Buying-guide header photographs
Illustrative English riding photograph, not a bike tested for this guide. Thet Tun Aung / Pexels. Illustrative pannier, not a compared model. Pexels photo 11243244.
Buying-guide product images
- Riverside 500 low step-through: Decathlon.
- Trek FX 1 Gen 4: Trek.
- Trek FX 2: Trek.
- Giant Escape Disc 2 (2024): Giant.
- Specialized Sirrus X 2.0: Specialized.
- ORTLIEB Back-Roller 20L: ORTLIEB.
- ORTLIEB Sport-Roller Pair: ORTLIEB.
- ORTLIEB Velo-Shopper: ORTLIEB.
- Brooks Scape Large Pannier: Brooks.
- Topeak Pannier DryBag: Topeak.
Real photography
UK canal and towpath — Jan Wright / Pexels (photo 36165526). New York bike lane and Brooklyn Bridge — Allen Boguslavsky / Pexels (photo 30344329).
- New York bike lane with the Brooklyn Bridge in the background. Archive photograph; not the October 2026 works. Photo: Allen Boguslavsky / Pexels.
- Cycling in the English countryside; illustrative photograph, not a specific funded project. Photo: Thet Tun Aung / Pexels.
- Photo: Bara Cross / Pexels.
- Two mountain bikes parked in a forest — Bara Cross / Pexels
- A rider with a G-FORCE electric bicycle — G-FORCE Bike / Pexels
- A cyclist on a winding road in the English countryside — Thet Tun Aung / Pexels
Stock photo: bicycle by an Amsterdam canal. Photo by _ Harvey / Pexels.
Used under the Pexels licence. Stock imagery supplies visual context; it does not represent our own product tests or endorsement by the photographer.
Brand comparison photographs
Trek FX 2: Trek. Sirrus X 2.0: Specialized. Folded Brompton C Line: Brompton. Manufacturer photographs illustrate the products discussed; configurations may vary.
Illustrated guide walkthroughs
The four-stage teaching images in the guide library were generated with OpenAI image generation in October 2026. They illustrate general actions, not product tests, athlete equipment photographs, certified fitting arrangements or documented routes. Original manufacturer and location photographs retain their own credits. Technical instructions come from the written guide and the specific equipment’s manual.
Utrecht cargo bike
Bullit Clockwork cargo bike by Brbbl, photographed in Utrecht on 3 October 2018, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Wikimedia’s resized image is used without content alteration; cards may crop its display. The image and any displayed crop retain that licence. It illustrates cargo cycling in the event’s city and does not depict the 2026 festival.
London cargo-bike debate
Cargo Bike at Paddington Central by Oliver Dixon, 8 March 2016, via Geograph/Wikimedia Commons. Licensed CC BY-SA 2.0. Image content unchanged; cards crop its display and retain the image licence. The photograph illustrates cargo cycling in London; it does not depict anyone in the debate or establish a business’s current operations.
Travel video thumbnails
The travel recommendations display the original YouTube thumbnails for GCN’s King Alfred’s Way film and Bike Trekking with Karl’s Danube film. Images are linked directly to their respective videos, are not edited and remain the property of their creators. No endorsement by GCN is implied.
Coast and Castles: Newcastle towards Edinburgh
Bamburgh Castle, Northumberland, May 2025. Photo: Malcolm Neal. Source photograph · CC BY-SA 2.0. Unedited photograph scaled for display; illustrative destination view, not confirmation of route alignment or current surface conditions.
The Loire: choose a stretch, not a mileage target
The Loire at Amboise, France, October 2019. Photo: Rolf Kranz. Source photograph · CC BY-SA 4.0. Unedited photograph scaled for display; illustrative destination view, not confirmation of route alignment or current surface conditions.
Equipment guide and news photography
Buying-guide product images
- CatEye AMPP500S: CatEye.
- CatEye AMPP900: CatEye.
- Lezyne Micro Drive 800+: Lezyne.
- Lezyne Lite Drive 1200+: Lezyne.
- CatEye ViZ300: CatEye.
- Litelok X1: Litelok.
- Hiplok D1000: Hiplok.
- ABUS Granit XPlus 540: ABUS.
- Kryptonite Evolution Mini-7 with cable: Kryptonite.
- ABUS Bordo 6000K/90: ABUS product photograph supplied in the Sold Secure product listing.
Product photography
Official downloadable press and media-library assets used to illustrate the products discussed in our editorial buying guide.
- Thule Epos in use. Official Thule press photograph.
- EasyFold 3 attachment detail; shared design across the range. Official Thule press photograph.
- VeloSpace 3 attachment detail; shared design across the range. Official Thule press photograph.
- OutPace carrier. Official Thule press image.
- UpRide roof carrier. Official Thule press image.
- Bones EX three-bike rack. Official Saris media-library photograph.
Buying-guide header photographs
Illustrative headlight; not a compared model or UK road scene. Markus Winkler / Pexels. Illustrative cable lock, not a recommended primary lock or a model compared below. Markus Spiske / Pexels.
Real photography
- Illustrative tyre photograph; this is not an affected Ridgeback model. Photo: Ivan S / Pexels.
- Illustrative e-bike photograph; no scheme membership or endorsement is implied. Photo: Team EVELO / Pexels.
- Inspect the donor bicycle before choosing a conversion kit. Photo: Rehook / Pexels.
- A cyclist preparing to ride. — Pavel Danilyuk / Pexels
- A bicycle carried on a car roof rack. — Ivan S / Pexels
- An indoor cycling session. — Dmitry Limonov / Pexels
Photos used under the Pexels licence.
Equipment explainer photographs
Colnago Y1Rs detail: ENVE, accompanying its 24 July 2026 Tour de France bike-check article. Workshop photograph: Rehook / Pexels, used illustratively in the Shimano and SRAM explainer.
Helmet-fitting instructional images
Original AI-generated instructional illustrations, created with OpenAI image generation in October 2026. They show measuring, positioning, rear adjustment and buckle location; they are not product-test photographs. Follow the written guidance and your helmet’s instructions.
Illustrated guide walkthroughs
The four-stage teaching images in the guide library were generated with OpenAI image generation in October 2026. They illustrate general actions, not product tests, athlete equipment photographs, certified fitting arrangements or documented routes. Original manufacturer and location photographs retain their own credits. Technical instructions come from the written guide and the specific equipment’s manual.
Giant SureLock recall photograph
The illuminated key image is reproduced from the CPSC recall notice solely to identify the recalled item and communicate the notice. CPSC’s reuse policy permits distributing recall notices with their product photographs. Use does not imply endorsement.
Electric bicycle conversion kit
Photo: Mibicielectrica, 27 September 2017. Original photograph, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Used without editing, scaled for display. Shows an example kit with no battery pictured; not a recommendation of this specific product or confirmation of UK road legality.
Bike Trekking with Karl: number plates feature
Original video artwork supplied by Bike Trekking with Karl and reproduced with the creator’s permission. Original video.
GCN road-safety feature
The official YouTube video thumbnail is displayed from YouTube’s image service to identify and link to GCN’s original video. Thumbnail artwork belongs to its respective rights holders. The separately licensed Oxford photograph remains in the article.
The Plain, Oxford, photographed 28 July 2009. Illustrative archive view, not a still from the film or a current layout survey. Photo: Steve Daniels / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0. Used unchanged, scaled for display; cards crop the photograph.
