Last week I told you about the Magic Wheel in a post about urban commuting. This week I’m offering you the opportunity of a free ride. That’s right, Magic Wheel are giving away one of their lovely vehicles right here on EcoStreet. It’s the perfect antidote to those irritating little aluminium scooters that everyone was riding a few years ago, and an eco-friendly way for city-dwellers to get to work.

So what can the Magic Wheel can do for you?

1. You’ll look cool riding a Magic Wheel.
Oh yes you will. It takes the average user a couple of hours to master riding the Magic Wheel, and it’s fun, fun, fun.

2. It’s easier to ride than a unicycle, but will still encourage admiring glances from the people you pass.
Getting to work in an unusually fun fashion makes you interesting to bystanders, as reported by one Cambridge Magic Wheel rider.

3. The Magic Wheel is very agile and easy to manoeuvre through the throngs in city centres.
You’ll get to work quicker than everyone else.

4. It’s small and easy to store while you’re at work (just stick it under your desk).
No need to chain it to a lamppost and risk losing it to the council. Simply pick it up by its handle and take it into work with you.

Watch the video of a Magic Wheel in action in our blog post about Groovy Solutions for Urban Commuters.

This competition is now closed.

Do you live in town and drive to work? If your answer is yes, my next question is why? Is it because of the state of public transport (or the lack thereof)? Of the people that I’ve asked, it seems that most don’t want to use public transport because it’s unpleasant, or unreliable, or takes too long, or is non-existent. Come on guys! Get a bit more inventive with your transport solutions and stop adding to the pollution/carbon emission problem. If the old loaf is a little slow at thinking up groovy eco-friendly solutions, let me get you started…

The Magic Wheel

The street scooter that’s a little bit geeky, yet bodaciously cool. Have you ever wished you could ride a unicycle and wow the bystanders? Then this is the solution for your urban commute. It’s easy to ride (nothing like a unicycle) but looks just as impressive. I can’t help thinking that a bloke in a suit and bowler hat with an umbrella in one hand would cut a striking figure on one of these. As would anyone for that matter. £119 including postage within the UK. Keep an eye out for our fab Magic Wheel giveaway coming soon!

The Recumbent Bicycle

You too can be a laid-back cyclist. There are numerous reasons why riding a recumbent bicycle is preferable to riding an upright bicycle. Firstly, there’s the comfort factor. With a recumbent there’s no “numb bum” effect and no need to purchase padded bicycle shorts. The recumbent’s reclining seat supports your body weight on your back as well as on your butt. Also, because you are lying back, you aren’t supporting any of your weight on your hands, so you won’t experience discomfort in your wrists or hands. Secondly, there’s the safety factor. Many upright bicycle accidents involve the rider going over the handlebars with resultant head injuries. Recumbent riders are less prone to these types of injuries. And lastly, the recumbent is faster than an upright bicycle. Yip, people who ride them love their recumbents so much that they tend to develop the legendary “recumbent grin“. Convinced? Buy one, or build your own, with accessories, or even hire one to get a taste for it before committing.

Grow a Bike (or sequester some CO2 in your bike’s frame)

Before investing in one of these works of art I’d recommend finding somewhere secure to park it while you are at work. But once that little detail is out of the way, all that’s left to do is have your unique bamboo bike built to order. I bet you’d look great on one of these. The bamboo is treated by smoking and heating to make it ultra-strong. Definitely the bicycle with lowest carbon footprint. Order one from CalfeeDesign.

And finally…

There are ways to make travelling by public transport a little more, well, fun I suppose.

See more “no pants day” videos here.

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Even gearheads can go green. That’s the news from the EcoModder.com forum where users share tips and inspire one another to take their vehicles to greener heights. High performance isn’t about speed when you’re an Ecomodder, it’s about miles per gallon, and these guys (and girls) are using mods and tweaks like weight reduction, better aerodynamics and improved gear ratios to achieve their goals. They also champion a greener way of driving, called hypermiling, to get maximum mileage from a tank of fuel.

It’s not all about environmental issues and conservation (although that is one of the attractions to Ecomodding), but also about economics. Saving money, and issues surrounding energy independence and security are key appeals to this activity.

[via: HippyShopper]

Advertisement: Reduce your CO2 footprint by as much as 2 tonnes/year & save up to £150 on your energy bills.