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Epic ‘bloody cyclists’ thread; CadenceX dynamo charges loads of stuff as you ride; 60 STOLEN BIKES ALERT; Shocking close pass by bus driver; Beryl offers free rides to polling stations and more on the live blog

All today's news from the site and beyond.....
Wed, Dec 11, 2019 11:51
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Epic ‘bloody cyclists’ thread; CadenceX dynamo charges loads of stuff as you ride; 60 STOLEN BIKES ALERT; Shocking close pass by bus driver; Beryl offers free rides to polling stations and more on the live blog cadencex_2977_720x
11 December 2019, 16:40
The CadenceX can charge two USB devices at once while you ride

US startup PedalCell say they've solved the issue of dead batteries with their patent-pending invention, their CadenceX device converts a bike's motion into continuous and stable electricity to power any USB device such as a smartphone, bike lights, GPS, or camera. It puts out a claimed six times more power than other bicycle dynamo systems at 15-20 watts, can charge two USB devices at once via its USB C ports and can be installed in minutes on almost any bike.

It's compatible with pretty much any USB device, with one port optimised for safety devices such as lights, and one for a 'high-power draw' such as smartphones. The Smart Power hub mounts the the handlebars, while the generator is mounted to the fork. 

The price is $299.99 (not including international postage), with a $50 discount if you pre-order for delivery worldwide in March 2020 - there's also a bundle with extra accessories including a theft bolt. Find out more on the CadenceX website here. 

11 December 2019, 16:35
Wheels bikeshare e-bikes now come with helmets included
Wheels-Helmet-PR-1-p-800

The US bikeshare startup Wheels have began supplying helmets with all their vehicles. It's integrated into the rear mudguard of the bike, and Wheels are offering a 20% discount if riders choose to unlock use of the helmet when they book a ride - full story on eBikeTips. 

11 December 2019, 14:54
Epic 'bloody cyclists' thread

Cycle Sam has captured lots of footage showing cyclists not running red lights, not blocking the pavements and not not obeying road markings... 

11 December 2019, 09:14
£100,000 worth of bikes stolen at Leslie Bike Shop in Fife

The bike shop, in Glenrothes, has posted a public appeal after thieves took around 60 brand new bikes in the early hours of Monday morning. Shop owner Bryan Moodie told The Daily Record: "We first discovered the theft on Monday morning when we came in. We're all pretty devastated here, we're quite a tight-knit group.

"To put all this hard work in and with Christmas coming and to have all these bikes stolen is terrible. It was a bit of a shock to open the doors and see that the store had been raided - it was totally empty."

The thieves are believed to have took off in a white Luton van with a tailgate. Detective Constable Fraser Simpson from Glenrothes CID said: "This is a despicable crime committed against a small local business and the property stolen is believed to be in excess of £100,000.

"I am urging people, especially during the lead-up to Christmas, to be aware of people offering new bikes for sale, consider that they may be stolen, especially if they appear a lot cheaper than would be expected, and contact police if you are offered any bikes you are suspicious about.

"I would also ask that people share this information online to make sure that as many people as possible are made aware of the theft and can assist our enquiries."

11 December 2019, 14:09
Look who pops up in 2005!

The only cyclist to make the highest paid athletes list between 1990-2019 is... a certain Lance Armstrong of course. 

11 December 2019, 13:06
Cyclist close passed by bus driver in high winds - West Yorkshire Police won't investigate because "no one was hurt" (strong language warning)

Footage of the incident posted by CJ Knight shows the bus passing him with barely a few inches to spare. Some observers noted that the painted cycle lane failed to serve its purpose in this instance, as the bus driver didn't appear to take the conditions and the width of his vehicle into account.

Mr Knight says West Yorkshire Police won't be taking further action because no one was hurt, and recommended he report the incident to the bus company. We'll update if and when West Yorkshire Police might decide to reconsider their position... 

11 December 2019, 12:45
New Cycleway 4 section opens past Tower Bridge

Will Norman broke the news on his Twitter account, with cyclists now able to safely navigate the section without having to share space with motor traffic. 

11 December 2019, 12:38
Jeremy vs Boris - cycling edition

Of course we like to stay politically neutral at road.cc, but we're just letting you know that eBikeTips have done a take on the widely-circulated 'Jeremy vs Boris' meme... 

11 December 2019, 11:56
Women 'more likely to cycle and run in groups due to safety concerns', according to Strava stats
strava stats year in sport 2019 Commute Gender Parity

Strava's annual Year in Sport report from 48 million people in 195 countries revealed the gender divide in cycling is worse in the UK, and that women are more likely to run and cycle in groups due to safety concerns. Full story here. 

11 December 2019, 11:03
Beryl offering free rides to polling stations tomorrow
Beryl Bikes

The British bike share company Beryl have announced voters will be able to get rides for free tomorrow to get to their polling station for the UK's general election. Beryl operate in the City of London, Hereford, Bournemoth and Poole, and say they’re running the complimentary rides to "encourage riders to choose sustainable transport to and from their local polling stations."

The promotion will be automatically applied to everyone with a Beryl account tomorrow, and voters can make use of two rides with a free unlock and ride of up to 30 minutes each. Beryl bikes have dedicated bays which are displayed on the Beryl app, so make sure you drop yours off in a bay to get your rides completely free. Polling stations are open from 7am-10pm, in case you weren't aware... 

 

 

11 December 2019, 11:47
Seen our latest mega compo?
2019-12-10-OrroCompo

Someone's going to have one hell of a good Christmas, as our pals at Orro are giving away a whole Terra C gravel bike worth £2,099! The winner will be announced on Christmas Eve, and although we haven't quite managed to book Santa to get it to the winner the next morning, they can certainly look forward to riding it in the new year. 

Entries HERE.  

11 December 2019, 11:30
Don't forget your high-vis...
11 December 2019, 10:56
Muddy good fun...
11 December 2019, 09:25
Sustrans disappointed in Wales' Clean Air Plan delay - and repeat calls for '20 minute planning principle'
Cycle Parking in Cardiff Bay (picture via Visit Cardiff).jpg

Sustrans 20 minute planing principle forms a key part of their manifesto, and calls for town and city planners to design neighbourhoods so people live within a 20 minute walk/even shorter bike ride away from everyday services so they aren't reliant on a car. 

Sustrans also released a statement on Wales' Clean Air Plan which was announced yesterday, calling on them to prioritise a shift away from cars to more sustainable transport - they also expressed disapointment that it won't be heard until the next assembly, which may be "too late". Sustrans Cymru Director, Steve Brooks said: “The Clean Air Plan is a promising step towards cleaning up the air in which we breathe.

“We are pleased that sustainable places are at the heart of the plan and welcome infrastructure and service investment across Wales to support the reduction in air pollution. A modal shift from cars to more sustainable transport will go a long way to cleaning up our air. Sustrans is calling for a 20-minute neighbourhood planning principle for all cities and towns, where people live within a 20-minute walk of everyday services and are not reliant on the car.  

“It is disappointing to see our calls for a Clean Air Act will not be heard until the next assembly term, which in light of the climate emergency, may be too late.”

11 December 2019, 08:52
The world's happiest traffic controller
11 December 2019, 08:47
Away day for Sir Wiggo
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

On we march! Salzburg away with @stevocummings and @benwiggins05 YNWA

A post shared by Sir Wiggo (@bradwiggins) on

Sir Bradley went to cheer on Liverpool away at Salzburg, in which the reds won 2-0 and topped their Champions League group to progress to the next round. He was accompanied by his son and budding pro cyclist Ben, and the recently retired scouse cycling legend  Steve Cummings. Wiggo's snazzy Adidas x Colnago kicks didn't go unnoticed... 

11 December 2019, 08:54
I've bonked...
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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23 comments

Avatar
peasantpigfarmer | 5 years ago
2 likes

Very suspicious claims for output !
Have you seen the hilarious warranty...3months!
Could understand if it was a £10 dynamo.
Hopefully, Road cc Will review it soon.

Avatar
iandusud | 5 years ago
1 like

Epic 'bloody cyclists' thread:

There, what more evidence do you need? Those car drivers going through the red light are obviously all cyclists - they must be, we've all seen how cyclist don't respect red lights. Bloody cyclists .......

Avatar
Kestevan | 5 years ago
1 like

The close pass looks to be on the A62 Leeds road in Huddersfield.  It's on my commute home and to be honest, the whole road is an accident waiting to happen.

Its a major road, single lane in many places, and either rammed with traffic or treated like a race track. The cycle lane is narrow, jumps repeatedly from on-road to shared use path with little warning and has a habit of simply disappearing at the many pinch points.... so pretty much a typical half arsed job.

The presence of the cycle lane actually makes the road more dangerous for cyclists, because a certain number of drivers seem to think they can drive as close/fast as they want as long as they dont cross the white line... an attitude that West Yorkshire Police seem to be happy to defend.

 

 

 

 

 

Avatar
Organon | 5 years ago
0 likes

I wonder why Armstrong was paid so much in 2005? It was a decade since his World Championship win and he hadn't achieved anything in the intervening years.

Avatar
ktache | 5 years ago
1 like

Leisure Lakes just sent me a latest arrivals/gift ideas email with this on it- 

Fabric Lumaray V2 GPS Mount Front Light

https://www.leisurelakesbikes.com/213202/products/fabric-lumaray-v2-gps-...

Seems like an idea to get you seen, in an unobtrusive using the GPS mount but still being able to keep the computer there way.

Not for me, someone could be interested.  I think it's a fairly good idea from Fabric, who do seem to be able to come up with some.

 

Avatar
Hirsute | 5 years ago
0 likes

No one was hurt

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-england-essex-50745553/lorry-stuck-on-e...

Avatar
ktache | 5 years ago
1 like

I will attempt to upload a relavent GIF

Avatar
ktache | 5 years ago
0 likes

Hehehehehe

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9MAkl8tEsnA

Avatar
ktache | 5 years ago
0 likes

20 Watts generated, and I'm guessing it's not 100% efficient, is extremely draggy.

Avatar
Secret_squirrel replied to ktache | 5 years ago
2 likes
ktache wrote:

20 Watts generated, and I'm guessing it's not 100% efficient, is extremely draggy.

 

I serious doubt that number is achieved without some major compromises or that its achieved at ridiculous speeds.

The best bikepacking chargers put out approx 5 watts at 12 mph, but tend to be current limited to around 0.5A to 1A.

https://www.cyclingabout.com/best-dynamo-usb-chargers-bicycle-touring-bi...

 

 

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

20 Watts generated, and I'm guessing it's not 100% efficient, is extremely draggy.

Of course that assessment is correct. However I wouldn't be too quick to condemn this dynamo. There's more I would like to know about it. If the electronics adapt the resistance to the load placed upon it then it could be a great option. ie if you are only drawing 1 watt to power your lights and the power generated by the dynamo is adpated to that demand then the drag will be very low, assuming good effeciency. This is what I would like to know and also how noisy is it? That question is addressed. 

Avatar
armb replied to ktache | 5 years ago
2 likes
ktache wrote:

20 Watts generated, and I'm guessing it's not 100% efficient, is extremely draggy.

It's also enough that I very much doubt you'll get that out of a rim dynamo in the rain or sleet without it slipping.

You can get 6W out of a hub dynamo with the right load.

 

Avatar
Butty | 5 years ago
5 likes

So why did the police take action against me when I exceeed a speed limit in my car? I didn't injure anyone.

Avatar
pockstone | 5 years ago
4 likes

Close pass...if it needs reporting to the bus company, why the hell don't the police report it.

Try reporting to the traffic commissioner, and insist on getting the driver's PSV license number.  They are (or at least should be) held to a higher standard of driving than non-professional, non passenger carrying drivers. And perhaps ask what sort of example is being given to the primary school children on board. (It's a kid's school bus.)

Outrageous close pass and needs prosecuting.

Avatar
Mungecrundle | 5 years ago
3 likes

Risks you, well at least I, would quite happily allow my kids to take in the spirit of they have to fall a few times to learn their limits, you cannot apply to children in your care in loco parentis.

My wife accompanied a school trip to the seaside with a group of 8 year olds that involved a human chain to stop the little darlings paddling out of ankle depth and enforcing a 10m exclusion zone around a completely harmless beached jellyfish. Perfectly sensible from the school and organisers point of view in an effort to remove any and all risk of blame should something happen, but not much fun or education value for the kids.

Avatar
CyclingInBeastMode replied to Mungecrundle | 5 years ago
1 like
Mungecrundle wrote:

Risks you, well at least I, would quite happily allow my kids to take in the spirit of they have to fall a few times to learn their limits, you cannot apply to children in your care in loco parentis. My wife accompanied a school trip to the seaside with a group of 8 year olds that involved a human chain to stop the little darlings paddling out of ankle depth and enforcing a 10m exclusion zone around a completely harmless beached jellyfish. Perfectly sensible from the school and organisers point of view in an effort to remove any and all risk of blame should something happen, but not much fun or education value for the kids.

Kids out of school are easy to spot, they're the small ones, the rest will be adults or in prams in your vicinity, the hi-vis is not needed, it's just more mis-understanding and indoctrination to follow 'common sense' but actually has no logic or benefit to it.

we're told to wear a reflective tabard for when we're out at work but the fact our drivers go out in day time makes the tabard utterly useless, it's dark green, same colour as our issued tops. 

Told the chief exec I aint wearing mine as it's dumb, offers no benefit whatsoever, wastes the company money, as we are a social/community org which means every penny we make gets punped back into the community, it's money we can ill offord to spunk on useless kit when we're short elsewhere. She won't look at the facts as like most she's indoctrinated into the 'common sense' thinking, there's examples of it everywhere and it simply doesn't benefit anyone.

Avatar
TriTaxMan | 5 years ago
10 likes

That footage of the bus close pass sums up all that is wrong with cycle lanes painted at the side of the road.  The vast majority of them are barely wide enough for a bike to cycle in, and drivers will simply go "I wasn't in the cycle lane therefore I did nothing wrong".

And WTF is wrong with West Yorks Police - no one was hurt therefore we won't take any action.  Funny I though prevention of RTA's was better than cleaning up after them.

I'd love to see someone up in court for a speeding offence or dangerous driving cite "The police shouldn't take any action as no one was hurt by my actions"

Avatar
oceandweller | 5 years ago
2 likes

Ummm, speaking as a bit of an afficionado of all things sort-of-not-exactly-road-cycling-but-not-MTB-either, that Orro Terra C doesn't look like the last word in gravelology - road gears, road tyres, no (that I can see) rack mounts... At least it's got a sloping top tube. All the same, gonna take a fair bit of extra investment before you line it up on the start of the Dirty Reiver.

Avatar
Bmblbzzz | 5 years ago
1 like

"Helmets and hi-viz around young children"? Makes me think of school trips, when you see the kids in hi-viz. Although my kids' primary school had the opposite policy: kids wore standard uniform for trips out and it was the teachers who wore hi-viz. 

Avatar
brooksby replied to Bmblbzzz | 5 years ago
1 like
Bmblbzzz wrote:

"Helmets and hi-viz around young children"? Makes me think of school trips, when you see the kids in hi-viz. Although my kids' primary school had the opposite policy: kids wore standard uniform for trips out and it was the teachers who wore hi-viz. 

My office is across a road from a side road that leads up to a primary school.  I often see a long troop of small kids holding hands in pairs (buddy system: remember how well that worked out for Bart and Lisa?) going off to who knows where, with a pair of teachers at the front and a pair at the back and a couple walking up and down the line like sheepdogs.  And every one of them wearing a reflective and fluorescent tabard.  To walk on the footway.

Avatar
Jetmans Dad replied to brooksby | 5 years ago
6 likes
brooksby wrote:

And every one of them wearing a reflective and fluorescent tabard.  To walk on the footway.

Erm, yeah ... it's about making sure the group stays together and ensuring you can see, at a glance, where your children are, so no one wanders off. 

Avatar
Awavey replied to brooksby | 5 years ago
6 likes
brooksby wrote:
Bmblbzzz wrote:

"Helmets and hi-viz around young children"? Makes me think of school trips, when you see the kids in hi-viz. Although my kids' primary school had the opposite policy: kids wore standard uniform for trips out and it was the teachers who wore hi-viz. 

My office is across a road from a side road that leads up to a primary school.  I often see a long troop of small kids holding hands in pairs (buddy system: remember how well that worked out for Bart and Lisa?) going off to who knows where, with a pair of teachers at the front and a pair at the back and a couple walking up and down the line like sheepdogs.  And every one of them wearing a reflective and fluorescent tabard.  To walk on the footway.

Tbf when I quizzed my teacher friends about that practice, they said it's so they can see where the kids they are 'legally responsible' for are, and not wandering off,which primary school age kids are prone to do.its not some crazy elf n safety diktat

Avatar
brooksby replied to Awavey | 5 years ago
4 likes
Awavey wrote:
brooksby wrote:
Bmblbzzz wrote:

"Helmets and hi-viz around young children"? Makes me think of school trips, when you see the kids in hi-viz. Although my kids' primary school had the opposite policy: kids wore standard uniform for trips out and it was the teachers who wore hi-viz. 

My office is across a road from a side road that leads up to a primary school.  I often see a long troop of small kids holding hands in pairs (buddy system: remember how well that worked out for Bart and Lisa?) going off to who knows where, with a pair of teachers at the front and a pair at the back and a couple walking up and down the line like sheepdogs.  And every one of them wearing a reflective and fluorescent tabard.  To walk on the footway.

Tbf when I quizzed my teacher friends about that practice, they said it's so they can see where the kids they are 'legally responsible' for are, and not wandering off,which primary school age kids are prone to do.its not some crazy elf n safety diktat

Fair enough - I hadn't considered that.

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