Words by Mark Loveridge

Electric bikes have been around for over ten years, yet adoption in the UK by traditional bike shops has not been at the level of that seen in mainland Europe. As a result, there are more and more specialist electric bike shops being established all over the UK to cater for the demand.

Electric bikes attract new customers who wouldn’t ordinarily be interested in cycling. This increased interest is due to improved attitudes towards fitness and health issues or they simply don’t want to sweat on the way to work. More often than not, customers are 50 years and over with disposable income, although some of the sportier bikes are now attracting the interest of the younger market.

You only have to look into continental Europe to see the potential for electric bikes. Germany now sells 380,000 units annually, a 15.2 per cent increase from 2011, which is around a third of all bike sales! Closer to home in France, sales have increased from 40,000 units in 2011 to 46,000 in 2012.

Germany estimates that European sales for electric bikes in 2012 was 1.1 million units, a 22 per cent increase over the estimate for 2011.

So what’s holding the UK back? It’s very much chicken and egg; dealers are reluctant to stock, so potential customers don’t know they are available to buy. It's a fact – once a customer has test-ridden an electric bicycle, they are sold of the concept. While electric bikes may not be an attractive purchase  for someone now, most people tend to know someone that it maybe suitable for and can point them to the store they tried the bike in. This customer insight is vital in spreading the word on the benefits of electric bikes.

The other great advantage of electric bikes is the high cash margin. There is a growing trend toward more expensive bikes (those upwards of £1,500) which can really help the bottom line.

Electric bikes have really come of age in the last few years, there has never been a better time to get involved. If you are interested in trialling electric bicycles in your store then get in touch with a BEBA or BA member to discuss the options available to you in more detail.

www.beba-online.co.uk

Focusing on urban, utility and lifestyle bikes, ISPO Bike has opened today, running until Sunday.

The first batch of photos from the event are on our Facebook page here. Why not give us a 'like' on our FB page while you're there?

So far we've snapped new products from POC, fresh faced brands like Chill and what we've been told is a 'world changing tyre product'...

And we'll have more pictures as the event continues.

There's more on our Facebook page here.

Pure has expanded the number of distributors its lubrication and cleaning products are available from, with a list of seven trade sources now carrying stock.

To celebrate the expansion, the firm has come up with a new package deal for retailers who buy a counter display and agree to become a stockist. With that commitment, trade accounts can choose one free pack of ten Pure products to fill their counter-top unit.

Distributors for the range now include:

Moore Large & Co Ltd, Derby: 01332 274200
Reece Cycles plc, Birmingham: 0121 622 0180
Coyote Sports, Manchester: 01473 652768
Walkers Cycle Ltd, Leicester: 01162 833885
Ison Distribution Ltd, Ely: 01353 662662
Mackadam Factors Ltd, Cardiff: 029 2023 1816
Fisher Outdoor Leisure, St Albans: 01727 798345

Products available as part of the package include:

Bike Wash Concentrate (RRP £5.40 per bottle)
Bike Protector (RRP £6.40 per bottle)
Bike Degreaser (RRP £6.20 per bottle)
Bike Oil (RRP £4.75 per bottle)
Wet Lube (RRP £5.00 per bottle)
Dry Lube (RRP £5.00 per bottle)
Bike Grease (RRP £6.00 per tub)

Sustrans chief executive has hit out at irresponsible use of cycle paths by a minority of cyclists competiting on apps such as Strava, among others, saying: "Traffic-free walking and cycling paths are not the place for reckless cycling speed demons."

Shepherd said: "Cycling and walking paths cater to a variety of users by providing a safe, non-threatening environment to travel in. The anti-social behaviour of a very small number of cyclists is making everyone feel less safe – it would be great for the online community to take action by pointing the finger at people doing the wrong thing."

Strava, perhaps the most widely used data tracking and mapping app on mobile phones, does allow users to flag 'segments' as hazardous, should those riding the routes feel racing to be dangerous along a particular stretch.

Shepherd added: “As we continue to campaign for greater respect on our roads, its vital those of us using bikes give respect to everyone, and slow down on walking and cycling paths”

The CTC has also echoed the call for cyclists to slow down, with the charity’s campaigns and policy director Roger Geffen stating:

“The CTC strongly supports responsible behaviour by all road users, drivers and cyclists alike. Equally though, walkers can feel as intimated by fast cycling on shared-use paths as cyclists are by fast driving.

“In particular, people with physical or sensory disabilities have a right to enjoy the great outdoors without being startled, even if they aren’t actually endangered.

“As cyclists, we need to show them the same respect that we want drivers to show us on the roads.”

This Thursday (July 25th) marks the opening of global cycle show ISPO Bike.

Tickets for the show are free for the trade and available online here.

The show will be tapping into the trend for urban biking and e-mobility by working with Extra Energy eV for an expanded e-bike and pedelec supporting programme. For urban biking, everything from apparel and accessories to the bike will be presented on theme-oriented platforms appealing to a wide range of riders.

Selected highlights include:

Created for Cyclists hosted by Streetwear Today - Attendees can discover the latest trends and developments in every day bike wear for commuters and cyclists at the special exhibit area in hall B6.

E-Bike Tourism And Infrastructure - Bike tourism is one of the driving forces behind e-mobility and often the point of first contact for customers with e-bikes and pedelecs. In hall B6 tourism providers present everything you need to know about this subject biut were afraid to ask, from key destinations to the ideal infrastructure.

ISPO BIKE CargoVille – Cargo Bikes As A Genuine Alternative - The special exhibit CargoVille at ISPO Bike (hall B6) is dedicated to the cargo bike and its contribution to the development of urban mobility. 

Munich’s first E-Bike and Pedelec Race - E-Bikes and Pedelecs are once again in the spotlight at ISPO Bike. In addition to information provided by the manufacturers and the demo opportunities at the Extra Energy Test Track, there will be an additional event highlight on Saturday, July 27, 2013: The E-Bike and Pedelec Race "Pedals of Power".

ISPO Innovation Forum - For the seventh time the ISPO Innovation Forum brings key players from industry, retail, government, sciences, media and associations together to discuss the future of cycling. This year’s forum will be titled "Urban cycling - global networks".

There's more here.

Remember the offer from Gatorade, where the brand said it would refund certain purchases if a Team Sky rider won the Tour de France?

The Team Sky Performance Partner is now making good on its 'If We Win You Win' promise – Gatorade customers who registered their purchases before the Tour de France can now claim a full refund, thanks to General Classification winner Chris Froome.

Gatorade UK Marketing Manager, Alex Armstrong said: “As cycling fans ourselves we are absolutely thrilled with Chris’s win and would like to congratulate him and everyone at Team Sky on such a fantastic performance.

“We’d also like to thank our customers who took part in the promotion and who now have extra reason to celebrate with a full refund on their Gatorade nutrition products.”

Customers can claim their refund by sending a print out of the registration certificate that they received via email, together with their receipt of purchase to Gatorade, If We Win, You Win, PO BOX 133, Uckfield TN22 1HH before Monday 12th August.

T&C info: Please note, Gatorade will only refund registered purchases that meet the terms and conditions of the promotion which can be found at www.Gatorade.co.uk/ifwewinyouwin. If you have any questions about the promotion or your refund claim, email gatorade@britvic.co.uk

The Giant Liverpool store in Parliament Street suffered a break-in on Saturday July 20th.

Seven high-end mountain bikes stolen from the shop at approximately 10pm. Giant has asked the trade to keep its eyes open for the bikes:

• Giant Anthem X 3 Large
• Giant Anthem X 2 Medium
• Giant Anthem X 29er
• Giant Anthem X 29er 4 Large
• Giant Trance X2 Large Stolen
• Giant Anthem X 29er 3 Small
• Giant Trance X 3 Large Stolen

Phone: 0151 707 6116
Email: info@giant-liverpool.co.uk

The campaign to bring Scottish road laws in line with most of Europe has been gathering support from SNP, Lib Dem, Green and Independent MSPs as well as public figures such as Nick Nairn, Lesley Riddoch and Cameron McNeish.

The proposal would see the introduction of a regime in Civil Law where a driver involved in a collision with a cyclist would have to prove that they were not at fault. Under such a regime, all vulnerable road users, including pedestrians, would be protected. The online petition has seen over 1,100 signatures.

Recent tragic collisions have moved the campaign back into the spotlight. Nine cyclists have died in Scotland this year, the latest taking place this week when a female cyclist was killed after a collision with a car in Glen Urquhart near Drumnadrochit. 

The campaign is working towards seeing a Members Bill presented to the Scottish parliament later this year.

However, it appears the battle lines have already been drawn - the Scottish government's updated Cycling Action Plan for Scotland has dismissed calls for 'strict liability' in Scotland, arguing there is not enough robust evidence of a direct link between such laws and cycle levels and safety, according to The Times.

Scotland's Transport Minister Keith Brown added that Scotland has twice the level of funding per capita than England. 

Brenda Mitchell of Cycle Law Scotland (CLS), a specialist law firm representing the interests of cyclists and the founder of the campaign for stricter liability Road Share, said: "Enough is enough. How many more people have to suffer before something’s done to protect cyclists? The recent terrifying trend in cycle collisions proves something must be done to improve safety for all road users and quickly. We cannot and must not sit by and let this continue without fundamentally changing the mindset of all road users to respect the need to share the road space.

“I am calling for increased support for the introduction of stricter liability which would change the Civil Law whereby motorists involved in collisions are at fault unless they can prove otherwise. This would in turn force all road users to increase their consideration for others and therefore potentially reducing the number of tragic incidents.

“This law has already significantly improved the culture and reduced the number of people injured or killed for our European neighbours. It’s about time we joined them.

“The more people who sign our petition the more pressure we can put on government to change the law to protect vulnerable road users.”

CLS is also keen to see further protection made available to the elderly, disabled and young road users, as is the case in most European Countries where strict liability regimes exist. In these countries, those who are disabled, under the age of 14 and over 70 are afforded further protection in Civil Law to such an extent that in a collision with a motorised vehicle it is the motorist who is deemed to be at fault.

You can add your name to the petition here.

North America's largest trade show, Interbike, will welcome back a number of big name brands in September, with the likes of Giant, GT, Felt and many others rejoining the ranks.

“It’s great to see companies like Giant, Felt and others coming back to the show,” said Pat Hus, vice president of Interbike. “It says we’re doing something right and that the show is once again bringing real value and ROI to its exhibitors and our attendees. At the end of the day, that’s always been our goal. The added investments we’ve made in the show have brought a ton of energy back and it’s only going to get better from here on out.”

The show is currently sold out n the main floor, with companies who have not submitted contracts now joining a waiting list. There are over 1,200 brands exhibiting at the show and an audience of over 25,000 is expected to attend.

Companies can, however, still gain access to the show by exhibiting at OutDoor Demo and in the newly created Paddock at Interbike area. The new area is located adjacent to the main hall in the parking lot at Mandalay Bay and will contain numerous key exhibitors, an extensive test track, food court and beer garden.

Felt’s director of marketing, Doug Martin, said of the brand's return: "We felt like we needed to be back on the Interbike floor this fall for a number of reasons,” said Martin. “In addition to a 2014 line-up we consider to be our best ever, we have several all-new product platforms we will be introducing at the show. By having a presence at both OutDoor Demo and the Interbike expo hall--especially with the newly added consumer day--we can be confident that we will reach as many of our customers as possible."

The Accell Group will now have the single largest booth at the show with more than 10,000 square feet of space in its newly designed campus of brands, and several others have increased their footprints as well including Easton Bell Sports, Opus, Norco and Poc.

Retailers will find some new brands at OutDoor Demo this year, including Niner, Alpinestars, Poc and more. Electric bike manufacturers ProdecoTech and Solex will also exhibit at the demo for the first time to allow retailers to test their latest wares and answer questions.

www.interbike.com

The UK's 'largest Cyclepoint' has opened at Chelmsford train station with nearly 1,000 parking spaces installed by specialists Falco.

The UK’s hottest day so far saw the Rt. Hon. Simon Burns MP, minister of state for transport and member of Parliament for Chelmsford officially open the 991 spaces to the public.

Parking was quickly snapped up at the train company's second busiest station station and racks are already 'full' as commuters look to tie in cycling to and from the station as part of their journey.

A variety of Falco’s modular range of shelter and cycle parking products have been put in place. Chelmsford's council and GA are already discussing expanding the facilities further to cope with the demand.

Leeds CyclePoint, located at Leeds Station and also instaled by Falco offers secure, staffed storage for over 300 bicycles.

Falco provides free site surveys, free CAD design using Dynamic CAD blocks and a comprehensive supply and installation service with sales of its street furniture.

Falco: 01538 380080

A strong fourth quarter has resulted in a record of over 1.4 million bicycle imports for the 2012-13 financial year, reports Bicycle Industries Australia. Bicycle imports continue to exceed car sales as they have done for over a decade.

Imports for adult bikes have increased by 21 percent since 2010/11, but children’s imports have recorded a 7 percent fall over the same period.

"Children today are suffering from a crisis of physical inactivity and obesity," said BIA's Peter Bourne. "We need to invest in appropriate infrastructure, education and programs to get our children riding and walking again."

However, the national Australian Government does little to support cycling.

"The federal government has a AU$0 budget for bike infrastructure," Bourne told BikeBiz. "States vary, between a couple of million and about AU$50 million as the leading amount per year."

However, as is the case in the UK, there's a new rush to spend huge sums on mega road projects, which will lead to increased congestion thanks to 'induced demand'.

"There's lots of spending on cars," said Bourne. "Our state government has just committed to spending AU$8 billion on a new road tunnel, for example. In the rush to commit to billions in new road infrastructure, much cheaper investment in getting our kids active again is being ignored."

Olympia Cicli of Italy has launched the first of their new 2014 range on the lead up their 120th Birthday on October 20th.

The 849 - 'Otto Quattro Nove' - weighs 849 grams and limited to 120 pieces world wide. The frame features a hand laid pre-preg T800, T1000 & M40J composites and oversize multi-butted tubing featuring size specific and load specific lay-ups. The head-tube features a  1 1/8" to 1 1/2" headset and custom tapered steerer fork.

The ultra high modulus fibres are strategically positioned based on load path data to deal with specific frame loads and forces. T1000 fibres with huge tensile strength are used to save maximum weight as less material is required, while M40J material features excellent durability and is used to reinforce critical areas such as the headstock. T800 fibres create a stiff composite structure and are used primarily in areas such as the BB shell.

Olympia is imported into the UK by Posh Bikes. 

Wilier Stella
ATB Sales: +441424 753566

Wilier has revealed its first women’s specific road bike in the Stella – a build modelled on the best-selling Izoard XP.
Race-ready and affordable at £1,599, the bike is decked out with Shimano Taigra and FSA components and is ideal for sportive and road race use. Adding comfort to the build, the seatstays are shaped to absorb vibrations from the road and a women’s specific San Marco Milano saddle and compact handlebars should only add to the comfort. Customised cranks and brakes are also specced on the build.
The Stella benefits from an outer layer of unidirectional carbon fibre, while its proprietary fork is designed and contoured specifically to enhance the bike’s handling. The carbon monocoque frame utilises the same award-winning tube shapes and geometry that has made the Izoard a best seller worldwide over the past few years.
ATB Sales distribute Wilier Bikes in the UK and are contactable on 01424 753566. The Stella will be stocked in sizes extra small, small and medium.

Wahoo RFLKT cycle computer
Direct: kevin@wahoofitness.com

The debate on whether smartphones will soon make cycle computers superfluous to requirements rages on, but Wahoo Fitness may have come up with a solution of sorts.
The Atlanta firm has created a computer that links via Bluetooth to the cyclist’s iPhone and thus is able to control the phone via the handlebar mounted device. This, beyond being able to control cycling and fitness apps, opens up the potential for those who ride with headphones in to manage their music from the handlebar, all while monitoring their speed, distance, cadence, heart rate and much more.
Chip Hawkins of Wahoo Fitness says of his device: “RFLKT is the perfect solution for app loving, data junkie cyclists that shy away from mounting their pricy phone to the stem or handlebar.”
Available to retailers now, the £119.99 RFLKT device is powered by a single coin cell battery and weighs just two ounces, making it compete on weight with other market-leading devices.

Superfeet footbeds
Direct: 0131 344 7980

Created specifically for ‘tight fitting footwear’, or cycling shoes, SuperFeet’s Yellow insole is designed with comfort and cadence in mind.
The Yellow adopts a wider forefoot to offer a better coverage, while a ramped heel assists the fit further. Toward the toes you’ll find a diamond venting cutout that should assist the venting found on most good cycling shoes.
Crucially, a moderately deep cup provides an optimum fit and maximum support for the foot’s natural padding to provide foot stability, support and shock absorption.
Part of Superfeet’s ‘Trim-to-Fit’ collection, the Yellow is designed to replace the existing insole within footwear and can be easily trimmed to suit the user's shoe size. Yellow is available in sizes 13.5-15 (Superfeet sizes A-G) with a retail price of £35.

Teko Socks
Direct: www.tekosocks.co.uk

You may not have heard of Teko before, but the label could soon be known to your customers, having just become the headline sponsor of the Big Ben Nevis Triathlon, to take place near Fort William.
With firm eco-credentials, Teko use a number of choice recycled materials, as you’d expect from a performance cycling sock. A feature of Teko’s M3rino.XC and Sin3rgi socks is that they stay odour-free for a minimum of five days. The yarn resists odour so effectively that it even smells fresh after being worn during rigorous exercise.
You’ll find a number of comfort features such as anatomically designed heel pockets and seamless toes. Perhaps uniquely, Teko provides a lifetime guarantee on its products, guaranteeing the manufacturing quality.

Sole footbeds
Direct: 02031371610

Footbed specialists Sole are looking to make inroads into the cycling business and are calling on cycle retailers to get in touch.
Targetted at the performance cyclist, as well as those looking to become more comfortable in the saddle, Sole’s footbeds get the thumbs up from mountain bike and cyclocross racer Nick Craig, who says the product is even suitable for his high arch.
The product is both heat moldable via a quick spin in the oven, or they can be bedded in through wear. The footbeds, thanks to their custom fit, cancel out the compensatory pronation of the shinbone and knee, which can rotate and cause discomfort and sometimes deeper health issues. By stabilising the feet and ankles properly, the footbeds align the legs to create a more efficient pedal stroke, increasing endurance while transferring more power to the pedals. A properly supported arch and heel cup increase plantar pressure, which will also reduce any pain and swelling. A proper bike fit is recommended by sole to maximise the results.

Magura Elect fork
Zyro: 01845 521700

Magura has revealed an electronic fork, dubbed the eLect, that senses the terrain, metre-by-metre, and adjusts accordingly.
A ‘3D-acceleration sensor’ system, which weighs in at 15 grams lighter than the former top-end mechanical ‘Dynamic Lock Out’, controls the fork. The rider can flick between manual and automatic modes via a handlebar mounted wireless remote.
The eLect can be calibrated – this allows the rider to specify the tilt angle, which the system will then use to automatically lock or unlock. Though intended for cross country, one of the system highlights is the ability to detect free-fall – this opens the previously locked fork to allow for a soft landing which will then automatically relock depending on the tilt angle.
The eLect is adapted and matched for use with all Magura TS 8 R and TS6 forks. The wireless remote has been designed to fit directly to all Magura MT and HS brake clamps, but it is possible to fit with any model if used in conjunction with an additional clamp.
The fork’s lithium-ion battery, which has a cycle of 40 hours in automatic mode and 60 hours in manual mode, recharges via a micro USB-port.

A Lake District Grand Tour
Cordee: 01455 611185

Published this month, Cordee now has stock of Mike Carden’s A Lake District Grand Tour, which as   the title suggests is a tour guide to the popular cycling destination.
Having already written books on other territories around the UK, Carden has turned his attention to his own locality, covering every mountain pass and documenting the best scenic routes.
The £8.99 softback includes detailed mapping and carefully recounts the area’s best locations to sample Cumberland Sausage, Cumbrian ale, as well as highly rated tea rooms along route. You’ll also find details of the best hotels and inns in which to stay, as well as QR links to Google maps within each route’s chapter.
The chapters cover Brockhole, Hawkshead, Coniston, Cartmel, Kendal, Shap, Haweswater, Penrith, Ullswater, Langdale, Grasmere, Skiddaw, Cockermouth, Buttermere, Borrowdale, Wadale, Ravenglass, Millom and Eskdale and many more favourites from the region.

Fulcrum Racing Speed 35mm
i-Ride: 01444 243000

Fulcrum has added to its range of high-performance Racing Speed wheelsets with a 35mm depth pair, to sit alongside its 50mm wheelset. To maintain the stiffness, Fulcrum’s engineers didn’t simply reduce the depth of the 50mm, instead working from the ground up on the carbon layup to develop a rim to rival the stiffness of the higher profile counterparts.
The result, says Fulcrum, is no loss of power loss via lateral or vertical flex, a lower aerodynamic resistance, increased stability in cross winds – and all for 1,230 grams per wheelset.
The engineers also wanted to up the braking performance a notch, tailoring specific brake pads to work with Fulcrum’s carbon rims. The outcome of this research produced the new 3Diamant surface treatment which, using advanced machinery and state of the art diamond tipped precision tools, eliminates imperfections caused by non-homogenous resin deposits and allows the brake pad to work directly atop specially woven carbon fibres.

Yesterday, London cyclist Beth Anderson started a Go Fund Me campaign to raise at least £1000 to replace a bicycle stolen from Jenni Gwiazdowski, founder of the London Bike Kitchen, a community fix-your-bike centre.

Originally from California, Gwiazdowski left her job so she could put more time into the bike kitchen. "She is one of the most amazingly supportive, enthusiastic and nice people in the cycling community," said Anderson.

Anderson's online campaign to raise £1000 to replace Gwiazdowski's Lemond bike has attracted more than £900 in less than 19 hours.

"The other night, as she worked late in the workshop, somebody stole [Gwiazdowski's] bike from outside the shop," said Anderson.

"We can all understand how that feels, especially as her bike was lovingly cared for with wheels she'd built herself. The bike wasn't insured as this was an expense Jenni couldn't afford when leaving work as it was a choice between buying food or buying insurance."

Anderson added: "Jenni gives so much, really doesn't deserve to have her bike stolen and has no way of replacing it. She helps and supports everybody that comes into the Bike Kitchen including the pack of local kids that come to her to fix their bikes and pump up their tyres."

_

Madison's consumer facing website has been upgraded to better show off its brands and ultimately point customers in the direction of its dealers.

Having been designed with mobile and tablet use in mind, the new site build has a number of tabs to easily access the latest product information, news, video content and a prominent link to the distributor's dealers, among other things.

A list of all the events where Madison will have a presence is also now live.

Take at the consumer portal here, or log in to the B2B here.

Words by Mark Loveridge

Electric bikes have been around for over ten years, yet adoption in the UK by traditional bike shops has not been at the level of that seen in mainland Europe. As a result, there are more and more specialist electric bike shops being established all over the UK to cater for the demand.

Electric bikes attract new customers who wouldn’t ordinarily be interested in cycling. This increased interest is due to improved attitudes towards fitness and health issues or they simply don’t want to sweat on the way to work. More often than not, customers are 50 years and over with disposable income, although some of the sportier bikes are now attracting the interest of the younger market.

You only have to look into continental Europe to see the potential for electric bikes. Germany now sells 380,000 units annually, a 15.2 per cent increase from 2011, which is around a third of all bike sales! Closer to home in France, sales have increased from 40,000 units in 2011 to 46,000 in 2012.

Germany estimates that European sales for electric bikes in 2012 was 1.1 million units, a 22 per cent increase over the estimate for 2011.

So what’s holding the UK back? It’s very much chicken and egg; dealers are reluctant to stock, so potential customers don’t know they are available to buy. It's a fact – once a customer has test-ridden an electric bicycle, they are sold of the concept. While electric bikes may not be an attractive purchase  for someone now, most people tend to know someone that it maybe suitable for and can point them to the store they tried the bike in. This customer insight is vital in spreading the word on the benefits of electric bikes.

The other great advantage of electric bikes is the high cash margin. There is a growing trend toward more expensive bikes (those upwards of £1,500) which can really help the bottom line.

Electric bikes have really come of age in the last few years, there has never been a better time to get involved. If you are interested in trialling electric bicycles in your store then get in touch with a BEBA or BA member to discuss the options available to you in more detail.

www.beba-online.co.uk

Focusing on urban, utility and lifestyle bikes, ISPO Bike has opened today, running until Sunday.

The first batch of photos from the event are on our Facebook page here. Why not give us a 'like' on our FB page while you're there? You can view our second batch of pictures here and our third (and probably final) batch are here.

So far we've snapped new products from POC, fresh faced brands like Chill and what we've been told is a 'world changing tyre product'...

There's more on our Facebook page here.

Fisher Outdoors has signed an exclusive distribution agreement with South Korean lighting label Luu.

The light's key components are taken care of by some big names in the business, with battery technology delivered only in the form of Samsung Li-ion cells. This gives what the firm says is the 'longest burn time for power' of any currently lights available.

A 520 lumen Pico Pro demo unit is available to dealers on request, while the eight product strong line is arriving with Fisher from the middle of August.

Fisher Outdoors: 01727 798345

KTM has marked its 50th anniversary of cycle manufacture with a cycle to work scheme friendly £949 hardtail, dubbed the 1964.

Now in stock with UK distributor Fli, the limited edition 1964 joins over 200 other bikes now made by the Austrian label. 

Specced to 'blow the competition out of the water', the 50th anniversary hardtail is a trendy number, with Deore M615 hubs on Ambrosion Cross 27.5" rims, adorned with Schwalbe Racing Ralph 2.1 folding tyres. Gearing is a mix of XT and Deore, with KTM orange cabling added to match the accents on the frame and custom saddle, as well as the orange hangers and seatclamp.

The frame is a 650b sized KTM Ultra with tapered headtube, carrying a RockShox Reba 100mm travel fork.

Find out more about the bike on KTM's consumer and B2B websites.

Not to be confused with the parliamentary inquiry of the same name, 'Get Britain Cycling' is published by Landor Links, the publisher of Local Transport Today and a number of other transport trade journals. Landor Links organised the recent Cycle City expo in Birmingham.

The first 'Get Britain Cycling' magazine was published last year. 7000 of the new edition have been printed and will be distributed with Local Transport Today and Parking Review trade journals. The 56-page magazine will also be posted to delegates at Cycle City, and will be handed out at events over the coming year.

Editor Deniz Huseyin said: "Cycling is becoming part of mainstream transport planning and policy."

'Get Britain Cycling' has news on transport cycling and longer feature articles evaluating current cycle policies in local and national governments.

An article by John Dales of trasport consultancy Urban Movement argues that the little cash that's available for cycle infrastructure (there's potentially a lot available in London) needs to be spent wisely. He said: "There's a real danger we'll waste a large proportion of the money that's available...which could discredit and undermine the whole Get Britain Cycling enterprise."

He added: "We can't just 'Go Dutch' overnight. Physical solutions that work well in the Netherlands cannot simply be cut and pasted onto Britain's streets tomorrow and be expected to work just as well here."

Echoing this argument, there's also an article from BikeBiz executive editor Carlton Reid, warning that building cycle infrastructure in car-culture Britain works best when it goes hand in hand with restraining motor vehicle use. The wide, well-connected, fully-separated cycle infrastructure built in Stevenage in the 1960s and 1970s - what Richard Ballantine described as "a transportation dreamworld, a kind of magical Walt Disney fantasy in which everything flows with perfect smoothness and problems evaporate" - failed to attract masses of everyday cyclists because driving in Stevenage was, and is, super convenient.

A PDF version of the second edition of 'Get Britain Cycling' can be downloaded from getbritaincycling.net.