Welcome to Tuesday’s live blog, with Jack Sexty, Simon MacMichael and the rest of the team.
New app pays you for cycling; $35,000 hand-painted superbike with 24 carat gold details, anyone?; CX rider downed by course tape; Irish border divide in Lidl bike parking; Barney the Dinosaur turns pro +more on the live blog
All today’s news from the site and beyond…
Tue, Dec 17, 2019 18:25
SUMMARY
17 December 2019, 18:25
Barney the dinosaur??
Oh wow! I have no words pic.twitter.com/trHmYevteF
— José Been (@TourDeJose) December 16, 2019
We couldn’t help but notice that Bardiani–CSF’s kit shares the same colours as the beloved 90’s TV dinosaur… would you wear it?
17 December 2019, 18:25
The ultimate 'but cyclists'
Yeah, but I once knew a #cyclist who just couldn’t keep up with the sheer volume of idiotic motoring stories.
Anybody fancy helping out on this account?#Help! https://t.co/GcbPsCnEHq
— ButCyclists (@but_cyclists) December 16, 2019
This terrifying clip makes you wonder why anyone would be worried about the danger posed by a few kilos of carbon or alloy compared to trucks that can scoot a whole car along for quite some distance with the driver oblivious. Royal Mail don’t appear to have replied to comments on social media yet…
17 December 2019, 18:25
London's Beech Street to become "UK's first 24/7 emission-free street", with access limited to pedestrians, cyclists and EV's
Beech Street in @cityoflondon is set to become UK’s first 24/7 zero emission street. Read more about this groundbreaking scheme that aims to bring substantial health benefits to those who live and work in the #Barbican area https://t.co/0VwMQbNvnT
— City of London (@cityoflondon) December 16, 2019
The City of London Corporation has announced that pending final approval from Transport for London, Beech Street underneath London’s Barbican Estate will be restricted to zero emission vehicles, cyclists and pedestrians by spring 2020 in a bid to improve air quality.
Of course any pedestrianised street is technically emission-free; however we’ve been told the difference is that this one is the first that will allow vehicular access, just not from anything that produces emissions.
Technically technically it still won’t be totally emission-free, becauase (and perhaps understandably so) exceptions will be provided for emergency vehicles, access to the car parks off Beech Street and for refuse collection and deliveries. There is a bus route along Beech Street, but as it’s full electric this won’t be affected.
The experiment will run for 18 months, during which time the impact on air quality and traffic will be monitored, with the aim to bring the nitrogen dioxide (NO2) levels within air quality guidelines set out by the European Union and World Health Organisation. The City Corporation say if it’s successful, the trial “may be made permanent.”
City Corporation’s wider plans to lower emissions include a proposal to turn parts of the Square Mile into zero-emissions zones by 2022, and cut the speed limit to 15mph as part of its new Transport Strategy… do you commute through Beech Street, and if so are you looking forward to the changes? Let us know in the comments as always.
17 December 2019, 18:25
Confirmation...
Bardiani-CSF? More like Barneyiani-CSF, am I right?! pic.twitter.com/AUjIUL9ZG4
— Joseph Robinson (@joeprobinson) December 17, 2019
Further down the page we likened the new kit being rocked by Italian continental team Bardiani-CSF to friendly TV dinosaur Barney… and before we could even task our graphic designer with mocking something up, Twitter has already made the comparison for us…
17 December 2019, 18:25
Answers = mostly predictable
Should there be more cycle lanes on roads? The campaign group Cycling UK is calling for more segregated cycle lanes (not just painted ones) to get us out of our cars. But would that just mean longer traffic jams? #JeremyVine pic.twitter.com/JBXacrfls1
— Jeremy Vine On 5 (@JeremyVineOn5) December 17, 2019
Featuring classics such as “yes if they pay road tax” and “it should be illegal not to use them”, The Jeremy Vine Show has decided to awaken the less learned side of their TV audience and social media following by asking if there should be more cycle lanes on Britain’s roads. Mr Vine is well known as a keen cycle commuter so we’d expect he would be in favour, but many of the show’s followers clearly disagree…
Sounds lovely but there’s no room to put them in, on roads that were built over hundred years ago so No
— Caroline Webb (@caroline_webb) December 17, 2019
Sure if they pay road tax.
— Antony Smith (@ASmith97) December 17, 2019
If there’s a cycle lane next to the road then it’s should be law that cyclists use it .
— jon sollitt (@sollitt_jon) December 17, 2019
As long as they pay for them and as long as they are fined when not using them. There are a few around here that have cycle lanes on wide pavements but still clog up the roads instead of using them.
—Oo__Wibble__oO (@OoWibble) December 17, 2019
At least there were some more measured responses to the question in there somewhere…
They need to be done properly. Cyclists won’t use them if they have to stop at every single junction. It takes so much longer than riding on the road. Until cyclists are given right of way at junctions on cycle lanes they’re a waste of time.
— Bex (@FiresideFortune) December 17, 2019
Yes there should be. I bought a bike last year and would love to take my toddler on it but don’t feel safe on the roads given the state of people’s driving nowadays
— Charlotte Holdsworth (@CharlotteHolds4) December 17, 2019
17 December 2019, 18:25
Nextbike clock up two million UK bike rentals
The world’s most extensive bikeshare firm, which now operates in numerous parts of the country, toasted its two millionth UK trip that was recorded in Glasgow recently. It’s a rapid trajectory with over 816,000 rentals in total in 2019; nextbike took over three-and-a-half years to hit their one millionth trip in the UK since launching in 2014, with the second million taking just 13 months.
Krysia Solheim, managing director of nextbike UK, said it was an important milestone and proved that bike share was gaining popularity as an everyday part of people’s lives: “To have hit two million rentals is great. We are delighted with how well our schemes have been received generally in the UK and that they’re used not just by tourists as a novel way of seeing a new city, but by residents and commuters from all walks of life.”
17 December 2019, 18:25
Bizarre incident at US cyclocross nationals sees rider go off course, re-enter and take out his opponent with the course tape
How to take out your opponent.
Better footage of the incident between – later champion – Gage Hecht and Kerry Werner at the US National Championships cyclocross.
Insta: theonejefe pic.twitter.com/6eLl6loKgM
— Cyclocross24.com (@cyclocross24) December 16, 2019
The mishap took place at the U.S Cyclocross Nationals, when Gage Hecht (Donnelly-Aevolo) hit a number of ruts and went careering into the red course tape. As he steered back on course he took the tape with him, which knocked off the unfortunate Kerry Werner of Kona-Maxxis-Shimano behind him. The incident defined the men’s race as Werner was the lead chaser and never caught back onto Hecht’s wheel after he fell; 22-year-old Hecht eventually clinched victory with Werner finishing down in fourth.
Perhaps surprisingly Hecht wasn’t disqualified, with our in-house cyclocross/Taylor Swift expert Liam Cahill suggesting this is because Hecht himself technically didn’t take out his opponent: ” You can’t leave the course to gain an advantage, I believe the rule is you re-enter the course where you left it.
“There’s also a rule about impeding other riders; technically Hecht didn’t as it was the course tape that made the other rider crash. I’m chalking this one down as an unfortunate incident that’s part and parcel of racing.”
Can the lad celebrate his victory guilt-free, or is it all a bit harsh on his rival? Let us know your thoughts of course…
17 December 2019, 18:25
Meanwhile, in Dublin...
Just spotted this indoor bike parking at the Lidl in Smithfield. Nice! Never seen this before.
— Michael Pidgeon (@Pidge) December 12, 2019
Lidl came in for some criticism on Twitter for the butterfly-style bike racks at their new West Norwood store, as reported on Monday’s live blog; however some leapt to the supermarket’s defence, saying there is perfectly adequate cycle parking at some of their stores up and down the country and abroad.
In the case of their Smithfield store in Ireland it appears the cycle parking provisions are indeed perfectly adequate, with sturdy Sheffield stands located indoors to protect bikes from the weather as shown in these photos from last week… sp why the inconsistency? We’ve asked Lidl’s press office for a comment but are yet to hear back.
17 December 2019, 18:25
Nothing screams Christmas like...
17 December 2019, 18:25
Trump 'taking up cycling'
Dutch Prime Minister Ekrem Imamoğlu went to his workplace by cycling today. How LOVELY. He looks like very modern and European. I am planning to the same. pic.twitter.com/z0HrsaokIH
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldtrodi) December 17, 2019
Would be great if true… but unfortunately this is a parody account!
17 December 2019, 18:25
Gareth Thomas thanks fans after completing 500 mile Tour de Trophy challenge for Sport Relief
Thank you , thank you , and did I mention to EVERYONE for the support in whatever way you gave it, thank you.xxxxxxxx https://t.co/VQHuFYSeeJ
— Gareth Thomas (@gareththomas14) December 16, 2019
The Welshman, who also completed an Ironman back in September the day after being forced into revealing his HIV status, battled horrific conditions to complete the challenge over seven days. Thomas provided video updates last week as he rode through the night in howling crosswinds and rain, but he pushed on through the pain to finish on Sunday night in Aberdeen. If you’re inspired, you can donate here.
17 December 2019, 18:25
New app that rewards you with vouchers for cycling coming to the UK
Get paid for cycling! Prototype app records your mileage and rewards you with vouchers to spend in shops. It’s designed to tempt people out of cars and onto bikes and it’ll be in #Exeter UK in April. See https://t.co/2FiVY8QK9o and https://t.co/AzqbuNJ8Ji #cycling @ExeterCycling pic.twitter.com/wXbWksHyFB
— Cycling Science (@CyclingScience1) December 17, 2019
Biklio say they “recognise bicycle users for making their city a better place”, and in return for clocking up mileage users can add up points to get vouchers to spend in local shops. The rewards can be in the form of discounts or free items, and Biklo say their partner businesses who sign up will benefit by getting increased footfall; plus the incentives for the public should equal less pollution in the atmosphere if they decide it’s worth ditching the car for.
Cities partnered with Biklio can create challenges for app users, and the data can be used intelligently to create better infrastructure. It all sounds intriguing and although it’s still at prototype stage, Biklio should be coming to Exeter and Southend-on-Sea in April 2020. Head over to their website for more info.
17 December 2019, 18:25
Coming to the UK soon?
Game changer. We need this https://t.co/TxfBdTNzoG
— Chris Boardman (@Chris_Boardman) December 17, 2019
Mr Boardman hopes so, and so do we; the Guardian report that New South Wales hope to cut road fatalities by a third in two years with the introduction of the mobile phone-detecting cameras, the first of their kind in the world.
17 December 2019, 18:25
Jess Varnish wins right to appeal tribunal defeat
Ex-GB sprint cyclist Jess Varnish wins right to appeal against her landmark employment tribunal defeat to British Cycling in latest twist in her 3-year legal fight https://t.co/6B4iCD5X82
— Dan Roan (@danroan) December 17, 2019
Varnish lost her employment case where she had argued that she was in effect an employee of British Cycling and UK Sport back in January, and has been given right to appeal. Full story on road.cc to follow…
17 December 2019, 18:25
Bristol Mayor Marvin Rees completes challenge by riding e-bike to all engagements for two weeks solid
Marvin Rees was challenged by e-bike brand Volt to travel to all his Mayoral engagements by e-bike over two weeks, and he passed with flying colours… full story over on eBikeTips.
17 December 2019, 18:25
Behold, the hand-painted Festka Spectre Porcelain detailed in 24 carat gold... yours for $35,000
Time for some pure unadulterated afternoon bike porn (for actual porn see the O-Seat)… this is a Festka Spectre – already with a top-of-the-range spec featuring Lightweight carbon wheels and SRAM Red AXS groupset – with the addition of an incredibly detailed porcelain-style paintjob from artist Michal Bačák.
Most of the fine brush strokes are in a light blue paint, but there are also 24 carat gold details throughout the frameset. It took a whole 13 months to complete, with “every single detail carefully thought out and consulted with the client” according to Festka.
Despite its delicate appearance the bike is still ready to race and rides every inch the same as another Festka Spectre with a less audacious paintjob… and with the bike valued at $35,000, you’d hope it would. We’re not quite sure how one would go about actually buying it, but you can find out more on the Feskta website here and watch a video of it getting painted up here.
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Jack is group editor across road.cc, off.road.cc and ebiketips, overseeing all three sites in the F-At Digital group to make sure everything’s up to scratch. He’s 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 road.cc 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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Latest Comments
Gm_Crop 7 hours ago
I'll counter that by saying the Bryton 750se I have drives me nuts at times. Inconsistantly picks up on routes created on Komoot and the app re-syncs every few seconds when trying to set up the device and sends me back to the home screen. The most infuriating one is that I turned live track on. Once. It now won't turn off and repeatedly flags up the live track is starting, and then disconnecting every few seconds whilst riding. I haven't timed it but it wouldn't suprise me if 10-20% of the time the the screen is covered with an error message. That's been about 6 weeks now. Other than that it's great :/
IanGlasgow 7 hours ago
RE: Police launch road safety operation... by clamping down on cyclists using footbridge Meanwhile in Glasgow, Police Scotland are riding their motorbikes over the pedestrian and cyclists only bridge. https://x.com/FietserGlasgow/status/2065106152917012523?s=20
Rendel Harris 9 hours ago
@Paul J Van Schip certainly seems a bit of a dick, but he's a European and multiple World Champion on the track, pretty sure you don't get there without having some talent in your legs.
Bill H 9 hours ago
Poor Vincent cannot get over the simple fact that given the choice people prefer dedicated cycling spaces, rather than pretending to be cars like vehicular cyclists.
pbunyon 9 hours ago
What is the point of the fancy air sensor if it can't account for changing weather conditions?? If all you care about is a delayed approximation of aerodynamic watts in steady conditions, you don't need any special sensors for that. Just your speed on a decently flat course is enough to approximate rolling resistance and drivetrain losses. And the rest must be aero. If you assume a less aero body position at the same watts, your speed will drop while rolling resistance also drops, which means approximated aero watts goes up. And that's enough to demonstrate what you've shown in your testing protocol ("I sat upright and the number went up a little while later").
chrisonabike 10 hours ago
Your correction is accurate - it's almost always been "the (lack of) thought that (doesn't) count". "Massive" - less than a billion a year spent on active travel (trying to catch up / building a network across the entire country) Not massive - 6 billion every year (2026-2030) spent on road *maintenance* of existing "already built, goes everywhere, very convenient" road network for inactive travel Ultimately the reason "cycle infra" is *needed* is those unbelievably colossal amounts spent every year (and for more than a century now) on making mass motoring not just viable but apparently the "best choice" for most journeys. As the Dutch and others have shown, the majority of people *are* prepared to cycle and even mix with very light, slow local motor traffic *if* cycling is also made safe and convenient for the whole of their journey (including secure parking at both ends). (The history of the financial drivers of the current situation are a complex topic but note that while people complain about "crumbling roads" and underfunded motor infra - with some reason - by us continuing the fuel duty escalator freeze (for example) we're actually helping motorists pay *even less* for that activity / subsidising more of the cost of driving than ever.)
belugabob 10 hours ago
yes, but people will still object - which was my point.
Astralstroll 12 hours ago
So ' Priority of Road Users' and 1.5 metre clearance at 30mph has been been reduced to 'sharing'? NCN route 2 here in South Hams is an absolute scream with white vans, tractors and total idiots who refuse,or are totally incapable,to reverse on high Devon banked lanes ...means you have to get off and pedal back to a passing place....could be at that all day...so I don't bother...
Mr Anderson 13 hours ago
@MaxiMinimalist Agreed. The big problem I see now is today's parents grew up being driven to their schools, and therefore, see private motor vehicles as the only viable form of transport. The vast majority of UK infant and primary schools have a catchment area that is within easy walking distance from home to school. Yet, the traffic caused by pupils being driven to/from school is astonishing. Banishing the "School Run" should be a priority for all schools.
MaxiMinimalist 13 hours ago
When I was a kid (that was during the previous millenium when phones were connected to a plug in the wall), I rode my bicycle to school, music academy, sport grounds, parties even during the winter. The government didn't have to spend, correct that, didn't have to think of spending massive amounts of money to build cycling specific infrastructures. Over the past 3 or 4 decades, cars have grown bigger, taller, safer (for their drivers) and faster. Meanwhile, motorists have become abusive, aggressive, hypersensitive to people moving on two wheels, aka cyclists. Spending billions upon billions on new infrastructure won't address the crux of the matter. Sadly.
16 thoughts on “New app pays you for cycling; $35,000 hand-painted superbike with 24 carat gold details, anyone?; CX rider downed by course tape; Irish border divide in Lidl bike parking; Barney the Dinosaur turns pro +more on the live blog”
That lorry video is AMAZING,
That lorry video is AMAZING, is it wrong that it makes me happy 🙂
Beech Street being electric vehicles only a good thing I guess, it’s always a very busy part of the city whenever I go there. I can’t help thinking there’s a bit of lateral thinking concerning the pollution being worse in the 200 yards of enclosed space (tunnel) under the barbican than outside in the fresh air.. (some bright spark has spun this bit of common sense into a good news story). Anecdotally I’d suggest that the bit of road coming out of the tube opposite Beech Street always seems very ‘exhaust fume heavy’, closing Beech Street probably won’t help that.. but I guess.. baby steps, it all helps 🙂
The driver shouldn’t have
The driver shouldn’t have sneaked into the trucks blind spots.
Didn’t they see the warning notices.
Or are they only on the trailers?
ktache wrote:
They should make it an offence to drive cars that don’t have hi-viz on them – practically invisible.
So the Beeb have picked up on
So the Beeb have picked up on the Royal Mail lorry collecting the VW (who knew they collect as well as deliver?) – as the woman in the gilet is actually Ellie Goulding. ‘Cause, y’know, celeb an all that makes it newsworthy.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-50819996
“Sounds lovely but there’s no
“Sounds lovely but there’s no room to put them in, on roads that were built over hundred years ago so No”
But plenty of space for cars on those roads built before most people had cars, though?
The thing that gets me about
The thing that gets me about the Bardiani kit isn’t that it looks like Barney, it’s that it’s ciclamino. How will they get away with wearing that at the Giro?
i stop by the drivers windows
i stop by the drivers windows on my motorbikes, lean in and shout THERES A CYCLE LANE THERE MATE! or” THERES A BUS SERVICE THERE!” especially if its a driver ive previously been abused by for not using a cycle lane or pedestrian killing road as theyd be better known. The irony is strong- motorists dont use the cycle lanes road tax ”paid for” right beside the road, but theyre perfectly allright to drive along at less than mph for miles, holding up bikers, bus drivers, cyclists and lorry drivers. So, if a driver gives a cyclist abuse for ignoring a useless cycle lane, and going most likely over 20 mph, the hypocrisy gives the cyclist the right to abuse motoriss who dont use the cycle lane, or the excellent services required. If motorists dont like being told to use a cycle lane or bus, then they cannot tell a cyclist to use one either. If they do, theyve just shown you theyre giving you permission to shout back at them. Cars hold up other cars and EVERYONE all the time, to a standstill most of the time, but a cyclist? we still maintain an average speed faster than a car in town, so actually, are not holding anybody up.
https://rate-driver.co.uk
https://rate-driver.co.uk/HG09FOJ
Technically technically
Technically technically technically it isn’t emission free because riders may well have had beans on toast for their tea.
mdavidford wrote:
Rubber from car tyres is one of the major contributors to plastic in the oceans, they most certainly aren’t emissions free, nor are they safe when driven by thenusual bell ends behind the wheel!
Biklio: “All your data are
Biklio: “All your data are belong to us!”
Not newsworthy. Happens more
Not newsworthy. Happens more often than we think, usually when the car tries to nip in front of the lorry on a slip road, such as a motorway. There is talk, that on this occasion the lorry moved into the inside lane and nudged the car around.
You could have warned us that
You could have warned us that video contained vertical morons.
And Gareth mate, it is 500 kilometers over Christmas. No badge I’m afraid.
Well in the first week of
Well in the first week of official use, the phone detection cameras caught 3,303 drivers. Just a taste of how bad it is really, when they were trialling the technology they detected 11,000 in one day. Maybe SMIDSY should be updated to SMIDSYIWOTP – sorry mate I didn’t see you I was on the phone…
Philh68 wrote:
And there’s now a group telling everyone where the cameras are located and how to defeat the system. Apparently this dash mounted ‘cover’ hides the phone.
Cyclist are the safest road
Cyclist are the safest road users by a long way, hardly any body gets killed by a cyclist.