essenza Manual Espresso Maker - $119.99
- 3-Cup Stovetop Espresso Maker - $22.25
Put the pedal to the...grinder. The Velopresso, an espresso cart-bicycle (well, tricycle, really) hybrid, takes the concept of generating power through manual labor and removes the practical joke punchline typically associated with it. In early summer 2013, electricity- and motor-free fine coffee may be coming to a bike lane near you.
The Velopresso coffee vending trike sports a pedal-driven grinder and gas-fired lever espresso machine. Its nearly silent, low carbon operation and its entirely original design--from the ergonomic tricycle frame to the conical burr grinder to the fuel-burning coffee machine itself--further the curious contraption's unique imprint on the world of wakeup juice.
Trike frames have been molded to ensure baristas are able to ride and operate the espresso equipment efficiently and comfortably from the saddle. Pedaling will grind beans on demand--fresh for every drink--with dosing adjustment components making possible double shot grinds in the range of 14 to 21 grams. Pedaling at 80 to 100 rpms will run the grinding burrs at 200 to 250 rpms; the average 14 g double shot, dosed directly to the Velopresso's portafilter, will take 5 seconds of easy pedaling to produce.
Once grounds are in place, the trike's compact, single-group espresso machine takes over the remainder of drink production. Its single boiler receives heat from a compact multi-fuel burner, the prototype of which runs on camping gas. From cold it takes approximately 15 minutes for the espresso machine to reach operational temperature. From bean dosing to grinding to double tall Americano with room for cream, the Velopresso needs only 60 to 90 seconds. Depending, its designer notes, on the barista's skills. Zing!
/predator-19178.jpg?mode=crop "Sick in the Head: The 10 Coolest Motorcycle Helmets")
Sick in the Head: The 10 Coolest Motorcycle Helmets
Some people say you're sick in the head for riding a motorcycle. I say you're sick in the head if you're wearing one of these motorcycle helmets. And I mean it in the very, very best sense of the word. Here are my picks...
RYNO One Wheel Motorcycle
Ever wanted to pop a perpetual wheelie? Well get ready, 'cause RYNO Motors is in production and set for the 2012 US release of two tiers of its self-balancing, single-wheeled, shit-stirring beast of a motorcycle. OK...
/hoverbike-2605.jpg "Hoverbike")
Hoverbike
The Hoverbike is what happens when one really wants to be a superhero, but really needs to figure out a way to more efficiently herd cattle. Aussie Chris Malloy has created a prototype for this motorcycle-helicopter hybrid...
/ampera-office-bike-62329.jpg?mode=crop "Ampera Office Bike")
Ampera Office Bike
Meet the Ampera Office Bike: a sleek solution blending work and wellness into one dynamic experience. Designed for the modern workspace where the lines between home and office blur, the Ampera ensures you stay productive...
/moccamaster-kbgv-select-coffee-62187.jpg?mode=crop "Moccamaster KBGV Select Coffee Maker")
Moccamaster KBGV Select Coffee Maker
Moccamaster's KBGV Select Coffee Maker is able to brew both a half and a full carafe of coffee to the Golden Cup Standard established by the Specialty Coffee Association. Wow! That means...nothing to me...
/flowering-penis-coffee-mugs-28372.jpg "Flowering Penis Coffee Mug")
Flowering Penis Coffee Mug
For all the ladies (and fellas!) who count floral patterns and penises amongst their favorite things, have I got a mug of a gift for you. Clothing and accessory brand HUMAN goes for a very anatomical part of being one...
Monovelo - The Human Powered Monowheel
Monowheels debuted in the late 19th century, but Monovelos claim to be the inaugural human-powered installation of the 21st. A nested unicycle of sorts, the Monovelo pedals and steers similar to a conventional bike, but...
/wake-n-bake-coffee-mug-22533.jpg "Wake 'n' Bake Coffee Mug")
Wake 'n' Bake Coffee Mug
There are a ton of these wake 'n' bake mugs out there, but I went with the delightful navy blue one you see here because its marketing is genius. Coffee or tea alongside my morning tokes? Pssshhh, F that. Fill that pipe...
Invisible Bike
I wonder which is less comfortable: Jimmy Kuehnle's Invisible Bike or Jimmy Kuehnle's invisible outfit. In other words, would you rather require rectal surgery or pass out from heat exhaustion and develop a full-body...
The Barisieur Coffee Brewing Alarm Clock
Josh Renouf knows what the world really needs: coffee. Stat. Like, the second it opens its eyes. And it needs it served from The Barisieur, an alarm clock topped with implements from Beaker's lab. Very nice, Mr. Renouf...
Juggernaut Bullfrog Fat Trike
Rungu's Juggernaut fat-tire bullfrog trike makes it possible to go where a bike can't go and a car won't go. To ride where others dare only walk. To look in grandiosity somewhere between Billy the Puppet pedaling in to...
/boba-fett-motorcycle-helmet-24241.jpg "Boba Fett Motorcycle Helmet")
Boba Fett Motorcycle Helmet
Unlike a few selections in this slideshow of sick motorcycle helmets, you can probably wear HJC's new RPHA 11 Boba Fett helmet without getting laughed off the road (it's an obvious, but not over-the-top Star Wars circus...