News

A new skateboard and buggy hybrid concept promises a quick and green way to get about with kids. For the first time in history, more than half the world’s population lives in urban areas. And for many of these urbanites, the arrival of a baby often heralds the buying of a car – even though they may be well-served by public transport. So the...

For cyclists who miss the wind and rain of a winter that seemed like it would never end comes a handlebar-mounted mister that makes its own drizzle. The Q-Fog water atomizer promises to make pedalling more bearable come the next heat wave. Each time the device is activated a fine spray of water enshrouds the rider, producing a powerful...

A solar kettle small enough to be carried on a bicycle in place of a water bottle, offers the prospect of a cup of freshly-brewed tea on every ride. Just as long as the sun comes out. The solar kettle looks like a conventional thermos, but uses fold-out reflectors to harness energy. In Britain, our national obsession with tea means we down...

A group of mechanical engineering students in America have designed a pair of shoes that generate enough electricity while you walk to power a mobile phone. The current prototype has a lever protruding from the back of the shoe and every footstep powers a motor that sends energy through wires to a belt-mounted battery pack – enough to power...

A new bicycle light that scans the road ahead for potholes has been developed by design students in China. Lumigrids is a handlebar-mounted LED light for bicycles that projects a square grid onto the road ahead so the rider can spot potholes at night; any significant deformity in the road surface alters the appearance of the grid. According...

The tired old argument that cyclists have less right to be on the road because they don’t pay vehicle excise duty – sometimes still referred to as road tax – received another blow this week when it transpired that cyclists are more likely to also drive cars, and pay VED, than the population as a whole. Motorists do not pay directly for the...

Helios is the world's first integrated headlight and indicator system for bicycles; Bluetooth and GPS-enabled intelligent handlebars that add smart features to any bike. Helios handlebars cost from £130 and include all the following features: Proximity Lighting allows your bike to sense your presence and automatically turn on its headlight...

A new bicycle accessory promises to transform into a mobile picnic table and hamper. They say that more convertible cars per head are sold in Britain than any other European country, and when you experience our capricious weather it’s clear why; when one appears, we milk every ray of sunshine for all it’s worth. But while open-top motoring...

It is now possible to pay tribute to a life lived on two wheels, even after your death. A funeral home in Eugene, Oregon, offers a pedal-powered hearse to carry deceased cyclists to the graveside in solemn, fitting style. Funeral director Wade Lind was inspired to build the...

A designer better known for his custom car creations than any interest in cycling has built a pedal-powered campervan that boasts four seats, a cooker, sink, table and bed. Andy Saunders chopped up an already small Bedford Bambi van and mounted it on a four-wheeled pedal cart, that had seen service at a Butlins holiday camp, to create what...