Puncture tips

Well after my first couple of weeks commuting 30 miles a day I got hit by a couple of Punctures on the Rear wheel. So I thought I'd post a couple of obvious but nevertheless crucial tips on repairing them.

1. Don't bother with patches - inner tubes are cheap, carry two everywhere. I've had mixed results with patching with both glue and glueless, never been that successful. Far easier to wrap one up in an elastic band and carry in your underseat bag.

2. Carry Gloves - those lightweight latex ones, dead cheap from B&Q and save all the brake grime and wheel grime during the process.

3. Always check the tyre for Thorns - After taking the Tyre / Tube off, 8 times of 10 something will have stuck through the tyre wall and will re-punture again if you don't remove it. I've done this twice and it's very annoying.

4. Always partially inflate tube before fitting - Give it a pump or two before putting it into the Tyre. This way you'll avoid pinching it or it getting wrapped up on itself on the way in.

5. Upgrade your tyres - If you can afford it upgrade to a similar width of tyre with Kevlar or what Specialized calls Armiddillo casings. They are loads better, I cycled thie whole of the UK with these without a single puncture.

Hope thats helpful.

Satnav on a Bike - you're kidding

Well yes - I am officially Mr Techno, Shopper suspect no 1, Mr Consumer - whatever.

I went shopping again pre Commuting for a device that could both help me navigate the Route into Manchester as well capture all the Bio data, speed, heart rate etc.

After a quick chat with a cycling Buddy Paul - he recommended the Edge 705 as he'd been using a previous model and it's a hit.

After using a cycle computer forever, the Garmin is a significant upgrade - and not a cheap one at circa £200. But the extra facilities and clear display plus the ability to download rides and performance to a pc and then onto Google Earth is great.

I've not stretched it to the limit yet but the ability to download GPX data from websites such as Bikely allowed me an error free trip into a Major City following in another cyclists footprints. Data is simply downloaded onto a Micro SD card and you set the unit to follow a previous route.

Not sure about the mapping other than following routes but I'll see as I am in the early stages of planning a dash round Ireland later this year.

So far though, very robust, good Battery life and great tracking. Save up.

Rackless paniers for commuting

Well the first thing to figure out when cycling to work is how you'r going to move your stuff.

Two options become obvious:

1. A Rucksack

2. Rack and Paniers

I've had a bike with a traditional panier system for some time and it's been handy for local shopping, fish and chip runs and the like but it is bulky and fairly ugly and the rack has to be fitted permanently.

I've also tried the Backpack route, which is cheap and simple and definetely works. Downsides are a sticky back and again some balance issues on the Bike. Also pulls on the shoulders which start to ache after a while.

Well I found an alternative in the nattily entitled Knog Dog range from Australia.

In essense they offer a variety of Rackless Paniers - which clip to the Bike frame with sturdy clips and then can be stored when not in use off the bike leaving the whole frame clear, clean and rack burden free.

The one I bought was the £109 item which fits several shirts, undies, socks and a Laptop and Power Supply and works well.

Of course balance on the Bike is effected and extra caution is required when sprinting along but on balance it's a great solution as it can left off the bike and in the office until the end of the week and leaves others standing.

Recommended - seek it out.

Meanwhile here is the Manufacturers spec:

Manufacturers funky website : http://www.knog.com.au

Rackless double pannier bag.Super light weight internal bag frame slips smoothly and securely into three nano small frame attachments.Handmade wter resistant construction using heavy weight 1200D fabric with taped and sealed seems.Water sealed zippers all round keep dust and water out.Wheelside, waterproof hardwearing tarp and a full wrap raincoat.Drape your threads over and ride crease free.An extra tough padded 'no fleck' laptop sleeve vertically fits laptops up to 15.5", there are pockets for your mp3, phone, pda or bike tools.Internal organiser pockets and a zippered rear pocket complete the inside.Can be unzipped to the full length of your clothes. Hardware allows you to wear you NEAT DOG left or right handed.

I'm back and I'm a Commuter!

Well I've returned to my little Cycle related Blog for anyone listening.

I've started a new job with an Office in Central Manchester which means that I can for the first time become a bone fide Cycle commuter! the round trip is around 30 miles which is just about perfect from my home in Cheshire.

The first day was rough - weather raining and cold and I had to figure out the logistics. i.e. how do you get yourself, a new shiny Laptop PC, Shirts, underwear and socks plus all the bits of clothing needed for the daily cycle onto a Bike for 7:30am and work out a route to a major City Centre with roads like the M60, A34 and A57 all in the way.

On top of that where do you park, how do you get clean and ready to work and do you have enough energy to make it back home after a working day.

Well I managed it through some forward planning and of course some new toys which I will endeavour to cover and provide tips and equipment recommendations for others that are like minded.

All will be revealed.