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Popular posts from this blog

Review - Arkel Signature BB Waterproof Handlebar Bag

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With each additional long distance bike tour, my bikepacking kit list shortens and lightens. On returning from each trip I can usually par back my equipment based on 'use versus weight' calculations. The Arkel Bags Signature BB Handlebar Bag could well be the minimalist lightweight handlebar bag that I have been searching for to use on future bicycle touring trips.

Handlebar bags are great for stashing valuables in that you do not want to lose in the cavernous depths of your panniers. On my last few tours, such as the #CoastsandCols, #7Countries7Passes, and #RoadsFromRome, I used traditional rigid style handlebar bags or large roll-bag bikepacking handlebar bags; from brands like Arkel, Thule and Restrap. These bags were great, but they were also quite cumbersome and restricted your view of the front wheel.

The reality was that on these past bikepacking trips I used to fill my handlebar bag with everything from jars of peanut butter to rolls of toilet paper (some would say t…
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Review - PEdAL ED Polartec Alpha Tokaido Wind Vest

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The Polartec Alpha® Fabric is exceptional. Designed in collaboration with the U.S. Special Forces, it is made to be incredible light, insulating, and adaptable to varying temperatures. Japanese brand PEdAL ED have utilised the wonder fabric in the new Tokaido Wind Vest, and the results are good.

The Tokaido Wind Vest was designed by PEdAL ED after experiences in the Transcontinental Race and Silk Road Mountain Race—both ultra-distance cycling events, where kit is demanded to be super lightweight, and adaptable to incredibly varied temperatures.

The Tokaido uses Polartec Alpha in its purest form: with no internal lining or layering, so that the garment is super light and packable. On the outside of the vest is a lightweight windproof fabric to protect the wearer from wind-chill.

In terms of features, the Tokaido Wind Vest is refined for lightness. There are two large rear cargo pockets, a high-cut neckline, reflective detailing, and an internal pocket that the vest packs away into. I…
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Book Review - Mountains by Michael Blann

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I have always had a love of mountains. I grew up by the coast, but take me into the majestic land of peaks and valleys, and I suddenly feel at home. 'Mountains' by Michael Blann is the only book I have discovered that seems to be able to articulate this deep-seated emotional connection through print; it is a literal and pictographic window into the hidden beauty of the mountains of Europe.

When I have toured across Europe on journeys like the #7Countries7Passes and #RoadsFromRome, I have felt an undeniable bond with the mountains. I would ride across the plains of Germany or fields of Northern Italy and feel very much alone—isolated in a foreign land. Yet, as soon as the road turned skywards and the snow-capped peaks appeared on the horizon; then, I would feel calm and at peace—as if this was a sheltered home.

Of course, the mountains are not a sheltering landscape at all. Quite the opposite. Their unique weather systems are a game of roulette, and their slopes are perilous a…
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Kit Care – Re-Waterproofing and Restoring Waterproof Cycling Jackets

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In the 'Kit Care' series I look at how to rejuvenate and re-use well worn kit; saving you valuable money compared to replacing favourite pieces of cycling apparel. In this first post, I consider the frequent question of how to re-waterproof and restore a waterproof cycling jacket.

Waterproof shell jackets using fabrics such as GORE-TEX, Polartec NeoShell, and eVent are designed to last. With proper care and attention there is no reason the waterproofing and performance of a jacket cannot last for many seasons. The key is how to wash and treat these waterproof jackets.

GORE-TEX and other similar waterproof fabrics such as Polartec NeoShell, eVent and Conduit use an advanced waterproof membrane to provide a waterproof and breathable layer within a garment. This fabric is often coated on the outside with a DWR (Durable Water Repellent) finish — to provide the 'beading' of water that you see on the surface of a jacket.

Two problems occur when using a waterproof jacket i…
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Review - Restrap Rando Bag - Front Rack Rack-Top Pannier

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The Restrap Rando Bag is designed to be a go-anywhere do-anything front rack pannier bag; with a semi-rigid construction to make it easy to load, and extra stable. I have used Restrap's panniers, handlebar bag, and frame bags for numerous long distance tours, and they are faultless. While I have not taken the new Restrap Rando Bag on any global adventures, yet; it has been fitted to my run-around Quella Varsity single-speed bike, and it is performing very well.

The concept behind the Rando bag is that it would be ideal for a long distance randonneur (a.k.a. Audax'er) with a front rack, equally though it is superb as a daily run-around. It connects to the rack using two magnetic fasteners on the bottom front of the bag, and a tie-back strap on the rear of the bag; securely holding it in place but making it easy to remove. [N.B: you do need to use the magnetic buckle tie-back strap if you do not want to see your milk go flying down the road on the next downhill!]

The Rando bag …
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