Equipment

[Fishy]

Anyone use and/or recommend a mirror to keep an eye on what's going on behind....

[Slim]

Yes - I've used quite a few of them and this one has easily been the best, rock solid, nice clear view and the mirror surface resists marks and scratches.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/CatEye-BM-45-Bike-Mirrors-Black/dp/B011DLUBIK

These ones are OK as well - they just strap on so they're easy to swap between bikes. Very lightweight. But the mirror tends to scratch up a bit. Also I find that I keep adjusting them ad nauseam while I'm riding, they shift around a little. Adequate though.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Zefal-95293-Double-Adjustment-Mirror/dp/B000FY05PG

This one is very good - very light, adequately stable but the mirror surface is a bit narrow:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/ZEFAL-Spin-Adjustable-Cycling-Mirror/dp/B01LWOGWTX

The important thing is to get one that doesn't vibrate or shake and here's an example of one to avoid, for that very reason. It works well enough but the image can be shaky on a rough surface:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B08P2PW7PG

[Fishy]

Cheers Slim.. Cateye now purchased...

[Fishy]

Any recommendations for clear eye protection/ glasses.. my shades are making it too dark now that the daylight is getting less... thanks

[David L]

I have a pair of Bloc glasses with interchangeable lenses (including clear). Something like these:

https://www.thegorgeoutdoors.co.uk/Bloc-Titan-X630-Multi?language=en&currency=GBP&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI5s2QjrX2-gIVlu3tCh2pzAPHEAQYDCABEgL3Y_D_BwE

[Fishy]

Maybe not £54 lol

[Slim]

That's interesting, I'd never really thought about the need to protect your eyes but I guess it is a good idea. I wear my own cycling specs because I need varifocals to look at my watch and my surroundings without swapping glasses.

There are some very cheap options, eg on Amazon:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/DEWALT-DPG54-1D-Performance-Lightweight-Protective/dp/B000FPANVG/

You'd want decent quality lenses for a long ride though, might be that those ones are intended to be worn for five minutes while you're drilling holes or operating a lathe. Or something.

These ones (£9.99) are described as being suitable for bike riding:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/NoCry-Lightweight-Protective-Resistant-Suitable/dp/B08GKPC599

[Fishy]

Anyone using a bike stand for maintenance / cleaning etc ..again any recommendations??saw a couple on Amazon for about £40 which get good reviews
Thanks again...

[Slim]

I do have one, it's been very useful. Just checked through my Amazon orders and I seem to have bought it somewhere else. I can't remember what it cost but I think it's the same as this one (£40):

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Jobsworth-Bicycle-Repair-Workstand-Maintenance/dp/B08W4ZVH27/

Does the job nicely. Very useful for swapping new chains in, fine-tuning gear changes etc as well as bike washing.

[Fishy]

I do have one, it's been very useful. Just checked through my Amazon orders and I seem to have bought it somewhere else. I can't remember what it cost but I think it's the same as this one (£40):

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Jobsworth-Bicycle-Repair-Workstand-Maintenance/dp/B08W4ZVH27/

Does the job nicely. Very useful for swapping new chains in, fine-tuning gear changes etc as well as bike washing.

Yep that's one of the ones I was checking out.. thanks👍

[Nickslikk2112]

I got a bike stand from Lidl for about £25, it's worthwhile keeping an eye on Lidl and Aldi for when they have cycling deals on.

Apparently Aldi's waterproof cycling socks are very good.

[Slim]

This pic of Boardman II from a year ago today came up in my Facebook memories and reminded me that I've been intending to write about frame packs.



On longer rides I used to use a "pod" intended to fit a rear bottle cage, but nowadays I prefer to use a frame pack, like the one pictured here and I've removed all my rear bottle cages. The trouble with bottle cage pods, or dummy bottles as they're also known is that some things can't be inserted into them - whereas a frame pack will happily take a cheese & onion pasty or a bag of quavers.

The one in the photo was about £11 from Amazon I think. But there are cheaper ones that do the job, as well. I have a couple of these ones:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07RM8QPPJ/

They're really very cheap in appearance but they work nicely. Very light as well. The velcro straps were too long, but I shortened them.

[Fishy]

Any best practice on how many punctures on an inner tube before you should replace with new..??

[Slim]

I've always been a 0 kinda guy. Just out of idleness I suppose.

Thinking about it, if you're confident that you've fixed a puncture then I suppose it's better to reuse the existing one - not only because you're saving money, but also because you can be confident that the valve works and the tube is basically sound. But I've never had the patience to do a repair.

In over 36,000 miles of cycling though I've only had to replace an inner tube 8 or 9 times.

[Fishy]

Currently on a tube with 2 repairs..both after passing farmers cutting hedges and picked up those razor sharp thin little bastard needles