Life In The Saddle

A few months back, I introduced the Australian brand Après Vélo to the blog ( Link ), and mentioned their cool and quirky approach to cycling casual wear. The TDF themed tee that I reviewed in this original piece fast became one of my favourites, and so when the Aussie company brought out a few new items last month, it seemed like a great idea to showcase them on the blog. There's not a whole lot to say about the tees themselves; other than they are very good quality, 100 percent cotton, they fit well and they last for months with continued washing and wear. I thought the best way to show how nice this casual kit is, with its multitude of designs, is with some photos... Après Vélo 'Living The Dream' Après Vélo 'The Original Search Engine' Après Vélo 'Harden The F**k Up' 'HTFU Cement Mix' There's no doubting the quality of the Après Vélo tees View the Après Vélo range at Apresvelo.com (Link)

Welcome to December. The temperatures are falling rapidly, and we've got several months of cold weather training to get through. Using good kit when you're out on your bike will make things more comfortable, but it's nice to have some comfy and warm kit to get changed into when you've finished your ride too. Enter the SUNDRiED Autumn Hoody. Earlier in the year, I reviewed the SUNDRiED Cycle Tee and Aire Sunglasses ; the SD Autumn Hoody is here to cover the colder months, and provides a great aprés ride comfort option. Made from 100% Organic Cotton; it's super soft, and has a great athletic form-fitting style. I have the medium size and it is a perfect fit. The hoodies are hand-made to order, and have a very nice bespoke look and feel to them. Quite easily one of the nicest winter warmers I've worn. Shop SUNDRiED Autumn Hoody at Sundried.com (Link)

Last week I reviewed the new adidas Supernova Winter Bib Tights and Supernova Winter Jersey (Link) ; this week I'm looking at two of their other cold weather specials - the Warm Wind Walter Turtleneck base layer and Cocona neck tube. adidas Warm Wind Walter Turtleneck Base layers play a vital part in keeping you comfortable in the winter months, wicking away uncomfortable perspiration and leaving you warm and dry. With fabric development, we're seeing new designs that have the ability to keep you warmer by also providing a wind-shielding layer. The new Cocona fabric from adidas does exactly that, and it's what makes the Warm Wind Walter Turtleneck a technical and particularly effective base layer option in cold conditions. The 'Warm Wind' element of this garment's design relates to the Cocona fabric panel that is used on the front of the torso. This fabric, combined with the high cut mock turtleneck, means that your core benefits from an additional wi...

Most of us that have a Garmin or similar, will likely link it to a heart rate strap. These straps are a simple fabric band that you wear around your chest, which transmits your heart rate to your device (normally via ANT+ or Bluetooth). Heart rate straps have a number of disadvantages though: they can feel restrictive, they can slip down, they need washing and they don't last forever - there was a demand for an alternative, and it's arrived in the form of optical heart rate monitoring found in the Mio range. The Mio Alpha and the MioLink measure your heart rate at the wrist, using an optical sensor to monitor your pulse. The sensor is a tiny square on the back of the watch, and either side of it is a small green light that is shone onto your wrist to help the sensor's recording capabilities. The technology does away with the need for a chest strap completely, and provides a neat solution for those that want to monitor their heart rate with ease, and for prolonged pe...