Life In The Saddle

If there is one tool type that should feature in every home bicycle workshop, it is a T-Handle set. This seven-piece set from USA brand Feedback Sports is faultless in its quality and design and will be a true companion for a life of bike wrenching.

The Feedback Sports T-Handle Tool Kit comprises of seven T-handle wrenches: hex keys in 2.5mm, 3mm, 4mm, 5mm, and 6mm; then a T25 TORX key wrench. This set should cover you for almost all jobs on a modern bicycle.

The complete set is housed in a professional looking TPU coated water-resistant case for easy transportation and storage; the case also has room for a few other tools that you might want to take in your must-have toolkit.

The professional level tools are made from S2 grade stainless steel, which is incredibly durable even with daily use. Feedback Sports are so confident of this quality that they offer the product with a Lifetime Manufacturer's Warranty. Certainly, all other Feedback Sports products I have used to date have …

Hanging your bike by its top tube against a wall is a safe and secure way to store it; freeing up floor space and reducing the risk of it being knocked or falling over. The Universal Bike Wall Mount from Pro Bike Tool is one of the most innovative and effective bike wall storage solutions that I have come across.

The simple and highly adjustable design of the Pro Bike Tool Universal Bike Wall Mount is capable of accommodating road, cyclocross, mountain bike or hybrid bikes. This is something that does not hold true for a number of bike wall rack designs.

The Pro Bike Tool design is based on two pivoting arms, which can be adjusted in span to accommodate different lengths of top tube. Two TPR plastic cradles on the ends of these arms then hold the frame in a secure but gentle rest.

To allow the rack to accommodate different handlebar widths the arm cradle unit can be moved in or out from the wall by varying degrees; so you can set it to a depth that keeps the handlebars tucked in as cl…

This November, I headed to the Black Forest in Germany to explore what the area has to offer for gravel riding. What I discovered was an incredible landscape of gravel tracks and single-track roads; over deserted mountain peaks and through colourful autumn forest. This was one of the best micro-adventure explorations I have undertaken to date.

I utilised Komoot's mapping facility to plan the three day exploration of Schwarzwald. The German mapping service proved its worth with great success; my routes linked together 'highlights' inputted by the Komoot community, and the resulting trails and paths were perfect for gravel bike riding.

My social media posts and photos tell the story of this three day exploration; but the best way to really explore this hidden gem of a region would be to plan a trip here yourself.

The idea and attraction behind a gravel bike is that it can go anywhere, and ride anything. That robustness and versatility does not have to mean performance sacrifice though; fitting a carbon wheelset like the Parcours Alta wheels to your gravel bike will provide a lightweight but incredibly versatile upgrade.

My Kona Private Jake has over 27,000 kilometres on its frameset to date and has eaten through multiple wheelsets and drivetrains in its lifetime. Yet, fitting the Parcours Alta wheels to its go-anywhere chassis has been one of the most dramatic upgrades I have experience.

The Alta wheelset is named after the most northern town in Norway — alluding to the claim that if you need a wheelset to take you far out into the back of beyond, then these should be your chosen hoops. My riding certainly pushes the boundaries of 'Gravel' — I often ride off-road trails on my gravel bike that are firmly in the mountain biking category, as well as riding my gravel bike fully loaded with…