Life In The Saddle

How can you have great coffee on every ride? How can you reduce plastic waste? How can you conform to social distancing guidelines? One simple solution, is a quality insulated coffee flask… The Hydro Flask Flex Stainless Steel Vacuum Insulated Coffee Flask is a superb example of a portable coffee solution; allowing you to take steaming hot coffee with you for those deep winter mid-ride breaks. I have always been a great fan of #coffeeoutside —it just tastes better. There is nothing like the feeling of sipping on a mug full of freshly brewed coffee sat on the side of a mountain or sheltered from the wind in a forest. Taking a hot drink with you on an outdoors adventure, particularly a bike ride, can be a little problematic though… you need a flask that is robust, leak-proof, and will keep your beverage warm for several hours. After much searching and testing, I came across the Hydro Flask Flex. This insulated bottle, when combined with the new Sip Lid, makes for the perfect cycl

I have a Victorinox Swiss Army Knife that has featured in my 'every day carry' for almost a decade; it still performs like new and is an invaluable asset. I recently discovered that the Swiss brand makes a bike tool, and I was keen to see if it lives up to the same exacting Swiss standard. The Victorinox Bike Tool is effectively a mini socket set: the magnetic 5mm hex key detaches from the tool holder and then you fit any bit piece to it: the range includes 2-6mm hex keys, a T25 Torx key, and flat and cross-head screwdriver bits. All the bit pieces are made from high tensile stainless steel and have a very good fit in bolt heads—promising not to round off fittings, if used correctly. The body of the tool also features two clip-in tyre levers that are made from strong plastic composite, and do a good job of levering stubborn tubeless tyres from wheel rims, as well as having a nice rounded profile to protect the tube. The whole bike tool weighs just 92 grams and is 100mm

In 2018, a team of dedicated cycling enthusiasts took over the colossal task of delivering an annual publication, seven days after the final race of any given season: a book 900+ pages in length, that takes you on a deep dive into the year's cycling calendar and reflects on the highs and lows of the year's bike racing. The Road Book is beautifully put together, with care and attention to detail. It includes in-depth race reports, exclusive essays, team profiles, imagery, trivia and infographics to document the events of the past season. With exclusive first-person accounts from cycling's biggest stars: including Tour de France and Paris-Roubaix winners Tadej Pogacar and female star Lizzie Deignan; as well as contributions from the best cycling writers and journalists—the book is a bible of cycling knowledge and passion. The 2021 edition, the fourth in the series, is packed with race reports, quirky statistics and infographics from the entire calendar of the men and wo

It is the time of year for chunky knitwear and cosy joggers; for winter hikes and indoor gym sessions. BAM Bamboo Clothing has got you covered for all the above, as well as offering a great number of other pieces for every casual and active occasion, with their beautiful new winter collection.  I have previously posted about BAM's range of sustainable clothing here on the blog ( previous posts ), and their kit continues to be some of my favourite every-day off-the-bike wear for both active wear and casual lounging.  Beautifully soft, stretchy, breathable and moisture wicking—bamboo trumps most synthetic fabrics in terms of its technical performance. In addition, the BAM range also includes other natural fibres such as merino wool, known for its luxurious feel and insulating properties.  This winter, I have been testing a trio of products from the BAM Bamboo Clothing AW21 range:  Bleaberry Merino Bamboo Chunky Knit Cosden Bamboo Bouldering Trousers Print On Demand Graphic T-Shirt 

How do you secure you bike when you are camping on a bikepacking trip or when you dash into a shop for a quick snack? What do you do to prevent opportunist theft? There are various 'hacks' that can help solve the problem: such as a lightweight cable lock or clipping your helmet around your wheel; however, after a lot of consideration, I decided that a motion detection alarm would be one of the lightest and simplest ways to alert you of theft attempts, while a GPS tracker would let you keep track of your bike if a theft did occur. Alterlock is a Japanese firm that have produced a compact motion detection alarm and GPS tracker for bicycles, which could provide you with the peace of mind you need to sleep soundly at night or feel confident leaving your bike outside a shop on a touring trip. The Alterlock unit is a slim plastic capsule that attaches to your bike underneath your bottle cages, using the bottle cage bolts (much like a pump bracket). The unit connects with your s

For the Wight Prestige event I had some last minute custom cycle clothing made up by a new brand on the market, Souke Sports .  The China based company offers a fast and efficient design service for custom cycling jerseys. I have been nothing but impressed by their offering... The Souke brand offers a 'semi-custom' design service; where you do not have to worry about the fabric choices, but can focus solely on your design. You do not need to be a professional fabric designer to use their 3D design tool either; it is super easy to get a great result.  One of the highlights of Souke's service is that there is no minimum order quantity; unlike large factories that require 50+ jerseys per size to be ordered, the Souke team can do single orders of one size, with a maintenance of quality level. Finally, it is QUICK. From ordering to receiving my jerseys took less that 10 days, and the brand will guarantee a 15 business day delivery time. This is incredibly impressive for a prod

In late September 2021, I welcomed an exclusive group of 20 enthusiastic gravel riders from across the country to my home soil on the Isle of Wight. The Wight Prestige #1 would be a weekend of fantastic food, countless laughs, and the best gravel bike riding that can be found on this little emerald Island off the South Coast of the UK… The click of freehubs, clink of beer bottles, and sound of Rory's Boom Pod signals the arrival of the first of the guests for the inaugural Wight Prestige. As they roll off the ferry at Ryde Pier, handing their bags to the e-cargo bike bag transfer riders, it is a relaxed and jubilant atmosphere as the sun shines down on the late September evening. We spin down the pier and along the seafront, sneaking out of town on hidden bridleways as the Friday afternoon 'rush hour' descends. Before long we are out on the Downs, and I am leading the small group up over the hill and down to the calm surrounds of the Garlic Farm on the southern side of the