News

Hand-painted cycle helmets

September 19, 2013

The jury might be out on the efficacy of cycle helmets, but most people seem to agree that they can be of some benefit to racers, mountain bikers and the very young. The challenge facing parents who choose for their children to wear head protection is how to make helmets seem appealing. An imaginative, if expensive, answer to the problem...

Cycling

Transatlantic flight by helium balloon

September 19, 2013

An adventurer has failed in his bid to fly across the Atlantic suspended beneath 370 multi-coloured helium balloons. Jonathan Trappe’s voyage was to have been a less environmentally damaging – if more time...

Air Travel

Bicycle smashes motorway speed limit

September 19, 2013

How fast do you ride your bike? A commuter cyclist might average 15-18mph and a professional 25-28mph, but even a Tour de France champion descending a mountain stage would fall far behind the 83.13mph achieved this week by a team of Dutch students in their VeloX3 fully-faired recumbent bicycle. The speed sets a new world record for the...

General News

British motorists dream of Italian, but buy British

September 19, 2013

British drivers have a passion for Italian cars, but when it comes to parting with money, favour British-built motors over Japanese models that are more reliable. What is the greatest influence on our choice of car? A competitive...

Driving

Victoria Beckham has bicycle stolen in New York

September 13, 2013

Whoever you are, and whatever you ride, the moment you realise your bicycle has been stolen is a gut-wrenching experience. The rise of social media means it is an experience that can now be shared with the world. Only this week, a tweet, and accompanying Instagram, from Victoria Beckham announced her bicycle had been pinched from a pavement...

Cycling

QBike: Automated bicycle wash

September 13, 2013

The latest gizmo to cross over from cars to bicycles is an automated wash designed to be installed in bike shops or hotels that regularly welcome cyclists. The QBike looks high-tech, but it does not quite match the features of a fully- automated car wash, forgoing steam cleaning and air jets in favour of water nozzles and drying off...

Cycling

SmartCap fights driver fatigue

September 13, 2013

SmartCap is a new type of high-tech headgear that promises to let drivers know when they are becoming too tired to drive. Driver fatigue results in many thousands of road collisions each year, and while it is not possible to know the precise number of crashes caused by tiredness, research shows that lack of sleep may be a contributory...

Breakdown

Time travel and the endless summer holiday

September 13, 2013

If you are suffering post-holiday blues, take solace from news that time travel is possible - or at least it might be in the future. Speaking at the British Science Festival this week, professor Brian Cox revealed that it would be theoretically possible to build a working time machine; the perfect way to fast-forward through the gloom of...

General News

Mobility Scooters with Attitude

September 12, 2013

Although there are an estimated 300,000 people using mobility scooters in Britain, there is little differentiation in the styles on offer. A US-based dental technician and part-time inventor dedicates his spare time to remedying the situation with his characterful contraptions. American Lance Greathouse has been making mobility scooters and...

Breakdown

Electric car grant to be withdrawn

September 6, 2013

Despite warnings that its withdrawal will harm the fledgling electric car industry, the government’s £5,000 grant against the purchase cost of a fully-electric, or plug-in hybrid, car is to be dropped. Over the last two-and-a-half years, the fund has awarded £11m and helped put an estimated 2,200 electric cars on the road. However, uptake...

General News