Category: Equipment
-
A different kind of tour — of Taiwan’s bicycle industry
I’ve started to receive a steady stream of PR emails thanks to my blog’s more-or-less decent visitor numbers over the years. These emails usually go straight to the spam folder (sorry PRs!), but a recent one caught my eye: “As part of your ongoing and deliberate transition to celebrity bike tourist,” it asked (not at all Continue reading →
-
Adventure Does Not Require Any Fancy Gear. (Just Ask Rob & Maria)
I recently received an exasperated comment from a wound-up-sounding man called Rob on an article I published about trip sponsorship. ‘This is really annoying’, wrote Rob, referring to the fact that I’d got a 50% discount on an Extrawheel trailer five years ago. ‘Who needs celebrity bike tourers anyway?’ It’s not often that I find myself Continue reading →
-
Schwalbe Marathon Supreme Touring Tyre Review
Full disclosure: Schwalbe gave me a pair of Marathon Supremes for my 2012 U.S. West Coast trip, asking for feedback and an honest write-up of the tyre in return. From the ashes of the much loved Schwalbe Marathon XR expedition tyre arose a phoenix. Or, more correctly, a number of phoenixes. Or perhaps phoeni. Anyway. Continue reading →
-
Kona Sutra 2013 Touring Bike: First Look
Kona have just announced their bike line-up for the 2013 season. While I don’t usually post on product launches, Kona have supported my adventures for half a decade, and last week they reminded me why I’m glad to be working with them (aside from getting to ride their bikes for free). I wrote a detailed review Continue reading →
-
MSR Hubba 1P Solo Tent — Owner Review
Full disclosure: Cascade Designs sent me this tent to test during my journeys in 2012 (at my request). I’ve been using it ever since for solo camping. They were confident enough to do this in the knowledge that I would share my opinions of their products — whether positive or negative — on this blog. 2011’s Continue reading →
-
Kona Sutra Touring Bike: Legacy Review & Detailed Photos
The Kona Sutra has undergone many changes since I wrote this review of the 2012 model after a two-month ride down the U.S. West Coast from Vancouver to Los Angeles. You can find the current version of the Sutra in my list of the all-time best touring bikes. For a long-haul road trip it would Continue reading →
-
Essential Gear for a Deep Winter Cycle Tour
The original version of this article appeared in the February 2012 issue of Geographical. Blue light invaded my cocoon of flapping fabric. My waking thought was one of despair. The wind, which had made pitching camp so hopeless and miserable the previous evening, hadn’t died. It was thirty degrees below zero. I lay on my back, Continue reading →
-
10 Questions & Answers On Surviving The Scandinavian Arctic On A Bike
Timely or what? The Norwegian Cyclists Association have been in touch about my trip last year to Scandinavia, in which I rode a thousand miles from Oslo through Sweden and Lapland and across the Arctic Circle to Bodø. The following post is an edited version of the interview I did for their magazine På sykkel. It might Continue reading →
-
New Year, New Gear — Considerations When Comfortably Roughing It
I have a good working relationship with Mountain Safety Research, better known as MSR, who for several decades have been quietly turning out top-quality equipment for use in the world’s wild places. The little green 2‑man Vaude tent which was my home for so long is now well past its best, and with two significant Continue reading →
-
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 →