So as I mentioned in the last post, I'm one of those always warm kind of people, so getting the right balance between layering up and not getting too hot I find a real struggle. There's no way I can wear more than a baselayer and a top even in the pit of winter, the addition of a Gilet and I'll be overheating, so this Monday I had a problem, at 5:30 it was 4c and 20 mins into my ride it dipped to -1c, which even for someone who runs on the warm side is a little on the chilly side. Contrary to this on my way home it was 17c dropping to 8c as the sun began to set, that's a pretty big drop in an 1 1/2 hours ride, but also raises the question what should I wear? I mean I could take a set of riding home clothes in with me, but to be honest I want to carry as little extra weight as possible, and don't see that as an option. So I found myself riding in in my Aqua repel jacket, short sleeved base layer, shorts and leg warmers, bearable on the way in, but I had to completely unzip the jacket and ditch the leg warmers on the way home, so not the perfect balance. With the spring commute budget being signed off, after pay day I decided it was time to try to fid something in between windproof and water repellant but short sleeved which lead me to the Lusso Repel Corsa V2 (Road.cc review). Having had positive experiences with the Aqual Repel Jacket my theory is with decent arm warmers I'll be warm in the mornings and then in the afternoons ditch the sleeves and hope that the breeze on my arms cools my core down a little, as whilst there are breathable panels in the jersey, my experience of the Aqua repel is it isn't overly breathable, but then again it's not a summer jersey. My next purchase was the 2-Zero Thermal Bib shorts, again the same principle as above, wear them with leg warmers and fingers crossed come the evening whip them off and I'll be the perfect temperature, I think I'd prefer it if they weren't thermal but I'll be happy to trade off that with being dry which come next week when the rain is due I expect I'll be appreciating. Which brings me on to my next point, coupled with my Sportful Norain arm and leg warmers I should be pretty much warm and dry with everything having a water repellant finish to them. So anyway has my choice paid off, well yes it has, the Lusso top and shorts coupled with arm and leg warmers meant this evenings ride, which was a steady 8c, other than some initial chill on my arms (maybe need to invest in some better arm warmers) I was comfortable the entire route round, unlike Dave, who had to change when we got to the pub. The other lovely benefit of the evenings ride was that it was tipping down with rain the entire way which meant I could test for water repellance. Finishing the ride I did have slightly damp arms but my base layer, body and legs were all bone dry which meant the pub trip at the end was all the more pleasant, but I'm very happy with the performance in the cold and wet, although, I'll need to try it in hotter conditions but I think if it got a bit too hot a partial unzip would get some airflow into it and keep me cool. I've struggled to find anything cheaper that would fit the bill of providing some waterproofing at a reasonable price, and I think a decent alternative for me could be a water repellant Gilet over a normal jersey. That coupled with some arm warmers pretty much being completely covered, but then when it gets warmer the GIlet can be removed and stuffed in a pocket, I'd not wear a baselayer in that scenario though. I am very conscious though that my efforts to reduce the costs of my commute does seem to come across a bit expensive, but I have to keep reminding myself, most of this stuff is worn for 3 days a week 6 - 9 months of the year so to put that into monetary terms, conservatively, if I only wore it for 1/3 of my commutes (30 days a year for 6 hours a time) thats only £5.60 a commute, less than 3 weeks train or car travel, and that's assuming you don't buy some of the clearance items that are all perfectly good too. (The original Repel Corsa only being £74.99 at the moment as an example) but some more alternatives are listed below
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Right, I’ll open this up with NEVER, EVER buy any kind of cycling shorts that aren't black, no one needs to see that.
Right moving on, bib tights, bib shorts, shorts and leg warmers, tights with pads, tights with out, Seriously how can there be some many variations, and on top of all that do you want to be wearing lycra in the first place, it's not always the most flattering of outfits. First off if you've not dipped your toe into lycra, you really need to consider how far you're commuting, your backside will bear the brunt of most of your commute or ride, sure if you're riding 5 miles or so you might get way with not having something padded, but anything longer than that, suck it up, you soon get over any body embarrassments you may have, and it's much more preferable to a sore backside. My introduction to shorts was a pair of decathlon undershorts under a pair of baggy shorts, this was so uncomfortable, I see tonnes of people do this but personally I found the pad kept slipping out of position and then the shorts would slide all over the seat, I quickly ditched this idea. My favourite at the time Aliexpress, bib tights for about £13 and to be honest they were a revelation, I used them on my first big ride (120 miles) and they did the trick, although for the last 30 miles or so I did find myself having to constantly get out of the saddle. The issue wasn't the shorts themselves but the pad and I think for the commuter that's the real thing to concentrate on here, a decent pad that wicks away sweat really makes it easier to stay in the saddle, and the cut of the pad is really important too, too wide and it sort of sticks out at the front a bit and doesn't offer much support, I've not tried anything too narrow yet, but would impinge that might ride up a little. next up... Planet X Roubaix tights are a little better, a little more expensive, a little warmer and a little more comfortable but not much. I have to say cost really has been a driving factor in my purchases, so trying to find something that ticks all the boxes was really difficult and in winter that's really hard too. So my next experiment was Decathlon B'Twin 500 in grey (NEVER buy cycling shorts that aren't black) and leg warmers, the shorts themselves are fantastic and at £40 really hard to beat value wise, the pad is comfortable and fit me well, so on balance a really good first choice for any shorts and the leg warmers keep it functional for the winter but are another cost to consider but.... your legs will be dry and your crotch will get wet which makes drying stuff before your return journey a challenge and something you need to keep in mind, and also no one wants a wet crotch. So this winter i made a decision to invest in some winter tights, Lusso Termico Repel Bib tights, I spent hours researching this and these weren't my first choice, knowing full well that water will run down the tight I wanted something that would go over my boat, and Pearl Izumi had made some but sadly they were obsolete. That said, since the weather got cold in October until this morning I've been wearing these. They repel water, they're really warm and it's the most comfortable pad I've had in a pair of shorts, at £99 they're not cheap, but given I've ridden these in rain, hail and snow and got to work/home warm and dry I'm pretty sure I'll be getting a second pair of these for next year. I've also just placed an order for the 2-Zero Repel bibs tights that I'll pair with my Sportful leg warmers, which will be nice for this unseasonably warm weather. So my order of preference 1. Lusso Termico Repel - the added water repellence has really made a noticeable difference in my commutes, I've found that even big gobbets of rain that would feel chilly if I were wearing waterproof leg warmers aren't cold. 2. B'Twin 500 with leg warmers - they do the job but can get a bit cold and damp around the crotch, if my ride were a little shorter I could probably put up with that. 3. Planet X SuperRoubaix Bib tight - they're warm and offer good value for money for shorter rides, but I find the pad holds too much moisture making it uncomfortable for me if you start sweating or get wet, but this doesn't stop them being a good option, they just weren't for me, but they were warm and I did where them last year so have held up pretty well. Price is a real issue here, my favourite shorts are also the most expensive and that does really go against my ethos, my main consideration this year has been keeping dry and that probably has bumped the price up a bit, I don't think at the time I could find anything cheaper than Lusso. If As an a side note, I do tend to run pretty hot, this morning it was 4c dropping to -1c at points, I see 8c as the ideal temp for me to switch to shorts, so maybe a bit early to make the change but I didn't fancy riding in tights this afternoon when it's set to reach 15c or so. These are great pads, good value and perform really well, buy them… read on if you want a bit more info.
If you’ve clicked my little Strava thing on the front page you’ll have seen Icycle on average around 140 miles a week a mix of commuting and pleasure, a mix of 60% on and 40% off-road. (I’ve not been in the office recently so it may be a bit lower) Having exhausted the stock SRAM pads I was looking for new pads that met my needs and tried quite a few (at least 5) different brands, from SRAM originals to Evans own brand, they all do the job of stopping you, but in my experience they also all seem to have the same 2 base problems: – Horrible brake screech – One of the retaining springs snaps causing the pads not to retract properly. I think Gorilla brakes have got this dialled with these pads and compound, installing on front and back at the same time, even during the bedding in process there was only the faintest of squeals in the wet, something that really used to make me cringe as I pulled up to traffic lights at 7:30 in the morning. Stopping performance wise, these are great, living in the Peak District I have some fast and winding descents to tackle and these stop quickly every time i’ve needed them to, if anything, I’m more concerned about being ham-fisted and locking up on a gravelly path at 30 mph although it’s not happened yet. I’ve been using the probikegarage app to monitor my components and having ridden these pads for around 1,200 miles the springs still seem stiff and solid, but given how gritty half my route is at the moment I changed the fronts last weekend as there wasn’t a great deal of pad left and I was servicing my bike anyway. So these pads, until Gorilla brakes release an upgraded compound, are now on my permanent spares list, they bed in fast, are quiet and from what I’ve experienced have a great life span too. Gorilla brakes also have fantastic customer service, they respond quickly to enquires and so far I’ve never had to wait more than a day for delivery also for shiny bolts take a look at their sister company tibikes too. Base Layers...
I mean seriously who would have thought base layers would be vary so much in price... £90 seriously at that price i'd want it to have some kind of Marvels Iron Man technology?? what can it possible do that makes it worth that much. Features I need from a base layer, warmth and wick sweat, this is going to be a really quick blog post, I can tell. The brands of base layer I own.
There certainly are others I could try, and non of the above are Merino which I believe has some odour related benefits, but from now on, really all will buy are the B'Twin 500, at nearly a 1/4 of the price of the Sportful base layer I'm actually warmer in this one, and I don't notice any downsides of sweat in the colder months. If you want a little extra warmth the 900 is also a good purchase, but for winter riding in Manchester through the winter I'm happy with the 500 version and saving a tenner. Important to note though as soon as the weather gets warm enough I don't wear a base layer at all, so it may be that the base layers do perform better at keepig you cool in the summer but as far as winter goes. For several months of the year, I wake up to the sound of rain pummelling the window and dread stepping out into the cold and dark to set off in the morning. This year less so but when I was just starting out commuting it was pretty intimidating, especially when it got dark. I still can't confess to knowing what is the best kit out there, but over the last 18 months i've learnt what works for me, both from a budget perspective and for my commute. I should probably also say my commutes average speed is around 15-17mph over hillyish terrain so I am working up a sweat, I think if you are planning on coasting in you'll probably need warmer kit, but if like me you're also using you commute as a bit of a workout then this might work for you. Over the next few days i'll be posting on what I've bought over the past 18 months, what works and what i've settled on, my wardrobe is actually pretty limited but I do now ride comfortably and pretty much in all weathers. My first years kit purchases went like this and in this order:
Briefly on one sleeved tops, I have two and as yet I've not found one that works for me which is probably down to the times and conditions I ride in. So today --- Cycling Jackets I'm using this a bit of a cop out, I only have three jackets, all of which are good, two purchased from eBay and one purchased direct from the store, they all work really well. A jacket is something you can easily spend £100's and I literally mean £100's. I'm one of those people who'll sit and deliberate on what I should buy, reading reviews in micro detail putting stuff in my basket only to take it out 5 minutes later, for me anything above £50 is a weeks worth of commuting by train and that is always my acid test for whether I'll get more use out of it than it's worth. I wanted something that was warm, would keep me dry and wouldn't make me feel sick having spent a lot of money on it. Decathlon B'Twin 900 My first jacket bought from eBay was the Decathlon B'Twin 900 in black and red, and it is fantastic, I used it all through 2017/18 winter it was my only jacket and I still use it now when the weather is around freezing as it keeps me really warm but if i get up a pace I can open the zipped side panels and cool me down a bit, it's not waterproof, but water repellant, although don't let that put you off as I don't recall ever being freezing cold and soggy. Then again this is a commuting jacket so I'm not stopping to take in the scenery and getting cold. Water does run off this jacket but when it does start to soak in your body heat makes it act a little like a wetsuit so you keep nice and warm. My jacket is black with reflective panels and has a neat little build in neck tube, knowing very little about what the winter elements would through at me last year, I was happy with purchasing this and I have thought over the following 12 months I should just buy the same jacket again, I haven't, and I don't regret doing so but this is a really great jacket. Lusso Aqua Repel My second Jacket again from eBay was the Lusso Aqua Repel (and this is where you might start seeing a theme) it's very waterproof and windproof which is fantastic riding in Autumn and I'd imagine Spring too, the only downside is I don't find it very warm compared to my other jackets and it isn't very breathable, so when you do get up a sweat you can get damp inside. Having said that though on a miserable or persistently damp day it keeps you dry and when the wind picks up you really don't experience any wind chill that I can get with my Decathlon jacket so with the right base layers this could be perfect. It's not my go to jacket at the moment and I think I might have bought it a bit late into the season, but it does have a purpose and I'll be getting it out more in Spring, as a side note I was also considering buying the Aqua Extreme Repel Jacket, at the time i bought this and I would still like to try it, so will probably be on my next years purchase list. Lusso Windtex Aero+ My third Jacket was bought on the back of another couple of Lusso purchases and that was the Lusso Windtex Aero+ Thermal Jacket - Black/Flo Yellow, wow this is toasty. I think I could get away with not wearing a base layer under this, water beads from it and when it gets to sub zero temperatures I'll be wearing this one a lot, probably exclusively, actually I pretty much already do as it is by far the most visible jacket I own which is important when you're commuting in the dark. At £99* it is priced really well when you compare it to other jackets on the market, in warmer weather I have found myself unzipping it to get some air in to cool me down, but to be honest Autumn in the UK it can be -2c on the way into work and 8-9c on the way home so there isn't, or at least I haven't found, that perfect medium yet, I am confident though that when the temperature really drops I'll be warmer than I was last year, which is a good thing. So what should you get, well if budget is not an issue I would go with the Lusso Windtex Aero+ Jacket, it ticks all my commuter boxes, it's warm, keeps me pretty dry and is visible which is fantastic. It is my favourite hands down and I really can't fault it, it's one of those jackets that instantly feels warm when you put it on and on a horrible morning you don't feel the bite of the weather when you step outside, i'm glad I upped my budget for this jacket and I think I would have probably stumped up the full RRP were I to get this or something similar again. That being said though for £60 the Decathlon Jacket is really good option for people who aren't sure that they'll be cycling during the winter months next year, and absolutely worth considering. Next post Baselayers... *Both Lusso jackets are listed at discounted prices, at time of posting the Windtex Aero+ is still available at £99 the Aqua repel jacket is no longer available. Aqua Repel Extreme may be a suitable alternative.
Riding a bike for leisure, I never really thought about proper bike maintenance, yes I’d give the bike a clean oil the chain and that kind of thing but proper maintenance. Nope, nothing, and to be honest I didn’t really notice any difference, yes I broke a chain a few times and might have had to change some V brake pads but that was it.
Then once I started commuting I realised pretty early on that I’d need to take a little more care on my bike, I remember one evening cycling home and feeling the brakes rub non stop on the disk, turns out one arm of the pad spring had snapped. I’d had the pads on for a while though about 900miles so wasn’t too annoyed. A quick change for some new ones, a week later they’d worn through, melted like butter. Anyway off track slightly. Pro Bike Garage is a great little app, available for Android, and at time of writing in Public beta for iOS what this nifty app does is link to Strava and keep track of how long or how far that component has been ridden for. Then the app has a couple of neat functions, firstly you can add a service interval to each component, lube chain ever 100 miles, check brakes every 50 hours of riding, secondly, value for money, a perfect example of this was a bottom bracket I purchased from China, “ceramic” GXP for £13 including postage, and and Uberbikes steel bottom bracket for £39, the Uber bike failed in 2 months having done 900miles, the one from China is still going after 1,500 miles. I love the fact that I’m able to keep track of how long my components last, from a commuting perspective it’s important for me to make sure that what I buy will last. Understanding how frequently to maintain and then being able to compare how long each element has lasted for is fantastic. If like me you’re a geek for apps and also need a regular prompt to service parts of your bike, head over the probikegarage.com and give it a try. Apparently tyres have a life span Growing up I have this memory of my dad always looking disappointed at me as I’d skidded my way through to the threads of another rear tyre... apparently tyres should last for ever. Well according to WTB that’s not the case, their sets of road tyres are set to last between 1,500 and 2,000 miles. My experience has been pretty consistent with that. So far a set of WTB Exposure 30c lasted 2,500 miles and my WTB Crossbone 35c lasted about 1,800 miles, before I began being plagued by punctures, and there is little worse than standing at the side of the road in the cold and wet trying to get your tyre reinflated. Having switched in the summer to some Schwable G-One speeds 30c which I’m really happy with, I thought I’d give the G-One allroads a chance over winter. Fitting these was an absolute ball ache, Joe Blow on his own couldn’t get these seated and inflated so I has to resort to some CO2 cartridges to get both tyres seated, then once I’d added some Steve Peat Sealant they appear to be leaking like a sieve, these being the 4th set of tubeless tyres I’ve used they’re by far the hardest I’ve had to install. I’ve got my fingers crossed they seal up properly overnight and I’ll be road testing them this week. I’m hoping the effort of installing them will make it all worth while. Note - these is really a lesson in reading all the way to the end of the item description when buying online. These tyres aren’t tubeless ready they’re Race Guard. Will have to wait and see how they perform. |
Mike GaskellI started commuting around May 2017, mainly to save the £45 a week train fare and get ready for the Dunwich Dynamo. Archives
August 2022
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