With temperatures creeping into
the low 30’s, I’ve been re-bonding with my multi-colour fixed gear along the
rapidly melting lanes.
Two full trade bottles
maintaining my hydration levels and this UPSO stirling seat pack holding its
essentials-tubes, tools and other essentials. Serendipity brought me a
white/green version, which blends surprisingly well with the builds’
increasingly hap-hazard, yet strangely endearing colour scheme.
So, the UPSO Stirling...Measuring
20x9cm, its part of a luggage range, made by hand, on solar powered sewing
machines, using high quality recycled materials.
The main fabric is Lorry tarpaulin,
the zipper tags are fashioned from off cuts of fire-hose. Tethering to
seatposts via an easily replaceable toe strap and stocky Velcro straps isn’t
the only option either.
I’ve combined ours with this
passport frequent flyer wedge pack. The frequent flyer is made from a
surprisingly hardy 600d codura nylon, which also moulds compliantly around the
Cane Creek Thudbuster ST post.
The frequent flyer is another
single compartment model designed to swallow the essentials-multi tool, spare
tube, tyre levers, CO2 inflator etc. Efficient packers should be able to slip
two 700x25c tubes plus the other basics without straining the zipper. Velcro
straps might not be the sleekest arrangement but is as near universal as you’ll
get.
The main reason why I’ve bar
mounted the stirling boils down to my Pedros’ trixie tool. I mislaid/lost my
Cool Tool which, though limited in terms of Allen keys, was blessed with a high
quality adjustable/cone wrench with chain tool on the reverse.
It was also surprisingly
compact, whereas the trixie favours leverage. Lock rings and similarly torque
dependent tasks. It will just sneak inside the Stirling without causing
mischief but prevents the tarp from forming a compatible arc.
Sway is one of those things
that drive me (and many others) nuts. Thankfully, both tether very tightly, so
a moot point.
Approaches to LED tabs are
very different. Passport has taken the semi rigid plastic, UPSO the more
traditional, webbed nylon strap route.
Both seem good, practical
hosts to bigger blinkies and given the UPSO’s present location, compact commuter
lights packing 200-350lumens.
The Stirling commands £30,
which isn’t cheap but very reasonable when the cost of skilled, UK labour is
factored into the equation. I also love the fact that otherwise scrap materials
have been used to create a high quality product.
Detailing is equally sharp
where it isn’t so obvious. The zipper is highly water repellent, rather than
proof but I haven’t noticed any ingress when tickling it provocatively, at
close range using a high pressure hose.
That said; even taped and
welded seams aren’t 100% waterproof. I’ve been known to line expedition
panniers with refuse/garden waste sacks on really wet commutes, or weekend mtb
excursions.
It’ll be a few weeks and
several hundred miles in changeable weather before I approach any definite
conclusions but thus far I’m certainly warming to it. Elsewhere, in spite of the heat, John Moss
has built; tensioned and trued the replacement, Mavic wheel to a meticulously
high standard.
Characteristic of his
generation of craft trained engineers; he is perfectionist in his approach and
seeks to continuously improve a design or concept. Given I am not particularly
heavy-in terms of weight, or riding style and the bike’s function, he seems
confident the tension and two-cross
spoke pattern should prove reliable.
Next stage is coaxing that EAI
sprocket free from the defunct Inbred hub threads, remembering a carpet of high
quality grease (not to mention yearly replenishments) rim tape and a 30mm section tyre.
Then I’ll start running it in.
Mavic recommend sections between 19 and 28mm but I’m confident a couple of
millimetres won’t cause any mischief. That said; despite the trend for
increasingly large volumes, I wouldn’t chance anything wider.
