Rucksack vs pannier for commuting

by

When I first started cycling into town, I used a rucksack. It wasn’t a conscious decision. I already had a rucksack, so it was easiest to just use this for cycling. After a few years, I was tired of carrying a heavy weight on my back so bought some panniers. It was a great relief to get the weight off the back and onto the bike, and I’ve never gone back to rucksacks, unless I can help it.

Cyclists -backpacks

Looking at cyclists in Oxford, there seems to be a rought 70/30 split between rucksacks / other-bags and panniers.

panniers-waiting-cyclists

If you can tell such a thing, the more ‘serious looking commuters’ are more likely to have panniers. The more ‘casual looking cyclists’ are more likely to have rucksacks. In a way this is what you would expect. When I started cycling, I use a rucksack for convenience, but as I spent more time cycling, you start to think of investing in better equipment – panniers and pannier rack was one of the first investments.

Read more

Ortlieb Back Urban Pannier Review

by

The Ortlieb urban pannier is a sturdy construction of waterproof materials. It has a 20 litre capacity and even can be adapted into using as a rucksack.

ortlieb-panniersThe bag is well made and looks quite good. As commuting bags go, the coffee linen material is quite stylish.

Ortlieb panniers come with quite a high price tag – £65, but as a compensation it is well made, although I’ve only had a few weeks, it gives the impression of being long-lasting.

With 20 litres capacity, you can fit quite a lot of shopping in there. The above photo was taken with just a laptop inside. It looks a little floppy.

I use a pannier back for commuting into town. I often fill it up with shopping so am looking for a robust pannier bag, that you can also sling over your shoulder.

Specifications
Height: 42cm
Width: 23cm
Depth: 17cm
Weight: 850 g
Volume: 20 Litres
QL2.1 mounting system for racks with max. 16 mm tube diameter
ortlieb-full1
Full with shopping.

Attachment to panniers

ortlieb-fixing

To attach to the panniers there are fixing hooks which slide onto the top of the pannier. When you lift up the bag, it automatically unlocks these hooks. That is quite ingenious and useful for a quick getaway. The downside is that sometimes these locks stop the bag sliding onto the pannier in the first place, and you have to make a quick adjustment.

Read more

Stop and start

by
winter-mud

It’s the time of the year when I would like to be impressing my readers with tales of daring winter rides through the biblical floods of South Oxfordshire or the frozen lanes of the Chilterns.

In previous years, I’ve told about epic homemade sportives like the “Hell of the B4135 and related minor roads” – mud, potholes and lonely winter roads, with the only companion the mileometer slowly clocking up the miles.

winter-mud

Fortunately or unfortunately, I have no epic tales to tell this winter. I’m more like the sickly boy at the back of the class who always has a note from his Mother to excuse him from games. I have had a few days of training in Sicily which was pretty good. But, mostly it’s been stop / start – a few days on, two weeks off. The worrying thing is I feel quite fine about it. I hope the article “Not everyone can be Eddy Merckx” isn’t a portent of things to come. The old competitive urge wearing away as I start to get used to pottering around the house in a pair of comfy slippers.

Read more

Hotpads for cold feet

by
hotpads

hotpadsHotpads are small disposable packets that can be slipped down a pair of socks to keep your feet warm when it’s very cold.

If you wear thermal socks and a good pair of overshoes, you might not need them. But, for many with poor circulation in the extremities, these can be the difference between being able to cycle in the cold and getting too cold.

Little Hotties hand warmers – 10 pairs, £8.99 or 40 pairs from £21.99

Hot pads for cold feet – pack of 40 for £28

Hand warmers – pack of 10 for £12

It doesn’t matter if you buy hotpads for feet or hands, they are 100% interchangeable.

This has been one of the mildest winters so far and I haven’t needed to use too many. But, the cold spell this week (less than 5 degrees) means I definitely will be using.

I have poor circulation in both hands and feet. I feel the cold more in the feet because the toes are mostly immobile whilst cycling. When the temperature drops below 7 degrees, my feet can’t survive for more than an hour without extra  heat. – (no matter what combination of socks and overshoes I try)

I have had electric socks, but last year they broke and so stick to these hot pads. (at Amazon.co.uk)

Basically, when you take them out of a plastic wrapping some chemical reaction creates heat which lasts for seven hours. I put them in my cycling shoes just above a pair of socks. They are great for long rides.

They can be expensive if bought individually, you can pay up to £2 for a pair. But, buying them in bulk means I can get them for 50p a pair. They are disposable, so its a little extravagant, but before I found these  I used to really suffer. I used to wear about three pairs of socks and overshoes and go from cafe to cafe warming up my icey feet (which actually puts you at risk of chilblains)

Also, when you’re feet get very cold, the temptation is to wear several layers of socks, but when you squeeze into your cycling shoes, the socks can actually constrict your blood flow, a key factor in making you cold.

Review of Hotpads

They really do work. It’s not a gimmick. They are 100% reliable. Even after 5 hours, you can still feel the heat.  I always use a thin layer of socks, then put the hotpad and then a thicker layer of socks to keep the heat. This particular brand is good because the pads are quite small, but provide just the right amount of heat to avoid feeling scorched, but also to provide a heat source.

Also, useful if you get a puncture in freezing weather and have to take off your gloves to mend a puncture.

I will use them in some early season races. I’d rather have the extra weight than toes going cold and cramping for lack of blood.

Alternatives to Hotpads.

I have tried the re-usuable hotpads. You can re-energise them in hotwater or microwave – depending on the model. However, these tend to be bigger, and much more difficult to get into a pair of cycling shoes. Also, I find they may only last for one or two hours.

My philosophy is that winter cycling is tough enough. I always try to do anything to make the ride more comfortable, enjoyable. Hot pads are my saviour for winter riding. If you have very good blood circulation, you may not need them unless it goes below freezing. But, if you do suffer from cold hands and cold feet, definitely give these a try, buy a box – forget about the cost. And then you have one less excuse for not going out in winter!

Related

Is pasta a good cycling food?

by
pasta

Pasta is a traditional cycling food. The traditional thinking was to load up on pasta for slow release carbohydrates before a long ride. Traditionally, cyclists would eat pasta for dinner, and perhaps pasta for breakfast. When I started cycling I was an adherent of pasta, thinking this was the perfect food for energy reserves.

pasta

But, in the past few years, pasta has been getting a bad press. The new cycling teams eat rice, lentils, quinoa, buckwheat, yam flour of the Japanese konnyaku imotuber – anything apart from the gluten heavy pasta.

When I read Geraint Thomas’ book, one thing that struck me was the disdain felt towards the Italian teams who are stuck in the past chugging their way through big plates of pasta. It seems eating a plate of pasta, is a cardinal sin within Team Sky, who are more at home with vegetable juices, celery and any of these non-gluten superfoods.

To some extent I have also found myself doing the same. I rarely eat pasta these days, preferring rice and lentils. A packet of pasta can sit in the cupboard for several months – only on rare occasions do I take it.

It is worth noting that once professional cyclists swore by eating raw steak for breakfast. So it does show that the prevailing opinion doesn’t necessarily have a scientific backing.

Read more

Scicon Aerocomfort bike bag review

by

The Scicon Aerocomfort bike bag is a soft case bag for transporting a bike. It is unusually wide at one end to minimise the amount of bike dismantling required. Although it is a soft case, it is reasonably well padded.

I spent a long time trying work out the best bag to buy. In the end I went for this. I recently used on a trip to Sicily.

See also: Taking your bike on a plane

.scicon-bag-2The bag – a little unusual shape, but not much bigger than other bike bags. It doesn’t particularly look like a bike bag.

Features

  • Separate compartments for wheels. This was a big improvement on my last bike bag because there the wheels were loose in the bag. The wheel sections are quite well padded.
  • No need to dismantle handlebars – One end is wide enough to take.
  • Weight: 8.9kg
  • External Dimensions: L 118cm x D 25cm x H 90cmFolded Dimensions: L 106cm x D29cm x H 24cm
  • Additional padding for top tube and handlebars
  • Swivel bike pump
  • 1 antishock bike frame

Read more

Taking your bike on the plane

by

I’ve taken my bike on a plane a couple of times. It’s not the easiest process and it takes  a bit of planning and motivation. In recent years, I’ve been flying with my bike more frequently as I’ve found the joy of cycling in places like the Pyranees, Sicily, Croatia and Portugal. If you love long steady climbs, you really need to fly out of the UK!

This is a post to share a few tips of taking your bike on a plane.

ryanair-bristol

Cost of taking bike on plane

Warning taking your bike on a plane can cost more than the cost of your plane ticket! I travelled Easy Jet on the way out, and Monarch airways on way back.

  • Ryanair charge £50 / €50 for one way travel! £60 if you book at airport. That could be £120 for a return flight just for a bike box with a 20kg limit. (Ryanair – baggage charges) Ryanair – the airline which loves to annoy it’s customers!
    However, if you take a bike bag, you might be able to get away with not taking a suitcase. I put my clothes in the bike bag – to help protect. It means I’m over the weight limit, but they never seem to weigh bike bags… But, you never know, so it’s a risk.
  • Easyjet charged £30 for a one way flight. (Easyjet)
  • Monarch airlines charged £30 for a one way flight
  • British Midland (BMI) charge a fee of £30 per journey if weighs less than 20kg. For over 20kg then you’re looking at a £60 surcharge per flight.
  • British Airways allow a bike to be taken for free if it doesn’t exceed your regular allowance.

The other cost, is that you need to book a bigger taxi to transport it. Oxford taxi company charged an extra £5 to take a bike.

Read more

Cycling in Sicily

by
caltebelotta

After a quiet November and December, I went to Sicily, with training bike.

bike

The weather was excellent 10-18 degrees, mostly sunny – only rain one day. After the persistent drizzle of England in the past few weeks, it was welcome relief. The first day, I had to panic buy suncream and sunglasses, you get out of the habit to think about sunglasses – cycling in the UK mid-winter.

scaicca

I stayed near a town called Sciacca, the other side of the island to Palermo. The hotel waiter proudly told me he had served Marco Pantani and Miguel Indurain when the Giro passed through here one year. The island is very hilly. If you stay off the main roads, the terrain is constantly up and down. The main roads are more horizontal because of bridges over the innumerable dips. The good news is that the climbs are well engineered, with average gradients of 5% making it all quite palatable. From Sciacca to Caltebellotta there is a 15km climb – which goes from sea level to 930m. It averages 5% and is a great climb to both go up and then come back down.

Read more

DHB Aeron Roubaix Softshell Gilet

by
dhb softshell
 Review by Garga Chamberlain
I’ve always used lightweight jackets and gilets before – the type that fold up to the size of a satsuma at most and give reasonable wind protection but not a lot of warmth. This softshell gilet is very different – it has a windproof / water-repellent outer fabric and a warm microfleece lining, so even when packed flat it’s about the size of a couple of thick-cut sandwiches. On the plus side, it’s been perfect for such a wide range of conditions this winter that I’ve not had to take it off and find room in a pocket for it.
dhb softshell
The softshell gilet is part of DHB’s performance range, so it’s aimed at the serious cyclist wanting good value training kit rather than the commuter or occasional rider. Having worn it for a few weeks of winter weather though, I’d say just about anyone who rides in all weathers will love this piece of kit.
Genuinely warm and windproof, this gilet has kept my torso dry in some sharp showers and sustained drizzle too. The cut is definitely sleek, with a lot of stretch and an effective gripper around the base, so when I drop down into an aero position it doesn’t sag around my middle like some jackets do. It’s great in windy conditions, with no flapping of fabric and zero rustling. The zip is robust and backed by a storm
flap which protects from wind penetration and also prevents any rubbing at the neck.
My favourite feature is the storage – 2 very large, stretchy pockets give me space to carry all the gear I need on a long ride (bananas, bars, lightweight waterproof etc.) or my winter commute (small lock, bunch of keys, wallet, etc.). Honestly you can cram a lot of gear in there and the flaps at the top of the pockets make sure it stays put while still allowing easy, fumble-free access when you’re riding.
There’s good reflective trim at the back, a reflective logo on the front and if you opt for the navy/fluoro colourway as I did you’ll be seen from miles away. If you are more worried about how you look than how well you get seen in the dark, there’s a cool-looking black version available too.
gilet-side
Verdict – warm, windproof and showerproof with a sleek, body-hugging fit and generous storage.
Related product

Buy

  • DHB Soft Shell at Wiggle
      £65   (currently on sale for under £40 – a bargain)

DHB Peaked Winter Cycling Cap

by
My winter riding consists of a 10 mile hilly commute in all weathers and long training rides at the weekends, so I bought this cap hoping for something that would do a job in all kinds of weather. I often start my commute with a downhill section, so it takes me ages to warm up – for that reason I was a bit dubious when I saw that this hat is much more lightweight than the thermal/fleece caps I’ve used before on winter rides. Would it be warm enough?
dhb cap
In use, it’s proved pretty good right down to 4-5 degree temperatures. Below that, I stick a buff or thermal cap under it and still benefit from the windproofing and handy peak of the DHB cap.
On it’s own, this cap is on the large side for me – the phrase “one size fits all” is rarely true and while my head is small enough to save me money on helmets (I can buy the junior ones) it does mean that this cap is too loose to wear on it’s own. Under a helmet, with the cap set back on my head to prevent the peak coming too far over my face, it’s perfect.
The windproof panel covers the mid section of the scalp from front to back and does a good job keeping out both wind and light rain on long rides. That windproofing makes this cap surprisingly warm for its weight and it still breathes as well as I need it to. The peak is designed to be flipped down or up, depending on whether you’re keeping the driving rain out of your face while riding into a headwind or sitting up to enjoy the view. Once flipped, the peak stays either up or down until I flip it back, and now I’ve got the hang of positioning the cap just right under my helmet it gives me as much rain protection for my face as I need while still letting me see the road.
The lighter panels of mesh fabric over the ears are also warmer than they look and it’s only on the coldest days that I need an extra layer to keep my head warm. If you start your ride in cold or wet weather then warm up, these side panels can be folded up inside the cap to leave your ears uncovered.
Verdict – good fabric and a good, functional design for all weathers – but check that it fits you well before buying, especially if you ride without a helmet.