Water Sports.....

No, look elsewhere if you're after the sort involving bodily fluids. We've been hit by a band of low pressure, bestowing monsoon rainfall of the type more commonly associated with epic melodramas. Harbingers of doom proclaim the end of summer but these are perfect conditions for real-world conditions for product tests.

The good folk at Moore Large (http://www.todayscyclist.co.uk/) have left me Knog's Dry Dog to play with. Our seventeen inch version is big enough to hop inside and on the strength of recent long, steady rides-completely waterproof (even submerged during river crossings) thanks to the sonically welded 1200 denier PU fabric. Acres of bold, reflective detailing ensures 180 degree visibility, which is an absolute godsend whether chasing along country lanes in the dead of night or tackling the usual town centre malaise. Similarly, Rixen Kaul click-fix systems inspire confidence over the roughest roads and trails, accommodating most gauges of rack with a deft flick of the Phillips screws. Asymmetrical design allows it to ride either side and this extends to the webbed shoulder strap which shares a similar profile to the pig-dog. A splash of cartoon nudity is the only thing likely to divide opinion and for my part, I'm indifferent but some office/environments might not be so liberal.

Having discovered the Univega's Kenda Ultralite tube mysteriously perished at the valve stem, it now lives on as a top-tube protector, which ironically coincided with the purchase of another patch kit. Mean and rueful of the glue-less breed, finding they either don't adhere at all, or slowly peel away, I'll stick with that little tube of vulcanising solution. Leaning bikes by their top-tubes is something I avoid wherever possible but on those occasions calling for intimate relations with street furniture, the old inner tube trick protects paintwork and thin-walled tubing from unnecessary nicks, scrapes and dings.

Freedom to choose (or at least make genuine choices) should never be undervalued. I've been exercising my right to ride sans lid these past few weeks and it has raised a number of interesting points. Firstly, other riders seem more inclined to acknowledge me-regardless of genre or tribe while drivers pass with greater caution and distance. Having worn helmets for the best part of twenty-three years, going totally bareheaded doesn't come naturally-hence the traditional clubman's cap, providing protection from the sun's glare and wind-chill. However, the lid has been resurrected to coincide with these rather tasty new lights from Moon. The creatively monikered X500 is a five hundred lumen, five mode, high power commuting lamp designed for either handlebar of helmet fitting.

Early impressions suggest commendable build quality and output relative to competitor brands, although I have some reservations concerning the lack of peripheral illumination-a moot point perhaps when used as a secondary system but otherwise a consideration when emerging from unlit side-roads, junctions etc . This aside, a choice of wall or USB charging is particularly welcome, although run times in the upper modes don't favour extended nocturnal playtime. Several weeks' thorough testing will reveal all. Elsewhere we've the five LED Mask with detachable covers for perfect colour contrast/coordination and its sixty lumen Shield sibling. Perfect on paper for desk-bound commuters I'm looking forward to putting these through their paces. Our samples were supplied by Raleigh UK (http://www.raleigh.co.uk/) should you fancy a more detailed run down before I return with a more detailed evaluation complete with "Beam" shots.

"I reject your reality and substitute it for my own" is an undeniably witty retort and I am fully aware that stupidity cannot be legislated against. However, there are people who cannot see the correlation between Russian roulette and overtaking on a blind bend. The photograph here depicts the aftermath of a head-on collision between an MG sports car and Ford Mondeo, resulting in critical injuries, necessitating three hour road closure. I realised the gravity of the situation upon spotting a lone stretcher and two police officers gesticulating in between periods of protracted discussion. Nineteen years previously, a cyclist in his early twenties was killed having struck a postal van. Talk focused upon the rider's helmet omission and according to eye-witness reports, the stationary vehicle wasn't badly parked-a genuinely tragic accident resultant from a momentary lapse in concentration.

There prevails a curious myth that simply passing the car test (along with examinations per se) qualifies individuals as competent drivers when in fact it merely proves they were assessed as being suitably safe to be allowed to operate a vehicle on public roads without supervision. There are no shortcuts to road craft as the proliferation of fatalities amongst thirty-somethings who acquire motorcycle licences via intensive course and on large capacity (typically 750cc) machines. By contrast cyclists and motorcyclists who adopt cars as another mode of transport generally "read" the road to a better standard, showing greater empathy for others.

Sermon over and since it's pouring with rain, I'll go testing.