Garmin Vivoactive 3 review

Work-in-progress! Check back regularly for updates. It looks like 2020 is the year I've let loose on my acquisition program. Yes, I finally got myself a smart watch and it isn't an Apple Watch. Why a Garmin instead of an Apple? Cost. No, I don't have infinite amounts of dough. At about half the price of an Apple Watch, this seemed to be a reasonable purchase. You do have to give up features like a high resolution OLED display, Apple Pay,...

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A Giant Revolt Advanced Pro 1 (2021) Review

Check back regularly for updates. This is a work in progress... After about 19 years, I've finally decided to spoil myself with a new bicycle. But why a gravel bike? Fat tyres. I've toyed with the idea of buying a road bike with wider tyres for a long time. Wider tyres mean lower pressures and greater comfort. Also, it means you can roll over metal gratings with wild abandon, without having to steer at a 45-degree angle to avoid dropping...

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Garmin Edge 1030 Plus review

Work-in-progress! Check back regularly for updates. Finally pulled the trigger and bought this on Cyber Monday. Hope to make the most of an expensive toy. This mid-life crisis is really kicking in. Thought I'd start putting down a few thoughts while waiting for this to arrive. Why get a cycling computer when a smartphone will do? Rugged. Not that iPhones are flimsy, but I like my phones to last a long time and having them bounce around on...

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Knog Blinder Road 2 Mini-Review

These are the most powerful headlights that I own. My first impression when I opened up the package was: wow, these are tinier than I expected... Really tiny. Smaller in two dimensions than the venerable Cateye dual AA battery powered Cateye HL-EL135 that has been my mainstay for years. It comes with two elastic bands that snap onto the light to fit different diameter handle bars. A helmet mount is included. Fit and finish get top marks in...

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Making and flying a delta kite

Had to keep the kids occupied during the school holidays and was wondering what to do when we stumbled across a delta kite design from MyBestKite.com. Naturally, we chose a simple design to see if the designs were any good. The simple delta kite looked like a great candidate - easy enough to build and a different from the paper and bamboo diamond kites I used to fly as a kid. Sail material was cut out of some lightweight garbage bin liner...

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Carradice Bagman2 QR Support - Expedition: A User's Experience

I ordered the Bagman2 QR Support - Expedition together with the Camper long flap after some deliberation. Here's a summary of the thought process: Bagman or saddle loop? Now that I was sure about getting a saddlebag, how was I going to attach it to the bike. Direct attachment to the saddle loops would be most budget friendly, but it would mean taking a risk with the bag nudging against the back of my thighs with every pedal stroke. Plus,...

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Carradice Camper Longflap Saddlebag Mini-Review

After deliberating for over a year, I finally bit the bullet and ordered a Carradice Camper longflap saddlebag and Carradice Bagman 2 Expedition Support Bag Mount QR from SJS Cycles. I ordered from SJS Cycles because they stocked both the honey/green version of the saddlebag and the Bagman 2 at somewhat reasonable prices and acceptable (but not exactly cheap) shipping rates. The idea would be to fit the Bagman 2 support to my hardtail mountain...

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