Our beloved Exped DownMat 7 Pump DLX has started to spit feathers out the deflation valve.
At first it was just a little bit and I blamed our Alpkit down sleeping bags since they were losing some feathers slowly too. But since the job of packing down the beds often falls to Peli, she was more in...
I have always wanted a hat but most hats nearly always require a "uniform" to go with it. Bowler hat, you need a pinstriped suit. Stetson, you need a horse and boots. Flat cap, you need a landrover and a pigsty.
Suffice to say that I could never find a hat that did what I wanted it to do and still...
This post is in homage to our friend Emily who is making her way from London eastwards around the world. The last time I heard she was cycling her way through Iran, mostly staring glumly at her morning porridge, since she has lost her trusty friend, the Spork.
A Spork, for you who are not in the...
We hung around in Buenos Aires in the afternoon, keeping out of the sun and making preparations for our journey to the airport. We explained in vain to the very laid-back staff at the hostel that we would need a taxi which could take a LARGE bike box. The taxi that arrived was, as expected, too smal...
I really do have the so-called "Brooks bum" - they work for some and not for others. Peli, for example, didn't get along at all with the one we tested for her and prefers her Selle Italia Lady Gel Flow.
In a attempt to speed up the "riding in" time of my Brooks I added some proofide and soaked it...
Because now I can! I picked up a hat the other day after many years of thinking about getting one; I finally narrowed it down to a Tilley Hemp TH5.
The reason for me getting the hat was to cover my face and neck from the sun and the rain while camping.
I have only used it for a few days no...
Steam boat, stunning views, gorgeous weather, broken valve and a cracked rear rim. Crafty critters, erm, sandflies by the millions and a fall with gravel rash made this challenging, but fantastic, few days.
Day one : 30/10/10
At 10am we boarded the TSS Earnslaw (98+ year-old steam boat) and se...
A few weeks ago I got a Garmin Dakota 20 GPS mainly for us to use when touring. Don't get me wrong I do love the old paper maps, could spend hours looking at them. But a GPS will cut down the faffing with them while on route as it is easier for us to find out where we are, if we should be...
I'm now coming up to 5,000 miles on the Surly Long Haul Trucker, aka my little Tank, and boy have they been my most comfortable 5,000 miles ever.
But, as there always is a but, the fecking Long Haul Trucker is the reason that I can't ride my other bicycles any more. As my good friend at my LBS s...
Recognize these ? I have now found a use for the "wonderful" Dahon Special Edition Schwalbe Stelvio tyres, a belt !
My friend Bettina of velo-re.com fame, got the tyres and turned them into belts, of which I got one. Pretty much the only use I have for these "great" tyres after only 1800'ish m...
A few years back when I decided to go clip less, I search for something that was easy to clip into and easy to learn to use. I don't like the "proper cycling" shoes as you can't just jump off your bicycle and have a walk as you please, so I was looking for MTB style cycling shoes. Out of them all st...
I have never heard about Anne Mustoe until I was told about her untimely passing.
... what she termed her “new career”. When she resolved to cycle round the world, Mustoe was 54, somewhat overweight and unfit, and without any idea of how to mend a puncture. She had not ridden a bike for 30 years...
I have just finished Bicycle Diaries by David Byrne, and I loved it, it is a very good read.
It is by all means not a touring book or a ride write up in the normal sense of bicycle related books. The first part is more a diary of David's visits to cities around the world, with some comments on a...
