Project Rebuild – the beginning

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My bike is a 2016 Genesis CdA 20. It started life as a gravel bike, but I’ve made extensive modifications, to turn it into a touring bike. I don’t treat the bike with kid gloves, and I ride on all sorts or terrain, some of it quite rough. As a result, my bike’s taken a ... Read more

Roads, cars, road danger, and congestion

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If I had £1 for every time anyone in the UK said “They should widen this road to help with congestion”, or “Cycle lanes cause congestion”, I’d be a very rich man! However, it’s easy to see why so many people make those same basic mistakes. At least on the surface, it seems to make ... Read more

Fat bloke on a bike, by Paul J Parsons

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The blurb on this book hooked me from the start: “Paul is more than your average cyclist. About five stones more.” It goes on to say it “follows Paul’s novice attempt at cycle touring”. So far, it sounds great. The start The book starts with Parsons describing cyclists who carry almost nothing on the bike, ... Read more

The Wray Valley Trail

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The Wray Valley Trail cycle route overall rating: (Colour explanation: blue = good, yellow indicates some warning, and red indicates issues to be aware of) The Wray Valley Trail links Bovey Tracey with Moretonhampstead, with much of the route along a disused railway line. The route takes it’s name from the Wray Valley, through which ... Read more

The Stover Trail

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The Stover Trail traffic-free cycle route
The Stover Trail cycle route overall rating: (Colour explanation: blue = good, yellow indicates some warning, and red indicates issues to be aware of) The Stover Trail gets its name from the Stover canal, and it runs alongside the canal for a significant part. This route guide starts at Newton Abbott train station, which is ... Read more

Gears for Queers

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Gears for Queers is a book by Abigail Melton and Lilith Cooper, or Abi and Lili, as you’ll get to know them. In the foreword, the authors say the book was “written specifically for the queers, for other fat, disabled, trans, female, femme and non-binary people”. While it may have been written with all those ... Read more

No Normal Coffee

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Long-time readers will know that I love my coffee, and I’m forever looking at ways to improve my ability to have a great cup of coffee, no matter where I may be. A new concept No Normal Coffee is a completely new concept. It’s important to understand from the outset that it is effectively instant ... Read more

The science of hydration: a cyclist’s guide

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It's important to manage access to drinking water when cycle touring
There’s far more to getting hydration right that simply being told to “take a few sips of water every 15 minutes”. Equally important, be exceptionally wary of claims made by companies whose business relies on selling you supplements. With that out of the way, let’s examine the science. What is dehydration? The NHS tells us ... Read more

Cycling for a cause: Fundraising on 2 wheels

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Let’s start with the bad news: no matter how good the cause you’re fundraising for, and no matter what bike ride you have planned, people are fed up with someone asking for some money, because they’re going for a bike ride. Did someone going to go do some mountain biking in Peru, or cycle the ... Read more

CityCycle

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What’s a CityCycle? Ah, it’s a cycling route that is effectively a sightseeing tour of the city. Which city? Well, that depends on the route! All cities have good and bad points. All cities have things people like to see, and places people like to visit. The aim of CityCycle routes is to take local ... Read more

Ouch! Saddle-sores – the unmentioned curse of cycling

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Saddle sores are not fun, especially not while you’re on a long, multi-day cycle tour! They can be quite a challenge for cyclists. Saddle sores can range from mild irritation, to painful sores that disrupt your ride. Fortunately, with the right strategies and products, you should be able to prevent saddle sores. Let’s look at ... Read more

Africa Solo, by Mark Beaumont

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Africa Solo tells the story of Mark Beaumont’s record-setting ride, down the continent of Africa. He rode 6 762 miles, to complete the race (and a race it was) in 41 days, 10 hours and 22 minutes. Beaumont set the round-the-world cycling record in 2008, and set a new round-the-world record again, in 2017. That ... Read more

The Jennride

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The #Jennride has been a fixture on the calendar since 2016, the year following the death of Jenn Hill, Singletrack magazine’s deputy editor, and acts as a fundraiser for St. Gemma’s Hospice and other causes, including Rider Resilience. It also acts as a great excuse to get together with like-minded souls for a weekend of ... Read more

Reading to Reading, by Tim Millikin

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Millikin cycled from his hometown of Reading, in the UK, to Reading, in Pennsylvania, USA. Why end there? Purely because of the name, which seems as good a reason as any. His journey of 46 500 kilometres took him three years, with a budget of just £6 per day. The beginning Millikin set off with ... Read more

Pel Scopes

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Every so often, our lives are touched by inspirational people. Pel Scopes is one such person, and my youngest daughter and I were fortunate enough to meet him along the Granite Way, just outside Okehampton. We were simply out for a bike ride, but Pel was on a mission. Grays, Essex, to Penzance, Cornwall. On ... Read more