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Panniers all the way and
Panniers all the way and stacks of choice out there (in comparison to rack bags which are pretty limited in their capacity). They don’t slow you down either and you avoid the rucksack sweaty back. In support of rack/saddle bags, I did spy a Carradice bag the other day. Quite smart and a bit ‘retro’, but probably not cheap.They’re pretty good but
They’re pretty good but ‘thermal wise’, just as good as a thick pair of hiking socks. Stopping the water running down your legs and into the socks (already mentioned) is important.Really hard but you just have
Really hard but you just have to forget about it. I just get the axe out at home and split a few logs X( It’s worth testing out some alternative routes (Cyclestreets website is good). Sometimes a route that looks longer, isn’t and is a whole lot more pleasant.My wife’s bike has SKS
My wife’s bike has SKS Raceblades on it which go off/on in seconds and look good on the bike. I’ve got Crud Roadracers, as I’ve got more clearance, but to be honest when we get back from a winter ride, both bikes are just as ‘grubby’ so I wonder whether the Crud’s are worth the ‘faff’ of putting them off/on (and the infernal ‘scraping’ if the mounts slip). People on here rate Raceblade longs but they may not work on your bike and you need reasonable clearance between the tyre and frame.Had a MTB on the roof and it
Had a MTB on the roof and it ‘popped out’ of the support strut whilst going down a dual carriageway. Ended up hanging down the drivers side held on by the wheel straps. Scared the crap out of me! Amazingly the only damage was a slight buckle on the back wheel. Now I always have an additional ‘back-up’ securing method (strap, rope etc) even though people think I’m being paranoid.I’m heading out there in Feb
I’m heading out there in Feb for 3 weeks and the plan is to fit some sort of 5-6 day South Island cycling trip in. To take the hassle out of things we’re going to do a guided trip with a company called Adventure South (www.advsouth.co.nz). They do trails (MTB/Hybrid) or road. The website’s pretty detailed so could be a good source of info if you’re ‘DIYing’ it. That said, if you need some level of support, these companies will always arrange a bespoke service.Sign me up. 17 mile (each
Sign me up. 17 mile (each way) commute on my winter bike. Puffing like a steam engine and sweating like an old dog. Slowest time ever!Madison d’Arcs (£30ish – 3
Madison d’Arcs (£30ish – 3 types of lens) are pretty good and you can buy spares (I think) for them. They tend to come apart if you ‘squash’ them by accident but clip back together very easily.I’ve got a Blackburn rear
I’ve got a Blackburn rear light that has lasted well, although I really like Fibreflares at the moment.I do a bit of cycling in work
I do a bit of cycling in work clothes; normally when I’m in smart/casual mode, although I have ridden in a suit. Often it’s when I’m away from my normal place of work and haven’t got the usual cycle facilities. Keeping the speed down is the key, which isn’t that easy to do when you want to go with the traffic flow (safer). The other thing I do is to try and start the ride feeling slightly cold (depends on the weather) and leave off any jackets, jumpers etc, assuming I’ll warm up during the ride. Allowing a few minutes to cool off outside is also a good move which saves walking inside and breaking into a sweat. More technical fibres work better than cotton as well. I have a pair of smart(ish) Rohan trousers that got soaked from the thigh down in a cloudburst. 10 min walking around indoors and they were as dry as a bone. When I cycled in a suit I thought it’d be a disaster but it turned out to be no problem at all. It’s not hard to look smart where I work given how scruffy some people look, and they drive!I do a bit of cycling in work
I do a bit of cycling in work clothes; normally when I’m in smart/casual mode, although I have ridden in a suit. Often it’s when I’m away from my normal place of work and haven’t got the usual cycle facilities. Keeping the speed down is the key, which isn’t that easy to do when you want to go with the traffic flow (safer). The other thing I do is to try and start the ride feeling slightly cold (depends on the weather) and leave off any jackets, jumpers etc, assuming I’ll warm up during the ride. Allowing a few minutes to cool off outside is also a good move which saves walking inside and breaking into a sweat. More technical fibres work better than cotton as well. I have a pair of smart(ish) Rohan trousers that got soaked from the thigh down in a cloudburst. 10 min walking around indoors and they were as dry as a bone. When I cycled in a suit I thought it’d be a disaster but it turned out to be no problem at all. It’s not hard to look smart where I work given how scruffy some people look, and they drive!Leave them on. Between my
Leave them on. Between my road bike and hybrid commuter I’ve timed my commutes :B with various ‘go-fast’ experiments over the years and can categorically state that it makes no difference. In fact this year, apart from 2 weeks in France, I’ve just left my Crud Roadracer mudguards on my road bike. Nothing demoralises a fellow roadie than overtaking him with mudguards, rack and panniers!Mudguards… end of
Mudguards… end of conversation.Definitely! Why some people, unless you’re racing, seem completely averse to them in the winter is beyond me; they actually do keep the cr#p off you, and the bike, without slowing you down. Lots of different options depending on how much protection or versatility (eg on/off ease) you want. I think clubs insist on them if it’s wet.
MTBs are for off-road. Too many people puffing away commuting on them.
Trek Crossrip looked pretty
Trek Crossrip looked pretty good and was a ‘best seller’ in my LBS. I liked the ‘chicken brakes’ (ie on the flat part of the bar) for when you’re riding in town. One I saw had a triple chainset (not sure if it was MTB gearing) which would be pretty handy if it’s hilly where you live. Touring bike could be another option, but then I view a CX bike with mudguards and rack as a ‘lite’ tourer and better suited to commuting.I just wrote this in another
I just wrote this in another ‘thread’ but seems just as applicable here….I investigated the whole compact/triple ‘business’ when I bought a road bike and boy were there some megabytes of data on it. Opted for a compact in the end but where I live is pretty hilly so I’m occasionally out of the saddle. I was recently in the Vosges and Swiss Alps and triples were EVERYWHERE! Granted it’s a bit more ‘hilly’ but they were being ridden by ‘wiry’ locals who looked like they spent most of their spare time riding bikes. I remember a Dutch couple burning past me on a Cat 1 climb; I was in my lowest gear and they still had a few more to play with. I went into a local bike shop and was admiring a row of Orbea bikes (incl carbon); all fitted with triples and not a compact in sight. A friend of mine who has done the Etape and Marmotte said that he’d wished he’d had a triple on the final climbs. Not sure it matters what you’re riding but nothing beats overtaking someone on a hill riding a more expensive bike than yours.
