The Bicycle USB Charger allows the charging of electronic devices from a standard bicycle dynamo. Simply connect to a bottle or hub dynamo, attach to your bike, and plug in your mobile phone, mp3 player, GPS, or any other device able to charge via USB.

And at £25 it is probably the cheapest dyno hub charger around, unless you build it yourself.

LINK : bikeusbcharger.com

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The Cycle Show once again sets the scene for all cycling fans across the UK. Enjoy a fabulous day out and see the very best 2011 bikes, clothing & accessory brands before they hit the high street.

This is also your opportunity to get on bikes and test them on our four tracks. Treat yourself with some retail therapy in the Cycle Store. We have doubled its size to hold even more clothing, helmets, shoes, lights and more for the coming season.

LINK : http://www.cycleshow.co.uk/

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Never again get caught out whilst cycling with a repair you can’t do. Bike Doctor App will take you through repairing your bike step by step with instructions even a complete beginner can follow.

LINK : Bike Doctor App

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Anyway I had a quick look over and found …

- The head set was very loose.
- The steerer was loose, I could turn it very easily.
- Front left break pad was rubbing on the rim.
- The front break lever went all the way to the handle bar and still didn’t stop the bicycle.
- Front and rear tyres not pumped up.
- Front inner tube valve was at an angle.
- Rear suspension was that loose that it was very close to falling apart if I lifted the bicycle up.
- The saddle was loose.
- Rear left break pad was fitted upside down and VERY loose.
- Read left and right break pads rubbing against the rear tyre.

Oh and some good news: the indexing was spot on. When I was fixing all these things I asked my trainee again did this bicycle get checked in the shop. Yes, she said, Toy’s R Us checked it over before we got it. It took all my strength to keep my jaw in place but I think she spotted the shock/horror/anger in my eyes, since she kept asking if this bicycle would be ok to ride after I had worked on it.

Please parents, a toy store ain’t a bicycle shop! Yes, they might be selling bicycles but it is not a bicycle shop, where you will get GREAT service by someone who KNOWS what they are doing in a shop that is DEDICATED to bicycles and is not selling milk and tea etc.

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The Firefly bicycle light uses a passive Infrared sensor to detect vehicles approaching from behind – the closer they get the brighter it shines. Its other clever trick is that it uses a set of white LEDs to illuminate the rider’s back and the road beneath the bike.

I take it that this is to be used at night, but if other road users fails to see you with your normal rear light in normal your riding position. Then they will still fail to see you with this on. Its up there with the laser light I talked about a few weeks ago.

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M/S of a lady on an old-fashioned ‘hobby horse’ bicycle, she is wearing a long dress and bonnet. C/U of the bottom of the bicycle, there are no pedals so she has to use her feet. M/S of a man on a smaller bicycle also propelling himself with his feet.

Next we see a machine from 1839, the handlebar was carried in an iron fork and wooden wheels were propelled by pedals and cranks fitted to one of the axles. Various shots of this bicycle. Then came the Velocipede in 1861, it has four wheels and is made from metal and wood with front driving and rear steering, various shots of this bicycle.

BIRTH OF THE BIKE

LINK : British Pathe – The birth of the bike

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The main trick to cycling in the snow is pretty much the same when it comes to “normal” cycling.

1/ Don’t brake when you turn, do that before. And don’t slam on your brakes you will only skid.
2/ Cycle at a speed where you have control of your bicycle. Don’t cycle above your skills.
3/ Keep the momentum, not racing, but keep the bicycle going.
4/ Look ahead and around you, so you know what is going around you so that you can plan your route.
5/ If your bicycle is drifting/sliding the wrong way let it do so, don’t fight it, you will get where you want to go soon enough.
6/ Cycle in a lower gear than normally, you will have better control of your bicycle
7/ Have lower pressure in your tyres or even fit wider tyres.

These are only some pointers but above all – take easy and take care. And you will arrive at your destination with a smile on your face and before people in cars or on public transport. Today I took extra time to go 9 and a bit miles but because of the gridlock I made good time.

Oh I forgot one extra point, be prepared to get hit by a snow ball at any time. For some reason cyclist in the snow is a prime target for anyone carrying a snow ball. They must think that we are nuts and therefore needs snow ball in our back.

BTW: if you cycle in an area where they salt the roads, it is a good idea to give your bicycle a quick wash after your ride.

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Now what a great idea have a light that you charge while pumping or just use your pump to charge when your batteries are running a bit low.

20 seconds of pumping suffices for 45 minutes of track-illuminating LED power. Simply pump up your tires, or perform the pumping motions merely to recharge the device, then clamp it into its holder and away you go.

Even though it did win a Eurobike 2009 award it is still just a prototype.

LINK : treehugger – bike light tire pump recharges while pumping.
LINK : formpasch – PUYL bicycle pump and portable light combined

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Does your home lack essential bike storage space?

Do you often wish for a handy strap to attach things to your bike rack? Or a bail-out strap when something breaks?

How does it work? It’s a simple mesh strap with a hardy plastic clasp with a multitude of uses…

So, what can I use it for? The list is endless.

Like hanging a bike safely from a single peg on the wall

Other areas in which you can use your coolclasp :

Backpacking, Hiking, Skiing, Snowboarding , DIY, Fishing, Walking, Trekking, Surfing, Travelling , Diving, Shopping, Painting, Running , Camping , Building, Windsurfing , Sailing, Climbing and others

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The laser draws an ellipse of light that is sensitive to anything crossing the perimeter. If a car comes too close, the light becomes red and all the horns will go off – until the car moves away.

As the article states you can’t rely on “standard-fare reflectors that may or may not reflect properly, depending on the angle of the car headlights hitting you”. So I agree that anything that could help you to be seen on the road at night is a good idea.

Though looking at the drawings this very visible ellipse it is very close to the bicycle and if it only turns red when a vehicle that close to the bicycle. Then that vehicle is way to close to the bicycle already and can’t see the light anyway because it is beamed to the floor. And also this thing will go on and off all the time if you are living and cycling within a busy city like London. Other cyclist, pedestrians and cars are that close to you pretty much already. And what is going to happen if you pass a lamp post or other street furniture.

Hmm, hock it up with a sound system and a few other bike rides and you have a moving disco :)

LINK: treehugger.com : self powered laser for safer night cycling

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