GO GADGETS: Ecofriendly city-dwellers will be sorted next month, with the Government's cycle-to-work scheme providing tax breaks to offset the cost of a bicycle.
Those living a little farther out of town may be put off by the thought of headwinds, hills and arriving at work in need of a shower. There's a solution: Dublin firm KenBay's electric bicycles (gents', mountain and ladies', €1,200, www.electric bikes.ie). An overnight charge from a domestic power socket will add about 8c to your power bill and provide enough charge for a 60-100km cycle, says KenBay. The 250w brushless electric motor mounted below the saddle "can propel the rider and 24kg alumium-framed bike up steep hills", and the effort required to pedal is no more strenuous than pedalling down a moderate hill, the Tallaght firm says. Electric bicycles are included in the tax-break scheme.
• Electric bikes still get flat tyres, so a pump and a Muji bike multitool (€15 www.muji.eu, Chatham Street, Dublin) would be sensible additions to any cyclist's saddlebag. Any repair job that is beyond the capabilities of the array of screwdrivers, nuts, tyre levers, Allen keys and puncture patches probably requires the full workshop treatment.
• Patagonia's ultraheavyweight socks (€30, www.patagonia. com/web/eu, with an outlet store on Exchequer Street in Dublin) may come in handy (or footy) for cycling through January snowstorms, although these quick-wicking socks are really for more extreme weather pursuits, such as skiing, ice-climbing and mountaineering.
• aharvey@irishtimes.com