It seems that the V43 Vélo Francette is not our little secret any longer. It has just been voted the best cycle route in Europe. Fiets et Wandelbeurs – a Belgian cycling and rambling organisation – has recognised the beauty and convenience of the route. According to Google Translate and a judicious bit of editing, the jury said something like: “The… Read more »
You know what winter’s like for cycling – so many reasons not to do it. But days like today don’t offer any excuses. It was bright and mild. Here in Normandy we often get an oddly warm and sunny February, sandwiched between a baltic-cold January and a turbulent March. The sky was mostly clear and stunningly bright. I was glad… Read more »
Since it’s the close of 2016, I thought I’d do a review of the winners and losers among the things I’ve bought this year and last. Being new to cycling, I made a lot of mistakes at first, but I quickly discovered that while price is generally (though not always) a guarantee of quality, good kit can be had at… Read more »
I’ve always had a problem getting a grip and lately it’s got worse. My bike came with cheap rubber handlebar grips that were, at best, functional. The problem, though, wasn’t them but me. I have osteoarthritis in every joint of my hands (not to mention lots of places elsewhere). This means I don’t have a lot of gripping power in… Read more »
In my experience, the first thing to freeze up on a cold day’s ride is your hands. And for anyone who has arthritis, as I do, keeping your hands warm is critical. I wear gloves a lot. The Optimum Nitebrite waterproof cycling gloves are part of a range of gear with an emphasis on high visibility. Indeed, one of the… Read more »
As someone who generally doesn’t go in for buying cycling or sports clothing, this was an aberration. But a worthwhile one. I fell for the Endura Velo PTFE Protection jacket while the More Significant Other and I were in the midst of a full-blown shopping spree. You know the sort of thing – where you’re hopped up on the excitement of… Read more »
I’ve been in two minds whether to review these items as they are no longer available except occasionally on Ebay – I bought them last year in Sheila Moon’s closing-down sale. But I’ve decided to mention them as I spent the summer in them and they give me some tips for what to look for when I need to replace… Read more »
The DH bought me the Georgia of Dublin Rainwrap as a present last year. It’s a beautiful thing, made from soft-touch waterproof fabric (I wish more jackets were made of this stuff) and packs up small enough to bung in a rackbag. You can also use it as a picnic blanket. It proved a godsend last winter and early spring in… Read more »
Woolpower is one of those makes that’s very hard to obtain except at full price. I was put off by the stonking £80 price tag of this gilet but already being the owner of a Woolpower 200 zipneck top and longjohns, I knew what good quality these items are, so I finally saved up and bit the bullet. The garments… Read more »
As all cyclists know, a good dusting powder is a must to keep yourself dry and chafe-free after a ride. I’d been using Gold Bond, which I do think is fabulous, but it’s terribly expensive to buy in Europe. Then I came across Medipure. Medipure is based on corn starch rather than talc – nice for those who prefer to avoid the… Read more »
I bought a few bits in SportPursuit’s merino sale, including this Trekmates zip-neck and crewneck tee. The Contrast Stitch Zip Top is 100% merino and 200gsm, while the Fusion Crew is 50% merino, 50% polyester and is also 200gsm. Both feature the same plentiful flatlock stitching in a contrast colour, and thumbholes in the sleeves. Both of these items seem… Read more »
I bought this Helly Hansen top on the same day as the Devold hoodie previously reviewed, being taken by its attractive contrast stitching and because I wanted to try out this popular brand. The top is 57% wool and 43% polypropylene, 215gsm and features Helly Hansen’s Lifa®Stay Dry Technology, which is meant to be non-allergenic, with ‘superior insulating and wicking properties’. … Read more »
Over the past year I’ve become a big fan of many Scandiwegian sports brands, which provide merino base layers with great design and features. These include Ulvang, Janus, Woolpower and Devold. I’m also a fan of hoodies, which are a useful extra layer on the bike. So, when I saw this merino hoodie, I jumped at it. The Devold Expedition… Read more »
I kind of lucked out with the first chamois cream I ever bought, which just happened to be the first thing I found on Ebay. Enzo’s Buttonhole Cream is based mainly on shea butter. It also contains melaleuca oil, hamamelis, the Wu-Chu-Yu herb and organic silicone compounds. Mine cost me about a tenner for 50ml on Ebay, and I went for… Read more »
Over on Google+, I recently got into a ‘debate’ with another cyclist who took exception to us walking our dogs on the voies vertes. He was ill-mannered and aggressive, and his arguments, if you can call them that, not worth repeating here. But it did get me thinking about cycling spaces and infrastructure. The ‘rules’ about whether dogs should be on… Read more »
