News

As a bike commuter in Seattle, electrical engineer Pete Clyde admits there have been many days when he's opted to drive a car and sit in traffic because he didn't feel there was any cycle light on the market that made him feel safe. But rather than stay off his bike, he designed his own LED 'flares'. [quote type="cycle_insurance"] Years of...

Bicycles are already the quickest way to get around town, but the chronic shortage of oil following a zombie apocalypse will render cars all but useless, so bikes will be the only way for survivors to travel. And just in case the average mountain bike is not up to the task, cycle insurance provider, the ETA, has built a zombie-proof bicycle...

Start-up bike builders Vello have combined the performance of Dahon’s 20” wheel size with the speed of a Brompton’s fold, to produce a sleek new commuter bike. [quote type="cycle_insurance"] Ranging between 9.5 kg for its Speedster model to 12.5 kg for the mudguard and luggage rack-equipped Urbano, the weight of the Vello bikes is in line...

It's been suggested that some cyclists go through on red because traffic lights are unable to detect aluminium or carbon bikes – a problem tackled by a new accessory called the Veloloop. [quote type="cycle_insurance"] Many traffic lights in towns and cities detect whether cars or lorries are waiting, and change their phasing accordingly,...

Efneo is a planetary gearbox that promises quicker and easier shifting than a conventional front derailleur. [quote type="cycle_insurance"] There is a slight weight penalty of 400g, but in its favour efneo does away with the need for tiresome, tricky adjustments. A conventional front derailleur has three chainrings of different sizes...

The abolition of the paper tax disc in favour of a digital system promises to save £7m in administration costs, but with over one million uninsured drivers already on British roads, the change threatens to increase the crime of car cloning. Car thieves and drivers without insurance routinely copy the number plate of a legally owned,...

An intrepid British cyclist who last year rode a Boris Bike to the top of Mont Ventoux in southern France has pedalled to further extremes in America by using a New York hire bike to conquer Mount Washington. Riding an 18 kg New York Citibike, Rob Holden took on arguably the toughest cycle hill climb in the world – 7.6 miles at inclines of...

The roll call of vehicles destroyed as part of the government's widely criticised car scrappage scheme, which has been published following a freedom of information request, makes grim reading for classic car enthusiasts. Almost 400,000 cars went to the breakers and they are itemised in a list produced by the Department for Business,...

[quote type="cycle_insurance"] Quick release bicycle wheel theft is an irritating peril of urban cycling. Quick release bicycle wheels stem from racing, but have become pretty much standard issue on bikes; great news if you routinely break your bicycle down for transportation - not so good if you are targetted by thieves. Unfortunately, as...

The Packtasche is a set of panniers made from cardboard designed to be offered by supermarkets to their cycling customers. [quote type="cycle_insurance"] German designers Philipp Moherndl and Matthias Lechner claim the panniers can safely carry 12 kg of shopping and can be used numerous times before they are recycled....