News

It’s bodywork may look a little rough around the edges, and it would need a roof to cope with the British winter, but these failings can be forgiven because the Strati is the world’s first 3D-printed electric car. A group of engineering companies built the life-size, working 3D-printed prototype vehicle in 44 hours using a process called...

As winter draws in and many bikes retreat to the comfort of the garden shed, it's a good time of year to review your security. In the run up to Christmas, fewer cyclists may take to the roads, but thieves are as active as ever. It doesn't cost a fortune to make your shed more secure. Motion sensitive halogen lights cost less than £10, as do...

SolaRoad is new surface for cycle paths that converts sunlight into electricity and the first stretch, near the Dutch town of Krommenie, opens next week. [quote type="cycle_insurance"] Solaroad The idea behind SolaRoad is simple: sunlight on the road surface is absorbed by solar cells and converted into electricity, which is used for street...

Fontus is a bicycle water bottle that takes moisture from the air to create safe drinking water. Industrial designer Kristof Retezár has aimed the self-filling bottle at long-distance cyclists. In the right climatic conditions, Fontus produces at least one pint of condensed drinking water every hour. More information at:...

Now that smart phones allow us to carry the world in out pockets, the next step may be wearable transport - so says Hungarian industrial designer Adam Torok. His Belt Scooter is articulated so that it can be worn around the waist when not being ridden. [quote type="cycle_insurance"] Unless you are lucky enough to live a stone's throw from a...

In the Netherlands, most cyclists would no sooner attach torches to their cars than ride a bike without a good-quality dynamo, but we British are more likely to opt for LED lights - which now come in all shapes and sizes. The Aura is a nylon webbing belt with a flexible LED and fibre optic lighting system embedded within. It can be set to...

As a bike commuter in Seattle, electrical engineer Pete Clyde admits there have been many days when he's opted to drive a car and sit in traffic because he didn't feel there was any cycle light on the market that made him feel safe. But rather than stay off his bike, he designed his own LED 'flares'. [quote type="cycle_insurance"] Years of...

Bicycles are already the quickest way to get around town, but the chronic shortage of oil following a zombie apocalypse will render cars all but useless, so bikes will be the only way for survivors to travel. And just in case the average mountain bike is not up to the task, cycle insurance provider, the ETA, has built a zombie-proof bicycle...

Start-up bike builders Vello have combined the performance of Dahon’s 20” wheel size with the speed of a Brompton’s fold, to produce a sleek new commuter bike. [quote type="cycle_insurance"] Ranging between 9.5 kg for its Speedster model to 12.5 kg for the mudguard and luggage rack-equipped Urbano, the weight of the Vello bikes is in line...

It's been suggested that some cyclists go through on red because traffic lights are unable to detect aluminium or carbon bikes – a problem tackled by a new accessory called the Veloloop. [quote type="cycle_insurance"] Many traffic lights in towns and cities detect whether cars or lorries are waiting, and change their phasing accordingly,...