Life In The Saddle

For me, the gravel bike is everything. My skinny tyre road bike has been hung up for over a year, and my gravel bike is used for road based commuting, weekend blasts, shopping trips and bikepacking adventures. I have two gravel bikes: the Kona Private Jake and the Kona Sutra Ltd. The Private Jake is now my commuting rig, and I have been hunting for a tubeless tyre that offers speed, stability and all weather grip, both on the asphalt and for occasional off-road riding. In the Hutchinson Caracal tyre, I think I have found it. The Caracal is a 'fast' gravel tyre. It has a slick central strip, with small side knobs for added grip when cornering. The central strip allows you to roll quickly on light gravel and road based rides, and when you do lean the bike over, especially loaded, the lugs provide respectable grip. Venture offroad in wet conditions and you might be looking for more grip, but for fast summer trails without too many rocks, the Caracal is ideal. Hutchins...

Wild camping and bicycle touring or bikepacking go hand in hand. Camping in fields, on beaches, and in remote rural locations means you can choose your camping spot; allowing far more freedom in terms of route planning and far more scope to account for adverse or favourable riding conditions. Wild camping is also an incredible way to get closer to nature. It lets you experience sunsets and sunrises in secluded places, and lets you truly escape from civilisation on your bikepacking adventures. There is also the fact that wild camping is free, and it is often the only choice for back-of-beyond bicycle touring. This blog post details my personal top tips for wild camping. The advice comes from experiences on hiking trips, and bicycle touring or bikepacking adventures such as the #RoadsFromRome , #7Countries7Passes , #CelticCrossTrail , and #CoastsandCols tours. Camping in the wild is an unforgettable experience—one that should be enjoyed by all. Hopefully, this wild camping g...

The OpenRock S2 is a set of open-ear headphones that delivers on all fronts. These open-ear, hook-clip earbuds are designed to give cyclists—and all active users—a high-quality sound experience without sacrificing awareness or comfort. After a few weeks of riding with them, I am convinced that they are one of the best open-ear headphones I have tested to date. Lightweight Design Weighing in at the lowest end of its class, the OpenRock S2 is a masterclass in minimalism. Thanks to an ultra-fine titanium wire construction and a smart 3-point ergonomic support system (ear rim, ear clip, and ear wheel), the S2 rests on your ears very naturally. The design is both firm and feather-light, staying securely in place during aggressive rides, sprints, and rapid head turns. A “20° golden angle” optimizes the tilt of the earbuds to match your ear canal's natural curve, making for a truly universal fit. Unlike traditional in-ears, these do not require frequent adjustments and never cause e...

Sleep is the unsung hero of so many aspects of life. Good sleep is critical to recovery, physical performance, and mental health; for cyclists and athletes, a good night's sleep will probably make more difference than weight savings on your bike, or what you eat the night before a big ride. Yet, we do not, or sometimes cannot always prioritise sleep. There are multiple factors that can deprive us of good sleep: life factors such as work or family, as well as controllable factors known as 'sleep hygiene'. I became a dad at the start of this year – a 'life' factor, and the sleep deprivation is very real and uncontrollable. I have felt the effect on my energy levels, recovery and performance. The feeling of getting poor sleep, sometimes 2.5 hours a night for several weeks, made me realise how important sleep is to your wellbeing and your cycling. It also got me wondering, how many people suffer from poor sleep longer term? And while we cannot always control 'l...

Tubeless tyres are now widely accepted to be the best choice for gravel bikes, mountain bikes and even road bikes; but whilst tubeless technology has come a long way in the last decade, tubeless valves remain one area that has been ripe for improvement. Tubeless bicycle tyre set-ups usually use a Presta style valve, with a removable valve core to allow you to inject tubeless sealant into the tyre without removing the tyre from the rim. Yet, Presta valves have two disadvantages: First, their relatively small valve opening reduces the airflow that can be pumped into the tyre in one go, this is problematic when you want a large whoosh of air to 'pop' the tyre bead onto the rim when seating tubeless tyres. The second disadvantage is that tubeless sealant tends to clog up the delicate valve core, leading to problems inflating and deflating the tyre. Muc-Off have a solution to the downfalls of Presta valves, with their new Muc-Off Big Bore Tubeless Valves. Designed to maximise a...

Not all cycling caps are made equal. I have worn dozens of different brands and styles throughout my time in the saddle: from Gore-Tex® waterproof ones to lightweight summer ones – each has their place and virtues. It is the classic cotton casquette that I keep coming back to though: the one with a wide brim, and a soft natural fabric that only seems to get better with age. The cotton cycling cap is the perfect headwear to keep the rain off your face in a downpour, or the sweat and sun from your eyes in the summer heat. Yet, I have an issue. I have a large head. At 61cm, it maxes out most helmets and stretches most cycling caps to their limit. To avoid the circulation being cut off to my forehead (and the embarrassing red halo you are left with at the end of a ride), I have resorted to cutting the elastic from many cycling caps, and trawling the market for the largest size available. Then, I discovered Uncle Pete’s… Uncle Pete is based in Bromley, UK, and makes custom cotton cy...

The world is going electric. There are no two ways about it, electronic gadgets have been making our lives easier and faster for years, and the power of electric shows little sign of slowing up in a hurry. The new AS2 Pro Max Electronic Bike Pump from CYCPLUS is a neat little gadget that takes the hard work and frustration out of inflating your bike tyres, while being small enough it could fit in a jersey pocket. I have been testing it out, here is my review… The AS2 Pro Max is the first handheld electric bike pump I have come across to date. I have used bulky compressors and handheld CO2 inflators, but this is a reusable handheld electric bike pump that is charged up using a USB-C cable in just one hour, and can quickly inflate or top up tyres on your bike or car. The AS2 Pro Max is the top of the range model from CYCPLUS, designed to be more powerful and have a greater capacity than its two smaller siblings. It weighs in at 205 grams, and measures 60 x 32 x 81mm in size – small...

I am a sucker for bags, and a fanatic kit organiser. These two personality traits have led me on an ongoing search for the best bag for every pursuit, whether it is trans-continental bike tours, overseas travel, or a daily cycle commute. No one bag ticks all the boxes for every kind of trip, but having a multitude of bags does allow you to be super-organised and prepared for any kind of adventure… The Thule RoundTrip Bike Duffel Bag is designed to carry all your kit when you are heading to a bike race, training camp, or on a multi-day trip with your bike. Featuring dedicated storage pockets for your helmet, shoes, sunglasses, tools, and clothes; it has a place for everything, so everything can be kept in its place and easy to access. Thule bags have become my go-to luggage choice, they are faultlessly made and last for years. So, when I was looking for a bag to transport riding kit and accessories, they were the logical brand to turn to. The RoundTrip Bike Duffel is the perfect compan...

This week's review is another great product from Portland based PNW Components – their compact and comfortable Rover Hip Pack. Made from super durable sailcloth material, with an air mesh padded back panel and a plethora of pockets for all your trail essentials; the PNW Rover Hip Pack is the ideal companion for off-road adventures in the forest, bike park or on gravel adventures. I was an early adopter of the bar bag on my gravel and road pursuits (check out my previous posts on 'bar bags' ); embracing the feeling of carrying little in your pockets, and letting the bike take the load. On mountain bike adventures a bar bag is less suitable though, as they bounce around too enthusiastically; the solution is a hip pack.  A hip pack is different from a 'bum bag' – the latter is designed to sit around your hips, whereas this is really a 'waist pack' that is meant to sit higher up on top of your hip bones, around your waist. Perched on top of your hips it can com...

Over the years I have tested countless handlebar bags, both for multi-day bikepacking expeditions and for everyday adventures; in that time, I have created a mental five-point checklist of all the things a compact handlebar bag must deliver on and feature: 100% waterproof – it needs to keep its contents safe and dry; otherwise, tools will go rusty, and you will need to take it off the bike every time you wash it or ride in the rain.  Secure Velcro mounting – straps are better than buckles in my experience, causing less damage to handlebars and allowing for maximum versatility.  Below computer mounting – it needs to hang below the horizontal level of the handlebar, so it does not conflict with the computer mount, but not so low that it hits the front wheel.  Durability – it needs to stand the test of time and constant use. This means the materials need to cope with prolonged periods of dampness and the buckles or zips need to last.    Compact size – large eno...

We invest thousands of pounds into our outdoor equipment and apparel, and spend hours researching the best options to keep us comfortable, safe and fast. But, post purchase, do we invest enough time and care into looking after these investments? I am normally quite fastidious at keeping my kit clean and organised, helping it to last as long as possible and avoid premature replacement. In this pursuit, there are some tips and tricks that I have learnt through trial and error over the years. Moisture is one of the biggest enemies of both hardware and clothing. Putting equipment into storage just slightly damp is a recipe for mildew, rust and bacterial growth. From bikes to waterproof jackets, gloves to rucksacks; I have made the expensive mistake of stashing these items damp and slightly dirty, to come back a month later and find them ruined. So, what can you do? Clean It Quick Keeping kit clean is the first step. Read some of my previous posts such as ' Re-waterpro...