Live blog: Look’s new Geo-Trekking pedals; Should cyclists get an extra day off work? Bjorg Lambrecht lost control of bike because of a roadside reflector + more
Personal finance expert Simon Read told The Independent that cycling to work was a common sense option for many people.
“When it comes to saving money, cycling to work is an easy win for commuters. Once you’ve splashed out on a bike, then using it every day will help improve your wealth as well as your health.
“The cost of a bike and gear could pay for itself in just four months, which means the more you pedal after that, the more savings you make.”
29 August 2019, 19:01
Some of the other findings of that cycle commuting survey (see further down the page)
Researchers found one in five professionals now cycle to work, with 46 per cent saying it gets them there in less time.
More than a fifth say they get a sense of superiority when they overtake cars sitting in heavy traffic.
Almost four-fifths are therefore liars.
Of those who don’t cycle to their job, a quarter said they’d consider it but a fifth said that a lack of showering facilities at their office deters them.
27 per cent said they would consider commuting by bike if it saved them money, while a quarter would do so if they could mix cycling with public transport on their journey to work.
29 August 2019, 19:01
Should cyclists get an extra day off work?
A German politician has said that cyclists should get an extra day’s holiday because they are healthier and take fewer days off work.
CNN reports that the comments were made by Stefan Gelbhaar, a Green member of Germany’s federal parliament.
“People who regularly cycle to work should be entitled to one additional day off a year,” he said.
“Statistics have shown that people who regularly cycle to work fall ill less frequently and have fewer days of absence from work.”
Gelbhaar says that financial incentives aimed at encouraging people to cycle to work don’t reward “the positive effect of bike commuting on workers’ health” and lower rate of absence from work.
He said that the extra day’s holiday would act as motivation for commuters to cycle instead of drive.
Riding to work’s cheaper too. (See below.)
29 August 2019, 19:01
There's a new groupset in town
Did you know FSA makes a groupset? It’s called K-Force WE and was first shown way back in 2016 and it’s been going under the radar since, but yesterday in La Vuelta it won a stage. Not only that but second place as well.
Chris Boardman wants to see more cities mark World Car Free Day
These events are an essential step in letting people experience traffic free streets, for business’s to see their takings go up not down and that walking between locations is actually not that far!
Our capital leading the way. I hope other major UK cities will follow… https://t.co/SdbeU3Ux6Z
Look’s new Geo-Trekking pedals look ideal for commuting and gravel riding
Look’s new Geo-Trekking 2-in-1 pedals combine a flat body ideal for commuting in regular shoes, with a recessed single-sided clipless mechanism for going adventure and gravel riding.
q6Udhpog (Image Credit: Farrelly Atkinson)
q6Udhpog (Image Credit: Farrelly Atkinson)
Says Look:
The new Geo-Trekking range of three pedals – Geo-Trekking, Geo-Trekking Grip and Geo-Trekking ROC – has been designed to meet the diverse needs of riders from the urban commuter to the enthusiast e-mountain bike rider.
Featuring a flat and clipless side in the same body, Geo-Trekking’s versatility means that it can tackle almost every riding situation and condition, providing the rider with a flexibility of riding and choice of shoes and style, along with an unparalleled freedom of spirit.
The clipless side is based on a mechanism compliant with the micro cleat standard, compatible with an SPD cleat. This mechanism features across the entire range and provides simple and secure clip-in and clip-out, with an easy adjustment system enabling a tension adjustment range of 5-10Nm. All of the pedals are supplied with the X-TRACK EASY cleat with 30% easier clip-inand more natural multidirectional clip-out than regular SPD cleats.
On the flat side, LOOK have created three separate designs to meet the specific needs of the rider. The Geo-Trekking model features a 84mm-wide composite body with lightweight, molded spikes to offer versatile performance and grip in varying conditions, while Geo-Trekking Grip has a completely filled flat side with a soft elastomer material to increase traction without damaging the soles of the rider’s everyday shoes.
The Geo-Trekking ROC version features an 83mm-wide aluminum body to withstand impacts and scratches, intended primarily for off-road use, offering maximum adhesion to the flat side thanks to its wider body and eight alloy traction pins situated around the edge of the pedal.
Both the Geo-Trekking and Geo-Trekking ROC models are also available in ‘Vision’ formats, featuring additional detachable LED lights for added essential visibility. Unlike a standard light fitted in a fixed position on the bike, pedals are subject to circling motion, which considerably increases their visibility by creating an oscillating beam from in front and behind.
The new pedals are priced from €59.90 and will be available from 15th October.
29 August 2019, 19:01
UK bike imports at lowest level for more than a decade
UK bicycle imports in the first half of 2019 are at the lowest level for more than a decade, reports Cycling Industry News today.
bike-box (1) (Image Credit: Farrelly Atkinson)
bike-box (1) (Image Credit: Farrelly Atkinson)
At the end of Q2 bicycle imports posted a 46% decline like-for-like with the year prior and, while marginally improved on Q1, the figures still paint a picture of a market with receding bicycle sales.
More units were imported in Q1 last year than in the first half of 2019. Therefore the year-to-date decline is 55% when compared to H1 in 2018.
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Alex has written for more cricket publications than the rest of the road.cc team combined. Despite the apparent evidence of this picture, he doesn’t especially like cake.
14 Comments
14 thoughts on “Live blog: Look’s new Geo-Trekking pedals; Should cyclists get an extra day off work? Bjorg Lambrecht lost control of bike because of a roadside reflector + more”
Yes, yes we should get an
Yes, yes we should get an extra day (at least) for regularly cycling. Not biased at all.
Yes, yes we should get an extra day (at least) for regularly cycling. Not biased at all.
Also, Chocolate Path – mmmmm!
— hawkinspeter
You know the photo that flips as an optical illusion between old lady and squirrel or something…?
I have always seen that stock photo road.cc use as their “commuters” photo and thought it was on the B&B Railway Path, but you’re right – its the (sadly closed for the forseeable future) Chocolate Path, isn’t it?
Yes, yes we should get an extra day (at least) for regularly cycling. Not biased at all.
Also, Chocolate Path – mmmmm!
— brooksby
You know the photo that flips as an optical illusion between old lady and squirrel or something…?
I have always seen that stock photo road.cc use as their “commuters” photo and thought it was on the B&B Railway Path, but you’re right – its the (sadly closed for the forseeable future) Chocolate Path, isn’t it?
Yes, yes we should get an extra day (at least) for regularly cycling. Not biased at all.
Also, Chocolate Path – mmmmm!
— hawkinspeter
You know the photo that flips as an optical illusion between old lady and squirrel or something…?
I have always seen that stock photo road.cc use as their “commuters” photo and thought it was on the B&B Railway Path, but you’re right – its the (sadly closed for the forseeable future) Chocolate Path, isn’t it?
Yes, yes we should get an extra day (at least) for regularly cycling. Not biased at all.
Also, Chocolate Path – mmmmm!
— brooksby
You know the photo that flips as an optical illusion between old lady and squirrel or something…?
I have always seen that stock photo road.cc use as their “commuters” photo and thought it was on the B&B Railway Path, but you’re right – its the (sadly closed for the forseeable future) Chocolate Path, isn’t it?
— hawkinspeter
So are you suggesting that hawkins peter is really an old lady rather than a red squirrel?
Yes, yes we should get an extra day (at least) for regularly cycling. Not biased at all.
Also, Chocolate Path – mmmmm!
— Bmblbzzz
You know the photo that flips as an optical illusion between old lady and squirrel or something…?
I have always seen that stock photo road.cc use as their “commuters” photo and thought it was on the B&B Railway Path, but you’re right – its the (sadly closed for the forseeable future) Chocolate Path, isn’t it?
— brooksby
So are you suggesting that hawkins peter is really an old lady rather than a red squirrel?
— hawkinspeter
I had meant one of those pictures where it’s so obvious what it is, then it flips and it’s completely obvious that it’s something different. But, now that you put it like that… 😉
Yes, yes we should get an extra day (at least) for regularly cycling. Not biased at all.
Also, Chocolate Path – mmmmm!
— Bmblbzzz
You know the photo that flips as an optical illusion between old lady and squirrel or something…?
I have always seen that stock photo road.cc use as their “commuters” photo and thought it was on the B&B Railway Path, but you’re right – its the (sadly closed for the forseeable future) Chocolate Path, isn’t it?
— brooksby
So are you suggesting that hawkins peter is really an old lady rather than a red squirrel?
Yes, yes we should get an extra day (at least) for regularly cycling. Not biased at all.
Also, Chocolate Path – mmmmm!
— hawkinspeter
I sort of do already, indirectly… I have an informal agreement wth my boss that as long as my work is done and no customers are awaiting my attention that afternoon, I can tootle off a bit earlier on my bike (in company colours on the clothing of course) . . he’d generally OK with it as apart from saving him the costs of diesel, he saves (the equivalent of) £10 per round trip in road tolls during rush hour times. (costs are doubled from 7am-9pm when you pass the sensors) Given it’s not unknown for me to do a 60-70km ride in the morning on my way to work, and be finished in the shower before any of the others actually turn up, he knows I’m not actually skiving real work.
How do you monitor who cycles to work regularly though? The existing incentive schemes don’t require that you actually log your cycling commutes, whereas a reward system presumably would need to in order to prevent abuse. Easy enough to do, but not everyone wants to have to log their commutes and hand that data over to Strava / their employer (though for an extra day’s holiday, maybe…) Would be interested to know how many fewer sick days the average cyclist takes than the average non-cyclist though – wouldn’t one extra day of holiday wipe out the benefit to the employer?
Separately:
“More than a fifth say they get a sense of superiority when they overtake cars sitting in heavy traffic.
Almost four-fifths are therefore liars.”
I know this is meant as a humorous aside, but maybe four-fifths simply don’t like the phrasing of the question. It is possible to ride for objective reasons (like it being faster than driving) without feeling superior to others for doing so.
How do you monitor who cycles to work regularly though? The existing incentive schemes don’t require that you actually log your cycling commutes, whereas a reward system presumably would need to in order to prevent abuse. Easy enough to do, but not everyone wants to have to log their commutes and hand that data over to Strava / their employer (though for an extra day’s holiday, maybe…) Would be interested to know how many fewer sick days the average cyclist takes than the average non-cyclist though – wouldn’t one extra day of holiday wipe out the benefit to the employer?
Separately:
“More than a fifth say they get a sense of superiority when they overtake cars sitting in heavy traffic.
Almost four-fifths are therefore liars.”
I know this is meant as a humorous aside, but maybe four-fifths simply don’t like the phrasing of the question. It is possible to ride for objective reasons (like it being faster than driving) without feeling superior to others for doing so.
— quiff
Just throw in a test statement every once in a while to identify frequent cyclists. Something like, “drivers are so considerate these days” or “I’m glad no-one uses their phone whilst driving anymore” or “that helmet saved their life”.
How do you monitor who cycles to work regularly though?
— quiff
My current workplace monitors it through the building access system. A swipe in the car park barrier is a day of cycle commuting, assuming you don’t have an assigned car parking space. This system is used to track usage, as there is “limited space” in the bike racks; people who aren’t regular cycle commuters get their access revoked.
Currently, you need to swipe in just once a month to be classed as a “regular” cycle commuter.
There is an 18-month wait for access to the mostly empty bike racks.
Currently, you need to swipe in just once a month to be classed as a “regular” cycle commuter.
There is an 18-month wait for access to the mostly empty bike racks.
— srchar
Worra joke. Once a month is certainly regular but it’s very far from frequent. If there is a waiting list then I’d argue that if there are fewer than 2 commutes in a given fortnight then it should revoked (while making allowances for holidays etc).
Does the same applies to a car pass – drive to work and occupy valuable real estate once a month to keep it?
No problem where I work, we have a big warehouse adjoining the office. As I’m the only cycle commuter so I get to park my bike under cover. But even better are the views on my rural commute.
If UK bicycle imports in the first half of 2019 are the lowest for more than a decade how can Argos claim that “Our data shows that sales of adult bikes have risen almost 70 per cent in the last three years”?
The only sick days I’ve taken The only sick days I’ve taken were when I crashed into a massive pothole and ended up in hospital. This was a few days after telling my co-workers they were all mad paying money for the privilege of going to work on the tube.
The constant misconception with closs passing relates to the view that 1.51m is legal and 1.49m is illegal. It isn't. The government considered a minimum distance offence (and Tim, quoted in the article, pushed heavy for it in the consultation) but the conclusion of the consultation was that a minimum distance offence would result in no prosecution as the forensic evidence of distance would not exist. Instead s3 was the sensible fall back. Tim and a few other cyclists push the narrative that 1.5 is a legal requirement and police forces receive criticism if they apply the law of careless driving rather than the imaginary law of close passing. As time passes police forces understand that 1.5 is a fallicy, as more separated cycle lanes demonstrate this as they are themselves less than. 1.5 m from passing traffic despite having a physical separation. This distinction makes closs pass prosecution very "dodgy" without clear carelessness.
But that message is lost in the fog of twitter.
According to the commentators today the french police can and have. They were chatting about temporary powers so that it's an offence to disobey an order from the police, concerning preventing spectators because of the wildfires. There were however far more fans than I was expecting.
Yesterday's flare was over the border of course.
Nothing wrong with large chainrings - in fact, big to big is way more efficient so, use a big chainring and bigger cassette sprockets - it'll freak out your mates and allow you to pedal more smoothly and replace your chain less often!
Having recently purchased a month of TNT, and waiting for the start of the TTT, I caught some of the men's downhill, might have been the winner, but this lad did particularly well and decided to fall off after crossing the line. His airbag went off.
I still think a bit of aramid in the weave on hip and shoulders wouldn't go amiss,
I liked it. I will watch it.
It's essentially the TNT coverage, highlighted.
So the same coverage that would have been on Quest or DMAX, but with the singular presenter, maybe less chat and maybe more racing.
Hopefully less chance of the weird no coverage and no explanation days.
Unfortunately no rest day recap, one of those lovely itv things. And no Chris.
That sounds like a great commercial gimmick that doesn't solve the core issue - why is there so many crashes in the pro peloton?
Hereunder info was put together by Leo, Brave's AI agent:
Top 5 Most Frequent Injuries in Pro Cyclists (Post-Crash)
Based on the most comprehensive data available from professional road cycling studies (including the 2024 "Beyond the Finish Line" study and meta-analyses of IOC consensus data), the top injuries sustained after a crash are:
1. Abrasions and Lacerations (Soft Tissue Injuries)
Abrasions are consistently cited as the most common injury type in professional cycling crashes. While often less severe than fractures, they occur with the highest frequency due to the nature of sliding on asphalt.
Context: These frequently affect the limbs (arms and legs) and torso. In high-speed crashes, these can become severe degloving injuries requiring surgery, but minor road rash is ubiquitous.
2. Fractures (Upper Extremity)
Fractures are the most burdensome injury (leading to the most time lost) and the second most frequent major trauma.
Specifics: The clavicle (collarbone) is the single most frequently fractured bone in pro cycling, followed by fractures of the wrist/scaphoid, forearm (radius/ulna), and shoulder blade (scapula).
Gender Note: Data indicates females are significantly more likely to sustain wrist fractures in crashes compared to males. One study noted females are 3x more likely to sustain a wrist fracture.
3. Contusions and Bruising
Deep tissue contusions are highly frequent, often accompanying fractures or occurring independently from impact with the ground, bike, or other riders.
Location: Common on the hips, thighs, and shoulders. These are often underreported in general databases but are a primary complaint in team medical logs.
4. Head and Neck Trauma (Concussions)
While less frequent than abrasions, cranial trauma (including concussions) is a critical category.
Trend: Despite helmet use, concussions remain a top 5 injury in high-impact crashes. General data shows 65% of fatal cycling injuries involve head trauma, but in pro racing, non-fatal concussions are the primary concern here.
5. Multiple Injuries (Polytrauma)
A significant portion of serious crashes result in multiple simultaneous injuries (e.g., a fractured collarbone combined with rib fractures and lung contusions).
Severity: Studies of elite withdrawals show that "multiple injuries" is a distinct and frequent category for race-ending incidents, often more so than isolated muscle strains in crash scenarios.
Gender Disparities in Crash Injuries
Recent data highlights distinct differences in how male and female pros are affected:
Incidence Rate: Some data suggests male road cyclists have a higher rate of reported injuries per athlete-day in racing (14.91 vs 0.68 in one specific dataset, though this may reflect reporting differences or sample size), while other studies show females have a significantly higher risk ratio for injury during racing compared to their training baseline (RR 11.10 for females vs 10.24 for males).
Injury Type: Females are disproportionately prone to upper extremity fractures (specifically wrists) and are more likely to require EMS transport following an incident compared to males, who more frequently receive on-site medical attention and continue or self-transport.
-300x225.jpg "“Was one of them bad driving?” Newspaper criticised for publishing “8 dangerous cycling mistakes that put people in hospital”; Punchy finale without fans at wildfire-affected Tour de France + more on the live blog")
14 thoughts on “Live blog: Look’s new Geo-Trekking pedals; Should cyclists get an extra day off work? Bjorg Lambrecht lost control of bike because of a roadside reflector + more”
Yes, yes we should get an
Yes, yes we should get an extra day (at least) for regularly cycling. Not biased at all.
Also, Chocolate Path – mmmmm!
hawkinspeter wrote:
You know the photo that flips as an optical illusion between old lady and squirrel or something…?
I have always seen that stock photo road.cc use as their “commuters” photo and thought it was on the B&B Railway Path, but you’re right – its the (sadly closed for the forseeable future) Chocolate Path, isn’t it?
brooksby wrote:
I think they’re looking to spend £5million to fix it, or they’ve squandered the money to decide where to begin looking for a plan on producing a timeline on which option to pursue for the stadium. https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/news/bristol-news/council-set-aside-5-million-1097440
Optical illusion you say?
hawkinspeter wrote:
I suspect that money will now just go into the pot for nuking the Plimsoll Bridge to create “Western Harbour”.
brooksby wrote:
So are you suggesting that hawkins peter is really an old lady rather than a red squirrel?
Bmblbzzz wrote:
I had meant one of those pictures where it’s so obvious what it is, then it flips and it’s completely obvious that it’s something different. But, now that you put it like that… 😉
Bmblbzzz wrote:
Are you assuming my gender and/or species?
hawkinspeter wrote:
I sort of do already, indirectly… I have an informal agreement wth my boss that as long as my work is done and no customers are awaiting my attention that afternoon, I can tootle off a bit earlier on my bike (in company colours on the clothing of course) . . he’d generally OK with it as apart from saving him the costs of diesel, he saves (the equivalent of) £10 per round trip in road tolls during rush hour times. (costs are doubled from 7am-9pm when you pass the sensors) Given it’s not unknown for me to do a 60-70km ride in the morning on my way to work, and be finished in the shower before any of the others actually turn up, he knows I’m not actually skiving real work.
Yep, tht photo’s right up to
Yep, tht photo’s right up to date…
How do you monitor who cycles
How do you monitor who cycles to work regularly though? The existing incentive schemes don’t require that you actually log your cycling commutes, whereas a reward system presumably would need to in order to prevent abuse. Easy enough to do, but not everyone wants to have to log their commutes and hand that data over to Strava / their employer (though for an extra day’s holiday, maybe…) Would be interested to know how many fewer sick days the average cyclist takes than the average non-cyclist though – wouldn’t one extra day of holiday wipe out the benefit to the employer?
Separately:
“More than a fifth say they get a sense of superiority when they overtake cars sitting in heavy traffic.
Almost four-fifths are therefore liars.”
I know this is meant as a humorous aside, but maybe four-fifths simply don’t like the phrasing of the question. It is possible to ride for objective reasons (like it being faster than driving) without feeling superior to others for doing so.
quiff wrote:
Just throw in a test statement every once in a while to identify frequent cyclists. Something like, “drivers are so considerate these days” or “I’m glad no-one uses their phone whilst driving anymore” or “that helmet saved their life”.
quiff wrote:
My current workplace monitors it through the building access system. A swipe in the car park barrier is a day of cycle commuting, assuming you don’t have an assigned car parking space. This system is used to track usage, as there is “limited space” in the bike racks; people who aren’t regular cycle commuters get their access revoked.
Currently, you need to swipe in just once a month to be classed as a “regular” cycle commuter.
There is an 18-month wait for access to the mostly empty bike racks.
srchar wrote:
Worra joke. Once a month is certainly regular but it’s very far from frequent. If there is a waiting list then I’d argue that if there are fewer than 2 commutes in a given fortnight then it should revoked (while making allowances for holidays etc).
Does the same applies to a car pass – drive to work and occupy valuable real estate once a month to keep it?
No problem where I work, we have a big warehouse adjoining the office. As I’m the only cycle commuter so I get to park my bike under cover. But even better are the views on my rural commute.
If UK bicycle imports in the first half of 2019 are the lowest for more than a decade how can Argos claim that “Our data shows that sales of adult bikes have risen almost 70 per cent in the last three years”?
https://road.cc/content/news/265913-survey-says-commuters-who-switch-cycling-save-over-grand-year-team-car-almost
The only sick days I’ve taken
The only sick days I’ve taken were when I crashed into a massive pothole and ended up in hospital. This was a few days after telling my co-workers they were all mad paying money for the privilege of going to work on the tube.