Welcome to Friday on the road.cc live blog with Simon MacMichael, Jack Sexty and the rest of the team.
Live blog: Pendleton: “Drivers should experience cycling on the road”; NYC cyclist killed – so NYPD ticket bike riders & push one off; Friday Leave V Remain poll – 12spd; 3D printed (airless) tyres; Cool bikes from: Colnago, Boardman, Wilier +lots more
All today’s news from the site and beyond
Fri, Feb 08, 2019 21:04
SUMMARY
8 February 2019, 21:04
Video: Cyclist killed in NYC -police respond by ticketing riders and push one to ground
The death of a cyclist in Manhattan’s Hell’s Kitchen district this week has seen New York Police Department (NYPD) officers take to the streets – to ticket bike riders, with one pushed to the ground.
Video of the police operation, which also saw officers confiscate bikes, was posted to Twitter by witness Chana Widawski.
Footage from midtown north precinct @NYPDMTN tackling riders of color and confiscating bikes #bikeNYC @NYCSpeakerCoJo 46th Street and 9th Avenue @GershKuntzman @sydneyp1234 @ChristRobbins @seancoughlinnyc @Chekpeds @dahvnyc pic.twitter.com/9WOWMW8P9h
— Chelsea Skye (@pekochel) February 7, 2019
She told Gothamist: “When I first came up, I saw an officer shove a guy off of his bicycle.That guy screaming from the car, he was screaming, ‘I saw you just knocked that bicyclist on the ground!’ I was trying to record it as a witness.”
Gothamist notes that when a cyclist is killed in a road traffic incident in New York City, police typically respond with operations that target cyclists alleged to have committed traffic violations.
But Widawski, who works for an organisation called Families For Safe Streets, said: “It’s outrageous this is what the police are using their limited resources for.
“We know what’s actually killing New Yorkers on our streets, and that’s drivers who fail to yield and drivers who are speeding.”
8 February 2019, 21:04
Safety concerns over e-scooter hire schemes following deaths
A consumer watchdog in the United States has called for the safety of electric scooters to be reviewed following the death of Irish student Mark Sands who was riding one when he was involved in a collision with an Uber car in Texas.
The BBC reports that Consumer Reports – similar to Which? In the UK – estimates there have been 1,545 road traffic incidents involving electric scooter riders, and says operators need to do more to improve safety.
The scooter Mr Sands was riding belonged to Lime, which is also trialling them in London’s Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, although under current laws they are banned from the public highway in the UK.
In a statement, Lime said: “We were devastated to learn of this tragic death here in Austin and our thoughts are with the victim’s family and friends during this extremely difficult time.
“We have been in contact with local authorities and will continue to assist however possible.”
“At Lime, the safety of our riders and the community is our number one priority.
“That’s why every day we’re innovating on technology, infrastructure and education to set the standard for micromobility safety.”
William Wallace of Consumer Reports said: “Right now, a stunning number of e-scooter users are getting seriously hurt, including with head injuries
“Consumers, scooter companies, cities, helmet-makers, and safety regulators must work together now to improve the safety of these products.”
8 February 2019, 21:04
Will we all be riding around on 3D-printed airless bike tyres soon?
A new way of cycling is coming with airless tires that never go flat pic.twitter.com/rstJbHwshC
— Mashable (@mashable) February 8, 2019
Somehow we missed this when details were first revealed a few months back, but this 3D-printed tyre concept from BigRep looks intriguing. The company specialise in industrial additive manufacturing, and then realised their 3D-printed filament actually made a pretty good bike tyre. They also made a fully 3D-printed electric motorbike recently, watch the BBC’s video about it here.
8 February 2019, 21:04
Wilier Cento10Pro gets iridescent finish
Wilier has given a new iridescent finish to its Cento10Pro aero road bike to mark the launch of the 12-speed SRAM Red eTap AXS groupset.
Get more details in this article: 25 of the best SRAM Red eTap AXS road bikes from Specialized, Canyon, 3T, Cannondale and more
Find out everything you need to know about the Wilier Cento10Pro
8 February 2019, 21:04
This kid likes mountain biking with his dad
In fact, he really loves it! Make sure you watch it with the sound turned up.
8 February 2019, 21:04
Check out Boardman's 9 Series SLR video
We gave you an exclusive preview of Boardman’s new 9 Series SLR bikes on Tuesday and now the British brand has released its own promo video to show off the range.
If you didn’t catch our story earlier in the week, check it out now.
Some of the bikes are already available at discount prices.
8 February 2019, 21:04
Standard 19th century commute...
Bike to work!
Will Robertson of the Washington #Bicycle Club rides an American Star bike down the steps of the United States Capitol in 1885 #Cycling | #Bike2Work pic.twitter.com/VSe4PGZdqK
— Anders Adamsen (@anderspreben) February 6, 2019
8 February 2019, 21:04
Moving a fair bit quicker than a car park...
The new cycleway leading to the biggest bicycle parking in Utrecht is used well in the morning rush hour. It doesn’t lead anywhere else, these people are *all* about to park their bikes! pic.twitter.com/tSwuKHMVUT
— Mark Wagenbuur (@BicycleDutch) February 5, 2019
How good is this!
8 February 2019, 21:04
The golden Colnago
Who would ride a bike like this?
Yeah okay, the golden Colnago is Ernesto Colnago’s special 87th birthday treat. Nice. and you can find lots more pics of it here. Check out those downtube shifters
8 February 2019, 21:04
Drivers "should experience cycling on the road", says Victoria Pendleton
In a column for The Huffington Post today, the former Olympic track cycling champion wrote: “We need to put ourselves in the shoes of others and show more compassion and consideration to better appreciate the dangers and challenges we all pose each other. As part of the standard driving test, people should also have an experience of cycling on the road.
“As a former professional cyclist I’ve probably spent more time on the road than most people, experienced road rage and know plenty of people who have been involved in accidents. More recently, I’ve taken up horse riding and discovered that being in charge of a 600kg animal doesn’t give you any more consideration or respect on the roads either. I also walk my two dogs along the road and feel a real sense of responsibility to keep all my animals safe.
“There seems to be a lot of anger out there. Recent reports show 47% of British road users have faced aggression and 41% sworn at or insulted on Britain’s roads. Over half of all road users – motorists, cyclists, pedestrians, runners or wheelchair users – have felt intimated.
The roads are for everyone and we all pay taxes to maintain the UK’s road infrastructure. Everyone has a right to be there whether they’re in a car, on a bike, on a horse or simply walking the dogs.
“I think the answer could be more empathy. We need to put ourselves in the shoes of others and show more compassion and consideration. This isn’t just aimed at motorists because cyclists and horse riders aren’t always saints either. And that’s where I come back to my first suggestion. If we can experience what it’s like to be a cyclist, horse rider or even a dog walker, then maybe we can better appreciate the dangers and challenges we all pose each other.”
8 February 2019, 21:04
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Simon joined road.cc as news editor in 2009 and is now the site’s community editor, acting as a link between the team producing the content and our readers. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, he has reported on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, the latest developments in the bike industry and the sport’s biggest races. Now back in London full-time after 15 years living in Oxford and Cambridge, he loves cycling along the Thames but misses having his former riding buddy, Elodie the miniature schnauzer, in the basket in front of him.
8 Comments
Latest Comments
captain_slog 5 minutes ago
I’d say that colour was more like fuchsia (and coming soon to a Rapha Pro Team jacket near you).
chrisonabike 1 hour ago
@yodhrin I believe the fairer summary is "we don't know - but making the main point advocating a form of PPE with relatively limited protection - and to a group of likely experienced cyclists - isn't very helpful..." I've only read one of the reports but that suggested the skull removal was to alleviate pressure from major brain swelling. And a given helmet *might* be better than the standard. So I think "don't know" is fairest.
yodhrin 10 hours ago
@robgodd The poor guy himself suffered a traumatic brain injury and his skull was so badly shattered a significant portion of it had to be removed - do me a favour, have a look around cycling helmet manufacturers and see if any of them claim the foam hats they produce will protect against or even mitigate that level of injury. I'll wait if you like, but I can save us both the time and tell you what you'll find: none of them. Not a single one of them will. Because they don't, and they *can't* based on simple physics. Once the point of failure in a material is reached all(or as near as makes no odds) of the additional force beyond that necessary threshhold transfers through to the object beneath. Since bicycle helmets are rated for forces roughly equivalent to being dropped straight down from a stationary start 1.5m above a hard surface. Now, I'm not an expert in vehicle crash investigation, but I'm *fairly* sure that any impact or series of impacts powerful enough to render a quarder of your skull into gravel, put you in a weeks-long coma, give you massive amnesia, and leave you with ongoing symptoms of traumatic brain injury are a little bit, a teeny-weeny amount, a little smidgeon-widgeon more than what bike helmets are rated for. That's why none of the companies that make them claim they will help in such circumstances: because they know it would be a lie, and that unlike uninformed punters, carbrained journalists, or "medical professionals" who think wearing a helmet would save you from a broken arm(an actual scenario encountered by a mate, who's nurse at the A&E tutted and harrumphed her way through his whole treatment due to his lack of helmet despite his bonce having come through *being hit by a car* - another scenario bike helmets are worthless in - completely unscathed), the lawyers for those companies know their business and understand that if you lie in advertising you will get sued into the ground.
Mr Blackbird 11 hours ago
The Battle of Ypres April 1915. The German infantry division advanced using das Brumptstadt Fahrarden. The slow speed kept them behind the cloud of chlorine gas as it drifted towards the Commonwealth trenches. The offensive cleaved a two mile gap in the Western Front. The use of cycles was copied by the Japanese as they invaded Singapore and Burmah. By then war technology had embraced wider low pressure tyres, carbon frames and hydration gels. The German forces decided not to incorporate cycling as part of Operation Session, as bike theft in London and the South East was rife and would have caused huge casualties. Ironically superior advancement of tyre technology led to a British victory at El Alamein. This technology played a key part in the US Marines victory at Iwo Jima.
ROOTminus1 12 hours ago
The appropriate response to Google pissing on your cereal is not a fancy new sugar that removes the taste of urine. Stop using Google products where you can. Firefox browser and DuckDuckGo search engine have had noticeable upticks in market share by explicitly NOT pushing AI.
belugabob 12 hours ago
my thoughts exactly...I wonder how that approach is working, with motor vehicle drivers...🤔
Anonymousattorney 12 hours ago
I do not wish to diminish the personal tragedy, but one never hear calls for pedestrians or even hikers to wear clothing with integrated lightening rods.
chrisonabike 13 hours ago
RE Andy Burnam / Heidi Alexander - this is the best thing in many ways - set an example (even if currently it leads to lots of online name-calling). And imagine some of the political alternatives! The folks in the apparently second-placed party seem incredibly unlikely to be doing so. And even the current "new Greens" seem less interested in ... y'know, environmental things. OTOH I wish Heidi could be bolder. And I fear that like anyone ambitious enough to get to the top (exception B Johnson - well, I guess there was the Corbyn bicycle...) Burnam will be trimming his transport policy sails to fit the wind (should that be "bunker-fuel-burning engines"?)
Rendel Harris 13 hours ago
@mattsccm Bull bars aren't banned, they just have to conform to regulations so they are deformable or have plates that allow crumple give on contact, rather than rigid steel bars that can smash into pedestrians and cyclists with no give at all, catch them and drag them under the wheels. If you think that's a problem, do one. Why should who is responsible for a collision remove the responsibility of people driving a tonne of machinery on the road from having safety features to at least mitigate some of the effects of a collision?
AidanR 13 hours ago
I'd be willing to bet that's lazy use of stock photography rather than deliberate misinformation, but the result is still the same.
8 thoughts on “Live blog: Pendleton: “Drivers should experience cycling on the road”; NYC cyclist killed – so NYPD ticket bike riders & push one off; Friday Leave V Remain poll – 12spd; 3D printed (airless) tyres; Cool bikes from: Colnago, Boardman, Wilier +lots more”
What makes the NYPD story
What makes the NYPD story worse, is that its not even against the law to not wear a helmet when cycling in NYC!
https://www.transalt.org/bike-forecast/2019/06/february-7th-2019
“Operation safeway” was a met
“Operation safeway” was a met police response to a series of cyclist deaths a few years back…resulting in a similar thing.
They were ticketing people an inch or two over the white line while stopped at a red light while ignoring the cars taking up half the bike box!!! And the amount of speeding cars and red/Amber light jumping vehicles I saw while they did this was unbelievable…
In ‘Murica, walking and
In ‘Murica, walking and driving whilst black are pretty serious offences often resulting in lethal Police response. Why any person of colour would think that riding a bicycle is somehow different is beyond my understanding.
I do like the concept behind
I do like the concept behind the 3D Printed tyres, using material properties to replace the pressurised air makes so much sense for reliability etc
BUT imagine the mess once you have been on a road “frequented” by horses or cattle
EK Spinner wrote:
I was thinking that myself. Just a few more minutes with the hose I suppose.
EK Spinner wrote:
Except you are trying to replace an air spring which extends right around your wheel with a small piece of elastomer near the contract area. Air is lighter and has much lower losses than any elastomer, and is going to be a much better spring. In short this will never come close to replacing tyres without some major miraculous advance in material technology
EK Spinner wrote:
Not sure I fancy cornering at any speed on this 3DP tyres.
I visited NY a couple of
I visited NY a couple of years ago and was expecting it to be a fixie loon place but it seems most people were banging about on BSOs with franken-electric conversions. Lots of honking going on though.