Category: Gear Reviews
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Review: Schwalbe Ice Spiker Pro Studded Winter Touring Tyres
At the end of January 2011 I took myself and my bicycle to Oslo, Norway. My plan was to ride 1,600km north through Eastern Norway and Swedish Lapland before popping out of the mountains at Bødo in Arctic Norway. This is a review of how my Schwalbe Ice Spiker Pro 26x2.1″ tyres performed during that […] Continue reading →
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Exped DownMat 7 Pump Camping Mattress Review For Cycle Touring
Full disclosure: Lyon Equipment, Exped’s UK distributor, provided my original DownMat 7 under their Expedition Award scheme. As with all such arrangements, I’m not obliged to write favourably about products — just honestly. I’ve long used the DownMat 7 mattress by Swiss company Exped. DownMats are a serious alternative to the established Therm-a-Rest, and are designed […] Continue reading →
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The DIY Beer Can Stove Is The Best Camping Stove You’ll Never Buy
Jetboil? Trangia? Primus? I laugh in your faces! The lightest, cleverest and most practical camping stove I’ve ever seen can be made by hand from a single empty drinks can. Continue reading →
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Extrawheel Voyager Single-wheel Bike Trailer Review
Extrawheel’s original Classic model, with its cargo nets and canoeists’ drybags, is no longer in production. Why? Because Extrawheel, after a lot of prototype-testing and feedback by myself and other intrepid riders, have hit upon something that’s even simpler, lighter and more practical: the Voyager. The Voyager was launched last year and I’ve been able […] Continue reading →
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First-Impressions Review Of The Extrawheel Voyager
During 2007 and 2008, Andy and I road-tested some prototype trailers for the Polish company Extrawheel who have been helping to support Ride Earth. Today we took the final production version of the Extrawheel Voyager for a spin to see how it compared to those early models. Continue reading →
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Magura Louise Hydraulic Disc Brake Review
Disc-brake technology for mountain-bikes has progressed at lightning speed in the last few years. Based on long-standing concepts originating from motorbike technology, disc-brakes have traditionally suffered from complex set-up and maintenance procedures, and reliability issues. It’s just not as simple as a piece of wire attached to a caliper. It’s messy and expensive. People get […] Continue reading →
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Magura Odur 100mm Front Suspension Touring Fork Review
Choosing suspension forks for cycle touring usually involves a preliminary question — should I use forks at all? The answer, as usual, depends on where you want to go on your fully-loaded bike. A tour on good quality asphalt doesn’t call for the control, comfort and arm/hand protection offered by a good pair of suspension forks. […] Continue reading →
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MSR Dragonfly Multi-Fuel Stove — Owner Review
It was somewhere in rural France that I first put the MSR Dragonfly multi-fuel stove to the test. I soaked the wick with fuel and set a match to it — whereupon a huge fireball erupted into my face. I resolved to read the manual before trying a second time. Continue reading →
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Carradice Super C Rear Pannier Review
Full disclosure: I was given these panniers by Carradice in 2007 for my first expedition, in return for feedback and a review. I’ve used them ever since, and extensively rewrote and improved this piece in 2012. Ortlieb might be ubiquitous, but they’re not the only pannier brand worth looking at. I’ve been using Carradice Super C […] Continue reading →
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Tubus Logo Rear Carrier Rack Review
Full disclosure: I was given the Tubus Logo by Lyon Equipment (Tubus’ UK distributor) as part of their Expedition Grant in 2007. The German manufacturer Tubus’ range of racks might occupy the upper end of the pricing scale, but for good reason — the racks are immensely strong. The Logo is specifically designed for mountain-bike geometry, […] Continue reading →