The Week Issue 718 p32

The best … bicycle accessories

Teacher’s notes
1. Write the names below on the board in the order listed, going from the most obscure to the
most closely identifiable with cycling. Alternatively, display them on an IWB/OHP. Ask
students to guess the connection between them.
a) Bern Brentwood
b) Specialized Mini Wedge
c) Topeak Joe Blow Sport
d) Rapha Stowaway Jacket
e) Topeak Hexus Multitool
f) Cateye EL135 and LD130 Light Set
g) Bicygnals
h) Pedalite
Answer: they are all products connected with cycling.

2. Give out copies of Worksheet 1 and ask students to match the products with the names on
the board.
Answers:
1 c; 2 a; 3 g; 4 h; 5 e; 6 d; 7 f; 8 b.

3. Ask students to work in pairs and try to rank the products in order of price, from cheapest (1)
to most expensive (8).

4. Give out copies of The Week Issue 718 p32. Ask students to read the description of each
product and check their answers to activity 3.
Answers:
1 b; 2 e; 3 f; 4 c; 5 h; 6 a; 7 g; 8 d.

5. Give each student a copy of Worksheet 2. Ask students to work individually or in pairs to
answer the questions. Point out that where a question has more than one answer, the
answers can be given in any order. Note: this is a typical question type in Cambridge ESOL
Reading exams.
Answers:
a Rapha Stowaway Jacket; b Specialized Mini Wedge; c Topeak Hexus Multitool (in any order)
d Cateye and Light Set
e Bern Brentwood
f Bicygnals
g Specialized Mini Wedge; h Topeak Hexus Multitool (in any order)
i Rapha Stowaway Jacket; j Bern Brentwood (in any order)
k Topeak Joe Blow Sport
l Pedalite; m Topeak Joe Blow Sport; n Bern Brentwood (in any order)
o Topeak Joe Blow Sport.

6. Finally, ask students to decide which THREE of these bicycle accessories they would most like
to own (assuming, of course, that they are keen cyclists). Ask them to compare and justify
their preferences in small groups, then to report back their group’s conclusions to the rest of
the class.

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The Week Issue 718 p32
The best … bicycle accessories
7. Explain that the product descriptions contain some good examples of language used to market
or sell a product. Ask students to turn over the copies of p32 (or temporarily collect them in
if you prefer), and give each student a copy of Worksheet 3. Ask them to work in pairs or
small groups to try to add the missing words in the extracts from the product descriptions.
Note: the gapped items have been chosen because they are examples of language which is
often employed in advertising, including specific stylised phrases (‘You won’t find more … for
your …’), examples of cataphoric reference (‘Perfect for …, this discreet saddle pouch …’),
use of imperatives (‘Replace your standard pedal …’), use of conditional forms (‘If you don’t
want your head …’), use of emphatic forms (‘way less effort’; ‘at the very least’; ‘…is a must for
long rides’), etc.

8. Ask students to turn the copies of the texts over again and check their answers by referring
back to the texts. Go through any issues which arise. These may include the use of ‘must’ as
a noun, the use of ‘very’ to pre-modify the superlative form of an adjective, and the use of a
compound adjective to replace a relative clause (‘easy-to-read’). Explain that the extracts
exemplify the way language is used in advertising. Write the list of techniques below on the
board or display it on an IWB/OHP. Ask students to work in pairs to find one or more
example of each technique in the texts.
a) implying that a product improves your safety
b) implying that a product saves money or energy
c) implying that not having the product makes you foolish or inadequate in some way
d) highlighting a significant improvement on what was previously available
e) stating specific circumstances of use which people can relate to
f) appealing to your vanity
g) highlighting the product’s convenience and/or simplicity
h) detailing other unique selling points (USPs)

Suggested answers:
a) ‘to make yourself more visible from the side’
b) ‘You won’t find more beam for your buck’; ‘will last up to 80 hours on a single set of
batteries’; ‘They don’t require batteries’
c) ‘is a must for long rides’; ‘… will want to carry, at the very least, …’; ‘If you don’t want
your head to look like the nose of a fighter jet …’
d) ‘Replace your standard pedal with …’; ‘… requires way less effort than your standard
bicycle pump’
e) ‘Perfect for city commutes’; ‘Perfect for a long ride’; ‘Anyone embarking on a long cycle
ride …’
f) ‘If you don’t want your head to look like the nose of a fighter jet …’; ‘beautifully slim-cut’
g) ‘they can be easily screwed on by hand’; ‘requires way less effort’; ‘easy-to-read’; ‘thin
enough to stow in a back pocket’; ‘… which simply straps to your saddle rails’; ‘all in a
compact 160g package’
h) ‘includes a twin head’; ‘What’s more, they’re wireless’; ‘It boasts 16 functions, including …’;
‘sports … vents’; ‘a summer liner with a detachable visor’.

Note: You may wish to draw attention to the description of the Topeak Joe Blow Sport as a
‘stay-at-home pump’. Here, a potential disadvantage of the product (the fact that it isn’t
portable) is presented as a selling point!

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The Week Issue 718 p32
The best … bicycle accessories
Follow-up activities:
1. If you have internet access, ask students to look for further examples of the techniques
explored in activities 7 and 8. You could use the following sites:
http://www.gadgetspy.co.uk
http://www.firebox.com.

2. Ask students to work in pairs or small groups to invent a new product. This could be a bicycle
accessory or any kind of accessory or gadget. Ask them to write a brief description of their
product, using appropriate examples of the language and techniques from activities 7 and 8.

3. Show students the description below and ask them to guess what the product is. Then ask
them to work in pairs or small groups to write a similar ‘sexed-up’ description of another
ordinary, day-to-day product, as if they were trying to sell it, but without mentioning its name.
Have them read out their descriptions to the rest of the class to see if the other students can
guess what the products are.

‘Anyone worried about needing to write a short note or letter to a friend at a time when they
don’t have access their Blackberry or iPhone will want to carry one of these nifty, lightweight
and easy-to-use devices. Available in a range of attractive colours, and compact enough to fit
in a pocket or bag, they are a must for all your everyday communication needs. What’s more,
they don’t need electricity!’

Answer: a pen!

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The Week Issue 718 p32
The best … bicycle accessories

Worksheet 1

1 _________________________
This stand-up, stay-at-home pump ‘requires way less effort’ than your standard bicycle pump. It
also has an easy-to-read gauge to help you reach the exact tyre pressure required, and includes a
twin head to take both valve types.

2 _________________________
If you don’t want your head to ‘look like the nose of a fighter jet’, try one of these softer-looking
cycle helmets. The Brentwood is light and ‘sports enough vents to keep your head cool’, while a
summer liner with a detachable visor keeps the sun out of your eyes.

3 _________________________
These ‘nifty’ front-and-rear lights have a useful and innovative feature: you can indicate your turns
with a flick of the thumb to show drivers where you are heading. What’s more, they’re wireless.

4 _________________________
Replace your standard pedal with these pedal lights to make yourself more visible from the side.
They don’t require batteries – a dynamo system means they generate all the electricity they need
as you pedal.

5 _________________________
Anyone embarking on a long cycle ride will want to carry, at the very least, a spare inner tube,
some tyre levers and a pump in case of puncture. This multitool contains all that, and more. It
boasts 16 functions, including a range of Allen keys, screwdrivers, a chain tool and tyre levers that
detach from the handle, ‘all in a compact 160g package’.

6 _________________________
The Rapha water-resistant jacket, thin enough to stow in a back pocket, is a ‘must for long rides
on all but the clearest days’. This ‘beautifully slim-cut jacket’ will let moisture out, but is
impervious to wind and rain.

7 _________________________
‘You won’t find more beam for your buck – or for the size of your lights’ than on this set. Perfect
for city commutes, they can be easily screwed on by hand (no need for screwdrivers) and will last
up to 80 hours on a single set of batteries.

8 _________________________
Perfect for long ride, this ‘discreet saddle pouch’, which simply straps to your saddle rails, is an
excellent place to stash a spare inner tube, tyre levers and a multitool.

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The Week Issue 718 p32
The best … bicycle accessories

Worksheet 2

Which product(s) …

1. … are particularly useful if you are going a long way?

a ____ b ____ c ____

2. … is good for people who cycle to work?

d ____

3. … is designed to improve the way you look?

e ____

4. … has been specifically designed not to need connecting cables?

f ____

5. … are ideal for people worried about getting a puncture?

g ____ h ____

6. … have been designed with the weather in mind?

i ____ j ____

7. … is not designed to be taken on a cycle ride?

k ____

8. … are improved versions of existing products?

l ____ m ____ n ____

9. … has been designed for use with two different kinds of bicycle?

o ____

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The Week Issue 718 p32
The best … bicycle accessories

Worksheet 3

1. You won’t __________ __________ beam for __________ buck …

2. __________ for city commutes, they __________ __________ easily screwed on by hand
…

3. __________ your __________ pedal with these pedal lights …

4. They don’t __________ batteries – a dynamo system __________ they generate

__________ the electricity they __________ as you pedal.

5. __________ stand-up, stay-at-home pump ‘requires __________ less effort’ than

__________ __________ bicycle pump. It also has an __________-__________-read
gauge …

6. The Rapha water-resistant jacket, thin __________ __________ stow in a back pocket, is a
‘__________ for long rides on __________ __________ the clearest days’.

7. What’s __________, they’re wireless.

8. __________ for a long ride, __________ ‘discreet saddle pouch’, __________

__________ straps on to your saddle rails, is …

9. __________ embarking on a long cycle ride __________ __________ to carry, at the

__________ __________, a spare inner tube, some tyre levers …

10. This multitool contains all __________, and __________. It __________ 16 functions,
__________ a range of Allen keys, screwdrivers …

11. __________ you __________ __________ your head to ‘look like the nose of a fighter jet’,
__________ one __________ __________ softer-looking cycle helmets.

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