News

Concept bike embodies 'clean as you go' policy

December 17, 2013

A new award-winning concept bike cleans the surrounding air for its rider and his or her fellow citizens Aside from boosting their local economy, raising property prices and enhancing the public image of...

Cycling

Boris Bike conquers Ventoux

December 16, 2013

An intrepid British cyclist has ridden a Boris Bike to the top of Mont Ventoux in southern France and returned it to its docking station – all within 24 hours. http://youtu.be/HUWCeAzkc2Q [quote type="cycle_insurance"] Rob Holden summed up the endeavour, which he and his support team undertook in aid of Macmillan Cancer, as follows:...

Cycling

Bicycle dynamo charger for your smartphone

December 13, 2013

There are many cycling-related apps, but very few ways of recharging smartphones and tablets while on the move. The £100 Cycle Charger from Convergence Tech looks like a conventional bicycle dynamo, but has been designed to charge any mobile phone, iPod, iPhone, Blackberry, GPS or other similar device. Cycle Charger specifications: • Female...

Cycling

Cycling forwards, facing backwards

December 13, 2013

Cycling in traffic can leave you feeling like you need eyes in the back of your head, but stuntman Eskil Ronningsbakken makes a habit of facing backwards when he rides his bicycle - even when careering down a mountain. The Trollstigen is a narrow and treacherous winding road in Norway punctuated by hairpin turns and steep drops....

Cycling

Skyscraper cycling

December 13, 2013

A shortage of space and a paucity of good-quality cycling facilities are problems that face many large cities, but rarely can they be solved by a single piece of design. Swiss architectural practice Bureau A has transformed a tricycle into a mobile seven-floor building that it has little need for the refuge from traffic offered by...

Cycling

Leonardo DiCaprio founds electric racing car team

December 13, 2013

The Hollywood actor Leonardo DiCaprio has co-founded a racing team that will enter the Formula E Championships - a new race series for electric cars. DiCaprio has long been an owner and vocal fan of both the Toyota Prius hybrid and Tesla Roadster, the world’s first high-performance production electric sports car and a vehicle he described...

Driving

Winter driving tips 2013

November 29, 2013

Turning the ignition key first thing on a damp and freezing December morning was once a gamble, with no guarantee that the car would stir itself into life, but no more; the modern car is more than capable of dealing with a British winter and a few simple precautions can help avoid an unnecessary breakdown. Antifreeze During the winter you...

Breakdown

Kubo: an electric cargo scooter for the city

November 29, 2013

With the exception of takeaway restaurants, few businesses in Britain recognise scooters as a quick and cheap way to make urban deliveries. However, if electric vehicle pioneer Lit Motors has its way, all that could be about to change. The Kubo is an electric cargo scooter that claims to combine ‘the beautiful design of a Vespa with the...

General News

Upstand: the road bike kickstand

November 29, 2013

Every good bike ride is punctuated with a stop for coffee and cake, but what to do with your pride and joy while you take a well-earned rest? The rarity of kickstands available for road bikes, and the fact that carbon frames do not take kindly to being knocked against walls, has prompted an American designer to come up with a solution. The...

General News

BMW i3 is a game changer for electric cars

November 22, 2013

At £25,680, the BMW i3 is too expensive to be the electric vehicle equivalent of the Ford Model T, but it will nonetheless do much to alter perceptions. Electric cars are often dismissed as novelty vehicles; exotic runabouts for the wealthy or badges of honour for the environmentally devout, but for most, a drive in the i3 will be a...

General News