Life In The Saddle

The #NorthWestRoad is a three day micro-bikepacking adventure. Starting in Lymington on the South Coast, it will take in the English regions of the Cotswolds and Gloucestershire hills, before heading into Wales through the Wye Valley and up to the Shropshire Hills; the micro-adventure ride will then finish in the city of Manchester. The route promises to be varied and challenging route, with daily mileages in the region of 180 kilometres—mostly on small country lanes and B-roads. This is the kit that I have personally selected for this micro-adventure bikepacking tour... Luggage and Camping Kit Arkel Orca 25 Small Waterproof Panniers Prototype Frame-bag BTR Waterproof Wedge Saddlebag BTR Deluxe Pannier Rack Top Bag Nordisk Telemark 1 LW Lightweight Tent Rab Neutrino 400 Down Sleeping Bag Vaude Performance Sleeping Pad Rab Incline Light Lightweight Casual Shorts Rab Infinity Microlight Down Jacket GripGrab Merino Tee Polygiene PackTowl Microfibre Towel OverBoard Waterproof Bags  ...

Smith make exceptional bicycle helmets and cycling sunglasses. I have used their accessories for many of my past trans-continental bikepacking tours, because they are exceedingly comfortable and built to offer the highest level of protection. The Smith Trace MIPS Helmet and Smith Optics Attack Max Sunglasses are new releases from the Italian brand. They have fast become my go-to choice—offering the highest level of performance, comfort, design, and protection. Review – Smith Trace MIPS Bicycle Helmet The new Smith Trace MIPS Helmet builds on the strengths of my favourite Smith Overtake Helmet; with subtle design tweaks to supply added comfort and flair. Like the Overtake, the Trace helmet uses Smith's signature Koroyd technology. This honeycomb polymer structure material is built into the shell of the helmet; its superb impact resistance has allowed Smith to reduce the overall weight of the helmet by minimising the volume of the helmet's shell material, yet still offeri...

I have become an avid fan of the Smith brand over the last five years; their products are exceptional in quality level and comfort, as well as being some of the best value cycling helmets and sunglasses on the market today. Review ­– Smith Persist Cycling Helmet The new Smith Persist Cycling Helmet is a fitting example of the innovation and development that the Smith brand puts into its products. Despite it being one of the lower priced helmets within the Smith helmets range, it holds some of the most developed comfort and protection technologies seen in the world, as well as some of the best styling. The classically shaped and smoothly contoured helmet features a multitude of vents that suck air through the helmet and deliver an impressive cooling effect for those sweltering summer days. A comfortable adjustable chin strap keeps the helmet in place, and inside the antibacterial padding offers good comfort and moisture wicking capabilities. The outstanding thing with the Smith Persist...

The Smith Express MIPS Helmet is designed for urban cycle commuting and errand runs. With its high visibility yellow colour, integrated rear light, clip-on visor, and MIPS protection, it is the ultimate helmet for style and safety on the city streets. I have become an ardent fan of the Smith brand in recent years—choosing their helmets to wear on my last two long-distance cycle tours (the #RoadsFromRome and #CelticCrossTrail ) because of their superb comfort levels and safety ratings. When the new Express Urban Helmet was released earlier this year, I was intrigued to see if it could offer the same level of comfort and protection for everyday shorter-distance rides. The Express helmet is designed to look like the classic bucket helmet, with few vents and a wrap-around coverage. This helmet style was originally popular with skating and BMX riders, but over time it has also grown increasingly used by urban commuters and city cyclists—who value its robustness, weather protection, and sup...

The Smith Ignite is a cycling helmet that looks fast, feels fast, and provides impressive protection for your head. The Italian brand has utilised the latest in material technologies to deliver a lightweight, exceptionally comfortable helmet, which also performs very well in wind tunnel tests. I have become a real fan of Smith's helmets; using their Overtake helmet for both everyday wear and on my two long distance bikepacking tours in the last two years — the #CelticCrossTrail and #RoadsFromRome . The Smith helmets are uniquely styled, but also have a clear focus on safety. They remain comfortable in a variety of weather conditions, and feature a number of genuinely useful design aspects. The Smith Ignite MIPS helmet is designed as a dedicated aero road cycling helmet. It has been shaped to provide a slippery surface, and constructed using aerodynamically efficient Aerocore technology — which maximises air through-flow to offer maximum cooling, and a minimal drag factor. ...

As the darkness creeps in, a pair of cycling glasses with photochromic or light enhancing lenses is a real must; providing valuable protection from grit and spray, but not darkening or impairing your vision. The Smith Optics Ruckus glasses are an exceptional quality option from the Italian brand, featuring both lens options — for all riding conditions. Cycling glasses do a lot more than just shield your eyes from the sun's glare — they also protect your eyes from wind, dirt, insects, and road/trail debris; making them an invaluable year-round accessory. For mountain biking in shaded forests, and when road cycling in low light conditions, you want either photochromic reactive lenses or amber tinted light-enhancing lenses. The Smith Optics Ruckus Sunglasses are pitched as mountain biking sunglasses, but I have also found them to be a fantastic choice for road and gravel riding in all light conditions. They come with a photochromic reactive ChromoPop lens, and a high clarity ambe...

The #CelticCrossTrail will be a 2000 kilometre journey from Inverness to the Isle of Wight; encompassing many parts of the Highland 550 Trail in Scotland, the Wild Atlantic Way in Ireland, and the Brecon Beacons in Wales. The route will offer up a diverse and incredible mix of scenery and terrain. From the rugged Highlands and North Coast of Scotland, down the Mull of Kintyre, then across to Ireland by ferry. On Irish soil the route heads out to the Atlantic coast to see the iconic cliffs and harbours of the exposed western shoreline. Then, turning south and east, the path goes across the Irish Sea from Rosslare to Fishguard, and the journey continues through Wales, down to Bristol, and back to the Isle of Wight. See the route map here . 12 days of riding, through some of the most remote regions of the British Isles. This is the kit that I have personally selected for the tour... Luggage and Camp Kit Prototype Waterproof Panniers Prototype Waterproof Frame Bag Prot...

The Smith Optics Overtake Helmet and Attack Sunglasses were my headwear of choice for the #RoadsFromRome tour, and they surpassed all my expectations. With Italian styling, and a superb build quality; this helmet and pair of sunglasses have a unique look, but equally exceptional performance. Smith Optics Overtake Helmet Review Most people will recognise the Smith Optics Overtake Helmet from the distinctive horizontal vents on the front of the helmet, as well as the pointed rear section, and the honeycomb like internal structure. All of these are unique design features, but they are also features that help to explain the great performance of this helmet. The Overtake helmet is constructed in a complex five layer system, illustrated in the image below. This includes a skeletal outer shell, carbon fibre reinforcements, high volume EPS foam, and Smith's  Koroyd material. Labelled the AEROCORE™ construction, it is designed to improve airflow, while also providing far grea...

The #RoadsFromRome will be my third trans-European bike tour. It is interesting to compare my set-up from the #CoastsandCols and #7Countries7Passes  rides; things have evolved, developed, and been refined over the last three years. Kit selection for a bicycle touring / bikepacking trip like this is a very personal choice, so here is a run down of the apparel, accessories and gadgets that are coming along for this year's 2500 kilometre ride... Luggage and Camping Kit My luggage and camping kit largely come from two brands: Thule and Vaude. The lightweight one-man tent, summer weight down sleeping bag, and casual shorts and tee all come from Vaude. The small pannier set and handlebar bag provide a well-made fully waterproof luggage solution from Thule.   Thule Shield Rear Panniers Thule Shield Handlebar Bag Restrap Frame Bag Small  [ reviewed here ] Vaude Lizard GUP 1P Tent Vaude Rotstein 200 Down Sleeping Bag Vaude Sleeping Pad Vaude Thermal Seat C...