Comments on: The Cycle Show Roundup

By: Andreas

Andreas — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 07:38:56 +0000

Harry sorry for not replying sooner must have missed your comment.
I would hope that at night someone would be wearing reflective clothing so you would still notice the hand signal, my cycling jacket definitely has reflective material around the hands and arms. I just wouldn’t think that a small light on the back of the bike would be clear enough to show people you are changing direction, sure it helps but people don’t expect signals from a bike.

The recharging via USB is a great idea and so is the iPhone charging because I could use that – recently my battery ran out half way through a 60 mile cycle because I was checking the directions so often. So I agree with you there, that is a useful feature.

By: Harry

Harry — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 20:02:57 +0000

How about at night? It’s great for indicating your intention when stopped at a junction, or signalling traffic that is waaay behind you but moving fast.

Besides, the brake light is the real news here. That and recharging via USB. And the fact it will donate power to your ipod, phone, psp, etc.

The flare fibre thing looks like a cheaper version of the old exelite gear. Nothing to get all excited about.

By: Andreas

Andreas — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 16:16:01 +0000

lol no one is going to ever use the Spooklight! If you want to indicate on your bike you will totally just use your hands!

By: Harry

Harry — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 15:48:25 +0000

That flare fibre thing looks a bit lame. If you want the latest in light technology, look up the Spooklight!

By: Andreas

Andreas — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 16:25:40 +0000

@MarkA – I’ve laughed many a time over the picture of the bus in the cycle lane for the publicity shots! If you look at the new transport plan released yesterday then it is clear Boris is aiming for a small cycling adoption in the capital at nowhere near the level necessary to be revolutionary. It seems he is not willing to compromise the interests of motorists to deliver the kind of progress necessary. I suppose it is hard to when so many of them are voters.

The Swarovski bike would be stolen before even having a chance to lock it! I’m suprised no-one tried to steal at the cycle show!

By: MarkA

MarkA — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 10:08:26 +0000

Hi James, I don’t think it’s a case of central office over Boris – the ‘superhighways’ are, after all, his baby. Personally, I would have preferred if he’d concentrated on fixing & completing the more complicated (ergo expensive) aspects of the LCN+ network, but still, the trickle effect of more publicity about cycling in London and any attempt at building cycling infrastructure over not doing anything is a good thing. Sadly, it seems we all have a while to wait though till we get real segregated cycling paths on major routes in London – the fact that there is a bus driving over the blue paint on the TFL’s publicity shots for the scheme says it all really….

Andreas; thanks for the roundup – how long do we think a Swarovski encrusted bike would stay chained to the racks of central London before it got nicked?! haha

By: James Pellatt

James Pellatt — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 05:57:29 +0000

Good review. As for the cycle superhighways the man from Tfl I spoke to couldn’t have had less of a clue about them (and he said that he was supposed to). I fear it is nothing more than a publicity stunt that isn’t going to achieve much. Hopefully after the General Election central office will cut BoJo some slack and he can do something that will help cyclists by setting a 20 mph speed limit.

From Andreas: Interesting that even the TfL staff don’t have a clue what this is going to be like. All the signs point towards a publicity stunt, find it hard to see how this would have been implemented anyway, most of those roads hardly have any extra room for big cycle lanes.