Book Review: Wild camping the Wild Atlantic Way by Will Nell-Barker

This is a well paced and very well written  travelogue

First off, I've known the author on social media for a few years.

I recall Will's trip from Twitter, and took a particular interest as I toured parts of northern and southern Ireland several times in the 80s and 90s. A lot seems to have not changed. I found Ireland overwhelmingly beautiful and friendly.

This book is well paced and you feel like you're actually along with Will for the ride. I read the kindle version. Unlike some books which read like a GPS guide with mileage and other stats, this doesn't and is better for it.

I'm not going to delve into the book and discuss in detail as I don't want to give any spoilers.

Suffice to say it wasn't all.plain sailing for Will. Tours rarely are and I have enough stories of my own. Nothing stopped Will though.

When I finished the book I was disappointed as I wanted it to carry on. That's always a good sign.

My Brompton. A 4 month review

So at the time of writing, I've now had Bluey the Brompton Bicycle for 4 months.

My love of the Moulton marque is well known and established.

Bluey is a game changer though.

It's great fun to ride, quick, nimble and feels very stiff and solid. All of which is very much like a Moulton. 

Because there is no front suspension the overall ride isn't as smooth as a Moulton, but considering the small wheels and high pressure tyres it's surprisingly good.

Initially it can be twitchy, but load the front up with some luggage and it settles down. And you very quickly adjust to the handling.

The game changer though is the fold. 

We have had a 20" folding bike for a long time, but the Brompton is so much better. It folds down in a few seconds & "locks" so the bike doesn't suddenly unfold on you.

When folded it's so compact and easy to carry that it goes anywhere you go. When it's folded it's basically luggage.

Public transport is easy as it fits in train luggage racks easily.

Even if the racks are full, then it will happily go between it under the seats.

Shopping is easy. Just fold and chuck in in the trolley. Some shops even have fold out racks which are perfect for a Brompton.

There's no need to lock, just fold the bike and take it with you.

Part of the genius of the Brompton is that all the mucky bits are hidden when folded.

The comments I've had taking it folded into shops and other places has always been along the lines of "wow isn't that fab" and "so handy". Even that it's cute!

I think it could be the perfect utility bicycle because of the amazing convenience

i can't think of another form of transport that isn't as well thought out and as convenient as a Brompton.

Andrew Richie, the inventor of the Brompton, described it as a personal magic carpet that you could just unfurl and ride to your destination then refurl and take it with you.

It is a perfect description.

Review: Carradice City Folder bag for Brompton

First off, I've been using Carradice bags since the mid eighties, both nylon and cotton duck and am a fan. I have a set of Overlander panniers, bar bag and stuff sack from the eighties, as well as a Super C rack pack and Moulton touring bag. I even have a Carradice waxed cotton cape which feels very luxurious in the rain. 

The bags are made in the UK in Nelson, Lancashire and each bag is signed by the person who made it which is a nice personal touch.

The City Folder is a cotton duck (waxed cotton) bag specifically for Brompton bicycle. Various colours and combinations are available. Mine is the black with white straps. 

It's a 25l bag with two large rear pockets which can take large water bottles or reusable coffee mugs. The Brompton luggage block is only rated for 10 kg, so don't go loading this bag to capacity with heavy objects.

There is also the pouch for the Brompton bag frame, which is secured underneath by two velcro straps.

On the front there is an open pocket under the flap as well as a zipped pocket for a phone or other valuables.

The  interior of the bag is well cavernous to be honest. There is plenty of room for a laptop, clothing, shopping or whatever you want to chuck in. Although in poor light it can be a bit of a black hole.

There is a lightly padded laptop sleeve which is secured with a couple of press studs. Neatly, when secured with the studs, it is suspended off the bag bottom which further protects a laptop from being banged about when cycling.

On the outside of the bag, there is a substantial nylon and  leather handle as well as a detachable shoulder strap. This is secured by four screws into the dowel reinforcement under the flap.

The rear pockets are secured with traditional leather straps and buckles. The straps for the front cover are a slightly odd combination of a traditional leather strap and buckle for adjusting, but has plastic clip buckles for securing the flap.

Personally I would have preferred using the plastic clip buckles and ditch the leather buckles which can be fiddly especially in the cold whilst wearing gloves.

The bag has the Carradice name and logo stamped on to a leather patch which is sown on to the flap. There is also a diamond shaped reflective patch stuck to each side and the top flap. The top flap reflective faces up rather than forward with even a partially full bag.

I would have liked to have seen a white  reflective strip around the base of the bag for added safety. I would have also liked a mesh socket or two so gloves etc can be stored for quick access. Whilst you can use the rear pockets, the buckles don't make for quick access.

In use though it's very well designed. It's well balanced and comfortable when being carried by the handle or the shoulder strap. It is very stable on the bike and feels very secure.

Sigma Rox 4.0 review

The sigma Rox 4.0 is my third GPS cycle computer. I've used a Lezyne Macro GPS for the last four years or so. For one reason and another I decided it was time for another. 

I'm a touring plodder and don't need a super duper computer that's really designed for racing and training. Connections to sensors such as heart rate are useful as a rough gauge of effort though.

I do use navigation on unfamiliar routes though so komoot integration is important to me. I also wanted a slightly bigger screen than the Lezyne, and better quicker syncing and activity uploading with a phone

In the end I settled on a Sigma Rox 4.0. I've used sigma wired and wireless computers before GPS and liked the design aesthetic and the reliability.

It uses a standard Garmin mount so there's plenty of choice for mounts.

The unit has three big buttons surrounding the bottom of the unit. They have a fairly light but positive action. You do have to be careful not to hit them and accidentally pause your ride though.

Depending on the sport chosen there are up to 6 pages where the display can be customised with different sets of data.

The usual speed, distance and elapsed time is bread an butter stuff and works as you would expect.

GPS lock is normally very quick too.

One small first  irritation to me is that the units selection is metric or imperial. I prefer distance etc in miles and temperature in centigrade.

Update 

unit settings for individual metrics such as speed, distance, temperature are changeable in the app when the unit is connected. 

When you are following a route be it from Strava, komoot or by the Sigma app itself, you get an arrow in the circle which also works as a countdown to the turn which is quite useful.

If the unit is synchronised to the phone app then you get the now usual SMS, email, and phone call alerts. 

There is no option to delete a ride on the device itself. You have to synchronise with the phone app and delete it on the phone. It you have auto-upload to Strava and Komot turned on, you have to delete from them too which is another minor irritation.

Synchronisation is the computer's downfall. I've tried with a couple of phones and even though the devices are paired correctly it only connects to the app the first time after a phone restart. When you dig into it it's not an isolated issue. Sigma unhelpfully just say to re-pair, but that doesn't help. I've had a several cheap smartwatches and fitness bands which just connect without issue so it seems to be an app issue rather than a phone incompatibility

Update

I was informed that the connection worked flawlessly on older versions of Android.

I checked this and it did.

Subsequent fiddling showed that there is a sequence that needs to be followed with Android 12

1. Install the Sigma Ride app.

2. Check and grant all permissions to the app.

3. Only then so you pair with the unit.

When I emailed sigma sport, they said just check permissions but not when in the process. 

Setting permissions before pairing the phone and unit seems to be the key to making connection work.

Connection for me is now reliable all the time.

Pros

✅Attractive design 

✅Good large display

✅Good integration with Strava and komoot maps

✅Uses standard Garmin mounts.

✅Ant+ and Bluetooth connection to sensors.

✅ USB C connector for pc connection and charging.

✅ Relatively cheap at £90 in the UK 

Cons

❌Not possible to delete an activity on device

Book Review: Bicycle Diaries by David Byrne

This was a book I wasn't aware of until very recently, although I was aware that David Byrne cycles when on tour as I previously stumbled across his account of riding the banks of the Tyne and though the fab cycle tunnel. You can read that account here here

If you don't know, David was the lead singer and founder of the rock band Talking Heads and has done a lot of other art projects since.

Anyway back to the book. It's basically a series of explorations by bicycle though various cities from Buenos Aires to London and San Francisco to Manila. 

It's much more than a bunch of bike ride stories as David is a person of deep thought and curiosity and he delves deep into the culture and society in the various locations with musings on everything from art to urban planning. This makes for a very interesting and entertaining set of travelogues.

There's a short section at the back with some of David's cycling tips along with some bike stands he designed for New York, but it's not a book about bicycles and cycling. They are just the magic carpet for this zen like journey across the world and David's inner thoughts.

Review - Topeak Javaslim adjustable cage

The Topeak Javaslim cage is marketed as an adjustable bottle cage which is really suited for insulated coffee cups, water bottles or other cylindrical objects such as  a bluetooth speaker.

It has an adjustable spine and bottom, and the top has a rubber strap to keep a cage secure.

All good you may think, as I did.

The problem is the top with the rubber strap. The plastic is moulded to accept a small diameter object, and isn't even wide enough to accept a standard water bottle without a struggle.

Whilst the bottom will expand to accept a bottle 85mm in diameter, the top will fight you all the way if the diameter is more than 55mm.

Topeak do make a similar cage with a larger top diameter, and if this design suits your needs then that's the one you should get. The Slim variant here is next to useless sadly.

Daycycle - Romans and a river

This ride starts at the Tyne cycling tunnels. There is plenty of car parking, and it's not too far from Jarrow metro station and the town centre too.

Ride through the tunnel

Once back above ground head to the main road then turn left and follow NCN72 west along the path beside the A187.

When it rejoins the road, cross at the crossing and then turn right into Cumberland terrace.

At the end through the bollards turn left into Norman Terrace.

At the next junction turn right then left to dogleg into Armstrong road. At the end turn right onto the path, through the barriers.

at the end of the path, rejoin the road and turn right heading downhill into Willington Dene.

The route heads left over the river, but it's always worth spending a few minutes admiring the splendor that is Willington railway viaduct. Now carrying the Tyne and wear metro. It was originally built in wood on top of the stone pillars in 1839, but was rebuilt in iron in 1867 matching the original design.

once across the bridge over the stream, there's a short but noticable climb out at which point the route joins the path along the road again for a short while.

Once past Hadrian road metro station, cross over the road at the toucan crossing and carry on until you reach the arch 

Follow the cycleway as it continues to follow the route of an old railway heading west.

after a while there is a left turn as NCN72 leaves the line and joins St Lawrences road to head down to the riverside.

The cyclehub is always a very good place for a pitstop and to take in the river views towards the city whilst enjoying some of their excellent drinks and food.

Continue west along the quayside towards the city centre. It can be bust with pedestrians along this stretch.

The Gateshead millennium bridge is one of only three tilting bridges in the world. Between May and September the bridge tilts every day at noon. If you've not seen it when it's worth timing your ride to watch it.

Cross over using the millennium bridge then turn left and follow the riverside path beside the Baltic art centre, which used to be one of a number of flour stores and mills along the tyne. After it was closed in the mid 80s it was converted into the world class arts centre it is today

Once past the hotel, join south shore road. At the end of the road join the path to bypass the bollards and carry on along a quiet riverside path.

On your left is the kittiwake tower, which is an artificial breeding site for kittiwakes , which was built for them when the refurbishment of the Baltic flour mill displaced them. 

The path will bring you to Friars Goose. It's so named as monks in the 11th century used to gather gorse, known as goose, hereabouts. It's also the site of an old ferry crossing across the Tyne.

Follow NCN14 through the car park and join Green lane heading uphill. As the road bends to the right head left then take the cyclepath.

Follow this path for quite a while until it joins Nest Road.

Turn left onto Nest road and follow the road until the junction with Abbotsford road where you turn left. At the end of the road continue on the path to Low Hedworth road.

At this point you can either turn left and follow the signed NCN14 route down to the river and along Tyne street.

Alternatively turn right, and then left into Gosforth terrace. Follow the road until the sharp right, and take the path to the left which leads to Bill Quay farm. The locals are friendly.

Once through the farm follow the road until you pass the Wardley arms and take the path adjoining the bus circle. Take a minute or two to soak in the view along the Tyne here

a little further along the path, the two alternatives merge again with some more impressive views of the river Tyne before dropping back down to the riverside at Hebburn marina

follow the road along the marina until you see the large blue sign when the road bends to climb away from the river.

Take the path which will keep you alongside the river for a little while longer before joining Ellison street.

Once at the top, take a left turn onto Lyon street then follow this back to the start at the Tyne cycling tunnels in Jarrow. The route at this point borders several old shipyards from when the Tyne was famous for ship building.

There are still some relics, such as these rails across the road which would have linked the shipyard with more works across the road.