Stupid little innovations are driving the shift: Fenders, keep the mud off your back. Bigger thinner wheels and lighter frames make commutes faster and easier. Storage space lets you take your groceries home or your bags to work.

Finally, we've got some cooler innovations. Automatic transmissions make biking simpler, and electric motors make it a breeze. Biking is becoming easier and more widely accepted form of transportation. The Schwinn pictured above, part of a new line of electric commuters, is actually an alternative to an automobile. For small town living, there's simply no reason to have a car.

These bikes have a lithium polymer battery that you remove after riding, and the plug in inside your house. So there's no need to drag your bike to the nearest socket and leave it there overnight. And with one charge lasting over 60 miles, it's unlikely that the bike will run out of juice before you do. And while $1,500 might seem like a lot for a new bike, it's pretty frakkin' cheap for a new car.

Via MetaEfficient

I just got quite a cool tip from the proprietor of RideThisBike.com. Apparently they've received a couple of anonymous tips about a new bike that folds into a suitcase. While the first round just showed some simple 3D mockups, now they've received some photos from a factory in China (show above) that with actual working suitcase bikes!

After the jump, you can check out a super-duper fancy-pants 3D video of the new bike too. Larry at RideThisBike says that the MSRP will probably be around $400.