News

Cyclists will soon be able to listen to music and take calls on their mobile phones powered entirely by a solar cell on their crash helmet. German engineering company Fraunhofer IZM has developed solar cells that can fit the curve of a cycle helmet without any compromise in performance. The solar-powered helmet allows mobile devices like...

There is continuing uncertainty over whether or not a new type of ‘mega truck’, which weighs more than a fully-laden airliner, will be allowed on European streets. The European Commission seems poised to make mega trucks legal on European roads by default. A final decision on introducing mega trucks has not yet been made on a European level...

Renault has unveiled a production version of the Zoe electric car that will sell for £18,650 – or just £13,650 after the Government’s Plug-in Car grant has been taken into account – when it goes on sale in Britain. By contrast, the Nissan Leaf costs £25,990 before any grants are taken into account. Prospective buyers will worry about...

The fact that injury rates in countries where very few cyclists wear helmets are amongst the lowest in the world does not stop engineers developing ever more complex ways of protecting the head in a collision. Most designs are little more than polystyrene covered by a thin protective layer of plastic, but the latest offering uses Vaco12...

Cyclists can choose from a veritable arsenal of products designed to help them stand out in the urban jungle – from air horns to strobe lights – but such is the competition from traffic noise and visual clutter that it can be a battle to stand out from the crowd. It’s unlikely that flamethrower-equipped bicycles will ever be sold over the...

The parliamentary debate this week on improving conditions for cyclists raises a far wider question: Why do we put up death and injury on the roads at all? The number of people being killed on British roads may be falling, but other causes are going down quicker. In other words, road safety must be made a priority. Professor of Human...

A trailer increases dramatically the amount of cargo you can move by bicycle, but despite there being a wide range of different types – from designs that carry kids and shopping to those built for expeditions – they are seldom seen on British roads. One reason might be that it takes a certain amount of skill and confidence to tow a trailer...

More than 25,000 people have so far pledged their support for the Times’s Cities Fit for Cycling Campaign and a parliamentary debate has now taken place in Westminster Hall. The debate was well attended and among the suggestions made was a call by Transport Minister Norman Baker for every city to have its own cycling commissioner. The role...

According to the inventors of the Defender, a bicycle light designed to stay permanently locked to the handlebars, their target market is potentially huge; 1 in 3 city cyclists have had their lights stolen and 80 per cent frequently forget their lights at home. It takes 30 seconds to attach the light and once in place a special tool is...

Philippe Stark, a designer who has applied his talents to products as diverse as a lemon squeezer and the Virgin Galactic Spaceship, has turned his attention to the urban bicycle. Three hundred people from Bordeaux, a city in which ten per cent of trips are undertaken by bicycle, were asked what they most wanted from a town bike. The wish...