Drivers have been borrowing bicycle technology since the earliest days of motoring. Behold today’s best bicycle hacks for cars.
The idea that drivers and cyclists are distinct and separate groups is entirely false – not least because most cyclists also own cars. In fact, if it wasn’t for his many years’ experience building and repairing bicycles, it’s unlikely Karl Benz would have gone on to build the world’s first automobile.
The bicycle is not only entwined with the earliest days of the motor car, it literally paved the way for its widespread uptake. Car drivers have cyclists to thank for our road network, not to mention the pneumatic tyres that roll upon it.
Best bicycle hacks for cars
Peddling the idea that speed kills
Michel de Broin is an artist who stripped down a 1986 Buick Regal and replaced its engine with four independent pedal and gear mechanisms, and its headlight bulbs with candles for an exhibition in Toronto in Canada. Capable of 10 mph, the Shared Propulsion project sought to poke fun at the culture of car performance.
When the pedal-powered car was taken for a test ride, local police were utterly bemused and considered it such a threat to other road users that they ordered it to be towed away. The drivers of arguable the safest car in the city at the time had to wait for 30 minutes while the policemen tried to determine exactly which law had been broken. They settled on ‘operating an unsafe vehicle’.
Blowing a raspberry at high-end cars
The obsession with car performance has reached unprecedented levels. Armed with only a jubilee clip and a short length of old bicycle inner tube, why not blow a raspberry at highly tuned, high-end cars? Attaching the inner tube to the end of the exhaust makes even the tiniest engine snarl and pop.
Ultimate space saver tyre
Forget about expensive run flats or space saver spare tyres. wheel builder Bill Mould put his skills to the ultimate test by fitting a family car with a bicycle hub, spokes, rim and tyre.
The ethical choice
The ETA was established in 1990 as an ethical provider of green, reliable travel services. Over 30 years on, we continue to offer cycle insurance , breakdown cover and mobility scooter insurance while putting concern for the environment at the heart of all we do.
The Good Shopping Guide judges us to be the UK’s most ethical provider.
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