Autumnal Promise

 

Not had the cool, bright ambience I’m particularly fond of, rather the rush and rumble of sugar beet being funnelled into trucks and lanes carpeted in a mixture of leaves and acorns, bringing a new dimension to riding. Acorns can prove surprisingly good at testing a tyres traction, especially when the rains strike. No issues with the Maxxis Ravager Maxxis Ravager TR Tyres | cycling-not-racing, Rambler Maxxis Rambler Tubeless Ready Tyres | cycling-not-racing, Vittoria and Continental Pure Contact-plenty of feedback and compliant casings certainly help. The Weldtite All Weather is doing its thing impeccably too. It’s a lower viscosity formula, so a little trickier than some to get a really controlled, sparing coating on the chain. Doing so rewards with much less grit, grot and ultimately need for weekly wipes of the side plates.  Fitting the Zefal Crank Armor presented an ideal opportunity to check chain health-just shy of .5, so a reasonable amount of life remaining. .7 is pension point for 10speed chains, although sometimes, say following a more involved strip, or deep clean and there’s a replacement to hand, I may switch at .6.

There’s no such thing as the wrong weather, rather the wrong clothing- a phrase credited to Alfred Wainright, back in 1973 but it certainly resonates with me, both throughout my riding “career”. Basically, the notion we can enjoy any kind of weather, with the right kit. Admittedly, while I accept punctures and other mid ride mechanicals are “part of the ride”, not to mention product testing but they’re not my favourite experience when it’s raining dogs in the wee small hours. While DWR coatings found on jerseys are great for an unexpected showers and will typically buys 30 minutes to either reach home or don a technical jacket.

The Castelli Do Di Ci to my surprise, forgoes the DWR component in favour of rapid wicking (which it seems to do very effectively) although surprisingly enough, I’ve remained dry in the showery contexts described above. On longer, or potentially changeable outings, I default to Madison Road Race Super Light Men’s Waterproof Softshell Jacket Madison Road Race Jacket | cycling-not-racing since its packable and offers a decent level of protection. Unlike, the classic “condom” jacket, which are great if you want to sweat some weight off, the Madison breathes very effectively and packs nicely into a bigger wedge pack, assuming if like me, you prefer it didn’t consume a jersey pocket.    

Continuing the right kit narrative, packable garments have their place and can be a serious godsend. However, more persistently wet, wintry weather calls for a more traditional technical jacket. A sudden onset of “stormy” weather saw me reaching for this Showers Pass Elements Jacket SHOWERS PASS MEN'S ELEMENTS JACKET | cycling-not-racing which boasts excellent 15000mm waterproofing and breathability, not to mention some very clever retro-reflective technology. The only thing I’ve really missed is a breast pocket for easy access to my compact camera. It also proved an ideal opportunity to don the Sidi Algor, which have held up very well against deep standing water and similarly wet and occasionally gritty stuff. I’ve gone for waterproof socks in the first instance but will also get soe miles in wearing traditional merino blend socks to see how the boot’s water repelling properties hold off the elements.    

 

I was delighted to receive this Altura Night Vision Storm Jacket. The Night vision could arguably be described as something of an iconic model for commuting and general riding. I’ve used previous versions long term and found them very practical and surprisingly durable. Waterproofing and Breathability are 10,000mm apiece, which is my yardstick, for this kind of garment-one that will wick fairly effectively when turning a decent tempo.

That said, I prefer those with a breathability rating closer to 15,000mm for longer, more intensive riding. Weight is another consideration, this Altura tips the scales at just under 500g, which again is typical of this genre of garment but a higher end model, such as this Gore are around the 300g mark, which is quite considerable. Similarly, while models such as the Altura are packable, we’re talking 126-20 litre pannier, or Bike Packing Seat pack such as this PASSPORT CYCLES BIKEPACKING SEAT PACK | cycling-not-racing  or the Lomo 13 Litre Bikepacking Seat Pack  Lomo 13 Litre Bikepacking Seat Pack | cycling-not-racing not rack bag, let alone jersey pocket.

Fine on a tour, but not necessarily ideal on a training run, or day ride. Oh, and if you’ve gone this route (or at the other extreme, returned from a hell and high-water mission) hang the jacket out to dry properly.  Polyester blends are pretty easy to wash too-pop in the machine at 30 degrees, minimal detergent, line dry (or indoors) naturally away from sources of heat.