Forecast Predicts Huge Growth in Bike Sales
Three European cycling associations have produced a joint forecast for bike sales over then next decade, predicting a unit sales growth of 47% for a total of 30 million bikes a year. More than double the number of passenger cars registered each year in the EU. This represents an additional 10 million bikes sold each…
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SDREAM Launches on IndieGoGo
The folding, all-terrain, e-bike has already reached its funding goal The SDREAM is an unusual concept. It’s got small, fat wheels, an electric motor, a smart security system, and it folds! It seems to be targeted at fun urban mobility, rather than serious mountain biking. The idea of making urban mobility fun and cool is…
General Motors Launches ARIV E-Bikes
Folding and compact e-bikes available to order now GM has just released two really exciting e-bikes, aimed at urban mobility. The Meld (2,800 €) is a compact e-bike and the Merge (3,400 €) is a folding e-bike. They are currently only available to order in Germany, Belgium, and the Netherlands, from www.BikeExchange.com. The electric drives…
Melbourne Creates Green Wave for Cyclists
Green Wave: A series of traffic lights timed so they’re all green for traffic travelling at the expected speed. Green waves are an established concept in traffic planning. A series of traffic lights is timed so that once a vehicle passes the first light, if it’s travelling at the expected speed, then all the subsequent…
Cycling least popular transport in Britain according to Yougov poll
A survey carried out by YouGov has found cycling to be the least popular form of transport in the UK. Paradoxically, walking is the most popular form of transport. 1737 adults were interviewed in the study. Respondents were asked whether they had a very favorable, somewhat favorable, somewhat unfavorable or very unfavorable view of each…
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Specialized Evade Helmet Calls for Help
The S-Works Evade helmet has ANGi to call for help if a crash is detected ANGi is a system that detects a crash and sends an alert message if you don’t respond. Specialized have, until now, been selling ANGi as s separate device you attached to your helmet. This needs to be paired with their…
ORGO Folding E-Bike Launching on Kickstarter
The ORGO folding e-bike is currently running on Kickstarter. What’s nice about this design is the really compact fold. The wheels fold inside the two circular frame sections, which also contain the batteries. This results in a tiny folded package with a volume of just 31 L, almost 1/3 of the volume of a Brompton!…
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First 3D Printed Airless Tire
BigRep BigRep, a German manufacturer of 3D printing machines, has created the first 3D printed airless tire. The tire is created using their PRO FLEX material, a TPU filement. https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=39&v=9pHJNtH8ltQ Although it’s interesting that a tire can now be produced on a 3D printer, it seems unlikely that this will be a good substitute for…
Uber plans bikes that drive to charging or collection locations
Uber may have plans to create self-driving public bikes. This could potentially allow you to order a bike to meet you at your door and then just jump off and go. The bike could drive itself from the charging and storeage location to where it’s needed, and then return itself to an appropriate location when…
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Bafang Most Powerful E-bike Motors
Motors capable of delivering 2 kW give extreme performance Befang produce the most powerful E-bike motors available. The most powerful motor, MM G510.750/1000 is rated at 1 kW running at 52 V, but it has a peak power output of 1.6 kW. With modification, it is capable of over 2 kW. The torque is also…
Canyon Update Shapeshifter
On the fly geometry adjustment getting increasingly practical Canyon have updated their Shapeshifter system on the Canyon Strive 2019 enduro bike. It uses a gas spring to move the rear shock, simultaneously changing seat and head angles, bottom bracket height and suspension characteristics. Although we don’t generally cover developments in mountain bikes, this shows what’s…
Airbag vest for cyclists unveiled at CES
Helite has been manufacturing jackets and vests featuring airbag protection for a number of years. Until now, however, these have been aimed at motorcyclists and horse riders. Their latest Vest, the B’Safe, has been designed for cyclists. This looks able to provide an unprecedented level of protection, perhaps better than down-hill body armor. Critically, it…
UK Health Institute wants roads for cyclists first and cars second
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) wants priority to be given to cyclists and pedestrians when roads are built or changed. The primary reason that NICE is interested in this, is to increase physical activity, particularly for the less mobile. Young, active people, may feel confident to ride a bicycle on the…
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First Amazon Alexa-enabled ebikes available from Halfords this summer
Amazon Alexa will allow you to speak to your bike, telling it to give directions or traffic updates, turn on lights and play music. The Cybic E-Legend will be the first bike in the world to include these functions. It will be exclusively available from Halfords for 12 months, starting this summer. This smart bike…
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reTyre zip-on tire skins
reTyre have launched a tire system with a zip which allows you to fit a skin over the base tire. This allows a road tire to be quickly converted into an off-road or a snow tire. The tire doesn’t need to be deflated and re-inflated to fit the skin, it is simply zipped over the…
NEXT offer free lifetime rim replacement
NEXT, the manufacturer of some of the best carbon fiber rims, is offering to replace any damaged rim, free of charge. This isn’t the typical ‘lifetime’ warranty that excludes ‘normal wear and tear’, this is a no questions asked free replacement. That’s right, they don’t care what you’ve done to break the rim, they will…
FLECTR 360 OMNI on Kickstarter
A new reflector product, which sticks to your rims, is proving very popular on Kickstarter. The FLECTR 360 OMNI is a self-adhesive retroreflective sticker which is wrapped around the rim. With 15 days to go, they’ve already raised over 10x their original funding goal. The primary benefit claimed for this product is that it gives 360-degree visibility…
e-bike for dockless sharing launched by Mobike
Chinese bike share giant Mobike has launched an e-bike designed for dockless sharing. Chinese Mobike own more hire bikes than any other company in the world with over 9 million bikes in 200 cities around the world. This entry into the e-bike industry is therefore a significant move. According to founder and CEO of Mobike Weiwei Hu,…
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Standard range test for e-bikes developed
A wide range of electric bicycles, or simply e-bikes, are now available from many manufacturers. When comparing different bikes an important specification is the range. Manufacturers’ specifications state a range but each manufacturer works it out differently. This means that it is not possible for the consumer to make an objective comparison. At least until…
The story of World Bicycle Relief
The founder of World Bicycle Relief, F.K. Day, has recently given a really inspirational TED talk about how he started the charity. Day has spent most of his life designing high-performance bicycle components, he’s Executive Vice President of SRAM Corporation, so he knows a thing or two about bicycles! He tells of how in many places walking is…
First real-time tire pressure sensor
Tire pressure is hugely important for bicycle performance. After the aerodynamic position of the rider, it is probably the most important factor for flat-out speed. It also has a huge impact on traction, important for cornering, braking, and off-road climbs. In some conditions, tire pressure may be the most important factor to consider. If a…
New process for cheaper titanium bikes
The UK’s Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl) has developed a new process for producing titanium working with the University of Sheffield. This reduces the currently 40 stage process to only two steps and is expected to half the cost. Titanium has a similar strength to steel but is half the weight. It doesn’t suffer from fatigue issues,…
New linkage fork from Structure Cycles
Structure Cycles have designed a linkage based mountain bike chassis, complete with linkage fork. Linkage forks have been touted as the future of bike front suspension for many years, both for motorcycles and mountain bikes. Advantages include reduced brake dive and more consistent handling. Structure Cycles’ new design, the SCW 1, is reminiscent of the…
Cyclist sues after hitting bolt in road
A cyclist is suing local government agencies in Oregon for causing him to crash his bike. He says that he suffered serious brain injuries as a result of riding his bike into a bolt which was protruding from a paved area. The bolt was protruding by 75 to 100 mm and was hard to see as…
Bikeygees: teaching refugee women in Berlin to ride bikes
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…
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VéliSo – the world’s safest bike?
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…
World record cyclist retires at 106
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…
Yougov poll finds cycling is boring
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…
Seattle Cycles to produce an Electic Folding Bike
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…
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Trek, Ford and Tome using AI for safer Cycling
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…
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New Master Link Combo Pliers from Wolf Tooth
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…
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Gobee.bike to stop offering bike share services in Brussels, Lille and Reims
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…
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Some ideas for safer winter cycling
Citylab has given some good suggestions for safer winter cycling. These include: Lower your saddle: This is always a good idea when you need some extra control and stability, as every mountain biker knows. A lower saddle gives stability by lowering your center of gravity, it gives control by giving you more space to shift your…
Public sentiment turning against public bikes in Texas
Dalas Texas is not know as a bastion of liberal values. The city has seen public opinion turning against the public schemes operating there. People are complaining about bikes being left in random places cluttering up walkways. The instagram account dallasBikeMess which documents the issue has seen its follows increase to 6,000.
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DiDi to move into bike-sharing
Major Chinese ride-hailing company DiDi Chuxing has announced that it will be moving into the bike-sharing business. DiDi, founded by Cheng Wei, has over 450 million users in more than 400 Chinese cities. So this appears to be a very big deal for public-bike services and bike-share startups in China. DiDi has stated that their service…
Coros Omni: A smart bike helmet
This new helmet from wearables innovator Coros incorporates some useful electronics. Most noticeably there are lights at the rear. I’m a big fan of lights on helmets. In fact, the more lights spread around both your bike and your body the better. A bike spotlight on your helmet has its uses but most cyclists are actually hit…
Paris Public Bikes in Chaos
The iconic grey public bikes of Paris have been available through the Velib hire system for ten years. It has 300,000 subscribers, both residents, and visitors to Paris who currently pay an annual fee of 29 Euros. Until last year the system was run by JCDecaux but it has now been taken over by Smovengo.…
Aerovelo push faster – to 89.6 mph
Aerovelo has created some incredible human-powered vehicles. Since 2010 this Canadian company has flown the first every flapping wind aircraft “Snowbird”, won the Sikorsky-Prize for the first human-powered helicopter “Atlas” and built the fastest human-powered vehicle “Eta”. On September 17th, 2016, Aerovelo broke their existing record by reaching the unbelievable speed of 89.59 mph (144.17 km/hr). The Eta…