Category: Cars and Bikes

Simply using a bike is eco-friendly enough, but the Calfee Bamboo Bike takes things a step further – as the name suggests, it is made out of bamboo.

Don’t worry, it’s still solid enough for everyday use or racing. Each frame is built to order (which makes it unique), with the bamboo heat-treated and smoke to prevent splitting. A coating of Tung oil then seals it up and gives it a distinctly vintage look. Obviously some things aren’t made of bamboo (everything buy the frame in fact), but you get the point.

Going green isn’t cheap though – these retail from £950 from the company’s dealers – which includes the newly-opened Eco in London.

Find out more at the Calfee website

London is getting an urban bike-sharing scheme – and 6,000 retro-styled bicycles as part of the deal.

The Velib Bike program has already been a success in cutting congestion in Paris and there are high hopes for the same in London. Those 6,000 ‘granny’ bikes are said to be anti-fashion to cut down on theft – and with a design that’s so obvious, everyone will know it’s not yours to keep.

There will be a small cost for the rental, with the first 30 minutes free to everyone, and a £1 charge for every half hour afterwards. The bike stations will take up existing parking spaces and will be installed every 300 metres in the City and the West End. New safe cycling routes are also being introduced to support novice cyclists.

Find out more at the Velib website (French)

Via Inhabitat

The first of the new Fiat 500s are now on the streets of the UK – and soon they’ll be everywhere. But if you want to stay ahead of the crowd and have money to burn, you could get the Fiat 500 Pepita, modified by Studio M in Italy.

And when we say modified, we mean in terms of finish rather than engineering. It’s got a covering of 24 carat gold paint, Swarovski crystals embedded into the  gear stick, hand brake and pedals, not to mention cashmere floor mats, gold-painted alloy wheels and a choice of crocodile, snake, shark, skate or lizard to cover the seats.

Obviously that all bumps the price up a bit – 60,000 Euros to be precise.

Find out more at the Fiat website

Looking for a good street bike with some classic styling? You might want to check out the Cannondale Vintage Ultra.

It’s got everything you’ll require for the mean streets of your town or city, along with that vintage look, throwing in a classic “Brooks” leather saddle, front and rear lighting systems, racks, chainguards, fenders, straps, bells, kickstands, pumps and locks with a folding key.

The only downside is the price – one of these will cost you around £1,200 from your local Cannondale retailer.

See the full specification at the Cannondale website