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Zach Shiefflen used to sell Vespa scooters in New York for a living, but a desire to sell a more environmentally form of urban transport lead him to launch Civilized Cycles. Starting with a blank piece of paper, Zach set himself the following brief: "It had to be social (capable of carrying an adult pillion), because we don't live and...

The air in Britain is now so polluted that many building interiors are unable to offer sanctuary. The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH) and the Royal College of Physicians (RCP) has carried out a wide-ranging survey of buildings that shows indoor air can be many times more polluted than external air. This is due to a...

On especially cold mornings, why not swap your bidon for a freshly made coffee? We have a Commuter Javapress worth £30 to give away. The 15fl oz Commuter Javapress offers freshly pressed coffee in an easily transportable travel mug that fits in a standard water bottle cage. A sliding inner carafe presses the coffee to the bottom of the mug,...

Close passes by motorists are as much a part of cycling on British roads as potholes, but there can be only two possible explanations for why a motorist overtakes dangerously close to a cyclist – incompetence or malice. So how best to deal with this scourge of the roads? Two years ago, there were changes to the practical element of the...

The bicycle bell is a much under-valued accessory. It's a legal requirement that bicycles start their lives with a bicycle bell fitted, but these are invariably cheap and nasty so the fashion is for them to be quickly removed. However, if you cycle on busy urban streets or tracks and paths shared with others, they are a polite way of...

The UN expects that by 2050, the global urban population will be 6.3 billion - the same size as the world’s total population was in 2004. Quite apart from the demand on natural resources, there is unlikely to be the road space to cope with this explosive level of growth. The automotive industry believes that driverless technology represents...

The Sniffer Bike is a pedal-powered laboratory - a mobile particulate matter sensor that aims to raise awareness about air pollution. Developed as an open-source project, the Sniffer Bike comprises a small box of handlebar-mounted electronics that measures the air every ten seconds and presents the data on an interactive dashboard, which...

How many old mobile phones do you have lying around at home? If you and your friends can rustle up 100 between you, you're halfway towards creating a quieter street. By slowly wheeling a bunch of phones down the road you can trick Google maps into thinking drivers are stuck in traffic. A previously 'green' street turns 'red' which in turn...

As we say goodbye to January, surely the distant promise of better weather is reason enough to plan a trip. Bicycles that are hibernating for winter may yet to be brushed off for a summer of riding, but there's nothing to stop two-wheeled adventures being planned. If you're tempted by the sunnier climes of continental Europe, Bike Express...

With a fair few dark commutes to endure before the start of British Summer Time in two month's time, Knog has a range of lights that aim to brighten your mood as well as the road ahead. The so-called 'pop' lights do just that - bright and distinctive designs that burst with colour are a perfect antidote to dreary winter weather. With 35...