Life In The Saddle

My monthly visits to Copenhagen have re-introduced me to the world of city commuting. I keep a singlespeed bike out at the GripGrab HQ, and ride the 15 kilometres across the city between my hotel and the workplace. Those city miles are beautiful; often punctuated with a cinnamon bun at a local bakery, they ease me into the start of the day and give me time to reflect at the end. City cycle commuting to a smart office requires a certain kind of cycle wear. The distance is not far enough to warrant full Lycra leggings and a close-fitting jersey, but you want comfortable and tough clothing that will withstand the rigours of a 30-minute ride at either end of the day, and still get you to your workplace in a clean and presentable state. The Vulpine Rain Trousers are the UK brand's answer to those city commutes – when the weather is against you. With a classic style, they are a tough, comfortable and practical pair of water-resistant cycling trousers, which look as at home on t...

Last year I wrote a post 'What's in Your Gravel Adventure Handlebar Bag?' – it proved to be popular, perhaps because it provided a glimpse into my personal choices for my ride support kit. In this post, I turn to my road riding set-up, which is distinctly different from my gravel bike bag—with a lighter weight and more streamlined kit.  An obvious difference with my road handlebar bag is that to keep weight down, I also use a saddlebag on my road bike to house my tool kit, spare tube and repair kit. I also store my pump on the frame of my road bike rather than in the handlebar bag—to further distribute weight. I do not do these two things on a gravel bike because these two areas tend to receive too much in the way of wheel spray and muck. Omitting the tool kit from the line-up, you will see that my adventure road cycling handlebar bag is also subtly different in design and contents… Apidura Racing Handlebar Bag Mini Pack I have long admired Apidura kit, and their new ...

Big wheels on modern 29er mountain bikes demand flat top bars; they allow you to achieve that low powerful position for speed and efficiency. Extra bar width is also a real virtue—letting you to pump the bike over challenging terrain, and to keep control of your steering as you tear through the countryside. The Ultimate USE RIP handlebars were a much warranted and long-awaited upgrade to my trusty Pivot Les 29 mountain bike. This bright orange bike is approaching its ten-year anniversary, with countless race miles on all kinds of terrain across Europe, from the Dolomites to the forests of Denmark. The core of the bike remains the fantastic carbon fibre frame that I first enjoyed in 2013, but over the years I have been progressively upgrading the bike rather than splashing out on a new ride. The Ultimate USE RIP Flat Carbon Handlebars were designed for aggressive XC riding and racing. Their flat profile, with an eight degree sweep and 720 mm width, provide a powerful low position ...

This exciting new book is the latest release from single-speed round-the-world cyclist, Markus Stitz. It is a collection of 26 gravel routes across the British Isles, curated by Markus by visiting gravel cyclists from all walks of life, and documenting their favourite off-road rides. As a friend of Markus, and many of the local riders within this book, I was sure that this would be a fantastic read. It has not disappointed. Each route has a detailed route description, a map of the trail, public transport details and attractions to explore, cafe and pub recommendations, and a list of local bike shops and bike hire providers. On top of this there are downloadable GPX files for all the routes – making this an essential companion for every gravel rider in Britain that wants to explore new areas. Markus commented: “ I was curious about the places gravel bikes take us to, but I was even more interested in the people whose infectious enthusiasm makes gravel riding as vibrant as it is. ...

TRI- FIT aim to become the world's leading triathlon apparel brand – creating clean, modern and practical premium level triathlon clothing using only the finest fabrics and latest design technology. The TRI-FIT SYKL PRO Black Edition Long Sleeve Jersey and TRI-FIT SYKL PRO SKIN Bib Shorts have become one of my favourite riding outfits this season, thanks to their unique design and superb quality. Review – TRI-FIT SYKL PRO Black Edition Long Sleeve Jersey The TRI-FIT SYKL PRO Black Edition Long Sleeve is designed to be the perfect long sleeve cycling jersey; featuring a unique dual-purpose double layer rear pocket, a fantastic race cut and state-of-the-art fabrics. The jersey is constructed from an astonishing six different fabric types. On the front, a technical MICX fabric provides a close-fitting aero cut, then a soft cooling horizontal strip fabric on the rear aids with heat reduction and moisture management. Further extra moisture wicking fabrics have been used for high sw...

Many know the Isle of Wight for its spectacular road cycling routes, but one of the better kept secrets is the vast network of varied and challenging off-road gravel bike routes that is waiting to be explored. Last September, I launched the inaugural edition of The Wight Prestige , in collaboration with The Garlic Farm. The three day event offers gravel cyclists with a bespoke experience weekend: discovering hidden gravel trails, eating sumptuous locally produced food, and staying in one of the beautiful yurts at The Garlic Farm. A Weekend of Gravel Cycling on the Isle of Wight The weekend shapes up like this... On the Friday evening, riders are met off the Wightlink Fast Cat at Ryde Pier Head, and their baggage is transferred safely back to The Garlic Farm by electric cargo bike. Riders then have just a short warm up spin to get over the Downs and reach their base for the weekend at Mersley.   On arrival, guests check into their four person yurts (bookings must be made in a g...

A good bicycle multitool is like a Swiss army knife—you do not appreciate what an asset it is until you really need it. The new Pro Bike Tool 20-in-1 Multitool is a compact and lightweight bicycle tool, made to an exacting high-quality standard. A great companion for any ride.  Much as you might not appreciate your pocketknife until the moment you need to open that package, or uncork that bottle of wine, or tighten that screw, or gut a fish… a bicycle multitool will often lay unused in a saddlebag or jersey pocket, until that moment that you really need it. When that time arises though, you will appreciate having a top-quality tool. Cheaper bicycle multitools might round-off bolt heads, rust, or even snap with enough force—leaving you stranded at the side of the road or trail. A quality bicycle multitool will allow you to tighten that bolt, adjust that screw, or fix that chain—getting you back underway as soon as possible. The Pro Bike Tool 20-in-1 Multitool is a strong example o...

100 percent organic, natural and vegan. The range of energy bars, energy gels and hydration drink mixes from Rawvelo offer a natural fuelling solution—to keep you energised as you ride, and guilt-free about your impact on your body and the planet.  Plant-powered sports nutrition is the way forward, in my opinion. It is kinder on your body and kinder on the planet. Organic energy products are still hard to come by though, so I was interested to try the bars, gels, and hydration drink mixes from Rawvelo. Rawvelo Energy Bars Review The Rawvelo Energy Bars are organic and vegan; designed to offer a sustaining source of low-GI energy to keep you reliably fuelled as you ride longer distances.  The bars are made from wholefood ingredients such as fruit, nuts and oats; with a nutritional profile that is packed full of natural vitamins and minerals. Naturally occurring protein also helps to aid recovery and reduce muscle damage on long endurance rides, while the absence of refined...

I have always loved using a bike to get to places. I don’t particularly enjoy car or plane travel, but the feeling of arriving in a faraway destination under your own steam is truly unique and magical. The travel restrictions of the last few years put on hold many of my point-to-point bikepacking plans, but I have been rekindling the pursuit of ‘going places’ in the last few months… The #NorthWestRoad was designed by my riding buddy Joe and I, to make for an easily executed but interesting three day trip through England and Wales. Starting from home on the Isle of Wight, the route would take us north through the New Forest and Wiltshire to our first overnight stop in the Cotswolds. Things would then get progressively lumpier on day two – starting out with the hills of Gloucestershire and Herefordshire, before crossing the border into Wales and enjoying the undulating lanes of the Wye Valley; our overnight camp spot for the second day would be close to Welshpool, well into north...