Bar Bracket Bagged

Rixen Kaul KLICKkfix bracket and handlebar mutli clip

I love my Ortlieb Front and Back Roller panniers and would not use any others by choice. I like my Ortlieb bar bag (an Ultimate 4 Classic) but feel it is let down by the bracket which, while OK when first fitted, is spoiled by the method used to secure it to the bar. It fastens by tightening a single bolt into a female thread on the end of wire which is looped around the bar and stem - the whole held in place within a plastic frame. Not too bad when first used but if removed for any reason it is very easy to find it jammed or to even strip the plastic housing with obvious difficulty reusing it. The wire itself also wears where anchored and will only stand so many attempts. Also, in use (with a moderate weight in the bag consisting of sunglasses, wallet, GPS and compact camera) the whole assembly can sometimes slip around the bar, particularly over rougher ground. The bag itself is great though and I have no wish to replace it.

So knowing I needed a new bracket at some point, I came across the Rixen Kaul KLICKfix system which has great reviews and fits many types of bag and accessory. Online information was mixed on whether it would accept the Ortleib bag mount though. So today I headed into Evans Cycles in Manchester with the bag and tried it on a KLICKfix bracket. Despite the two parallel mounts being narrower than the Ortlieb design they do provide a secure fit for the bag and the bar fixing design looks significantly more substantial. I bought  one and have also ordered the extender (for curved/butterfly bars) and a multi accessory clip for fitting extra lights to for wintertime commuting. I'll post some pictures when it is all set up.

Charity Thumbs Up

While I am still to complete the Pennine Cycleway page, I have been busy reminding various persons and collecting monies I was sponsored for the trip. The whole sponsor thing was hard work but worthwhile. Lots of people have been very generous but it has taken longer collecting it than planning the trip and seemed harder at times than actually completing the route! Still, I will be sending off my cheque tomorrow and along with the online component and adding Gift Aid where appropriate I am chuffed to have beaten my target and raised £2150.17 for The Marfan Trust.

A Slower Pace

My wife never got the hang of cycling as a child and so has never pursued it as an adult despite my enthusiasm.

A recent trip to see the in-laws saw me encouraging a family cycling trip along the prom at Whitley Bay one fine sunny day. I dusted off her old bike and the two of us + Golden Child had a somewhat mixed cycling experience. My wife did better than she expected but the daughter - who is so close to losing the stabilizers - was obviously not keen and started complaining of "tired legs" within 30 seconds. The upshot is the wife and I went for a ride around Heaton Park this morning at her suggestion!

We covered less than 2 miles, she almost fell off once after misjudging her approach across some tram lines but apart from that I think she had a good time. She managed to cycle back up the hill from the boating lake and even having to slow for excitable dogs didn't dent her confidence or resolve.

She is never going to be a road going cyclist (unless they are very quiet) but I think we can look forward to some more family days out on our bikes. Just need to work on the Golden Child now.

I Am Not A Mamil

From the BBC article

I have read several articles recently about middle aged men donning lycra and buying a flash, race ready, carbon, race bike instead of a flash, expensive impractical car as part of middle age crisis thing - the so called Mamils (Middle Aged Men In Lycra). These stories all seem to stem from some recent research by Mintel.

I would just like to point out my bike is a Touring bike and has no carbon components, I do wear Chamois pants but only under some baggies and my tops are all breathable walking tops from Berghaus. I would never want to subject anyone to seeing me in skin tight lycra! And while I did justify getting the bike instead of a car, that car was going to be a little run around mainly for my wife who now instead has primary use of our very practical but hardly exciting 2.0 TDCI Ford Focus C-Max.

I am middle aged but my cycling is no crisis. Now how do I get to Mont Ventoux!

Pennine Cycleway. Done!

I recently returned from my ride of the 355 mile Pennine Cycleway (cyle route 68). It was a great mini adventure and hopefully a taster of future journeys.

I have created a new page - Pennine - which has a description and photos from the route.