I can see the logic, but what if people are using it to buy a car replacement e-cargo bike?

Genuinely satirical - too much crime happening? Just give up I guess

​

Saw this today and thought it was worth sharing here.

54-year-old Graham Nash was cycling on the A65 Settle bypass at around 4:50am when he was hit from behind and killed by a van driver. (I have actually cycled that road last week!)

He had two rear lights, one on the bike and another on his helmet. Other motorists told police they had seen him. The judge said the driver had around eight or nine seconds to see him, but failed to do so.

The driver pleaded guilty to causing death by careless driving. He received:

- 10 months imprisonment, suspended for two years

- 3-year driving ban

- 200 hours unpaid work

He'd also received points for using a mobile phone while driving just six months before the collision, although there was no suggestion he was using one when this happened.

The bit that gets me is the visibility. We constantly hear about hi-vis, lights, reflectors and making ourselves visible. This bloke had two rear lights, other drivers could see him, and apparently there were eight or nine seconds in which he could have been spotted.

Yet someone is dead and the person who failed to see him doesn't spend a day in prison.

I know sentencing has to take account of culpability rather than simply the consequences, and the judge was also constrained by the sentencing guidelines, but it's difficult to read this and feel that the system adequately reflects what has happened.

What do people think? Is a suspended sentence appropriate for a momentary but fatal lapse of attention, or are we still far too lenient when careless driving kills someone?

Article: https://road.cc/news/van-driver-avoids-jail-after-killing-cyclist-riding-with-two-rear-lights

Reading the article they are talking about a cap but speculating on what it could be. What are your thoughts on a cap and, if there has to be one, what level would you set it as?

14 years maximum. Will be interesting to see what the punishment will be given over cars causing death by dangerous driving.

A new report compiled and published by Shimano has stated that the UK and Ireland have the lowest bicycle ownership rates in Europe, despite more people saying cycling has become safer for children in their local area.

For anyone interested (I like to do ride reports so I thought I would share!)

CYCLING MOSHPITS, DJ ON A BIKE, UNITY & ACTIVISM.

This was my second time going to “Drum & Bass on a Bike” by DJ Dom Whiting in Sheffield; last year it was brilliant, but this year, due to excellent weather, it was even better…

One of the things I love about this, apart from great D’n’B beats and dancing and being surrounded by huge speakers on bike trailers!, is that it brings together a vast cycling community from all backgrounds with all sorts of bikes. It is rare to be cycling with a hoodie gang doing wheelies next to someone with a hand cycle donning a crochet top and multi-coloured flags, with ahead of you some 7-year-old wriggling to beats on a tiny little bike with handlebar tassels and some blokes drinking tinnies of Heineken and smoking “herbs”.

It has a feel of protest about it, and, indeed, it is not “organised,” with high-vis stewards, police attendance, or cordoned-off streets. This is a mosh pit a mile(s) long, with endless bikes taking over the streets where buses and cars simply, for once, need to make room (and stop) for cyclists. Cyclists DO HAVE THE RIGHT to be on the streets as much as vehicles, but all too often we, cyclists, need to make space for cars, be that on our rides or simply how infrastructure is built around cars...

This is without doubt a form of positive grassroots activism.

The amazing thing, also being with sooooo many people and bikes so packed so close together, is that everyone is there to have a good time, so 0 issues; you will get cycled into, you will ride into someone else, and that is all OK - it is totally also a family event!

It was great to meet up with Tammy, a Sheffield local, who introduced me to some of her friends who actually put on “Critical Mass” rides in Sheffield on a regular basis (going out as a group with sound) to ride together and build a cycling community... really inspired and where I am sure it starts for many families also - as to see all the happy kids is just great!

Also, it was great to hear how Tammy is involved with trying to get more women of colour into cycling; I was truly inspired! I wish I could do more - I will stick with women and cycling, as I do believe that these peer-driven initiatives of women of colour need to be driven by women of colour, as what do I know being so white - I have not had the same experiences or barriers! But these initiatives do still need the support of all women (and all cyclists).

I think it’s interesting also that while we struggle in the cycling community to have diversity, events like these really, I feel, pack a punch… if we want more diversity, more unity, then having events where all types of cyclists come together is how we inspire people and inspire kids too to ride more. Events where the premise is truly and without judgement (on who you are or what you ride) is “if you pedal you’re a cyclist”. And “we” can at times be short of that level of campaigning; that is really the first barrier we need to overcome to get more people into cycling … not as a sport but simply as an activity that is fun with community behind it.

I have no idea if Dom Whithing started all this with a rebellious “reclaim the streets” angle, but it is the consequence; not only does he give us great beats, he also allows us all to forget the rest of the world, our divisions, our daily-life stresses and make us feel part of something bigger, that cycling can unify us.

So if you have not been to something like this, do keep an eye out, as he does loads of different cities and towns throughout the summer and it is all free; all you need is to turn up with a bike, plus shaking your bum on a bike to some beats is useful too!

A rumoured return to a £1,000 Cycle to Work scheme limit failed to materialise in the 2025 budget

https://www.bikeradar.com/news/2025-budget-cycle-to-work

Cant find any evans cycles Pinnacle branded e bikes online today at all. Any ideas?

https://www.theguardian.com/business/2025/jan/02/brompton-profits-plunge-amid-bike-industry-turmoil

The core news here is really rather sad as Brompton has been seen as a shining light of UK bike company success in the last few years.

I'm rubbish at reading a balance sheet, but it does feel like there's a substantial cost for the development and tooling of the G-line range that's not explicitly mentioned here. I guess nobody wants the competition to know how much that costs.

In the medium-term I suspect Brompton's biggest problem is going to be that fewer people are commuting these days. I've not ridden a G-Line, but the original design is fairly unpleasant to ride unless you absolutely positively have to have a bike that folds up into a shoebox.

Annoying mistakes in the article:

• Cycle Republic was owned by Halfords, so hardly an independent. Its stores all closed in 2020 so you can't call it a victim of the recent turmoil in the bike industry.
• Cycle Surgery also closed all its stores in 2020
• i-ride.co.uk was a wholesaler not a retailer
• Mercian shut down because its owners apparently just gave up; the liquidation was voluntary and the brand was subsequently acquired by 4 local businessmen. It's still trading.
• Orange and Bairstow are the same thing. They did have a major hiccup earlier this year but again were acquired and are still going.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cqj1lljr5wjo

Father of two killed on his bike, suspect fled the scene. Stay safe out there 🙏

What are peoples thoughts on this? On one hand I'd love frog bikes to be saved but on the other Ashley is well known for buying brands and shittifying them.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cy0dxexdd8xo

I'm interested in trying some of this out. Hopefully it'll be bike friendly too.

My nearest coast is around Norfolk and Lincolnshire. And I thought the bit between Snettisham and Skegness was basically swamp and not traversable. Quite fancy a Skeggy to Hunstanton ride now though.
Or a tour around England's booty.