I've had a lifetime passion for all kinds of sport but I'm very happy to have reconnected with cycling in the last seven years. I have recently taken up bike touring again and the channel is here to share some of those journeys, along with local rides, and gear reviews.
Thanks for coming along and I hope you enjoy the ride.
I usually carry those same items on my everyday rides near home. I have a cartridge on my trike, but I will carry a pump when I figure out how to carry it. There is no place to connect the holder, and it's too long for the trunk bag. I see a different set-up in the future.🤔
@Biking360 Actually, I have the same Mini Morph that you have. I have an option to buy a seat bag where it will fit and also carry other small items. Not. an expensive item.
Yes the color of the kislux is beautiful and it is a great decision, maybe one day they will add feet and straps. It would be nice to have a bigger bag during the colder months when we have to store gloves, beanies, scarves, etc…
Like any saddle it needs to support your sit bones and that involves playing around with the tilt angle. It won't be suitable for some bicycles that have you stretched out too far and I found that there wasn't a break=in period if you adjust it correctly and it fits your sit bones, then it's comfortable straight out of the box. You also need to play around with the tension screw so that it isn't to tight and also doesn't sag too much. Get all of these things right and its very comfortable. If the sides cause chaffing, then tie them together to stop them splaying out. When it is working it is almost magical comfort, but when it isn't working it is very uncomfortable, so its worth playing around with to try different settings to better fit your sit bones..
The fast food delivery “cyclists” aren’t cyclists are they. They’re using hybrid bikes with dodgy batteries, they’re always on their phone and when they do go on roads, they’re terrifying. But most of these folks are on minimum wage, giving close on impossible delivery times and a lot won’t know the UK’s laws, for the obvious reason.
check sheffields city centers cyclist infrastructure out its a bloody mess what was a cycle routes is now pedestrian areas .and no clear sighnage to where the cyclist route ends
@@chrisnumnuts8671 The problem with a lot of cycling infrastructure, Sheffield too from what your saying, is that it is implemented with little to know input from cyclists. If subsequently becomes a mess as you say and unfit for purpose. The boxes are still of course ticked for the politicians. And that's what is apparently important!
Agreed, we should all be held accountable for our actions, simple as that! Btw,no speed limits in NL, I know there are in Austria. There is talk limiting speed for all in cities,which is ok by me. As there are ( a few...) cyclists here though. I'm not sure there's enough resources to follow up. We'll see
Hello Jay, hope your doing well. I'm 68 this year. I taught myself to ride at the age of 5. I'm not a new cyclist by any means and these days nothing chaps my butt any more than ENTITLED CYCLISTS. I've also noticed they are the first to complain when their space has been invaded. We could use a little policing like this in Texas as this is one of the least cycling friendly places. Great subject. Take care and keep the shiny side up ✌
I1x. I get it for proper mtb's. I get it for proper competitive off road. Anthing else is marketing bullshit. Save the front derrailleur. Hell save friction shifting. Peak tech was 2x10. Me personally? 3x8 or 2x9. All the gear inches i need. 600 baht Shimano cassettes and 600 baht Shimano chain. Cheap, robust and plentiful.
Approximately 10 minute mark talking about who rides what and why is a good point. Where's the peleton? Even the people who do ride with friends in a group never bunch remotely well enough to benefit from streamlining. They are riding and chatting. Aero, weight, etc are all meaningless for 99.9% of people. The flabby bag of water (90kgs!) resting on top of the frame makes it all meaningless. One chainring is a poor option for most people. Three chainrings (26-36-48 or 46) is the optimal with 9 speeds (13-34) at the back. And 7 speeds and 5 speeds at the back would also work well. Thanks for the video.
Hmm, not sure. The more I ride the more I appreciate the difference in cadence when shifting on my 2 x 11 speed vs my 1 x 11 speed. When I’m climbing on a loaded bike i don’t care but road riding I can appreciate the smaller gear changes
Interesting stuff. Be great to see mechanical 13 speed on more of the everyday/budget machines. I suppose compared to double/triple chainring setups it also makes 'learning how to use gears' a lot easier for the real beginners and/or those coming to cycling later in life.
Interesting discussion. I know that at the Cycle-Re-Cycle shop where I volunteer, trying to repair front and rear derailleurs and get them to mesh properly on older bikes is a royal pain. It is so much easier when there is just a rear derailleur. There are a lot fewer mechanical parts to keep in tune. Of course, this is coming from an amateur volunteer and basically untrained bicycle mechanic. 😂
@@whatsupwithrichard Indexing gears is a tough skill to crack. I commend anyone that can do it. I'd love to see things made simpler and maybe a 1 x 13 is the way to go. Incidentally, SRAM brought their new 13 speed group set to market last week 🙂
Power mad! After getting a camera after every ride I have to decide how many to report? Easily there are over ten close passes, but I only have time to report the real bad ones.
I know of the cross-country race here in the States and the Gread Divide race, but I haven't heard of the European race. Interesting rules being that it is non-supported. Has anyone made a video that one can watch about this endeavor? 🤔
@@whatsupwithrichard The Great Divide is undoubtedly the best know endurance race with the Race Across America (RAAM) being a close second. However, The Transcontinental is gaining an increasing amount of traction and is obviously a much more attractive proposition for Europeans. I'm not sure if there are any major videos of the event but it would be cool to watch if there are. Hope to be in the US again next year to do The Great Divide 🚴
I worked 5 years at the bicycle section in a Decathlon store. It's a this moment i understood how AWESOME Decathlon's brands are, specially for the price ! I LOVE their VanRysel Racer jerseys, they are better than some big brand names at twice the price !
@@habana6595 I am getting more and more into the Van Rysel brand and totally agree with you. I currently have a worn out pair of Shimano R7 race shoes and I'm thinking of replacing them with a pair from Van Rysel. Any thoughts or advice?
So far, I’ve usually set out on tours with a mix of accommodation in mind, from wild camping, established camping grounds, hostels, motels, and occasionally even something more luxurious! And also with WarmShowers hosts when it’s possible, as it’s great to meet other cycling enthusiasts, especially as a (so far) solo traveller. My main idea has been to remain as flexible and open as possible to the vibe of each potential spot, and to the types of experiences likely to be gained from all the different modes of overnighting. Then, financially speaking, my average spend per night is what I look at over the long haul. Thanks for a great video!
GCN Tech did an interesting video on this subject dated July 4th 2024. At the time, looking at a complete bike at MRP, the VanRysel was considered the least expensive. However, Dare, Canyon and no doubt Cube were close to the same figure. Bike Radar in their feature of all the Tour De France bikes for 2024 also thought the Van Rysel to be the cheapest. I think these are pretty reputable sources but genuine apologies if they are inaccurate in this instance. Take care and ride safe, Jay
@@Biking360 probably hard to tell which are the cheapest because of the different configs. i enjoy your videos and am subbed - looking forward to the next. take care
With the cost of living now days it's always good to have affordable options. Like Ali Express some of the stuff is going to be a fail but in general you can always find some great deals. Thanks JP. Cheers
Decathlon told me they have no plans to bring them into Australia. Good product but barely available anywhere and mostly out of stock in France and UK and I think it's lack of production
Thanks for the review. I’ve also had these for a few years for long distance gravel and offroad bikepacking. They’re very grippy and stable for chunky gravel and steep descents likely overkill for smooth surfaces. Their exceptionally large size spreads foot pressure and placement on all day rides. Currently I get about 12,000km per service (replacement igus bearing kit). Nb Igus bearings last 5-10 times longer if properly greased with Moly or similar greases (on Igus site but not crankbrothers support). Overpacking with grease then removing that small ‘grease’ screw to bleed off excess during assembly. Overpacking also reduces pitting on the crankside bearing surface from water ingress. I keep using them ok with up to about 1mm lateral play on the crankside bearing but point I service is when the inboard axial ‘play’ has increased to the point where the preload no longer keeps the dust seal engaged.
Hell yeah! I just ordered myself a pair. Building myself an all-weather, year round, long distance commuter bike. These will be incredibly useful, and they seem like the best I could get for the money. Thanks for the great review!
@@wandererstraining I've had mine for four years now and have never regretted buying them. Also, you will be pleased to know that they are 100% waterproof. Even when exposed to heavy and persistent monsoons. Good luck with your all weather long distance commuter bike build 👍
@@Biking360 Thank you so much! Yeah, I live in the Lower Mainland, in Southern BC, in the Pacific Northwest. We get a very lengthy rain season, and I'm equipping myself to pretty much bike everywhere. If these go through monsoons with no issues, they are the perfect choice for me. :) Have a great day!
@@wandererstraining I live in Thailand and the monsoons here are fierce. Never an issue. I have kept my laptop and camera equipment in them and all good. Everything bone dry. You will be fine.
Great zip tie fix on that pedal and really like those little pliers you have (keep meaning to get something like that). Really good run through the tools and reasons for including what you have. The pick ... can't think of any reason you'd have that beyond obviously meeting the devil at some dusty crossroads and having to trade guitar licks! 😉
Like you I'm happy with the direction Decathlon are going.most products I've bought sofar,especially my 50 quid mtb shoes are so much better than I expected. I Can't say that about all items though. Bit of hit and miss sometimes,but still, always value for money. So hopefully with this strategy we can always choose between (very) affordable and top end stuff in the same store.i wonder if all shops will have the necessary cycle experts on board though? Anyone any experience with that?
@@wannagobiking9071 It's so true about the hit and miss part of your comment. Also, it will be interesting to see if Decathlon up their game with in store experts. Let's hope so.
I feel like the Halfords range offers better value here in the UK at least. You can normally get Boardman models that outspec Decathlon bikes for the same money, they have higher weight lmits and don't have the history of recalls of Decathlon bikes. The Halfords business model is even cleaner than Decalthon they buy directly from the Asian factories and retail themselves so low logistics costs and they do little in the way of advertising and marketing you aren't paying for team sponsorship etc. While Decathlon use parts sourced from Asia they assemble in France which adds hugely to costs. A few years back 25p in every pound was spent in Halfords for cycling in the UK which could be as much as 40% of bikes sold due to their pricing and domination of lower price points. They probably don't have that market share now. Also Decathlon is now doing aluminium frames without removable gear hangers which are basically low grade frames. As a heavier rider I can't even ride their bikes as outside their weight limits as it used to be 100kg including the bike weight itself which are very low limits were as Halfords bikes allows riders up to 120kg. Wheels with 28 spokes are lightweight and easy to turn but go out of true easily when you hit potholes. I feel like Decathlon may appeal to lighter weight cyclists but for heavier cyclists are best avoided. Decathlon has closed six stores in the UK and I don't think there was a huge amount in the first place. There is none close to me where I live.
@@bonzobanana1 Thanks for all of that. A lot of very interesting information. I was in Guilford recently and checked out both Halfords and Decathlon. However I was more focused on accessories rather than bikes but I will definitely take a closer look at Halford's bikes after reading this. Thanks again that was very useful. Jay
Yes the color of the kislux is beautiful and it is a great decision, maybe one day they will add feet and straps. It would be nice to have a bigger bag during the colder months when we have to store gloves, beanies, scarves, etc…
Another informative one Jay👍 I would have loved to be able to use my flat pedals more, as they have the advantages you mentioned on bikepacking trips. As a rule I don't have the issues you just had with the spd pedals, quite the opposite: after using my flat pedals for a week I developed so much pain underneath my feet I realised, they're not for me. I Guess it depends on your physique and the riding you do, main thing is to try out your setup properly before a longer trip 😊
I'm not sure why I missed this one, but I'm glad I found it. I do miss touring, but I'm justified not up to it lately. However, an overnighter might be the cards. I still use the Mini-Morph. More reliable, I think, than the CO2 cartridge, but I need to find a better way to carry it on my trike. Nice sharing, except for the heat issue. Whoa, not good.😮
Zip ties have to get the award for bringing out the Heath Robinson in cyclists. Great nod to your musical background, Dunlop is one of my go to picks but if I was backpacking, I could see me staching one somewhere. Good for removing thorns, splinters and bee stings.
