Gambles

 

I'd been looking at the Campak4 doing something close to nothing for far too long but hadn't found a decent mount to replace the mighty Minoura. In my experience, action cameras themselves have become more solid, feature laden and weatherproof-without recourse to the polycarbonate casings. However, while I’d always prefer money to be invested in the camera itself, bike mounts supplied tend to be very crude and ineffectual.  

Enter a site notorious for bombarding me with offers of inflatable life-size pleasure dolls...A couple of solid-looking designs suddenly popped up in my feed and only a few quid for the pair-including postage. Some goods on these platforms can be false economy, utter junk in some instances but this one looked worth a punt.  

Yes, you can lash something credible together using an old reflector mount, tap washers, rubber shims, ¼ inch threaded bolt and two nuts. The most involved bit of this is rounding up the parts- a three-minute job to fit. Performance-wise, I’ve found these reasonably effective with smaller compact cameras, so on paper, they should be fine with a Go-Pro type action camera.  

Switching Ursula’s wheels over to those with the Schwalbe Ice Spiker Pro was a shrewd move, although the snowy conditions were a little overplayed. Sure, the temperatures dropped to freezing but the snow’s consistency closer to sleet. Presented the ideal opportunity to adjust the rear mech and dial in the shifting a bit- the Microshift bar con had come loose in the end and the inner wire had stretched a little.  

An easy fix.  In the days leading up to this, I’d been getting Denise muddy, slithering along the singletrack lanes and was pleasantly surprised by how well the 120tpi WTB Nano shed moderate mud, especially when I’ve hit the asphalt, or indeed, leafy hardpack trails. They’re also palpably more compliant than their 60tpi stablemates in the latter contexts, something I was particularly conscious of while navigating a disused airfield.  

I’m also getting familiar, dare I say fond of the Topeak Backloader, which is sensibly proportioned, lightweight and lightweight, without feeling fragile.  The main fabric is ripstop polyethylene/nylon and highly water resistant, rather than proof, but that goes for most in my experience.  

There’s an inner liner with 10,000mm water resistance, which is very welcome and eliminates the need for the humble bin liner-unless you wanted to go the belt n’ braces route. As I said in an earlier entry, despite being the smallest in the family (10 and 15litres being the alternatives. I’ve tried binding old inner tube around the USE post to minimise this but there’s still minor bob and sway-especially when I’ve been climbing out of the saddle. Not close to some of the bigger bike packing designs I’ve tested in the past but the Zefal Adventure R5 Waterproof Saddlebag ZEFAL ADVENTURE R5 WATERPROOF SADDLE BAG | cycling-not-racing  and its bigger, 11 litre sibling ZEFAL ADVENTURE R11 WATERPROOF SADDLEBAG | cycling-not-racing are notably more stable. I’ve wondered if a double hook and loop post strap would cure this, although both the Zefal have only one...

Sat on the toilet, contemplating life, the universe and another Trump presidency, I concluded an aftermarket brace and turned to another auction site for wallet friendly inspiration. I happened upon this Topeak Backloader Wishbone homage, which also features bottle bosses. Some commentators have suggested there are compatibility hassles with luggage and some saddle rails... We’ll see... I’ve switched the fixed gear winter/trainer’s very likeable Cycology See Me Pink Handlebar bag Cycology See Me Pink Handlebar Bag | cycling-not-racing  for the Oxford Aqua Evo Adventure Daytripper Handlebar bag.  

As the name suggests, this is a relatively compact 3.5litre model. Measuring 24x10x14cm, it’s made from 400denier ripstop TPU, with some reflective logos and detailing. Welded seams to lock the elements out, segregated internal pockets for phone and tooling oh and an external cargo net for gloves, packable jacket and similar overspill. Its big enough for day type duties and just fits between the fixed’s bars without obscuring the K-Lite Ultra LD Low Drag Dynamo Light  K-LITE ULTRA LOW DRAG DYNAMO LIGHT | cycling-not-racing  which is a welcome relief.  

Talking of jackets, colder temperatures have seen me dip back into the winter wardrobe for a middleweight jersey cum jacket and Oxford Products Venture Jacket OXFORD VENTURE JACKET | cycling-not-racing. In common with Madison Roam Madison Roam 2.5 Layer Waterproof Jacket | cycling-not-racing, the Venture has a hood and other features that lend themselves equally well to touring, winter commuting, mountain bike and gravel duties.  I'll leave it here with my review of the Madison Isoler Thermal Jacket Madison Isoler Thermal Jacket | cycling-not-racing