Life In The Saddle

" You're reviewing cereals on your blog now?! " is the response that I expect many of you had when you saw the title of this post. Yes. Yes I am. Because, cereals and healthy snacks are just as important to a cyclist's diet as the energy bars, drinks and recovery products that you use. What you have for breakfast before your training ride, will undoubtedly have an effect on how well you perform out on the bike. Rude Health is a UK based company, who produce a wide range of products from cereals to snack bars; all of which seek to taste great, but also provide you with an easy and convenient healthy option. I've been trying out a selection of their products over the last few weeks, and I think they tie in very well with the demands of a cyclist's diet. They're natural, low in fat, high in complex carbohydrates, and most of all, they taste rather good. Here's what I thought of the range... Breakfast! Rude Health Daily Oats Porridge, Ultimate Gr

If you commute every day of the week, then you're left with the dilemma of kit transportation to and from your workplace. Having used a whole array of rucksacks, courier bags and rack packs, I keep coming back to the pannier as my preferred option. A pannier allows you to carry heavier loads without damaging your back; it lets you keep the weight low on the bike to increase stability; but, most of all, it avoids you turning up to work with a sweaty rucksack shaped patch on your back. It's the sensible option, in my opinion. Thule has produced some great bicycle luggage in their foray into the market; I've previously reviewed the Thule Enroute Escort Daypack and the Thule Pack n Pedal Trunk Bag . Both bags impressed me with their quality and attention to detail in design. With the pannier still being my preferred commuting option though, I was keen to see how the Pack n Pedal Commuter Pannier would fare in daily service. Unlike the Ortlieb Classic Roller , which is

How do you make a set of overshoes more interesting? They're neoprene booties that keep your toes snug and your shoes clean, right? How about adding some lights! This is a cool new product from SealSkinz. SealSkinz first real venture into the overshoes market appears to be a good one; they've taken a traditionally fairly ordinary product, and added something new and useful. A simple battery-powered 4 lumen light, in the heel of the SealSkinz Halo booties, means they do something I've never seen in overshoes before... they act as a safety device. It's not an overly radical idea, but it's an idea that makes a lot of sense. If you've ever ridden behind someone at night, who has reflective detailing on their shoes, you'll know even the smallest reflection shows up very well because of the speed at which your feet rotate at. Adding a powered light to your heel, could do wonders for your rear visibility. Aside from the flashing light, SealSkinz seem to hav

Doing serious miles, and spending hours on end in the saddle, requires a unique kind of nutritional plan. When I say ' Endurance Riding ', I don't mean 3 or 4 hours; I'm talking 8-24 hours in one shot, a real masochistic assault. Putting your body through long arduous rides like this, brings about the need for a new approach to nutrition. No longer can you get away with pumping yourself full of simple sugars; suddenly you need to consider nutritional options that will keep you fuelled for longer, keep your stomach settled, and help repair and rejuvenate your muscles as you ride. With the above in mind, I thought I'd share the kind of things that I chose to eat on my endurance rides in 2014: from the Dragon Devil , to the  New Forest 200  and the Trafalgar Way 24hr ride . Hydration The first and most important part of any nutritional plan, is to ensure you stay hydrated. Without sufficient body fluid, you'll quickly start to feel limp and life

There aren't many things more dampening to your spirit, than being stood at the side of the road, fixing a puncture; especially in the cold, wet and dark weather of the UK winter. However good your tyres are, eventually you'll inevitably end up getting that deflated feeling. Tannus is a Korean company that for 10 years has been developing a product that could completely eliminate the chance of a puncture... a solid foam tyre. I was handed a set of the latest Tannus Aither 1.1 Tyres to test a month ago, and after several pothole induced punctures this winter already, I was keen to see how they would fair on my commuter. Fitting The Tannus tyres are available in both a 26 inch moutain bike version, and a variety of 700c road/touring options. I had a set of the 23c Aither 1.1s, and fitted them up on some Mavic CXP22 rims - my usual commuting option.  The tyres fit to the rims using a multitude of plastic pegs, which snap into the rim bead and then hold the tyre

Winter riding is when good kit really plays a part; not just in ensuring your comfort, but also making sure you have the continued ability to get out and explore on your bike. Cold extremities, whether it be numb fingers or frost bitten toes, are a potential game-stopper. Luckily though, with the advances in kit technology in the last few years, there are solutions to keep you riding for hours and hours, even in sub-zero temperatures. My chosen kit for my feet and hands comes from Danish brand GripGrab ; this kit is quite easily the best protection for your extremities that I’ve found. In this blog, I consider some of my go-to accessories, which get used time and time again in the cold months of winter. GripGrab Hammerhead Overshoes Easily my favourite overshoes on the market, and I think I've got most of the Isle of Wight team loving them now too; the GripGrab Hammerhead  is a superb combination of waterproofing, windproofing and thermal insulation. They're made of

Bike lights haven't changed much for a long time. Yes, USB charging has made things easier and battery life has got substantially longer; but in essence, they come on and stay on, flashing or constant, and do that until you switch them off again. See.Sense lights represent a significant change in ideas though, and the company that started up on Kickstarter has made a rather cool new bike light, that responds to its environment and to the rider. See.Sense lights use a combination of motion, light and orientation sensors, to tailor their light output to make you more visible to other road users and to conserve battery life. If you're happily pedalling along a long, smooth and empty road, the light will flash less frequently; if you suddenly have to swerve to avoid a pothole, throw the bike around, or you get passed too close by a vehicle, then the light lets out a sudden burst of flashes to alert other road users to the danger. It's a responsive solution, which seems pret