News

Stokbikes fold any bicycle for urban storage

June 10, 2016

Stokbikes have redesigned the bicycle stem and pedals to make bikes easier to store inside. Hanging bicycles on an inside wall is an excellent way of saving space and foiling thieves, but the pedals and handlebars can make it impractical for most urban dwellings. The Stokbikes system retrofits to most bikes...

Cycling

Driving in Europe 2016

June 10, 2016

Today's cars are more reliable than those a generation ago, but the extended high-speed driving of a trip to continental Europe works an engine hard. Most drivers hoping to avoid the inconvenience of a breakdown will treat their car to a full service before setting off, but at the very least it's prudent to check fluid levels and tyre...

Driving

Lumma: Give your bicycle the Tron treatment

June 7, 2016

If you're old enough to remember the illuminated bike in the original Tron film , you'll recall a time when bicycle lights were a simple, if clunky, affair. The advent of LED and laser technology has brought with it a bewildering choice of pulsing and flashing lights to help cyclists stand out on visually noisy urban streets. Lumma is an...

Cycling

Foldavan: World's smallest DIY bicycle caravan

June 3, 2016

The world's smallest DIY bicycle caravan is the Foldavan - a lightweight design that collapses for easy storage and towing. Wooden Widget produces a range of collapsible boats and sailing dinghies that can be towed behind a bicycle and the Foldavan shares many of the same design principles. Built from wood,...

Cycling

Who needs an electric car anyway?

June 3, 2016

While governments plough millions into promoting the electric car, a new generation of vehicle manufacturer aims to shake up the EV market by upsetting the way we think of personal transport. Unless you want to live in a city that places motorized traffic above all else, the car isn't working. There is little...

Environment

How much tech does your bicycle really need?

June 1, 2016

The quick answer is none, but that doesn't stop today’s cyclists from forking out more on the accessories than bicycle themselves. While new bike sales are set to top £1 billion this year, British cyclists will have forked out over £1.3 billion on accessories, parts and specialist clothing. According to...

Cycling

Straddle Bus to free up cycle lanes

May 27, 2016

The straddle bus is a radical vehicle that can pass over traffic jams and frees up road space for cyclists. Bus lanes provide a valuable refuge for cyclists on urban streets, but in London they have become so clogged with motorised vehicles that bicycles can find themselves in a near-constant state of overtaking, or being overtaken. The...

Cycling

Ministry of silly walks takes to the bicycle

May 27, 2016

The Lopifit is a bicycle worthy of Monty Python – an adult-sized electric-powered scooter operated by a built-in treadmill. Walking on the treadmill operates the electric motor – the faster you walk, the faster the Lopifit travels. Using the brake shuts off the motor and a freewheel function comes into effect when travelling down hill....

Cycling

Does red light jumping save cyclist lives?

May 27, 2016

To ruin spice up a dull dinner party, bring up the subject of red light jumping by cyclists. Motorists generally argue that the rules of the road should apply to everyone, while cyclists argue that if it wasn’t for cars we wouldn’t need traffic lights. But now there is a school of thought that suggests that jumping red lights might actually...

Cycling

Your phone can help you reverse

May 27, 2016

If you drive a car without parking sensors, the risk of minor scratches and prangs when maneuvering into a tight space could be a thing of the past with a new app-enabled retrofit gadget called FenSens. There are plenty of retrofit parking sensors on the market, but most require the car's bodywork to be drilled and a wiring loom installed....

Breakdown