News

Much is said about the risks of cycling while listening to music, but a new type of ear phone, which forgoes speakers in favour of ‘surface sound technology’, promises a safer alternative. Sound Band fits behind the ear and uses a process referred to as surface-excitation to produce sound without the need for traditional in-ear speakers....

Like a bicycle, the umbrella is a design of such simplicity that it no longer needs to evolve, but that does not stop people trying to make improvements. Nubrella is a shoulder-mounted, folding canopy designed to shield people, including cyclists, from rain, wind and snow. The device has already found customers in 70 countries and a new-and...

How well do you remember your first bicycle? Whether you are old enough to have owned the iconic Raleigh Chopper, went straight into BMXing or inherited a hand-me-down off-roader, the sense of achievement and freedom that comes with owning your first bike is the same, and leaves a memory that lasts into adulthood. Looking back further...

It was a daft exchange of words between cyclists that would have passed without further comment had one of those involved not been Boris Johnson. As it was, the teasing by club cyclist Bob Carter provoked the London Mayor’s acerbic wit...

The traditional handlebar-mounted mirror has gone the way the way of the mudguard and is no longer regarded as a desirable accessory by most cyclists. The handlebar-mounted configuration has evolved into a sleek, bar-end arrangement but the thriving market for bicycle accessories has spawned all manner of alternatives, including spectacle...

London’s 7,500 buses consume millions of litres of diesel each month, so given that parked side by side the fleet would occupy 23 football pitches, why not put their roofs to good use and turn them into mobile gardens? Urban green spaces are the lungs of the city; vital for photosynthesis, the process by which plants absorb CO2 and release...

If you have ever ‘hit the wall’ while cycling, you will know how long it can take to recover, but a study in the journal Analytical Chemistry this week describes the first human tests of a new bio sensor that predicts an impending ‘bonk’. Hitting the 'wall' When our muscles demand more energy than the body can supply from aerobic...

Riding a bicycle and popping bubble wrap rank as two of the best stress busters, and now Eric Buss, a man who describes himself as ‘some dude who lives in Los Angeles and travels the world doing funny stuff while people watch’ has combined the two. However, while bursting the pockets of air by hand evokes the relaxing crackle of an open...

Thousands of British motorists about to embark on driving holidays to continental Europe may be unaware of recent changes to local laws and in particular, the requirement to carry a breathalyzer while in France. Lured by better weather, smoother roads and cheaper petrol, drivers taking a car full of passengers to their holiday destination...

A small and stylish-looking electric motor that clips to any bicycle in less than a minute and power up to 15 miles of cycling looks set to revolutionise the electric bike market. Most conversion kits available currently weigh in at 10-15kg and require a toolbox and some skills in electronics and mechanics to install them. According to the...