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Halfords forced to discount 'Britain's most affordable e-bike'; University funding research to warn cyclists of ice via an app; Dublin taxi driver admits he was wrong; Freeman QC wants charges thrown out; Mansfield cycling 'crackdown' +more in the Live

All today's news from the site and beyond.....
Fri, Nov 22, 2019 21:34
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Halfords forced to discount 'Britain's most affordable e-bike'; University funding research to warn cyclists of ice via an app; Dublin taxi driver admits he was wrong; Freeman QC wants charges thrown out; Mansfield cycling 'crackdown' +more in the Live cycling-derbyshire-bridge-snow-cc-2.0-argflickrflickr
22 November 2019, 16:18
University of Birmingham looking for a PhD student to develop warning system for cyclists riding on icy roads
riding-ice-and-snow-2018

 The University of Birmingham are recruiting a PhD student  to develop a warning system for cyclists using routes that may contain particularly dodgy icy sections. 

UoB want the researcher to use The Internet of Things - a data network system that can transfer data over a network without requiring human-to-human or human-to-computer interaction - to develop the tech and reduce the number of accidents caused by cyclists getting injured due to ice, saying: "There is a need to work towards reducing these incidents to not only improve the safety of cyclists and reduce the injury burden on hospitals, but also to assist in the promotion of the mode of transport as a healthy and economic alternative for travel.  

"This PhD will provide a solution to this problem by using the Internet of Things to produce an ice warning system for cyclists and deliver new insights about winter cycling habits."

UoB say the project will take the wintersense road surface temperature sensor - already developed by the University - and modify for direct use on a bike. The sensor will connect, via an app, to the cyclists phone and issue audible warnings when an ice risk is present. 

The timeline for the project will see a modification of the wintersense sensor for use on a bike completed in year one, an app and cloud solution developed in year two and data analysis with insights into winter cycling habits completed by the third year. 

22 November 2019, 17:21
Road positioning row taxi driver changes his tune

You may recall our story of a Dublin taxi driver who tweeted a picture criticising a cyclist’s road positioning... and got a bit more than he bargained for when the very same cyclist replied to his post with footage of the same incident shot from the rear-facing camera on his bike. 

However in a further truly shocking update, things have took an amicable, friendly and altogether heart-warming turn... 

One of the few incidents where point-scoring and arguing on Twitter appears to have worked out for the best... safe journey Taxi Matt! 

22 November 2019, 16:07
Elinor Barker talks about her years suffering with endometriosis
Elinor Barker wins scratch race gold at the 2019 UCI Track Cycling World Championships (picture credit SWPix.com)

Welsh road and track cyclist Barker, who currently rides for Team Drops, told The Telegraph about the pain and illness she often suffered as a result of endometriosis, which causes tissue that is similar to the lining of the womb to start forming in places such as the ovaries and fallopian tubes. It also took years to diagnose because of its similarity with other conditions.  

Barker said: “Yeah, it wasn’t really nice feeling ill all the time. Or being in pain and constantly having to think about it and having it affect training sessions.

"It’s not completely gone and the idea is that I'll have surgery again in a few years. It does still affect me from time to time and but not so much that I think anyone else would notice.

"By 2017 I was going to doctors weekly, saying something is not right, I'm not accepting this is just periods.

"A few doctors said 'this is just something you need to put up with.' I thought I don’t think I can. I don’t want to be going through life with this kind of pain, never mind racing at a high level."

Barker eventually underwent keyhole surgery to remove the unwanted tissue: "Getting surgery was the only thing that really made a difference. It felt like I was physically carrying something around with me. Now I don’t have to anymore."

22 November 2019, 15:35
'Cheapest e-bike' wars continue as Halfords slash prices again
assist deluxe 2

On Tuesday, eBikeTips brought us the news that Halfords had launched what they claimed to be Britain's cheapest e-bike. The 20" wheeled Assist Deluxe launched with an RRP of £398, proclaimed as "the most affordable electric bike in the UK." 

That got us searching the web far and wide to see if they were correct... and it turns out that for the last three days they've actually been beaten by Argos, who have discounted their E Plus Red Mantra down to £379.99. 

Not to be outdone, we've just been told Halfords are discounting the Assist Deluxe again with the new price as of Saturday morning going down to £379, which will once again make it the cheapest e-bike in the land by 99 pence. Have they won the price battle once and for all? We'll wait to see if Argos land another price-cutting counter punch over the coming days...

22 November 2019, 15:05
The 'earth-saving' Tesla truck, ladies and gentleman...

If you haven't seen the monstrous thing yet, it looks like this... 

22 November 2019, 13:21
Dr Richard Freeman's lawyer wants remaining charges against him thrown out because GMC "has no evidence to support its case"
Bradley Wiggins and Richard Freeman at 2011 Tour de France video still.PNG

This week's proceedings at the Tribunal began on Wednesday, and it's emerged that yesterday Richard Freeman's lawyer Mary O'Rourke says she wants the remaining four charges against her client thrown out - he's already pleaded guilty to 18 of the 22. 

She claims the General Medical Council don't have enough evidence to support the final charges against Freeman, which include ordering testosterone to British Cycling headquarters in 2011 to help athlete performance, and  knowing that it was intended to help an athlete's performance. 

Freeman claims the Testogel was ordered for Shane Sutton, but Sutton denied this strenuously and refused to give further evidence after his appearance last Tuesday. It emerged on Wednesday that Freeman had researched testosterone-boosting drugs before he made the order, but O'Rourke said this wasn't enough evidence. 

O'Rourke also told the tribunal that Sutton was an unreliable witness and "a habitual and serial liar", but GMC lawyer Simon Jackson said that her "tactics" had prompted Sutton to leave the hearing. 

The BBC quote Jackson as saying: "Sutton indicated that he was not available beyond Tuesday, at which point Miss O'Rourke made allegations against Shane Sutton as a serial liar and doper.

"The nature and tone of the cross-examination was deliberately focused not on the Testogel, but to make allegations of doping."

O'Rourke said that was "nonsense", and next week the tribunal will decide the weighting they will give to Sutton's evidence, or if indeed they should include it at all. The final witness will be Dr Richard Quinton, who is currently giving evidence to determine whether Shane Sutton had a therapeutic need for testosterone.  

 

22 November 2019, 12:48
Northern Ireland is "missing out on an e-bike revolution" because of outdated laws, says insurance firms
lime ebike green

Insurers Quotezone and Compare NI have identified that Nothern Ireland is missing out by still classifying e-bikes as mopeds, and the extra cost of tax and insurance is putting off potential e-bikers. Full story over on eBikeTips. 

22 November 2019, 11:33
Mansfield reinforces town centre cycling ban in pedestrianised zones in a 'crackdown' on cyclists
mansfield-market-place

Back in February 2018, we reported that Mansfield District Council had partially relaxed a town centre cycling ban which previously saw cyclists fined £75 for failing to dismount if requested to do so by a council official - the ban was 24 hours a day, but under the revised ban people were able to cycle in the area between 6pm and 10am, seven days a week.

While these rules still apply, The Mansfield and Ashfield Chad report that the District Council are launching a 'crackdown' in the lead up to Christmas, in which cyclists caught riding in the town's car-free zones outside of those times will be issued a £100 fixed penalty if they don't comply. For any scamps who want to know when the best time is to flout the ban and not get caught, the District Council have handily announced their crackdown will take place between 10am-4pm on November 30th and December 7th, 14th, and 21st. 

The council's head of health and communities David Evans said: "It is clearly dangerous to cycle through busy streets that are full of people doing their shopping.

"We get a lot of complaints at the council from members of the public about this and there have been incidents where pedestrians have been injured by cyclists, too.

"The main aims of these days of action are to deter people from flouting the cycling restrictions and to improve the safety of pedestrians on some of the busiest shopping days of the year."

Is your town particularly unfriendly to cyclists? Do let us know of any examples that top this in the comments below... 

22 November 2019, 11:18
Richard Thoday's penny fathing record is official
richard thoday, credit four season collective

A Derbyshire teacher has had confirmed by Guinness World Records that he has indeed broken the 133-year-old record for the fastest Land's End to John O' Groat ride on a Penny Farthing. He completed the route in four days, 11 hours and 52 minutes, breaking George Pilkington Mills mark of five days, 1 hour and 45 minutes from way back in 1886 when he was just 18.  

The 55-year-old told the Matlock Mercury: "It has been a nervewracking wait. But I gave Guinness World Records all the evidence I could provide, so if they said no, there was nothing else I could do.

“It was the toughest thing I have ever done in my life and definitely a one-off, I certainly won’t be doing it again because it was just so hard.

“Planning the journey was a full-time job, on top of my full-time job. It took ten months out of my life, and lots of support from my wife.”

Thoday finished the challenge back in late July, and eventually raised over £10,000 fo Children in Need. 

22 November 2019, 11:02
Brompton launch new Black Edition colours for 2020 (two of them aren't black)
Brompton_Black2020__200

Brompton have added fresh colours to their premium Black Edition premium range for the new year. These are Rocket Red (above), Turkish Green and both Black Lacquer and Black Gloss, and you can also now get the Superlight with titanium forks and titanium rear frame in the Black Edition too. 

The bikes are available to order now in models S, M and H Types, with 2 and 6-speed options available - check them out on Brompton's web store here. 

 

 

 

 

22 November 2019, 09:15
Scottish Liberal Democrat candidate pedals a cycling-themed election video to inspire voters

John Ferry is the Lib Dem parliamentary candidate for Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale & Tweeddale, and we've been made aware of his campaign video by a fellow cyclist local to him who is part of the same club. 

Fiona Dalgleish told road.cc: "We’ve known John for a long time as he’s a volunteer at lots of our bike events, and has ridden most of them too as well as being a youth leader at Peebles Cycling Club. He’s especially keen on Tour o the Borders – he’s done it every year since it started, and now he’s standing as our local MP.

"Regardless of the politics, it’s encouraging to see someone put a bike front and centre of a campaign – he sees being a cyclist as something which demonstrates determination and grit and shows that he’s someone who likes a challenge. 

It's also nice to see a politician other than Boris on a bike! The film has been watched over 15,000 times on social media, so he’s obviously striking a chord."​

Will the campaign see Mr Ferry ride high in the polls and claim a stunning victory? We'll await the results on Friday the 13th, the luckiest of days. 

22 November 2019, 09:10
Zwift launch e-commerce store, so you can now buy smart trainers and merch directly from Zwift
zwift-photo-cycling-01 (1)

Zwift have rolled out their online shop throughout Europe, so you can buy their merchandise and also smart trainers from Elite, Wahoo, Tacx and Saris all in a one-stop virtual shop. There is also a questionnaire to determine which trainer is the best for you, and the option to do a free 30 day trial with a trainer of your choice and a Zwift subscription .  

You can also buy giftcards, clothing, trainer accessories and memberships - take a look here. 

22 November 2019, 09:33
The latest meme goes cycling-themed...
Jack Sexty

Jack has been writing about cycling and multisport for over a decade, arriving at road.cc via 220 Triathlon Magazine in 2017. He worked across all areas of the website including tech, news and video, and also contributed to eBikeTips before being named Editor of road.cc in 2021 (much to his surprise). Jack has been hooked on cycling since his student days, and currently has a Trek 1.2 for winter riding, a beloved Bickerton folding bike for getting around town and an extra beloved custom Ridley Helium SLX for fantasising about going fast in his stable. Jack has never won a bike race, but does have a master's degree in print journalism and two Guinness World Records for pogo sticking (it's a long story). 

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21 comments

Avatar
mdavidford | 5 years ago
0 likes

How many people are actually going to be able to hear a warning from their phone once it's been stuffed into a bag or pocket before getting on the bike anyway? 

Avatar
ConcordeCX replied to mdavidford | 5 years ago
1 like
mdavidford wrote:

How many people are actually going to be able to hear a warning from their phone once it's been stuffed into a bag or pocket before getting on the bike anyway? 

some people put their phone on the handlebars, some people have bluetooth earphones. It's not just about phones, a garmin gps could pick up the network, as could a smartwatch.

The device is, or will be, connected to a network, so any number of other devices will also be able to connect and get the data.

Plus, it's not just about the bike. Other vehicles which routinely use regular routes, such as PO vans, council vehicles and so on will be more appropriate hosts for the sensors and will supply more regular readings than random cyclists who happen to travel down a given route. The system is designed to calculate when a particular segment is likely to become icy, so councils will be able to target their gritting lorries. 

seems like a good idea and a useful thing to do, and it doesn't strike me as particularly difficult (I have postgrad computer science qualifications, so I know something about these things).

maybe, while they're scannng the road surface, they could also build a 3d map of the potholes.

 

 

Avatar
manonbike replied to ConcordeCX | 5 years ago
1 like
ConcordeCX wrote:
mdavidford wrote:

How many people are actually going to be able to hear a warning from their phone once it's been stuffed into a bag or pocket before getting on the bike anyway? 

some people put their phone on the handlebars, some people have bluetooth earphones. It's not just about phones, a garmin gps could pick up the network, as could a smartwatch.

The device is, or will be, connected to a network, so any number of other devices will also be able to connect and get the data.

Plus, it's not just about the bike. Other vehicles which routinely use regular routes, such as PO vans, council vehicles and so on will be more appropriate hosts for the sensors and will supply more regular readings than random cyclists who happen to travel down a given route. The system is designed to calculate when a particular segment is likely to become icy, so councils will be able to target their gritting lorries. 

seems like a good idea and a useful thing to do, and it doesn't strike me as particularly difficult (I have postgrad computer science qualifications, so I know something about these things).

maybe, while they're scannng the road surface, they could also build a 3d map of the potholes.

 

They did fit a few of these to gritting lorries, so that they could map the road temperatures and adjust the gritting in real time. Unfortunately, the gritters miss out most of the smaller rural roads that we love to ride on.  I like the idea of using post vans though - nice idea. If only they went out early, like they used to eh?

I agree totally with the comments about overthinking this - we know it is icy - we are a hell of a lot more connected with the weather and the road than most. However, it would be useful if, for example, Google Maps showed ice in the same way as it shows the traffic. Then we could choose to avoid it. Or not. Your choice. 

3 years is a long time though. Elon Musk would have it out next week, powered by the kinetic energy harvested from flies hitting the sensor. In winter. Winter flies. Yeah. Implausible? Look at that car. People have put deposits down on it. That man can sell ANYTHING! 

Avatar
Rick_Rude | 5 years ago
1 like

My car has an ice warning system when I start it up. Strangely enough I already knew it was icy as I just scrapped ice off my windscreen and it's cold as fuck and I'm wearing a coat and gloves. How did we cope before this technology?

Avatar
hawkinspeter replied to Rick_Rude | 5 years ago
2 likes
Rick_Rude wrote:

My car has an ice warning system when I start it up. Strangely enough I already knew it was icy as I just scrapped ice off my windscreen and it's cold as fuck and I'm wearing a coat and gloves. How did we cope before this technology?

My bike tyres have built-in ice warning system. As soon as they detect ice, they assume a horizontal alignment.

 

Avatar
Mungecrundle | 5 years ago
2 likes

App for ice? Could be useful for blind cyclists who also suffer from not being able to feel when it is cold outside.

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vonhelmet | 5 years ago
1 like

I put studded tyres on my cross bike the other day. Any risk of ice and I'll ride that bike. They're heavy but they'll keep me upright.

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CyclingInBeastMode | 5 years ago
0 likes

Is it or was it below or at freezing overnight in the locality you are cycling, if answer equals yes (opening front door and breathing out and/or looking at grass/rooftops/car windscreens are pretty good indicators) then there's a high chance of ice on the roads.

You will of course already availed yourself of the information regarding where and what temperatures your LA grit but being mindful that that can fail and roads missed out so you'll be vigilant and not take anything for granted.

Losing a few PSI in the tyres won't go amiss either though a bike more suited with wider tyres or even an MTB if there's likely to be snow and/or you can go off road a bit are options to consider even if you have an ice warning, it's all about advance planning and not waiting until a few seconds before going out and starting up a warning programme on your networked device.

Avatar
ktache | 5 years ago
0 likes

It does sound like a good PhD studentship.

Don't know if it will result in anything very practical, but an interesting use of 3 to 4 years of a young scientist/engineers time.

Avatar
kingleo | 5 years ago
3 likes

One of the most prosperous shopping towns in the country, Kingston-Upon-Thames, has designed part of the busy pedestrianized area so cyclists can go through the centre of the town.

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giff77 | 5 years ago
3 likes

You don't need an app to warn you of ice. It's when the reassuring crunch of salt and that of snow being compacted by your wheels disappears and you are met with a deathly silence that turns your heart cold as you take your feet of the pedals in preparation to use them as stabilisers as your wheel begins to slide out from under you. 

Avatar
ktache | 5 years ago
1 like

Here is an article by the BBC where Tesla's head of design, Franz von Holzhausen shows how unbreakable the Tesla monstrosities windows are.  Or not.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-50513294

Avatar
brooksby replied to ktache | 5 years ago
0 likes
ktache wrote:

Here is an article by the BBC where Tesla's head of design, Franz von Holzhausen shows how unbreakable the Tesla monstrosities windows are.  Or not.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-50513294

I watched that earlier - hilarious! 

Avatar
TheBillder | 5 years ago
0 likes

Richard Thoday's fund rasing page is still open at https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/pennyfarthingendtoend and it looks as if money is still trickling in. Hopefully the continued publicity can give it a late boost - the video is well worth a watch too.

Avatar
peted76 replied to TheBillder | 5 years ago
0 likes
Quote:

O'Rourke also told the tribunal that Sutton was an unreliable witness and "a habitual and serial liar", but GMC lawyer Simon Jackson said that her "tactics" had prompted Sutton to leave the hearing.  The BBC quote Jackson as saying: "Sutton indicated that he was not available beyond Tuesday, at which point Miss O'Rourke made allegations against Shane Sutton as a serial liar and doper.

"The nature and tone of the cross-examination was deliberately focused not on the Testogel, but to make allegations of doping."

To be fair that Mary O'Rourke sounds like a right wanker.  Which is probably something which makes her proud. #anklesarelowerthantnucs

Avatar
Jetmans Dad | 5 years ago
0 likes

Is that Zwift online store supposed to be different from what was there before, because I don't see how it has changed? Also, in other news. clicking on any of the categories of items (in Chrome) produces an error message that the category was not able to load any products. 

Not overly inspiring. 

Avatar
Kendalred replied to Jetmans Dad | 5 years ago
0 likes
Jetmans Dad wrote:

Is that Zwift online store supposed to be different from what was there before, because I don't see how it has changed? Also, in other news. clicking on any of the categories of items (in Chrome) produces an error message that the category was not able to load any products. 

Not overly inspiring. 

It works for me - on Firefox.

Avatar
brooksby | 5 years ago
3 likes
Quote:

The council's head of health and communities David Evans said: "It is clearly dangerous to cycle through busy streets that are full of people doing their shopping.

I hope someone's warned him about those mobility scooters, then - they can be just as dangerous.

Avatar
burtthebike replied to brooksby | 5 years ago
4 likes
brooksby wrote:
Quote:

The council's head of health and communities David Evans said: "It is clearly dangerous to cycle through busy streets that are full of people doing their shopping.

I hope someone's warned him about those mobility scooters, then - they can be just as dangerous.

And how many of these collisions between cyclists and pedestrians have their been?  I remember a DfT report from years back which showed that there were no problems with cyclists in pedestrian areas.

Avatar
the little onion replied to brooksby | 5 years ago
2 likes
brooksby wrote:
Quote:

The council's head of health and communities David Evans said: "It is clearly dangerous to cycle through busy streets that are full of people doing their shopping.

I hope someone's warned him about those mobility scooters, then - they can be just as dangerous.

 

Statistically, much more dangerous! I recall a statistic from the DfT which suggested that 12 people per year were killed in incidents involving mobility scooters. Of course, this could be because  the kind of person using a mobility scooter has a higher baseline morbidity rate, but still...

Avatar
pmurden | 5 years ago
1 like

Fair play to him. Good pitch to in all fairness

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