AI pile-on at expense of Lib Dem London Assembly member who suggested tradespeople could carry equipment by cargo bike keeps rolling on; Jeremy Vine’s TV guests suggest number plates and insurance to deter “smugness” among cyclists + more on the live blog
SUMMARY
We've entered day 7 of getting ChatGPT to make a video of a tradesperson carrying an unweildly load by bike...
For those of you who haven’t been served one of these on Facebook yet (or maybe you’re not on Facebook – even better), it all started on LBC’s Cross Question with Iain Dale last Thursday, when the Liberal Democrat London Assembly member Hina Bokhari suggested that as “another option”, tradespeople could consider getting around by bike instead of a white van sometimes. Not a completely ridiculous suggestion, right?
Well of course, it’s been completely taken out of context and then some, with the help of dozens of AI-generated videos mocking Bokhari for suggesting some journeys could be made with a proper cargo bike built for the job of carrying stuff.
Both Dale and Conservative politician Festus Akinbusoye were baffled by Bokhari’s comments, and the AI videos are exaggerated to depict tradespeople carrying loads that are either too large, or using standard push irons that are worlds away from modern electric cargo bikes. Here’s another…
Now then… while a cargo bike isn’t going to be appropriate all of the time, I don’t think Bokhari was actually suggesting it was – she was simply making the point that a cargo bike can be an option in a city where going everywhere in a van is less economical, and will probably take you longer.
Here’s the ever-reliable Pedal Me showing that it can be done…
And the Bristol-based Plumber Greaves, also showing that it can be done…
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Sorry tradespeople (and ChatGPT)… afraid the suggestion is not quite as silly as you might have initially though!
Cycling indicators on the radio (and winning awards)
Could THIS be the award-winning cycling indicator product that finally goes beyond impressing investors and awards judges, and actually becomes something we all want to buy?
That’s what David Boadu, the founder of Vistella, is hoping, who was on BBC London Radio earlier today talking about his Firefly reflective gloves and range of reflective backpacks. Boadu initially crowdfunded his idea via Kickstarter before winning an AXA Startup Angel award last month, and has recently got the products into several bike shops.
There’s no actual electronics going on with this take on the cycling indicator – it’s simply some large reflective strips across the glove to make a cyclist’s indicating hand clearer. The full finger version is £39.99, and the mitt version is £29.99.
You can listen to the Radio London segment here (skip to around 14:18). We’ll come back in a few months to see how Vistella is getting on, and maybe ask for a set of gloves to review. Meanwhile, cycling indicators will remain in this feature unfortunately…
> Where cycling products go to die: bright bike tech that has failed to catch on
67-year-old Irish ultracyclist claims Guinness World Record for cycling the length of Route 66: all 2,448 miles of it, in just 10 days
Joe Barr – the ageless veteran ultra specialist who holds several other Guinness World Records and won the inaugural World UltraCycling Association (WUCA) world championship in the 50+ category back in 2023 – has done it again by setting the first Guinness World Record for completing the entirety of Route 66 by bike.
We’re pretty certain that means he’s not saying he’s the first person to have done it, more the first person to be recognised by Guinness for the achievement, thus setting the fastest record time by default. That time was 10 days, 6 hours and 27 minutes, starting in Santa Monica and finishing in Chicago covering 2,448 miles (3,939km) in total. That’s averaging just shy of 250 miles a day.
At the finish, Barr said: “At this stage of my career, I’m not trying to prove I can still do what I did when I was younger. I’m interested in finding out what I’m capable of now. Age changes you, but it doesn’t have to remove ambition or the desire to keep pushing your limits.
“This was a huge undertaking for the whole team. To reach Chicago after everything we had put into it, and knowing I would turn 67 the next day, was something I’ll never forget.”
Guinness has formerly recognised the feat already, so the record is officially confirmed. Congratulations to Mr Barr for the epic achievement. Just don’t tell Lachlan Morton about it…
Tradies can use cargo bikes continued...
Thanks to George on BlueSky for sharing this photo of his bike laden with his tools for the day – up to 20 miles a day and only using the car “where essential”.
Keep it up George!
Amazon is doing a sale (again)
You know the drill, don’t buy owt you don’t need and get it from your LBS if you can. But if you can’t, everything in our Amazon Big Deal Days feature should be the lowest prices around right now…
To be fair, not all of the blown-out-of-proportion social content about tradies on cargo bikes is AI-generated
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All credit to this Freemantle & Son employee for demonstrating why he can’t use a bike to carry his stuff in real life.
Less credit for using a bog standard hybrid bike, which is not what was actually being suggested in the first place. Methinks it would have looked less funny if he demonstrated why he couldn’t carry any of that on an actual cargo bike like this one (he definitely could have done)…
To continue our AI slop theme for today...
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We keep getting asked “have you seen this?” Yes, several times now, and here it is again for those of you who haven’t.
One of the better examples of the AI-generated video genre that possibly took a bit of work to get the prompt to spit out something humorous at the other end.
Do you feel attacked?
UCI launches its 2026 Cycling for All Manifesto
We’ve come to expect these innocuous-looking UCI press releases that land our inbox to contain an absolute bombshell at the end – I’m sure the one where they announced the controversial 40cm minimum handlebar rule was nestled at the bottom of a presser about their annual congress – but this one is genuinely pretty run-of-the-mill. Worth sharing though, because the UCI is reiterating its commitment to promoting cycling beyond bike racing with its latest Cycling for All Manifesto:
“The updated Cycling for All Manifesto is published in the first year of the United Nations Decade of Sustainable Transport (2026-2035), which aims to accelerate global action toward safe, affordable, accessible and low-carbon transport systems”, the presser says.
“As a founding member of the Partnership for Active Travel and Health (PATH) and a member of the Partnership on Sustainable, Low Carbon Transport (SLOCAT), the UCI intends to contribute to these efforts, particularly where they concern everyday cycling.”
Tony Mitchell, the President of the UCI Cycling for All and Sustainable Cycling Commission, added: “Getting more people onto bikes takes all of us — no organisation can achieve it alone. This Manifesto gives our National Federations, cities and partners a shared position to work from, and a clear statement of what the UCI will do alongside them.”
We’ve scrolled all the way to the end and there’s definitely not a devastating post-script: “Oh by the way, we saw that debate on Jeremy Vine on 5 and are now introducing number plates for all riders starting from tomorrow.”
"There's the entitlement plus the smugness, and that's a deadly combination", says Jeremy Vine's guest who suggests number plates and insurance for cyclists
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Mr Vine must have been biting his tongue very hard when his guest, the former Sun journalist Nina Myskow, almost got a full house by referencing red lights, number plates and insurance, while also saying the “entitlement” and “smugness” of cyclists is a deadly combination. Statistically we’re not sure the entitlement and smugness of a cyclist has ever proved deadly, and Myskow does admit she’s “generalising” – still, the carefully clipped-up segment has led to plenty of people agreeing that cyclists need insurance and number plates on Instagram, although there’s a similar number calling her out.
“There shouldn’t be any barriers to cycling”, said one, while another questioned whether Myskow and those who agree with her want to stop kids cycling to school.
Colnago launches new gravel race bike with room for 53mm tyres
Colnago reckons this is the gravel bike to do it all, from one-day races to massive long epics. All you’ll need is at least £5,300…
> Colnago launches G5-X race-ready gravel bike with 53mm tyre clearance
"These accidents must stop": Tom Pidcock joins riders in condemning organisers of Italian ProSeries race after another driver enters the course
Sharing an image of his colleague Marcel Camprubí’s broken bike after another incident involving a driver on the course – this time the driver of a police vehicle travelling the wrong on the course of the Italian one-day race Tre Valli Varesine – Pidcock has shared his anger on social media, and also told Eurosport that he wanted to “stop racing” after Marcel Camprubí was hit.
More on this later via Callum’s full story.
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@slc Fabulous, thank you. That clip can't be repeated too many times.
@eburtthebike I totally agree. I remember the good old days when all BBC news presenters (and some on ITV as well) were passionate about news, current affairs, politics etc and had most of the relevant facts at their fingertips and news was factual. Nowadays many seem to be lazy and rely on briefings from ignorant equally lazy researchers. And all of this while earning huge salaries. Much of the news today seems to feature sensationalist personal angles. "And we're about to hear from Sharon near Wittering. The recent surprise Russian thermonuclear strike has vaporised all beauty salons within a 30 mile radius and Sharon is struggling to find somewhere to do her hair and nails in time for a Halloween party this weekend. She wants to know how the government are planning to resolve this crisis." "Weapons of mass destruction. Are they a good or bad thing? Text us and let us know what you think."
Good to see that ITV is keeping up the media's attacks on cyclists, so that the BBC don't feel lonely. Mind you, I suppose that they've also got almost the entire print media, and the radio, and the internet on their side, so is there any form of media which isn't anti-cyclist? As for the asinine inaccuracies, those 'journalists' should be hanging their heads in shame and be forced to ride a bike until they have the faintest idea what they're talking about. Could take some time, they are incredibly dumb. Have they been reported to Ofcom? Not that Ofcom is anything more than a toothless cuddly toy tiger.
It's worth noting that rain gardens don't simply soak up more water than tarmac by virtue of having soil, but the 'garden' bit with soil tends to be over a layer of sand and/or aggregate, which eventually feeds into the surface water drainage system, often via an attenuation tank. The design will vary according to how much space there is, the status of surface water drains and local geology. The point is to slow down the rate at which rain enters the surface water drainage system to prevent them from overloading the network in times of heavy rain. Guaranteed half of the people complaining about the bike lane, lack of parking and the planting will also complain about flooding and blame that on the council not maintaining the drains. In reality, unblocking or even fixing collapsed drains only takes you so far. With increased probability of periods of heavy rainfall, combined with paving over everything, we're going to need a lot more of these and other sustainable drainage systems. Installing them at the same time as making changes to streetscapes which may or may not include bike lanes is essential. We can be sure that the costs of installing these will be attributed to the price of bike lanes, so something to watch for when people complain about value for money.
MP "I'm all in favour of cycling infrastructure around the city for those people who want to use it, but it can't come at the cost of people being able to move safely around the city." Which is exactly the point of cycling infrastructure. Dumbest MP of the year award goes to Alex McIntyre. Just to make sure he gets the award, he goes on to say that AT funds should be spent on things other than Active Travel. Could the cyclists of Gloucestershire arrange an award ceremony to give him his prize? Including a certificate detailing what he's won it for. It's lucky that it's only cyclists who are arrogant, selfish and inconsiderate, not those lovely, caring, altruistic, considerate drivers. I suppose I should be grateful that I'm still young enough, at 75, to be able to ride a bike. As for the "My whole life will be disrupted by this cycle lane." possibly the greatest exaggeration and demonstration of motornormativity since the Bristol Evening Post had a front page article about the College Green cycle lane with three local business men claiming it would bankrupt their businesses. Perhaps if Gerry Haretin rode a bike, she wouldn't be quite so miserable and selfish. I've lost count, is this the 1,811,254th BBC attack on cycling or only the 1,811,253rd?
@Rendel Harris I think you mean the good old National Federation for the Blind; Whose total budget (per charities commission) when I last checked was comparable to what a local rotary club spent running social events for local blind residents...
Slow news day was it? Struggling for engagement? So just wheel out the old "bloody cyclists eh?" piece.
@saw442000 Ahh yes... In an 1hr30 commute in the rain today had 1 driver turn across the cycle lane I was in and 2 drivers look straight at me (and my bright red helmet and flashing front light) before pulling out regardless (2 forcing emergency stops; still no idea how I managed to squeeze past the driver turning across the cycle lane as I didn't have enough time to grab the brake at all!) I suspect these are the 'otherwise good drivers'... I do wonder if part of the solution would be to allow police to issue a certain amount of points with the reasoning + evidence being documented at the time; Then if the driver gets more than X points (e.g. enough for ban/suspension) the evidence is THEN reviewed in court for all of the offences as a whole rather than going to court for each offence. Of course I suspect the issue with this is currently the main penalty for points on a driving licence is insurance costs... So you'd get massive complaints about running up insurance costs 'without a fair trial'... (I also think there is a lot of bad driving where 1 point should be a suitable penalty; but we seem to never issue less than 3 (so WTF have a 12 point system).
@saw442000 "... we don't want to prosecute otherwise good drivers." Well, if such good drivers do something that would be a straight fail on a driving test (thus proving they shouldn't have a licence) ... what then?
Isn't the language being used here incorrect? "Bad cyclist"?? Wouldn't that be someone who is bad at cycling, rather than cycling in a dangerous manner and potentially causing harm to others? We wouldn't say the same about drivers. A "bad driver" would be someone who is incapable of driving a car/vehicle without doing basic things such as stalling regularly, failing to turn adquately etc. (The driving test is there to weed out dangerous drivers, ie those who can't control the vehicle safely on roads with others around them.) At the end of the day, most people can cycle on a bicycle once taught. Those that have trouble keeping balance can use an adult sized tricycle. I've seen someone who seemed to have Parkinsons using one and he was safely cycling on the road no problem. There are various other options available for anyone else who has other physical limitations.
42 thoughts on “AI pile-on at expense of Lib Dem London Assembly member who suggested tradespeople could carry equipment by cargo bike keeps rolling on; Jeremy Vine’s TV guests suggest number plates and insurance to deter “smugness” among cyclists + more on the live blog”
AHH! It’s a perfect morning where I live. The birds are singing as I finish my organic muesli and green smoothie. I think I will further emphasise how virtuous and healthy I am by going for a bicycle ride later. My beautiful wife with who I have just shared several orgasms may accompany me.
How I feel sorry for those flabby sedentary people in number plated (even cloned) and (un)insured SUVs and high performance cars. Some of them can’t even play a musical instrument or speak a second language.
All very good points.
@Mr Blackbird you are the ghost of Jeffrey Archer (an athlete early in life BTW) and ICMFP.
(Perhaps he might not have limited that to his wife of course…)
@chrisonabike Ha Ha! My good man! I haven’t seen you since I bumped into you outside The Old Bailey, sorry, I mean the Carlton Club. Why don’t you pop over to Grantchester tomorrow eve? I’m having another Shepherd’s Pie and Krug fundraiser evening. All proceeds to help Kemi pay for her Iron Dome or Britannia Shield. (Although between you and I I think it will only cover an area extending between Shere and the Chalfonts and Upminster and Marlow.)
There is one thing I can never quite work out when it comes to the call for number plates on bikes… I’m not particularly tall, so I typically end up on bike that are sized small, or frame size in the region of 48-50cm. Now we are approaching winter I have mudguards and two rear lights taking up the available seat post on my road bike. The saddle bag contents have to get moved to a drinks bottle because there is no room for it and lights. So, where exactly would a number plate go? There simply isn’t any real estate available at the back of my bike to attach it to. The mudguards are the clip on variety, so wouldn’t have the strength to house a plate.
If bikes did have number plates, would they just act as a great wind catcher that helps to make your journey into a strong headwind even more uncomfortable?
@squired This is one reason why they aren’t feasible. They could not possibly be made large enough for a pedestrian or motorist to read (especially those who should be wearing spectacles!).
A small numberplate could be attached to the seat post as in road races. But if I was going to go out and do wheelies, steal mobile phones etc, I would fit a cloned or false plate.
@squired Here is where the genius of Mr Loophole comes into play. The number is positioned on you, or rather, on a hi-vis tabard you must wear in lieu of clothing well suited to cycling, thus ticking off three bingo items together.
@slc Perhaps he has a deal with Nopinz and is about to lobby for all cyclists to have to wear skinsuits with the numberplate in an aero speed pocket.
@slc would that be Mr Loophole – a.k.a. Schroedinger’s lawyer, because he earns a living by getting wealthy people off otherwise legitimate charges, yet gets off on desperately trying to get cyclists persecuted
@squired Living in Switzerland I see one type of bike with number plates. These are e-bikes that are above a certain power limit and can reach speeds of 45kmph (we can enter a debate as to whether these are mortorbikes really but another thread). The number plates are square and attached to the mudguards but are required by law and are manufactured with this in mind. How the hell that would be possible with huge number of bikes without mudguards or on a tiny child’s bike is beyond me..
@BaselGooner It’s sort of the same in the UK. You don’t see them very often in the UK, but in theory it is possible to ride “speed pedelecs” legally, which would require a registration plate. Road.cc actually had an article about it a while ago: https://road.cc/ebiketips/content/advice/advice/buying-and-riding-an-s-pedelec-in-the-uk-1637
But, as I say, you don’t often seem them ridden legally (i.e. with registration plates). It’s probably a bit of a chicken-and-egg situation (low demand, low availability) and lack of enforcement is definitely an issue too (why would you go to the trouble of getting a legal one when it’s easier and cheaper to get an illegal one?) but the legislation doesn’t help either.
By and large, the UK legislation treats “low powered mopeds” the same as any other motor vehicle e.g. the registration plate requirements are exactly the same as for a full sized superbike, rather than a smaller version (as is the case in e.g. the Netherlands; don’t know about Switzerland); same insurance requirements; still need to wear a motorcycle certified helmet; still needs an MOT; etc. So there is really very little incentive to get one, and indeed it’s almost certainly easier and cheaper just to buy a small car.
I can’t understand how cyclists having insurance and number plates stops drivers from killing and injuring thousands of people every year.
@kingleo drivers having insurance and cars having number plates doesn’t seem to have stopped that.
It’s particularly depressing that a supposed cycling advocate like Vine gives this air time.
@Steve K Amen, clearly the need for viewers and press mentions and therefore all those lovely wages greatly outweighs any principles.
@Steve K I don’t understand why he didn’t rip her particlarly laughable (not to mention moronic) views to shreds. Gagged maybe?
@Surreyrider I guess he’s meant to be the neutral host. If he’d been a guest on someone else’s show, he probably would have.
@Steve K You’re more charitable than I: although Ofcom does impose a requirement for balance on his type of show, it’s not a news programme, he doesn’t have to be absolutely strictly impartial. I suspect he’s well aware of the fact that the majority of his audience likely lean towards the anti-cyclist end of the spectrum and doesn’t want them turning off/over by being too much the other way.
@Rendel Harris there’s a difference between impartial and defferent
I’d be interested to see an explanation from the representative of JM Decorators in the picture above as to what sort of job he is doing that requires fifteen different pots of paint. Does he have a commission to touch up the Sistine chapel ceiling?
@Rendel Harris they need to know they’ve been ripped off by the suppliers too, if they think those paint pots are 5 litres as they’re labelled.
@Rendel Harris on my phone the roofer looks like he is in the cement mixer.
How’s that going to help? And what if you want to cycle, but don’t use Instagram?
I feel strangely connected to today’s live blog: Hina is a former Parliamentary candidate for where I live; and Vine comes from here.
Be funny when bike thieves start cloning plates and the whole system becomes a massive quagmire.
@Barraob1 fake tabards scandal! As others pointed out the thing to do is to copy eg. Lord Sadiq Khan’s…
“Attacked” by that daft IG post about MAMILs? No, I assumed it was biographical, and wondered where they got all the details from…
Feeling attacked (or at least trolled) by the final line, though:
No – please let’s not!
@SecretSam To be “attacked” would necessitate engagement, and I flat refuse to be drawn in by anything even ironically identified as “-slop”
Is ‘Tradesman George’ actually a guerrilla marketing exec for Irn Bru?
I saw one of those hysterical AI generated videos about tradesmen using cargo bikes. One of them featured one guy on a cargo bike, then a trailer with bricks and other materials and then another trailer with a cement mixer, including his mate actually mixing cement…I’m sure that happens on a trailer behind a van, en route to it’s next job…
“cycling across Route 66: all 2,448 miles of it”
That must be the widest road on the planet. How long is it?
“The trouble with cyclists – and I’m generalising here – ” to the extent that I really mean most, but not all drivers.
Is that for giving a different kind of signal to drivers?
The first comment on the Facebore post linked above is basically “what about when it’s raining? Or if your job is far away? Ha! Checkmate, cyclists!” Well, er, no. That’s when you use a van. The hard of thinking seem to believe that once you’ve used a bike you can never, ever go back to using a motor vehicle, for any reason ever.
Tradesman ridicules suggestion of carrying tools by bike by…. [checks notes] successfully carrying tools by bike. That’ll learn them.
‘Cuz number plates on cars have done a bang up job making them safe and stopping people from using them to commit crimes, eh?
I had the misfortune of hearing some of Iain Dale’s absurd item on cargo bikes. The level of disdain, ridicule and mockery was off the scale, with any counter views being dismissed out of hand.
Of course Hina Bokhari was right, cargo bikes are an option, but in our car obsessed society, being right is worth nothing when talking to petrolheads, and little things like facts won’t change their minds.
I was tempted to ring in myself, having done my job using a backfiets for seven years, but experience has taught me that LBC don’t want to hear from the likes of me. I’m not sure, but I think they make money from keeping people hanging on, which is all that’s ever happened to me.
As for cyclists being entitled and smug, all I can say is how fortunate it is that those two characteristics never affect drivers: or Jeremy Vine’s guests.
@eburtthebike “…having done my job using a backfiets …”
Does that mean “cargo rucksack”?
re trades on bikes, have they never seen or heard of telescopic ladders?
As I posted on my loal rag earlier, re ‘you cant do your shopping on a bike’ my panniers hold 60 litres and approximately 20kg plus of groceries are easily accomodated provided one bends or tears the excess packaging a little. I weigh around 100kg and my old fashioned iron bike does the job marvelously. Add in a rucksack and thats another 10-15kg as well!
@Didsbury iron bike? That’s got to be a valuable as it’s heavy…
(Also a regular schlepper of “lots of shopping” plus have moved house – well, flat – by bike back in the day…
Cars / vans have become the mobile office / portakabin in most people’s minds though.
)
Here, in Cambridgeshire, there is a plumber trading as Veloplumb; he travels by cargo bike. Zedify does bike deliveries, and the Cambridge Cheese Company delivers by bike.
Rapha brevet gloves and Loffi gloves are good indicator gloves.