Bike-Fitting. The Appliance of Science.

As part of my on-going preparation for The Tour Divide I decided it was time to get correctly fitted to my bike for the ultra-endurance training & riding journey that I'm embarking on.

A quick search on the internet threw up a few local options and I booked in at (be)spoke Derby for one of their Bike-Science Retul precision bike fitting sessions.

It's probably something I should have done a few years ago really. For anyone with racing or endurance aspirations it is an essential element. For most recreational riders it is less so, you can walk in to any decent bike shop these days and get sized and fitted reasonably well to any stock bike; and riding for 3-4 hours is unlikely to throw up any worrying underlying niggles. Back-to-back 80-100+ mile days, however, and you will start to notice little issues fairly quickly. That's where a bike-fit comes in.

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From their website:

"A bike fit is one of the most important things a cyclist can do to help get the best from their bike. Precision bike fitting will help your bike work as hard as you do, allowing you to ride longer and better.

Benefits of a bike fit

- improved comfort and efficiency

- help prevent injury 

- reduce or eliminate existing aches and injuries 

- prevent numbness at contact points 

- reduce fatigue"

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A Peak District Microadventure; Testing Kit for The Tour Divide.

I've been on a little microadventure!

I've been wanting to say that for ages, I feel like I've now joined a special club! Microadventure is the latest buzz-word for, well, doing stuff. You know, like going camping overnight, or going for a long walk and a picnic, or something similar; often with minimal amounts of kit and planning, spur of the moment stuff. It's an adventure that doesn't take too long; it's a way of encouraging people to go out and do stuff, and that is a very good thing.

I hope my adventures encourage people to go out and do stuff, that would be a very good thing also! :)
Actually my adventure was more of a mini-adventure than one of the micro variety.
It was 140 miles of mountainbiking on some, at times, tough trails, with an an uncomfortable overnight camp under a little bridge. It probably doesn't sound like much fun, but it was (mostly!).

Review: First look - Alpkit Kepler Merino Baselayer Range.

Alpkit Kepler Merino Baselayers.

Alpkit have been on a bit of a mission lately with a lot of new products being drip-fed to consumers throughout the course of the year.

One of these - The Kepler Merino Range - has been on my radar for a while.

I'm a huge fan of merino wool products, I have a fair bit of it in my wardrobe, so I was excited to check out their offerings to see how they measure up.

The benefits of merino wool are well documented, great breathability, quick drying, fast wicking, warm when wet, and extremely resistant to odours. In recent years it's become the de-rigueur product of choice for most outdoor users and manufacturers.
With the likes of Rab and Icebreaker retailing some serious high-end performance products the competition is stiff.

Shaken & Stirred. Earthquake Nepal.

Where to begin? Tough question.

Tough experience.

What remains of the magnificent Dharahara Tower in Kathmandu.

11.56am April 25th 2015

When the recent earthquake shattered the peace of Nepal I was caught right in the middle of it all.

Wilco Voulon, our friend Celine Hullemann, and I, were sat chatting and enjoying coffee on the first floor of Himalayan Java, on Mandala Street, in the heart of Thamel, Kathmandu (Just about the last place in the city that you would want to be under such circumstances, tall buildings, tiny streets, and packed with people and vehicles).
As we sat drinking I thought to myself "What's that noise?", a strange low rumbling sound outside; and then all hell broke loose. The building began to shake violently, stuff started falling off the walls. People screaming. Someone shouting "Get out of the building". We were already on our way.
Luckily we were close to the exit. The floor was moving under our feet, the doorway rocking from side to side, the whole thing was moving in three dimensions, and we were being thrown around. There was a lot of panic around us but I managed to keep my wits about me and remain relatively calm; perhaps it's a lifetime of solving problems, as an engineer, that gave me the tools to do that, or perhaps a lifetime of adventure that allows me to allows me to assess, and respond to, danger very quickly; who knows? I'm thankful for it now, whatever it is.
I was though still fighting the urge to panic.
We had to cross a small bridge, descend some stairs, and enter the street, before we could even consider anything else, and with debris falling all around us each split-second decision was gut wrenching.
I was shaken, like the buildings around me, to my very foundations.

Review: Carp Scene, Derbyshire. A new blueprint for specialist retail.

The new Carp Scene Superstore.

Some of you may be surprised by this, considering that most of my posts are usually travel or mountainbike related, but my real passion in life is Carp Fishing!

Carp Scene is a new angling superstore. It started life around 40 years as The Tackle Box in Somercotes, Derbyshire (my local shop). Around 15 years ago Mark Goodwin took it over from, the retiring, Terry Marriot and it started to morph, away from general fishing, in to a carp fishing store.

Then, a couple of years ago, along came Mick Hancox; who bought a share of the business from Mark and they started to up the ante. Mick was formerly a partner in the then uber-cool and successful Planet Carp in Nottingham (sadly no longer the store it was in those days) and he brought serious specialist retail knowledge to the table; along with the drive to develop the shop in to a big hitter. With a recent third partner, Nick Rhodes, joining the gruesome twosome, the investment was in place to make the next step. and so they did. And it is a BIG step.

What you might call a "game changer".