touring

Hi,
Does the "all rounder" exist?
Looking for a bike suitable for commuting, touring with racks & panniers etc some lightish off road and that won't look out of place on sportives too. Does this bike actually exist? If so what do you recommend? Thinking on the lines of specialised tricross. Any good?
Thanks
Andrew

In a similar vein to the Genesis Croix de Fer recently tested, Charge's Filter Hi is a do it all commuter, light tourer and part time crosser. Drop bars, discs, huge tyre clearances, mounts for mudguards and rack all tip a nod to the mile muncher who's happy to keep the pedals spinning whatever the weather.

Hi, I need to survive 2 nights with what I can carry on my bike. Will be staying in hotels so no tent, towels etc. needed. I don't want to fit a full rack (no upper mounts and no desire for P-clips) but also don't want to use a back pack. Has anyone got experience of the "beam" racks that clamp onto the seatpost? Are they secure or can they bounce around.

What bags are good to sit on these? I'm thinking medium would be suitable to carry a light pair of trousers, trainers, top and wash kit.

Cheers

Keat

Planning an all-day ride and worried your phone's battery will give up before you get to that final Strava segment? A battery-pack charger like the Powertraveller Powermonkey Discovery could be the solution.

Powertraveller is a British company which makes a very wide range of recharging solutions with onboard batteries. They have products to top up your phone as well as rather larger offerings to get your laptop or even your boat going.

Having on previous touring holidays used the excellent GPS Visualizer website to figure out the elevation of proposed routes, I just found this - the latest Google Maps for Android has elevation data for directions, including bike route planning - NICE.

http://blogs.computerworld.com/mobilewireless/21060/google-maps-android

The Blackburn Flea Solar 2.0 4 LED USB front light is perfect for touring and audax since it can be charged using the sun's energy - but has a USB option, an absolute godsend in dwindling daylight. However, despite these gizmos it's starting to feel dated, dare I say impotent alongside the latest generation of eighty lumen plus rivals.

The Tortec Expedition rack is a good value option if you want your bike, rather than your back, to take the strain. Strong enough for a big load and and nicely constructed, it'll turn its hand to everything from the commute to a full-on tour.

The Quoc Pham Tourer shoe is a chunky, comfortable touring shoe, for the more narrow-footed among you.

There just aren't enough nice looking, traditional leather cycling shoes on the market in my opinion. Quoc Pham stuck their big toe into the shoe arena a few years ago with their pretty 'fixed' shoe, a very slim shoe designed for toe clips.

The Charlie the Bikemonger Wisecracker spacer bottle opener is a natty piece of machined aluminium that will come in handy when you stop for a bottle of your favourite Belgium import beer.

No more chipped teeth or bent keys trying to lever off a bottle top ghetto style.

This neat device is a 3mm, 1 1/8inch headset spacer (I know, a miss match of imperial and metric units but this is how it is) with a pokey out bit (technical wordage) that can prize open the lid on a bottle (bottle opener).