They say, ‘money can’t buy you happiness but it can buy bikes and that’s near enough’. It’s a reasonable argument but for the majority who inhabit a ‘real world’ that isn’t full of six figure salaries and country mansions, it’s a philosophy that they probably won’t be able to embrace fully. While appealing, it’s likely […]
I’m writing this with only a handful of days left until the end of 2016. A new year’s lurking just round the corner and as ever, it’ll be full of ups and downs, the mundane and the extraordinary and a mixture of pain and pleasure. At this time of year many of us will look […]
It’s rained on and off all day but the last four hours have seen the sporadic showers morph into something much more continual. A mixture of pedalling and pushing through the darkness allowed little time to think of such things but twenty minutes ago, that came to an abrupt and welcome halt with the arrival […]
Whether you need help setting yourself up for what’s to come or to soothe away what’s been, there’s nothing better than a lovingly prepared mug of hot coffee is there? With so many options, choosing the right one is nothing short of a minefield, so in an effort to help guide you through the complex […]
We had our first look at Alpamayo luggage quite a while ago. At the time, I banged on about attention to detail and how incorporating it into luggage design makes the life of a bikepacker a more enjoyable and hopefully, less frustrating one. Well, since then, both the Alpamayo front harness and accessory bag have […]
For the third time in as many hours, I drew to a halt, climbed off the bike and lent it against a gate. I looked at it square-on, then I squatted down and looked at it from below. I tipped my head on one side and looked at it again. No matter which way I […]
Modern waterproofs are great, on the 95% of occasions you’re likely to require one, they’ll do a great job of keeping the elements at bay. They also do a reasonable job of preventing you from drowning in your own sweat should you be stupid enough to ride a bike vigorously, while confined inside one. Unfortunately, […]
This bloke walks into a pub, goes up to the bar and asks the landlord for a packet of peanuts and … well, nothing, it’s not a joke, it’s simply something I witnessed on Saturday night that left me slightly stunned. The ‘bloke’ in question was Ian Barrington who’d just ridden 185km in the previous […]
It can be hard to motivate yourself to get out when the days, let alone the nights are dark. The excess of Christmas hangs heavily around your middle and the prospect of a night outside isn’t much of a draw. It’s a good job not everyone thinks like this because if they did, ‘Mach ‘n […]
With the passing of each birthday, I seem to become that bit more cynical. I no longer expect my sexual magnetism to be elevated to unimaginable levels after applying a certain deodorant and I’m fully aware that any product carrying a lifetime guarantee, is only guaranteed for the life of the product – not mine. […]