News Archives - July 2013

Bubble wrap bicycle

Riding a bicycle and popping bubble wrap rank as two of the best stress busters, and now Eric Buss, a man who describes himself as ‘some dude who lives in Los Angeles and travels the world doing funny stuff while people watch’ has combined the two. However, while bursting the pockets of air by hand evokes the relaxing crackle of…

Latest advice for driving in Europe

Thousands of British motorists about to embark on driving holidays to continental Europe may be unaware of recent changes to local laws and in particular, the requirement to carry a breathalyzer while in France. Lured by better weather, smoother roads and cheaper petrol, drivers taking a car full of passengers to their holiday destination can also have a relatively small…

Use a tile to locate your stolen bicycle

A new postage stamp-sized digital tag called a tile promises to help find lost or stolen keys, laptops, handbags or even bicycles. Each tile can be attached to almost any personal possession, costs about £12 and lasts a year before it needs to be recycled and replaced. Using its accompanying app and an Apple device, a tile can be located…

World’s most stylish electric bicycle retro fit

A small and stylish-looking electric motor that clips to any bicycle in less than a minute and power up to 15 miles of cycling looks set to revolutionise the electric bike market. Most conversion kits available currently weigh in at 10-15kg and require a toolbox and some skills in electronics and mechanics to install them. According to the designers of…

Those magnificent men on their flying bicycles

The world waited 90 years for a powered flying bicycle, and this summer three turned up at once. A group of engineers in Czechoslovakia strapped an electric bike to the belly of a quadcopter, a team supported by the ETA launched the folding bicycle-based Paravelo and most recently, and impressively – not least because it’s the only human-powered aircraft in…