PaulB2 wrote: ↑Thu Feb 17, 2022 7:10 pm

thenorthwind wrote: ↑Thu Feb 17, 2022 12:48 pm I also received a handlebar this morning, but I've been somewhat trumped ^
That BLB Hobo bar I was prevaricating about has arrived.
The Hermes man brought me a DHB merino base layer from Wiggle at the same time. I spent a while looking round some of the more upmarket clothing places for a pure non-mulesed merino base layer in the right configuration (long sleeves, half zip, 200 weight) before finding that the DHB and Föhn in-house Wiggle brands have all the options, in a few colours, are non-mulesed and decent quality at a very good price.

On a tangential note, in a road.cc article they touched on the r@pha merino supply chain. Merino wool gets sent from Australia to Italy to get turned into yarn. Consumer waste gets turned into polyester fibres in china. Both are then shipped to a mill in Poland where they're combined into cloth. This cloth then gets shipped back to china to be cut and sewn into clothing. The finished clothing then gets shipped to the UK. Modern industrial supply chains are a little mind boggling.

I suspect various trade tariffs have something to do with it as well. Importing raw wool into the EU probably doesn't attract the same tariffs as yarn. Companies will find the cheapest route to convert materials into goods that they can.

PaulB2 wrote: ↑Thu Feb 17, 2022 7:10 pm

thenorthwind wrote: ↑Thu Feb 17, 2022 12:48 pm I also received a handlebar this morning, but I've been somewhat trumped ^
That BLB Hobo bar I was prevaricating about has arrived.
The Hermes man brought me a DHB merino base layer from Wiggle at the same time. I spent a while looking round some of the more upmarket clothing places for a pure non-mulesed merino base layer in the right configuration (long sleeves, half zip, 200 weight) before finding that the DHB and Föhn in-house Wiggle brands have all the options, in a few colours, are non-mulesed and decent quality at a very good price.

On a tangential note, in a road.cc article they touched on the r@pha merino supply chain. Merino wool gets sent from Australia to Italy to get turned into yarn. Consumer waste gets turned into polyester fibres in china. Both are then shipped to a mill in Poland where they're combined into cloth. This cloth then gets shipped back to china to be cut and sewn into clothing. The finished clothing then gets shipped to the UK. Modern industrial supply chains are a little mind boggling.

I know they say the last miles of delivery are the most expensive, but they could be sewn as well in Poland, Italy, but I'm not sure out sewing shop have kept up investment & have sold up and shipped over 30 years ago... hardly any thing done local in West Riding... the last place the used seamstress and seamsters(?) were Asian temp workers or from Eastern Europe.........

A few years ago there was a short series on TV about the UK textile trade. What was surprising was that there are still around 100,000 employed but it's not t-shirts and the like which are just commodities these days but they are producing highly specialised, high value products.

whitestone wrote: ↑Thu Feb 17, 2022 9:11 pm A few years ago there was a short series on TV about the UK textile trade. What was surprising was that there are still around 100,000 employed but it's not t-shirts and the like which are just commodities these days but they are producing highly specialised, high value products.

so what are saying about Crikey, how much stuff... overpriced? ahem....

whitestone wrote: ↑Thu Feb 17, 2022 9:11 pm A few years ago there was a short series on TV about the UK textile trade. What was surprising was that there are still around 100,000 employed but it's not t-shirts and the like which are just commodities these days but they are producing highly specialised, high value products.

so what are saying about Crikey, how much stuff... overpriced? ahem....
[edit] thanks for educating us.

thenorthwind wrote: ↑Thu Feb 17, 2022 12:48 pm I also received a handlebar this morning, but I've been somewhat trumped ^
That BLB Hobo bar I was prevaricating about has arrived.
The Hermes man brought me a DHB merino base layer from Wiggle at the same time. I spent a while looking round some of the more upmarket clothing places for a pure non-mulesed merino base layer in the right configuration (long sleeves, half zip, 200 weight) before finding that the DHB and Föhn in-house Wiggle brands have all the options, in a few colours, are non-mulesed and decent quality at a very good price.

Again I had to look it up, I'm just 'Woke'ing upMulesing, a mainly Australian questionable sheep welfare practice

....and left a box of half price lights. Not the ideal time of year to buy, but quite probably the last front light I'll ever buy. Thanks to PSA on Bargain alert thread and rear light recs from here.
IMG_20220218_102504

Eff all today because the postie has been cancelled, along with schools and trains!

ledburner wrote: ↑Thu Feb 17, 2022 9:36 pm

Again I had to look it up, I'm just 'Woke'ing upMulesing, a mainly Australian questionable sheep welfare practice
[/quote]

Definitely worth be awake to the practice of mulesing. It's a cruel, vile, despicable ... just bloody awful. I worked on an Aussie sheep station way back and fly strike was a real problem, but there are other, admittedly more labour intensive, ways of protecting the flock. The station I was on crutched the sheep regularly, shearing their rear ends, and used some pretty sticky insect repellent to keep the flies off.

So, just as we check whether the down in our sleeping bags is ethically sourced and not plucked from the living birds, if you care about these things, your merino stuff needs to be similarly qualified. You'll pay more for it, but you'll be glad for it in the long run and so will the sheep.

... and brought me a new bottom bracket for the indoor bike

Goodies from Evans and Decathlon.

Evans: my string vest cycling shirt.





and a Bottle To Go b.i.d.o.n. I'm thinking this might mean I carry a bit less water on trips so is a weight saving.


Decathlon: running socks, a £4.99 bar-mounted bottle holder/feed-bag. Looks good enough for that price. And a pair of Rockrider MTB trousers. They look like they'll be great. Very lightweight, close fitting ankle, waterproof patches on shin and arse. If it's not TOO warm, I hope to make use of these in Spring and keep the ticks and midges off as Summer kicks in.

...with these -


Lake MXZ200 boots. Actually meant as winter boots being insulated but now that I have them I suspect they will do for all year round as they are what I've been looking for all these years - a leather walking boot with a waterproof membrane and cleats. Also wider in the foot than shimano stuff (still need to go a size up though) so hopefully bunion friendly and has a gaiter attachment loop for max chance of dry feet in horrible weather.

£180 from Salt Dog cycling if anyone is interested

fatbikephil wrote: ↑Wed Feb 23, 2022 7:00 pm ...with these -


Lake MXZ200 boots. Actually meant as winter boots being insulated but now that I have them I suspect they will do for all year round as they are what I've been looking for all these years - a leather walking boot with a waterproof membrane and cleats. Also wider in the foot than shimano stuff (still need to go a size up though) so hopefully bunion friendly and has a gaiter attachment loop for max chance of dry feet in horrible weather.

£180 from Salt Dog cycling if anyone is interested

Nice.

fatbikephil wrote: ↑Wed Feb 23, 2022 7:00 pm £180

Wowser! I'd be expecting thigh-length calfskin (*) boots with sequins on for £180 .

(*) Veggie/vegan options are available

RIP wrote: ↑Wed Feb 23, 2022 8:39 pm

fatbikephil wrote: ↑Wed Feb 23, 2022 7:00 pm £180

Wowser! I'd be expecting thigh-length calfskin (*) boots with sequins on for £180 .

(*) Veggie/vegan options are available

Once again we gain an insight into Reg's mind and wish we hadn't....
Yes a bit spendy but actually about par with a set of decent walking boots. Plus much better value than a pair of plastic plimsoles with a stupid ratchety dial in place of proper shoe laces that seem to cost in excess of £250 these days....

fatbikephil wrote: ↑Wed Feb 23, 2022 9:12 pm

RIP wrote: ↑Wed Feb 23, 2022 8:39 pm

fatbikephil wrote: ↑Wed Feb 23, 2022 7:00 pm £180

Wowser! I'd be expecting thigh-length calfskin (*) boots with sequins on for £180 .

(*) Veggie/vegan options are available

Once again we gain an insight into Reg's mind and wish we hadn't....

Yes but I was talking £180 per hour, so it's even worse than you imagined .

fatbikephil wrote: ↑Wed Feb 23, 2022 9:12 pm Once again we gain an insight into Reg's mind

I always respect the perspicacity of comments like this because at 63 years of age I myself have no more clue what goes on in there than I did 22995 days ago .

RIP wrote: ↑Wed Feb 23, 2022 8:39 pm

fatbikephil wrote: ↑Wed Feb 23, 2022 7:00 pm £180

Wowser!

Cheaper than either pair of the Lake wide fit disco slippers that I mooch about in. Always fancied a pair of their winter boots.

Some Alpkit merino long johns, and Alpkit griffon midlayer, and today some merino wrist warmers which i'm looking forward to more than I expected. They'll be invaluable for such adventurous things as pushing the pushchair and...er...typing when it's chilly

Thanks to Joe from Weirdos On Bikes shop for the quick delivery and personal note for my 201g bivi bag ready for tomorrow's World Record bivi out record

The forecast looks dry enough for it's first use

Some bow tie anchors and 4 Khaki Voile straps from Stu's Emporium of Bikepacking Goodies. Now I can strap even more weight to my bike. Result.

a new pair of disco slipper spesh taho.... . supposedly worn for a try then shelved. they seem brand new like old stock. they are a little on the heavy side, but stiff to cycle all day in /enough flex to walk. and they are a good fit. even come with the marketing bollocks I MEAN Instructions. just needed for WRT2022

Some Rockgeist loveliness- a Gondola & frame bag

What with a birthday and then treating myself to some new clothing and equipment.

Nukeproof Neutron pedals - This will be the first thing I've changed on the bike since I got it.

Adidas Terrex Swift Solo walking shoes - Mainly for the bike and bikepacking. Like the look of them and plumped for them instead of clipped shoes, Couldn't quite convince myself I wanted to go down the clipped route yet. I think I'll get more use out of these on and off the bike.

Higher State Trail Light Waterproof Jkt - needed one for running in and these got decent enough reviews for the price. I have a Madison waterproof that I use for the bike but that is slightly heavier and not really suitable for running. Again, this'll get more use while running and when on trips on the bike. Tried it today when it was raining and the lack of breathability could be an issue. It is slightly baggier, so will take a good layer of clothing when camping.

Sprayway All Day Rainpants - These are quite light and I nearly returned them but I think they'll be ok and will work for a commute and light enough for packing in a bikepacking set-up. No doubt they wont be as hard wearing as others but I'll re-think it come next winter if they don't quite cut it.

Sealskinz waterproof socks - I read about a guy who said he took them for when he'd set-up camp and would put them on with his wet shoes, only then needing to take one pair. This made sense to me and hopefully they'll work out ok. Can still be worn with the waterproof trousers for the commute or day rides.

Starting to think about a frame bag and also the acepac bag that can be fixed to the bar bag so to get rid of a backpack. Not convinced enough yet. I'll wait a bit to have a good think about it. All the kit starts to mount up. Could easily spend high £££ on the above items and still have to have made compromises.

A Boardman ebike for Helen. I had a quick go on full power mode. Bloody hell!! I need one of these.