With gas prices a topic of urgent concern, it's no wonder bicycle-related innovations are coming fast and furious. One of the latest we've spotted is the Zigo Leader, a bicycle that's easily convertible into several different forms.

Much like the Danish trioBike, which we covered a while back, the Zigo Leader can be easily converted into any of four different modes: stand-alone bicycle; bicycle with front-attached kid trailer; jogging stroller; and traditional stroller. Converting from one mode to another is simply a matter of swivelling casters and attaching or detaching the "child pod" trailer, and can be done in 30 seconds or less, Zigo says. The vehicle also folds easily for storage. Priced at USD 1,349, the Zigo Leader will be available in August direct from the New Jersey-based company or through a network of dealers including bicycle shops and baby stores. It comes 98 percent assembled; shipping is available anywhere in North America, the EU and Australia. Accessories including a rain cover/bug screen and restraint harness can also be purchased.

Will modular, pedal-powered vehicles become the new cars? We'll keep you posted. In the meantime, keep those bicycle innovations coming! (Related: Cargo bikes for greener business deliveries.)

Website: www.myzigo.com
Contact: support@myzigo.com

Spotted by: Matthew Cua and John Boufford

Shoppers at IKEA furniture stores in Denmark now have a new option for bringing their large, bulky purchases home: a fleet of Velorbis bikes with trailers that are available for loan at (virtually) no charge.

IKEA launched the program last month after market research found that 20 percent of its Danish customers ride their bikes to the store. It then partnered with Danish Freetrailer, an organization that loans out free trailers for both bikes and cars, to establish the service, which has already begun at IKEA's Gentofte store. To borrow a bike and trailer, customers must put down a deposit of about USD 100 and then either pay USD 7 for insurance or be liable in case the bike is damaged or stolen, according to a report in Treehugger. The trailers may be kept overnight and returned the next day. Since the program's launch at the Gentofte store, IKEA representatives from Sweden, Germany and China have flown in to see it in action, according to Copenhagenize.

Recognizing—and celebrating—the preferences of eco-minded consumers makes good sense for IKEA, which is bound to share in the eco-iconic glory. Next, it needs to start selling those bikes and trailers! One to emulate in bicycle-friendly cities around the world. (Related: Cargo bikes for greener business deliveries.)

Website: www.freetrailer.dk
Contact: info@freetrailer.dk

Spotted by: Copenhagenize via RK

We've already written about several ride-sharing sites that help match up people in need of a ride with drivers heading in the same direction. Now French site Colis-Voiturage is bringing a similar service to the local transport of packages.

Individuals who need to send packages across drivable distances typically must make the trip themselves or pay expensive shipping charges. In the hopes of creating a more economical and eco-friendly solution, Colis-Voiturage aims to bring together those with a package to send and drivers who are already planning a trip to a similar destination. Members of the site register with their name, address, birthdate and contact information, and indicate whether they have a package to send or whether they're planning to drive to a particular destination—or both. Those with packages to send provide details of their shipment and search for those planning trips in the same direction; if there isn't one at the moment, they'll be sent an e-mail when one is added. Once a match is found, the parties arrange the details and financial contribution independently. Using the site is free for package senders. Drivers get a year free if they sign up before Oct. 2; thereafter, subscriptions cost EUR 5 per year. Among the benefits Colis-Voiturage cites are saved gas, reduced costs and a minimized carbon footprint. The company currently operates only within France.

In many ways, Colis-Voiturage's service is similar to that offered by uShip—which we covered last year and which works mainly with professional shippers—but on a smaller and more personal scale. Given the greater need for personal trust at this level, logical enhancements to the site would be to beef up user profiles and add social networking features like member reviews and reputation statistics. With concern over gas prices and global warming increasing every day, however, there's no doubt the idea is good. One to roll out in the rest of the world?

Website: www.colis-voiturage.fr
Contact: contact@colis-voiturage.com

Spotted by: Déborah Bianchetto

Thousands of bicycles are scrapped each year in Denmark because their owners can't be bothered to have them fixed, or would rather buy a new bike instead. A new initiative from Copenhagen-based Baisikeli aims to reclaim those discarded bikes to help the disadvantaged both in Africa and at home.

Similar to Bikes for Africa, which we wrote about several years ago, Baisikeli (named for the Swahili word for "bicycle") collects second-hand bikes from all around Denmark and sends them to Africa, where they create work, education and transportation. The group has set up projects in Ghana, Sierra Leone and Tanzania, and it ships bicycles to workshops it has established there to train local people in bicycle repair. Financing for the project comes from bike rentals back in Copenhagen, and unemployed people who have been out of a job for three years or more do the handling of the bikes on the Danish end.

In Africa, local mechanics then work with apprentices to repair the bicycles and sell them to local distributors. Many are sold to the local population—offering a better-quality yet lower-priced alternative to the bicycles commonly available there—while others are converted into specially adapted bicycles that can serve as local ambulances and cargo bikes. Baisikeli also donates some bikes to rural Ghanaian children who depend on them to get to school. Profits from the fixed-up bikes that get sold are invested in local projects, while a portion is put back into developing the workshops. Ultimately, the group hopes to offer local mechanics micro-loans so they can start their own businesses, as well as to develop a Fair Trade Baisikeli bike that will be built in Africa and returned to Denmark for rental to tourists there starting next year, according to Copenhagenize. A video on YouTube illustrates the project's goals.

So many projects intended to help Africa's poor are essentially just donations and produce only short-term effects. By developing a sustainable bicycle industry there, however, Baisikeli hopes to give Africans a better future. One to sponsor or partner with! (Related: Microfinance meets mentoring.)

Website: www.cph-bike-rental.dk — www.baisikeli.dk
Contact: niels@baisikeli.dk

Spotted by: Copenhagenize via RK

We've written about eBay feeder businesses before, such as Zippi, which we featured last year. Now, another example has popped up in the UK focusing on the collection and delivery of 'pickup only' furniture and antique items.

For prices beginning at GBP 40, Lots2 will collect and deliver items bought on eBay or other auction platforms from or to anywhere in London, the South East and East Anglia. Large and awkward items that cannot be posted via a conventional courier are the company's specialty, such as sofas, antiques and furniture. Lots2 offers both economy and express delivery, depending on the flexibility of the customer's timeframe. Express service is typically for delivery on a particular day with a short lead time, whereas with economy service, Lots2 will collect the item within a week of receiving the order and deliver it within 10 days after that. Lots2 offers pack and protect service to keep items safe during delivery as well. Launched in February 2007, the company has since maintained an on-time delivery record of 99.6 percent.

Lots2 operates just within a portion of the UK, so the opportunities are plentiful around the globe to offer like services. Finding sellers to work with is relatively easy—just use eBay's search engine to find sellers within a set distance from your zipcode or postal code that sell large items. Movers, delivery companies or minipreneurs with a van—this one's for you!

Website: www.lots2.co.uk
Contact: hello@lots2.co.uk

Spotted by: Naomi Healy