Life In The Saddle

As the time of the Grand Depart on the #7Countries7Passes tour approaches, this is the kit that has made my final selection for the 3,000 kilometre journey from Copenhagen to Andorra. Read more about the #7Countries7Passes trip here Below I have linked through to the product that I will be using, where possible; so that you can find more detail about the items selected. If any of the kit changes between now and the departure, I will update the below lists (and eventually photos) to reflect the change. The Kona Rove Ti First up, the bike. The Kona Rove Titanium. This bike has already been on some great adventures in 2017, such as the Dirty Reiver Gravel Race . For the  #7Countries7Passes  tour this bike has had a bit of a road-orientated overhaul. It includes fitting a Kinesis ATR Disc Fork, rather than the Lauf suspension fork; changing the handlebars and seat post to alloy options (following a crash back in April); altering the gearing for fully-laden tou...

It's the time of year for stockings! That means small gift ideas, which won't break the bank; but which would put a smile on any cyclist's face on Christmas morning. For higher value 'main present' items, check out my other post ' Christmas Gift Ideas for Cyclists 2016 ' In this post, I've picked out a selection of great items that I have reviewed this year; to hopefully spark some ideas of what you could fill a stocking with... Restrap Bags - Musette, Key Clip, Belt and T-shirt I used the framebag and seatpack from Yorkshire-based Restrap for my ' Coasts and Cols ' tour; both impressed, with their handmade build quality. These five little accessories similarly display the care that the brand puts into its products. First, there is a soft cotton tee; boldly stating "Made in Yorkshire". Second, an elasticated webbing belt; with Restrap's patented magnetic buckle. For your ' Every Ride Carry ' there is a brill...

'Running' perhaps isn't the only adjective that should be used to describe taking on last weekend's OMM in the Galloway Mountains, Scotland. You should also add 'Climbing', 'Scrambling', 'Hiking' and most definitely 'Bog Bashing' to the list; it is a running orienteering event of pretty extreme proportions... Friday saw us drive from Portsmouth to the Galloway peninsula in South West Scotland; a casual 15 hour journey by minibus. We picked up my running partner Ben in Penrith enroute, and completed our four man team from Wiggle. Welcomed at midnight by the cheery OMM team, we settled down for a few hours sleep, not sure what to anticipate from the next day's race. The OMM is a running orienteering event series, with events in the U.K., France and even Japan. The events all hold the same format: on the start line, teams are given a list of checkpoints out in the mountain wilderness - each one is worth a different number of 'p...

This September's ' Coasts and Cols ' touring trip will be my first proper bikepacking expedition. In 2011, I rode a 'lite-touring' set-up, for the France and Spain Tour ; but my bikepacking set-up varies significantly, both in terms of luggage and equipment. When I rode the France and Spain tour, my luggage system consisted of a rear rack, with panniers and a rack-top bag. The set-up was heavily rear laden, and consequently rather unbalanced; so for this trip, I've opted for a more evenly weighted distribution; with small front panniers and a handlebar bag, countered by a bikepacking seat pack. My equipment choices have also developed significantly since 2011. I was still a student during that tour, which meant everything was a bit basic; from the steel Peugeot touring bike, to the £40 dome tent. It all worked, but it wasn't exactly state-of-the-art. This trip, things are a bit different; having reviewed and worked with products in the bike industry fo...

Christmas is coming, and that means stockings! In this post, I thought I would feature fifteen of the best cycling products that I've tested over the last year. They are all ideal stocking fillers, which don't cost the earth and would be ideal gifts for anyone that is into cycling. From energy bars to tyre levers, there's a real mix... Bounce Balls Bounce Balls are tasty little energy snacks, which are packed full of natural goodness. They contain carbohydrate from rice bran and starch, and whey protein to keep your muscles in shape. As a Christmas themed option, the new Cacao Orange flavour is seriously tasty with a morning coffee! View the Bounce Balls range (Link) Tate Labs Bar Fly SLi Mounts Keep handlebars clutter-free with an out-front mount. These new SLi mounts from Tate Labs are the best that I've used; I have the Bar Fly Sli BAM to hold a GoPro and Garmin Edge on my road bike, as well as the SLi-D MTB mount on my 35mm mountain bike bars. There...