Kickstarter

What's the one thing your bike has been lacking? Give up? Truck nuts—err rather, bike balls.

That's right, bike balls—they're so hot right now. But the most redneck thing you can do to your bike isn't just for show, it's also the world's most overconfident bike light. The Bike Balls Kickstarter campaign has more than tripled its goal with 20 days remaining.

And to top it all off, Bike Balls made this amazing promo video that just features a woman's butt riding a bike with the Bike Balls swinging below. We could watch this all day, sorta like that animated bike seat with women riding it video.

Listen, I'm first in line for saying I want hoverboards to be an actual real thing. Marty McFly is a hero that I've aspired to be for most of my life, and how could I be him without a hoverboard? But I'm just really tired of scientists, that dreamcrushing liar Tony Hawk, and fake companies getting my hopes up that a real hoverboard is going to be here anytime soon. I just can't keep taking that let-down—I'm fragile.

Earlier this week though, Hendo Hoverboards launched their Kickstarter campaign for what they're claiming is the first real hoverboard. And yes, we've heard that claim made before—but it's a Kickstarter campaign so it must be amazing! Let's breakdown the initial absurdity though, because remember, we can't be let down again.

First off, they've got a kid helping in the lab. What is this Doogie Howser or something? Second off, they've got a nerd in a lab coat testing it. He doesn't even know how to pump on a transition—just look at that awful style! Third off, they say they're giving the wheel a run for it's money. Haven't they ever heard the phrase, don't try to reinvent the wheel?! Fourth off, the hoverboard only works over a metallic surface—don't they know the streets aren't made of metal?

That's enough of my ranting, but as the New York Times pointed out after testing the Hendo Hoverboard, "It's not exactly Marty McFly's hoverboard. Now it only works on special surfaces, and the battery life is only a few minutes long. And it's tough to ride."

Plus, if you read the NY Times article you'll also find out that Hendo's long-term goal is to create magnetic technologies and new kinds of building foundations. Sure, they want to create specific skateparks you can use these boards at, but this reeks of another publicity stunt to drum up attention for other reasons.

Call me a skeptic, but I don't believe this is quite the hoverboard we've been waiting for yet. But who knows, maybe I'm just so bitter from having my heart broken so many times that I can't recognize the real thing when it actually comes along.

Click here to watch the Most Popular Videos on Network A

File this under the category of things non-skaters think is cool that actual skaters hate.

The Stair-Rover is a "stair-surfing longboard" that has eight wheels instead of four, and allows a rider to make his way down stairs with the help of a hinge mechanism in the trucks. Traditionally, skateboarders navigated stairs by, you know, ollieing down them or firecrackering. The Stair-Rover removes all that skillful riding and replaces it with an awkward inchworm-like motion. The Stair-Rover is currently raising funds via Kickstarter so if you want to contribute to the demise of skateboarding, go ahead and donate some money.

Click here to watch the Most Popular Videos on Network A

There has been an endless stream of less-than-awesome Kickstarter campaigns within the skateboarding and biking realms. Things like the one-wheeled skateboard, the cheesy stair-climbing skateboard, and the ridiculous Halfbike. But we finally have something that blends drifting and bikes on Kickstarter that we can all get behind: Tortuga Trikes.

What's a Tortuga Trike you ask? Well, it's a hand-built, gas-powered tricycle made specifically for drifting. The rear wheels are wrapped in PVC pipe so they can slide easily. It has a 6.5-horsepower engine that goes up to 30 miles per hour. And with a price tag of $1,799, it's cheaper than a missile car!

Tricycle drifting is an underrated pasttime, and we can only imagine what someone like Ryan Tuerck and Chris Forsberg could do on these things. To help make these Tortuga Trikes a reality, go to their Kickstarter page.

What do you think of the Tortuga Trike? Tell us in the Comments.

Click here to watch the Most Popular Videos on Network A

Another day means another Kickstarter campaign for a new action sports product. Hot on the heels of the super-fun looking Tortuga drifting tricycle, comes the Marbel Electric Skateboard. Claiming to be the world's lightest electric vehicle, the board weighs 9.9 pounds and has a deck made of cabron fiber and Kevlar. The board has a top speed of 20 miles per hour and can travel 10 miles on a single charge. Since 20 mph is pretty damn quick, a mobile app allows you to customized the top speed and acceleration to your preferences. Marbel has already exceeded its $90,000 Kickstarter goal. As of May 29, the company had raised $176,035, so get ready to see some of these electric skateboards zooming around a town near you sometime this fall.

To see more about the Marbel Electric Skateboard, check out their Kickstarter page.

What do you think of this electric skateboard? Tell us in the Comments.

[h/t Mashable]

"It's like riding a bike," is a phrase that's used to describe a skill that, once acquired, is never forgotten. But acquiring the skill of actually riding a bike isn't easy. For years, kids have started off on bikes with training wheels and then progressed to two-wheelers, which their parents nervously held onto as they took those first wobbly pedal strokes. Now a company is looking to introduce a bike that can teach a child to ride without training wheels in a single afternoon.

Jyrobike is a self-balancing bicycle that uses gyroscopic technology to keep it from tipping over. The Control Hub is located in the front wheel and has three different settings so that as a child gains confidence on the bike, he or she has to rely less on the bike's stabilizing properties. The company also thinks the bike has the potential to help disabled kids who had previously been unable to ride.

The Jyrobike is currently on Kickstarter and has already exceeded its fundraising goal of $100,000 with 23 days left in the campaign. The Control Hub, which fits on any 12" or 16" bike, will be available for purchase separately for $129, and a complete Jyrobike will cost $249.

See the Jyrobike in action and learn how it works below.

Click here to watch the Most Popular Videos on Network A

For some strange reason, people have been taking to Kickstarter recently to fund popping all kinds of cringeworthy electric skateboard prototypes lately. The latest is OneWheel, "the self-balancing electric skateboard that gives you the feeling of flying." Yes, the sense of flying. On a tire and some wood. The entrepreneurs behind OneWheel wanted to build something like Marty McFly's hoverboard from Back To The Future 2. Instead they managed to pull off the impressive feat of creating something that is even less cool than a Segway, whose intuitive technology and sensors the OneWheel mimics.

Despite being truly atrocious, the OneWheel has already raised $81,000 of its $100,000 goal. And 29 people have ponied up the $1,399 minimum required to receive a OneWheel if the project is fully funded. So if you see someone riding one of these things in the near future, be sure to throw something at him or her.

Kickstarter has proven to be a great way for people to get financial backing for their ideas. The crowdfunding site has provided money for everything from the world's largest jockstrap to a Robocop statue. Kickstarter is also the place where people keep trying to reinvent the wheel and get support for their new transportation inventions, no matter how stupid they may be. There's the Segway of skateboards and the ridiculous stair-climbing skateboard. Now there is Halfbike. The Halfbike has pedals, one regular-size front tire, two smaller rear tires, and no seat. Instead users hold onto a weird broomstick thing, making it the perfect bike for folks living out their Harry Potter fantasies (or people who just like being laughed at mercilessly). The Halfbike has already raised nearly $55,000 of its $80,000 goal with 10 days still to go. So, unfortunately, it looks like this silly device is going to become a reality.