News

Spring clean your bicycle with a cordless pressure washer

March 4, 2024

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...

General News

Bidon Blinker: Water bottle strobe hack for 360-degree lighting

February 29, 2024

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...

General News

Is the UK about to green-light 500w e-bikes?

February 29, 2024

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...

General News

UK police roll out enforcement cameras to tackle mobile phone driving

February 27, 2024

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:...

General News

Why are some people so triggered by cycling?

February 26, 2024

Why are so many people triggered by cycling? After all, it's almost entirely benign. The angry men of Twitter aside, many people view cycling as a good thing, but at the same time remain reluctant to get on their bikes. Reasons given range from the lack of good cycling infrastructure to hills, rain and the cold. But what about emotional...

General News

50 years of illegal pavement parking in London

February 26, 2024

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...

General News

Get set for spring 2024: Rain trousers up for grabs

February 22, 2024

Seems like the must-have accessory for spring 2024 might be rain trousers. Craghoppers Kiwi Slim trousers feature a Smartdry Eco water-resistant treatment to keep you dry, while a part-elasticated waist and reinforced seat adds durability. Nine pockets help with storage of other springtime essentials...like a compact umbrella. And in case...

General News

Changes to planning permission for bike sheds

February 22, 2024

If you struggle to find space to store your bikes at home, help might be at hand. The government is consulting on changes to planning law to allow 'further flexibilities to permit bike stores in front gardens'. The government is proposing to allow bike stores in front gardens, including homes in conservation areas. The size of the...

General News

e-bike does London - Paris on one charge

February 22, 2024

The Tern Orox is an adventure cargo e-bike designed to navigate challenging terrain over impressive distances. In fact, you can cycle from London to Paris on a single charge of its twin batteries.* Tern's Josh Hon outlined the rugged-looking bike's origin story at its launch earlier week: “Six years ago, we introduced the GSD with the...

General News

Driver psychology: A cycling survival guide to UK roads

February 21, 2024

A working knowledge of driver psychology should be the basis of any cycling survival guide. Is it acceptable to cause harm to another person? To steal? To take a flexible approach to health and safety regulations to save a little time? According to research by psychologist Dr Ian Walker, it can depend on whether or not a car is involved....

General News