News

Bicycles are supremely dependable machines, but occasionally they do break down. Even the shortest journey comes to an abrupt halt if you can't fix a flat tyre, broken chain or buckled wheel at the roadside. And if you're unlucky enough to lose your bike lock key, your ride home may not begin in the first place. It's why 30 years ago we...

Every new motorbike in the UK must be fitted with ABS brakes - technology that's now being fitted to e-bikes. The bigger and heavier e-bikes become, the harder disc brakes have to work. And as calls grow for bigger e-bike motors, manufacturers are focussing making their cycles stop as quickly as they go. Bosch claims the addition of ABS...

Some local authorities provide secure on-street storage areas for cycles - 'bike hangars' that provide secure parking for those without the space to store a bicycle themselves. However, they're not immune from thieves so many users opt for cycle insurance for added protection. ETA cycle insurance and bike hangars We provide full insurance...

Why have SUV sales in the UK have soared by 23% to over one million a year? One reason might be our country's low tax rates on large, polluting cars. A report by Transport & Environment (T&E) describes the UK as a 'tax haven' for bigger, less environmentally friendly vehicles. When you compare the tax paid by UK buyers with...

Counter-intuitive it may be, but e-bikers typically get more exercise than riders of conventional, analogue bicycles. Research has found e-bikes encourage riders to cycle more often and over longer distances. For example, a 2019 study followed 10,000 adults across seven European countries and found that on average electric bike riders were...

Pressure washers make light work of jobs that might otherwise be a real chore, but they can be too powerful for many tasks. Also, setting them up can be a faff if your garden hose is prone to kinks. Both drawbacks are addressed by the Titan cordless pressure washer we've been testing. It might not be powerful enough to jet wash a patio, but...

Electric bicycles powered by 500w motors may soon be legal on UK streets. The Department for Transport today launched a consultation on doubling the e-bike motors from 250w to 500w - as well as permitting them to be controlled by a throttle. Currently, the rider must pedal for the electric motor to start working. The plans do not propose...

It won't be long until dark evening commutes are little more than a distant memory, but in the meantime we've been getting creative with our bike lights. We borrowed a strobe light from one of our recovery lorries, and crammed it into an old Sigg Pulsar water bottle. Pulsar by name, pulsar by nature: Our bidon blinker sends powerful pulses...

The more you cycle, the more you notice how many motorists are using mobile phones illegally; The threat of six points and a fine appears to be no deterrent. In response, 10 UK police forces are trialling new mobile cameras that automatically detect drivers using mobile phones at the wheel. The police forces taking part in the trial are:...

For the last 50 years, pavement parking in London has been banned. And throughout that half century, many drivers in London have parked illegally on pavements. Since 1974, rule 244 of the Highway Code has stated that drivers MUST NOT park partially or wholly on the pavement in London. While it's true there are streets in London where signs...