Derby Cycle's new plant produces 100,000th bike

Kalkhoff manufacturer Derby Cycle have recently opened an additional factory in Quackenbruck, near their headquarters in Cloppenburg, Germany. The 100,000th bicycle rolled out of the new factory last month and now both production lines are running. Bike EU reports:

“We are proud of this successful production start and of the fact that we could build up the production without any subsidies,” emphasized Derby Cycle managing director Mathias Seidler at the celebration get together. “With the new factory we could expand our capacity considerably.” Some 800 bicycle are produced daily in Quakenbrück, while the factory is supplied by Derby’s headquarter in Cloppenburg several times a day.

“The factory takeover guarantees the bicycle production in Quakenbrück. We are glad to have a production facility with a trained and experienced staff,” says Seidler “to further expand our international growth”. Derby Cycle claims to be the third-biggest bicycle manufacturer in Europe and markets brands such as Kalkhoff, Focus, Rixe, Raleigh, Univega and Diamondback.

Derby Cycle employs some 85 people in Quakenbrück. In the course of the takeover the company had retained 22 workers from the former Kynast Bike GmbH and had firstly trained them in the headquarters in Cloppenburg. Overall the Derby Cycle group employs almost 600 workers. The company’s 2008 turnover stands at about € 129 million.

From http://www.bike-eu.com/news/3304/former-kynast-plant-facilitates-derby-cycles-growth.html

See and Be Seen - Winkku Cycle Safety Mirror & Light

Order Winkku from 50cycles - Free UK Delivery and Duracell AA batteries included!

Winkku combines a flashing direction indicator and mirror, together with nighttime 'running lights', all in a compact unit that fits on the end of your bike's handlebar. We spotted this nifty cycling accessory at the Cycle Show and knew many of you would see the value of fitting it to your bike.

We only stock the smartest accessories and this is a very smart piece of kit. Order yours from 50cycles and we'll throw in postage and 3 Duracell batteries for free.

Read more on our site at Winkku Cycle Safety Mirror, Indicator and Lights

Quote of the week 'Simply the best all-round electric bikes you can buy' David Henshaw of A to B magazine describing the Kalkhoff Agattu and Pro Connect in the March 2009 issue

Latest Electric Bike Finance Options at 50cycles

Finance options on all our models have proved to be a hit. The latest bikes are now coming in, but there are only limited models of each, so it's a good idea to get the ball rolling on your order now. And of course, your installments don't begin until the bike is delivered.

All you need do is get in contact (by phone, email, online form, callback request, live chat) and we'll take you through the application process. It doesn't take long and in most cases we can confirm approval in a couple of minutes.

Of course, you can still pay with your debit or credit card, or through the cycle to work scheme. But if you're keen to spread the cost of ownership more evenly, have a look at what's on offer at 50cycles.

Special offers

We have a number of bikes held at 2008 prices at the moment, as well as £30 off the Dublin Yakkay helmet style. See them all on our new electric bike offers page.

Yakkay Ear Warmers (Yes, Ear Warmers!), Pin Stripe and Furry Cycle Helmets

Tokyo Pinstripe	Paris Herringbone with Yakkay ear warmers	Luzern White	Luzern Black

We have a number of new styles and Yakkay's new ear warmers in stock. The ear warmers can be fitted to the straps of any Yakkay helmet, including the new Tokyo Pinstripe and furry Luzern styles. There's free shipping in the UK and we've also reduced our delivery charges to the rest of the world.

Yakkay helmets have proved enormously popular since we first launched them last August.  

The feature of being able to wear a helmet with a unique style and change the look of it with other covers in seconds has clearly appealed to the chic international cycling set, with customers as far afield as New York, South Korea and New Zealand.

We now have a selection of their latest styles in stock. Visit our Yakkay pages to see them all.

Happy New Year & happy cycling, whatever the weather or prevailing economic conditions!

The 50cycles Team

Winkku safety mirror and indicator for cyclists

We first spotted the Winkku at last October's London Cycle Show as their stall was opposite our own. We just knew we had to offer them to our customers. 

It's a compact little unit that combines a rear-view mirror, turn indicator and nighttime running lights. Being aware of approaching traffic and being visible other road users are the keys to cycle safety, so we really recommend them to all our customers. 

They're easy to fit to any of the bikes in our range and we even include the three Duracell AA batteries you'll need to get started, all for £29.95 including UK delivery. 

Read more about the Winklu at 50cycles electric bikes.

Ford & Vauxhall announce steep car price rises

The cost of motoring continues to soar, with the prices of new cars soaring just as sales plummet. Basic list price of a new Ford Focus is up £867 to £13,435. This is due to the weakness of Pound Sterling against other currencies, most importantly the Euro, and is hot on the heels of last week's Government bail-out of the car industry.

More from the BBC

Get on your bike for a no-sweat workout

A new study shows that intense exercise for as little as 6 minutes a week has significant health benefits. Bursts of exercise, such as short sprints on your bicycle can help prevent diabetes and heart disease according to Dr Jamie Timmons, and exercise biologist at Herriot-Watt University in Edinburgh.

In simple terms, these intense spurts of activity burn up energy stores in the muscles, allowing more blood sugar to be absorbed and taken out of your system before it damages your body.

So next time you're out on your electric bike, get the nearest Lycra-clad cyclist in your sights and go hell for leather to catch them up, overtake them and leave them in your slipstream - it'll do you no end of good.

Thanks to the ever-interesting and informative BoingBoing blog for this story