All posts tagged: cycling

20 minutes of cycling can make your brain fitter

20 minutes of cycling can make your brain fitter

Published by Jenni Sidey

Even a brief time spent on a bedside pedal device has positively impacted an area of the brain related to memory, according to recent research published in Brain Communications. In a study involving 14 participants suffering from medically intractable epilepsy, researchers recorded activity in the brain before and after the participants engaged in approximately 20 minutes of light to moderate cycling. After cycling, the participants showed a higher incidence of fast electrical bursts (known as “ripples”) in the hippocampus. This is a well-known brain structure involved in learning and memory. For several years, scientists have been researching these ripples and their role in helping the brain sort and organize new information and replay memories. However, this study was unique because the authors were able to view the patterns directly in a human brain via intracranial electroencephalography (iEEG). This is an uncommon type of monitoring used for patients undergoing pre-surgical evaluation. Exercise has physiological effects throughout the body, including on brain activity. In the current study, participants aged 17–50 who were evaluated for epilepsy surgery at …

20 Minutes Of Cycling A Day May Boost Your Memory

20 Minutes Of Cycling A Day May Boost Your Memory

Published by Sam Flores

We already know that exercise seems to reduce dementia risk (a 2022 paper found that walking 3,800 steps a day may lower your likelihood of developing dementia by 25%, with increasing benefits up to 9,800 steps). Even when it’s not directly dementia-related, movement appears to improve memory and thinking skills. A recent paper, published in Brain Communications, has found that 20 minutes of cycling a day can create “ripples” in the brain that might help us to process and store information more efficiently. How did cycling seem to affect participants’ memory? The research involved 14 participants aged from 17-50. They tracked their brain activity before and after 20-minute stationary cycling sessions through an intracranial electroencephalography (iEEG). The iEEG measures electrical activity in the brain, which provides an added layer of detail. Previously, scientists had noticed “ripples” in the minds of rats, which were believed to improve their memories after exercise, though these had not been seen in humans before. But the iEEGs in this research saw similar results after the participants completed their exercise. Speaking …

Greg James: 9 Highlights From His Longest Ride Comic Relief Cycling Challenge

Greg James: 9 Highlights From His Longest Ride Comic Relief Cycling Challenge

Published by Sam Flores

Greg James (pictured on the right with Prince William) has been cycling for the last six days as part of a Comic Relief challenge Every year, Comic Relief sees different celebrities taking on a variety of grueling challenges in the name of fundraising – and Greg James’ latest is an especially mammoth one. The Radio 1 host is currently in the middle of an eight-day cycling challenge that will take him 1,000km from Weymouth to Edinburgh, eight years on from his last physical endurance test. Over the last week, Greg has received a wave of support from the British public as he slogs his way through the task – particularly as he announced he’d still be going ahead with it in light of the news that his father had suffered a stroke. As you’d expect from any long-running stunt involving Greg, there’ve been plenty of memorable moments so far, and here are just some of the highlights… 1. Prince William surprises Greg James for a spot of tandem bike riding View this post on Instagram …

Brompton Electric T-Line Folding Electric Bicycle Review: Pocket-Sized Pedal Power

Brompton Electric T-Line Folding Electric Bicycle Review: Pocket-Sized Pedal Power

Published by skeptic

Disappointingly, Brompton hasn’t given the T Line Electric any more speed for US-based riders, so I’m afraid you’re limited to the UK speed limit of 15.5 mph instead of the Class 1 pedal assist maximum of 20 mph. I first came across the e-Motiq system in 2024, when I tested the larger 20-inch Brompton G Line. This powerful rear-mounted motor, which can hit 20 mph, offered a more stable ride compared to the front-mounted design, and being pushed definitely feels more natural than being pulled along. The redesign also keeps the weight at the rear, so the folding mechanism remains balanced. There are three power-assist levels available here, plus Push Assist (more on that below), and the e-Motiq system also adjusts based on your own riding style. It monitors pedal force and cadence. How often you stop and start and over your first 62 miles on the bike tweaks how the power is used. This isn’t to eke out out extra mileage, but to make your ride smoother and more natural. During testing, I barely …

Paris Mayoral Race Tests Support for Green Transformation

Paris Mayoral Race Tests Support for Green Transformation

Published by Sam Flores

PARIS, March 13 (Reuters) – Marion Soulet rides to Paris’ City Hall along a once ⁠car-choked ⁠road that is now a cycleway and a symbol ⁠of the French capital’s urban green transformation that faces a test in a mayoral election on Sunday. Soulet welcomes the construction of ​about 1,000 km (620 miles) of cycle lanes by leftist Mayor Anne Hidalgo over the last decade, which she says means nearly half of Parisians now ride a bicycle at least once a ‌week. “The more the city is redesigned to accommodate it, ‌the more cycling increases,” Soulet, head of the Paris en Selle cyclists’ group, told Reuters after rolling to a halt following her ride along the Rue de Rivoli. “People like it because ⁠it’s easy, inexpensive, and ⁠fast.” The push to transform Paris from a polluted metropolis into a “15-minute-city” of bike lanes with more trees ​is the result of efforts by Hidalgo and her leftist predecessors, who have run City Hall for a generation. That ecological legacy faces a reckoning in Sunday’s election, with Hidalgo …

Short Bursts Of Cycling Leads To Brain-Boosting BDNF Spikes, Study Finds

Short Bursts Of Cycling Leads To Brain-Boosting BDNF Spikes, Study Finds

Published by Sam Flores

!function(n){if(!window.cnx){window.cnx={},window.cnx.cmd=[];var t=n.createElement(‘iframe’);t.display=’none’,t.onload=function(){var n=t.contentWindow.document,c=n.createElement(‘script’);c.src=”//cd.connatix.com/connatix.player.js”,c.setAttribute(‘async’,’1′),c.setAttribute(‘type’,’text/javascript’),n.body.appendChild(c)},n.head.appendChild(t)}}(document);(new Image()).src=”https://capi.connatix.com/tr/si?token=8b034f64-513c-4987-b16f-42d6008f7feb”;cnx.cmd.push(function(){cnx({“playerId”:”8b034f64-513c-4987-b16f-42d6008f7feb”,”mediaId”:”567053a0-c86a-4707-b2f4-65c4e0d1c1af”}).render(“69aff3fce4b07e0eaa231634”);}); Exercise is amazingly good for your brain. Even a 10-minute walk might help to improve your mood, focus, and reaction time; 150 minutes of activity a week could keep your mind younger for longer. A new paper published in Brain Research has suggested that short bursts of exercise could increase people’s brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), linked to the health and growth of brain cells. BDNF has been described as a “fertiliser for the brain”. 15 minutes made a lot of difference to unfit participants  In this research, the scientists took participants (aged 18-55) who weren’t physically active and asked them to take part in a 12-week programme with short cycling sessions, three times a week. They looked at factors like the participants’ VO2 max (or their ability to use oxygen efficiently during exercise) and BDNF, both before and after the 12-week scheme. They also completed tasks which were designed to test their attention, reaction times and memory. And scientists looked at the activity in their prefrontal cortex, which is linked to …

7 Best Cycling Bibs of 2026 for Riding in Style

7 Best Cycling Bibs of 2026 for Riding in Style

Published by Jenni Sidey

If you’re reading this then I don’t have to tell you how great cycling is: Low-impact cardio that gets you outside (often with friends), breathing fresh air, and chasing the adrenaline surge of a blistering descent. Dialing in your cycling kit—maybe snagging a helmet and a jersey—is half the fun, and now all you need is a cycling bib. Dedicated cycling bib shorts really are a non-negotiable if you’re looking to level up from casual cruiser to VO2 maxxing fitness enthusiast. They’ll keep you far more comfortable as you begin to increase mileage, and the chamois, or giant pad, is designed to fit comfortably on your sit bones and create an extra layer of insulation between you and the bike saddle. If you’ve seen a cycling saddle then you’ll understand the importance of this addition—they’re not exactly built for comfort alone. In addition to providing comfortable padding for your nether regions, cycling shorts are built to wick away moisture and provide gentle aerodynamic compression. They also often come with additional storage pockets. Don’t let a …

What’s an E-Bike? California Wants You to Know

What’s an E-Bike? California Wants You to Know

Published by skeptic

A few months ago, a family came into Pasadena Cyclery in Pasadena, California, for a repair on what they thought was their teenager’s e-bike. “I can’t fix that here,’ Daniel Purnell, a store manager and technician, remembers telling them. “That’s a motorcycle.” The mother got upset. She didn’t realize that what she thought was an e-bike could go much faster, perhaps up to 55 miles per hour. “There’s definitely an education problem,” Purnell says. In California, bike advocates are pushing a new bill designed to clear up that confusion around what counts as an electric bicycle—and what doesn’t. It’s a tricky balance. On one hand, backers want to allow riders access to new, faster, and more affordable non-car transportation options, ones that don’t require licenses and are emission-free. On the other hand, people, and especially kids, seem to be getting hurt. E-bike-related injuries jumped more than 1,020 percent nationwide between 2020 and 2024, according to hospital data, though it’s not clear if the stats-keepers can routinely distinguish between e-bikes and their faster, “e-moto” cousins. (Moped …

Best Ebike Locks (2026): Kryptonite, Litelok, Abus, Hiplok

Best Ebike Locks (2026): Kryptonite, Litelok, Abus, Hiplok

Published by skeptic

Some bike lock makers provide their own internal security ratings for guidance. Those can be helpful, but the most secure locks we’ve tested use standard ratings from objective sources, including Sold Secure, which offers ratings of multiple vehicle types between Bronze and Diamond, and ART, which uses a number scale from 1 to 5. So what do these ratings actually mean? Here’s a guide to two of the top lock-security firms and their rating systems: Sold Secure was established in 1992 by Northumbria and Essex police in the UK. The brand is now owned and operated by the Master Locksmiths Association, a not-for-profit trade group. It uses a four-level rating system, as listed below. Sold Secure Rating Levels: Bronze (lowest, secure against basic tools); Silver (midrange, secure against enhanced tools/determined attacks); Gold (second best, resistant against dedicated tools/attacks); Diamond (highest, resistant against destructive attacks and “special tools”). The firm also uses separate ratings for different vehicle types, like bikes versus motorcycles (which it now calls pedal cycles and powered cycles, respectively). For example, the Hiplok …

15 Best Electric Bikes (2026), Tested and Reviewed: Commuting, Mountain Biking

15 Best Electric Bikes (2026), Tested and Reviewed: Commuting, Mountain Biking

Published by skeptic

Other Ebikes We Like Bike Friday All-Day Photograph: Adrienne So Bike Friday All-Day for $5,600: Bike Friday bills the irresistibly tiny All-Day (7/10, WIRED Review) as the world’s lightest Bosch-powered ebike, and it’s true. You can customize all the colors and components of this folding electric bike, and it has a surprisingly powerful motor for its size. The Brompton above is more widely available and easier to use, but I love this little bike a lot. Radio Flyer Via Pro for $2,900: Editor Julian Chokkattu could not have had a better experience than this easy-to-use and easy-to-assemble class 2 electric cargo bike. For more info, check out our guide to the Best Electric Cargo Bikes. GoTrax Mustang for $1,799: We liked the Mustang, which is a surprisingly punchy little bike for just the right price. However, it only comes in one size so you should try it if you can before you buy it. Aventon Level 3 for $1,899: The Aventon Level 3 is an easy-to-ride ebike that features a clean, step-through design and every …