Life In The Saddle

A good set of tools, whether for the home workshop or for your saddle bag, are one of the best investments you can make as a cyclist. Buy cheap and I can almost guarantee you will have to buy again; and as cheap tools wear out, so too do they often wear out your bolt heads and risk damaging other components. Buy quality tools, and they may well last a lifetime. Pedros make high-quality tools; in fact they compose a significant portion of my home workshop tool-chest. The distinctive yellow label is a sure fire sign of quality; in this post I take a look at two of their innovative multi-tools and their floor pump... The Pedros Trixie Singlespeed Multi-tool I don't own a singlespeed at the moment, but I do own several old style bikes, which tend to utilise bolts and lock rings rather more than their modern siblings. Therefore, I've still found the Trixie a very useful bit of kit. The tool is precision cut out of one piece of metal; making it super strong and durable. T...

Ragpicker is a London based firm, run and owned by a small group of dedicated road cyclists. It was set up following the success of British cyclists in London 2012, and aims to produce a selection of classic, innovative and beautiful kit for road riders. When the firm was first set up, they kindly sent me their classic cycling caps to use (you have probably spotted them on the blog in photographs). As the firm expands, they are adding to their range, and their Pro-Race Summer Socks are the latest piece of stylish kit I have had to review from them. Firstly, I would like to point to the great value. The socks come in a three pack of green, pink and dark blue, all for a superb price of £20. Cycling socks are expensive, by sock standards, but these are a great value option by any reckoning. Second up, the styling: classic white with colour bands. These are socks that will complement almost any race strip, and although using white socks in wet conditions will almost certain...

SportPursuit has been very kind to the blog, even when I was starting up at a grass-roots level. They've offered continued support through advice, and they've helped out with prizes for competitions that I've run. Because of their great support, I'm keen to give a shout out for the awesome promo offer that they've got running at the moment... If you sign up to SportPursuit (which is free, and simply allows you to hear about the great flash sales that are going on at the moment), you will currently get £10 added to your account immediately to get you started in the sales! The sales that SportPursuit have are great; offering discounts of up to 70% on brands such as HighFive, Nectar, Sugoi, Dare2B and Skins, as well as many many more. I've reviewed a number of the brands that sell on SportPursuit , and they've all been very impressive. If you're looking for some serious discount kit, it's a great place to take a look. To sign up, and get your...

A company review is not something that I've blogged before; I've mentioned my Favourite Bike Brands  in a previous post and discussed why British companies often win my heart (and wallet) over for their understanding of the consumer. SportPursuit is something a bit different though, not a brand as such, but a UK company that is well worth knowing about because of the massive discounts that they provide. The company is the UK's leading 'Outdoor Specialist Flash Sale' site. So what's a 'Flash sale'? Well... " A 'Deal of the Day' or 'Flash Sale' is a type of e-commerce, by which a website will provide certain products at large discount for a short period of time. Members of the site can receive these online offers and are notified of which sales are currently in session. " SportPursuit  does just that then; when you visit their website for the first time you will be asked to Join Up , a simple case of entering your name ...