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Refugees often feel isolated in their accommodation, they have lost their home and also their independence. To get out and explore they generally have to walk. Women often find these challenges particularly difficult. Cycling helps them to feel independent and start to explore their new home. Bikeygees provides free cycle training to women refugees in Berlin, it is funded by donations and staffed by volunteers. The lessons combine both the physical skill of riding a bike with German traffic rules and bicycle maintenance.

Annette Krüger, co-founder of Bikeygees, was interviewed by the Guardian recently. She pointed out that their mission isn’t only to help the refugees. The one million new citizens could become car drivers, it is far better for Germany if they ride bikes. But she seems most proud of the impact she has had on the women themselves, showing a note from one:

“It gave me the feeling of freedom and self-confidence. I mean, it was just such a beautiful experience, being able to be in control and concentrate on just two wheels. I felt like a bird in the sky”

VéliSo is attempting to reduce the significant risks of cycling in traffic by designing a bike which warns you about, and even actively avoids, collisions. They have been inspired by the Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) used in many modern cars. VéliSo’s Advanced Riding Assistance System (ARAS) includes an array of sensors including cameras, radar, ultrasound and infrared. These inform the central control unit of vehicle proximity and threat level.

Various responses are then possible ranging from notifying the rider of the collision risk to automatically braking. In addition to monitoring vehicle proximity and velocity to predict potential collisions, the system also monitors the road surface condition. The tire pressure can then be automatically adjusted to ensure that the required level of traction is available.

Robert Marchand is something of a legend in French cycling. He was born in 1911, close to what was soon to become the Frontline in WW1. In 1946, at age 35, he achieved a seventh-place finish in the Grand Prix des Nations, then considered the unofficial world time trial championships.

But his really outstanding achievements came a little later in life. He’s clocked up world records for distance covered in one-hour on a track in the over 100 and over 105 age categories. His distances are about half of those for the overall world record, not bad at all! Now, at the age of 106 he is finally retiring from competitive cycling.

Yougov asked members of the British public how they felt about watching 17 sports. The study put cycling around the middle, less boring than sports like golf, cricket, and darts, but less exciting than the favorites athletics, tennis, gymnastics, rugby, and football. 50 percent of people said they found cycling boring while only 25 percent found it exciting.

Should the UCI look again at its archaic definition of the bicycle to inject some new excitement into the sport?  The UCI claims this of its rules:

Bicycles and equipment used in competition across the different disciplines are at the forefront of the latest technology. The rules governing the use of equipment aim to ensure both the safety of riders and the fairness of competition while at the same time making the most of the advantages that technological evolution can bring to cycling. UCI

And yet we see carbon fiber versions of the safety bicycle designed in 1890.

The new bike has been unveiled at the Consumer Electronics Show. The MetroBike appears to be based on their BURKE 20 ‘Suitcase Bike’. This uses a Brompton style flip fold rear and folding frame. It is designed to have the front wheel removed to achieve it’s final fold so technically is a collapsible bike rather than a pure folding bike.

The bike has a claimed weight of under 30 pounds including the 250 W motor and a battery with a range of 20 to 50 miles. It will be available with either an aluminum or a titanium frame.

An innovative approach to improved safety for cyclists is being developed by engineers at Tome Software, Trek Bicycles, Ford Motor Company and the University of Michigan. They started by researching the causes of traffic deaths to identify ways of reducing these. Their solution involves bikes and cars communicating with each other. Firstly just being aware of each other will help to avoid collisions. But their solution goes further, imploying AI to work out where danger zones on the road are and directing the vehicles to safety.

The objective is to create a communication protocol which will allow vehicles and traffic infrastructure to be connected. They are using the names bicycle-to-vehicle (B2V) and Cellular Vehicle-to-Everything (C-V2X) for the levels of communication. The technology is intended to be open so that other manufacturers can use it in devices such as lights, helmets and cycle computers.

Wolf Tooth has just released a new multi-tool for cyclists. This one is based on a set of master link pliers and also includes tire levers, a valve core remover and valve stem lock nut wrench. Two master links can be stored inside the tool.

The tool is compatible with 9, 10, 11 and 12-speed master links and chains from  SRAM PowerLock Link, Shimano Quick-Link, KMC Missing Link and other similar master links. Size is 116 mm x 20 mm x 9 mm and it weighs 38g.

Although I like the idea of multi-tools I’m often disappointed that they don’t work as well as individual tools and may not even save much weight. The issue I would have with these is the aluminum tire levers, I always prefer plastic as I’d rather snap a tire lever than damage my rim.

Hongkong based Gobee.bike has reported that 80 to 90 percent of its bikes in Brussels, Lille and Reims have been either stolen or vandalized in the last few weeks. As a result, it is to cease operations in those cities.

In other major European cities such as Paris, Lyon and Rome these problems affect only one to six percent of bikes. Operations in those cities are therefore not expected to be affected.