The latest edition of the best selling Haynes Bike Book is the 17th time it has been published, and it is the complete guide to bicycle maintenance. This edition has been published in time for this years National Bike Week that takes place from the . . . → Read More: Latest Haynes Bike Book published in time for National Bike Week]]>

Latest Haynes Bike Book published in time for National Bike Week

The latest edition of the best selling Haynes Bike Book is the 17th time it has been published, and it is the complete guide to bicycle maintenance. This edition has been published in time for this years National Bike Week that takes place from the 16th-24th June.

This is a new and improved 6th edition that has been compiled by a new author and it includes all of the latest developments within the world of cycling, as well as a thorough check andd comprehensive revision of all of the existing material.

The refreshed page design is joined by up to date images which offer readers a contemporary manual that is user friendly as well as having that clear and concise step by step design that Haynes manuals are famous for.

The book includes introductory sections on types of bike, including children’s bikes, tools, how to set your riding position, pre-ride checks and essential maintenance.

The rest of the book gives detailed step-by-step procedures for mountain, road and city bikes and is packed full of handy tips and advice to help save you money on a service.

Every job is rated by difficulty and time so that both the novice and the expert can learn more and enhance their skills.

Packed with over 1,000 colour photographs, this manual is the cyclist’s number one bicycle maintenance manual and an essential tool for everyone who owns a bike.

Improved sections include a new drivetrain chapter integrating all aspects of chains, gears, cranks and bottom brackets and expanded coverage of disc and hydraulic disc brakes.

The Author:

Mark Storey has written a number of Haynes car manuals, but his number one hobby is cycling.  His knowledge and experience in the industry, together with an understanding of how a step-by-step manual needs to work, have resulted in an outstanding new version of this classic Haynes title.

Sales Information:

The Bike Book (6th Edition) will be available from all good bookshops and direct from Haynes at www.haynes.co.uk or call 01963 442030, priced £16.99

British company Li & Co Ltd have launched a new and innovative electronic cycling jacket known as Visijax (www.visijax.com).

This jacket has been designed to improve both the visibility and safety of cyclists and is also aiming to reduce the number of accidents involving cyclists on our . . . → Read More: New cycling jacket aims to save lives on the roads]]>

New cycling jacket aims to save lives on the roads

British company Li & Co Ltd have launched a new and innovative electronic cycling jacket known as Visijax (www.visijax.com).

This jacket has been designed to improve both the visibility and safety of cyclists and is also aiming to reduce the number of accidents involving cyclists on our roads.

The Department of Transport has reported that 60% of fatal cycling accidents take place in the rush hours of 7-10am and 4-7pm, and the number of cyclists seriously injured or killed in the first 6 months of 2011 had risen by 12% on the same period in 2010. According to RoSPA, the road safety experts, one of the biggest hazards facing cyclists is turning in front of vehicles travelling at speed.

In direct response to this issue, Li & Co has developed cutting-edge technology, ‘Intelligent Motion-Activated Signalling System’ (iMASS ™) and ‘implanted’ it within the high-design Visijax® commuter cycling jacket.

This new feature, unique to the Visijax® jacket, detects movement so when a cyclist raises their arm to indicate, an amber flashing signal is automatically turned on, which can be seen clearly by motorists and other cyclists on the roads. The flashing signal remains on for around five seconds after a cyclist has put down their arm to allow sufficient time for them to turn safely.

Supporting the iMASS™ system, are 23 integrated high intensity LED lights arranged in clusters with standard vehicle lighting codes i.e. white for the front and red for the rear. For additional cyclist safety, the lights on the back of the jacket are positioned in a backpack-friendly area so cyclists can be seen clearly from behind.

The complete system is powered by three AAA batteries, which have a total life of 200 hours – a ‘one-touch’ button placed in the front of the jacket activates all lights and the iMASS™ system.

Visijax® has been developed with all areas of cycle safety and comfort in mind.

Additional features of the jacket include:

• High visibility luminous colour

• Rainproof and breathable fabric – outside zips have been specially designed to ensure that rain doesn’t leak into the gaps

• All round ventilation including advanced armpit ventilation points to allow for increased airflow

Andy Li, CEO of Li &Co comments; “Visijax is a breakthrough cycling product, designed with passion, driven by technology and road-tested for safety. There is nothing like it available on the market and it’s a great example of how leading-edge technology and British design can improve our day-to-day lives.

The jacket was designed with a single focus to improve visibility and safety of cyclists. We strongly believe Visijax fills a gap in the market for stylish cyclewear for commuters, offering unparalleled levels of protection to improve cycle safety on UK roads.”

Visijax® is currently available exclusively at www.amazon.co.uk for an introductory price of £129* (offer ends 31st May 2012.) Visijax® will be available internationally from Autumn 2012.

For more information on the specification and features of the jacket visit: www.visijax.com.

Cyclingbuddy was launched following the success of an equivalent site for runners, www.joggingbuddy.com, which . . . → Read More: Free website CyclingBuddy.com has gone global]]> CyclingBuddy.com is the free website that helps member find other like minded cyclists to cycle with and today celebrated is two month anniversary. Already, the site has accumulated more than 2300 cycling members and is quickly making inroads into other markets as well.

Cyclingbuddy was launched following the success of an equivalent site for runners, www.joggingbuddy.com, which has members in 99 different countries across the world. Tony Piedade is the founder of the website and he says that CyclingBuddy has developed into a great community for cyclists and since they launched only two months ago their members have travelled in excess of 80,.000 miles and shared more than 650 favourite cycling routes.

He added that he was very pleased that members overseas are already signing up too, and that they now have members in China, Australia, South Africa, USA, Canada and many European countries, making these early days very exciting.

Members who sign up to the site are able to also benefit from a number of neat features like planning a route, saving it and downloading the GPX files ready to be uploaded into a navigation product for the cyclist to follow. Members are also able to log all of their rides and keep track of their progress.

While it is still early days for CyclingBuddy.com, industry partners like Madison and Chain Reaction Cycles have already seen the potential and have secured a relationship with what promises to be the leading Social Networking website dedicated to cycling.

To sign up users should simply visit www.cyclingbuddy.com

For further information contact info@cyclingbuddy.com

Mr Cameron recently gave a speech at the Institution of . . . → Read More: David Cameron unveils new environmental investment programme]]> David Cameron has recently introduced a new plan which he expects will have serious implications for the environment in the UK. He has said that he is going to introduce an investment programme which is going to be targeted towards the country’s energy, rail and road networks.

Mr Cameron recently gave a speech at the Institution of Civil Engineers and in this speech he said that there was an immediate need for a great deal of repair to the infrastructure in the UK. He said that he would be introducing an infrastructure plan which is going to be comprehensive and not piecemeal, like many of the plans of the past.

In the plan he promises that there is going to be a great simplification of the current bureaucratic process that has been developed over the last six decades. He accuses the system of being one of the main reasons why transport isn’t greener in the UK.

Mr Cameron said that he feels he has a duty to create a transport system which is going to attract investors such as sovereign wealth funds, and pension funds. It is estimated that around £2 billion of investment will come from pension funds in the UK over the next year, however, Mr Cameron said that this amount is not going to be enough to cover the amount of investment that is going to be needed in years to come.

Mr Cameron stated that it is essential that the country also find sources of energy that reduce the amount of carbon dioxide being produced, but also are affordable and reliable. He further went on to say that the government are completely committed to moving away from coal power plants to cleaner energy solutions, such as nuclear and gas, as well as renewable energy sources.

The prime minister has also recently stated that the government might start introducing tolls on the roads after a recent feasibility study has been completed by the Department for Transport. He also spoke about the need for increasing the airport capacity in the south of the country, an issue that has become very controversial.

Last April, the council worked hard to get a bargain when it signed a load of contracts with companies . . . → Read More: New contracts allow 300 miles of Surrey roads to be repaired and resurfaced]]> Within the first year of the new highways contract in Surrey County Council about 300 miles of road was repaired or resurfaced, which adds up to be more in distance than the route between Land’s End and London.

Last April, the council worked hard to get a bargain when it signed a load of contracts with companies in an effort to get the best deal to maintain and improve Surrey’s roads. The largest contract it gave away was to May Gurney for six years and a total of £60m, which totals up to a savings of £4m compared to their last highway contract.

Since the new contract was signed 611 projects have been completed including the complete resurfacing of a one mile stretch of the Beare Green A24 Horsham Road which required workers to graft on the road for three weeks in a row.

Cabinet Member for Transport and Environment John Furey from the Surrey County Council stated that the roads in Surrey are the fourth busiest in the country and therefore are under a large amount of strain. Therefore, maintaining them and continuing to improve them is a large task.

Happily, Furrey was able to report that there has been a large amount of progress made this year at the same time that the council has been able to get the best value for the cost. He reported that taxpayers are saving over four million this year on the repairs while still receiving faster improvements.

Over the last year 14 pedestrian crossings have been refurbished and a total of 19 traffic light junctions including the Camberley Meadows Gyratory. In the future the county council hopes to replace its road maintenance programme with a five year plan that would help reduce costs by buying materials in bulk.

The unique programme is valued at around £6.9m and is the result of a partnership between the Lake District National Park, Cumbria Tourism, and the Cumbria County Council. The . . . → Read More: Lake District tourists urged to choose green transport]]> The GoLakes Travel programme has been announced in the Lake District in an effort to help encourage tourists to choose environmentally friendly means of transportation during their stay.

The unique programme is valued at around £6.9m and is the result of a partnership between the Lake District National Park, Cumbria Tourism, and the Cumbria County Council. The aim of the programme is to reduce CO2 emissions in the area by 11,000 tonnes by the year 2015 with the potential to save even more in the following years.

It also aims to create a hundred new jobs in the area and another £7m in revenue for the Lake District.The main funding for the eco-programme comes directly from the Department for Transport and is focused on the southern and central area of the Lakes including the towns of Windermere, Ambleside, Grasmere, Hawkshead, Kendal, and Coniston.

These regions are the focus of the GoLakes programme due to the fact that they receive the most tourist activity from the National Park. At the moment a series of studies are underway to explore the best way to get people to take advantage of sustainable transport within the area.

At the moment the programme is composed of nine different projects that all interlink to create a vast improvement to the travel infrastructure in the Lake District. Some of the projects include better bus stops, improved cycleways, expansion of an electric cycle network, flexible ticketing, more frequent bus services, and making better information available about all of the sustainable travel options to visitors.

The GoLakes programme will officially launch this summer with some developments actually occurring throughout the course of summer and continual changes and expansions made available to the public by 2014.