Moon Titan Max Light Review

If you are reading this in the southern hemisphere and spring has now turned to summer, well number 1, please don’t show off and 2, keep this review in mind for April onwards when those of us in the frozen/rain soddern northern hemisphere are feeling smug about there being more light in the day.

Unfortunately back in the reality of a UK winter where it’s starting to get dark at 4pm and other than riding at the weekend (or your designated day off in the week) you’ll be riding in the dark. To do that you need a decent light to enable you to be seen by other people and to see by.

The Moon TitanMax is pretty unique as its shape is cuboid and not like any other light I’ve seen. It is 62 x 48 x 56 mm and weighs 152g on my unvarified kitchen scales. It boasts 1700 lumens at full power and has two beam modes, Moon describes these as “city” and “highway”. this is a bit confusing as they both of these say urban commuting to me but city is the lower power setting. if you think of “city” as being a mode to not dazzle oncoming traffic (or dipped headlights if you are a car driver) and “highway” as full beam and much more suited to off road cycling. Essentially city has a shorter throw and highway lights up the road/trail further ahead.

City mode also gives you three flashing modes, mode 1,2 (100 lumens) and day flash (800 lumens) and will last a claimed 140hrs at the lowest lumen setting. “highway” has two modes, one is 1000 lumens and the other 1700. You switch from city to highway by double clicking the on-off button when the light is switched on.

In the box is an out front mount which comes with the option to just clamp on the light, to run the light and your favourite bike computer or using an included adaptor the light/computer and an action cam. It also comes with a bluetooth handlebar remote with which you can swap between modes. It has a USB-C charging port (2hrs for a full charge). This port is 2-way and you could use the light as a power bank!

Talking of charging, you can also charge the light wirelessly by just placing it on a charging pad. The light also comes in 5 different colours, which is nice, even if it’s pretty superfluous in the dark!

Riding in the dark on the road the city mode is more than enough and even in the lowest setting other road users would need a hell of an excuse to say they didn’t see you coming head on or behind them. Side on the moon titan max suffers the same as most lights and its much harder to see, this is where fluorescent clothing comes in handy. The flashing modes are great for those gloomy days or near dusk and help you stand out. The daytime flash is effective even in full daylight as it gives a very bright pulse of 800 lumens and is perfect for those that feel the need to have a light on at all times.

Off road you definately need the higher power setting as the city setting gets a bit lost and seems to spread sideways rather than projecting forward. The highway setting throws the beam much further forward allowing you to see obstacles sooner. Due to the shape of the lens the beam pattern is “square” rather than a cone seen on more regular shaped lights. This doesn’t detract from the lights ability to light up the trail but does take a little getting used to if you are familiar with other lights.

The big downside for me was the outfront mount. It’s just too flexible. With just the light fitted it vibrates on tarmac and when ridden off road that movement is much worse and makes the light seem to flicker. Add a computer or an action cam to it and this trait is exacerbated. I ended up using my stem cap garmin mount in the end and this proved much more sturdy but of course I lost the option to run other accessories at the same time.

The Moon Titan Max light is an excellent all rounder with a good run time, quick charging with a wireless charging option that is useful for commuting in day and night time and can hold it’s own against much more expensive lights. The fact it looks “different” is a plus point for me but it is let down by the plastic out front mount. Maybe spend the money saved over more expensive lights to by a metal mount?

you can find more details on the Moon Titan Max light here

GRVL.CC Bib Shorts review

The People behind GRVL.CC are first and foremost riders. I know this because I’ve been riding with them. What they also have is years of experience designing sportswear for other companies, some of them very big in the sports world. you’ve probably worn some of their designs but don’t know it.

The GRVL guys though wanted to produce products with more sustainability, in factories that are enviromentally friendly but still give the quality that they demand. All that is a tall order right?

They sent me out a pair of their GRVL bib shorts to try and I’ve been riding short and long distances in them over the last couple of months to see if that list of demands they’ve made for themselves translates into something comfortable to wear, because you can have the most ethical clothing in the world but if it doesn’t feel good when you ride you’re not going to keep wearing it.

The first thing you’ll notice is that these shorts look like they have a baggy short included and they kind of do, but its sewn into the traditional lycra leg and joins at the inner thigh seam. So it’s not a lycra short inside a baggy one, it’s permanently fixed too. GRVL say it’s to give the rider extra protection from the weather, dust and mud. The GRVL logo appears on one leg, this is actually a nightmare for photos because it’s the non drive side leg (otherwise known as the left) and all shots of the bike should be from the driveside, that’s an unwritten bicycle marketing rule right there. I kinda like they’ve gone against the rules, lets hope it’s deliberate!

The logo shows up in a couple of other places and is embossed on the shoulder straps and the bottom of the legs and is a nice stylish touch that makes them stand out from other shorts in this price bracket.

There are two rear pockets which I’d say were perfect for small snacks and gels etc. I did manage to get my phone in there (pixel 6) but had to position it sideways and stretch the pocket as in the vertical postion the pocket only just reached half way up the phone and it didn’t feel secure. Not really a fail on the shorts though as a phone isn’t what every rider stuffs in the pack pocket.

The fit is excellent, I usually take an XL size and these were a good fit, I’d have liked to try the next size down for a little more compression on the legs but when riding they felt spot on.

When I first posted a picture on my instagram account of these shorts I received a direct message from someone who had tried the shorts and said they wanted to warn me of the minimal padding on the chamois. GRVL say the chamois is for “comfort for rough terrain and big adventures” You can see from the picture that the padding isn’t as thick as some shorts on the market. I didn’t find this a problem when riding up to 60+ mile and lots of shorter rides. Not to be too graphic but my backside is well used to riding long distance on my saddle so it is a bit “hardened off”. A beginner rider might have a different view on this but I will say that too much padding is as bad non at all. The chamois does seem to breathe well though and I’ve been glad of this the last few weeks of high tempertures in the UK.

These shorts are not cheap, currently (July 2025) they retail at £185, not the most expensive shorts out there by any means but also not the most affordable. However, they are comfortable and the materials feel like quality. After numerous washes and abrasions from riding they still look good so GRVL have achieved that part of their wish list, the ethical side I take their word for as as I mentioned, they aren’t a faceless corporation, they actually go riding and I’d trust that over any fancy marketing campaign .

The extra baggy short look i’m not sure about. After a long time cargo pocket sceptic but now adopter I missed the leg pockets when riding.

The GRVL.CC bib short is comfortable over long distance, excells in it’s price bracket and manages to look different in a sea of similar looking bib shorts. Given the knowledge that they are striving for sustainability and if the integrated baggy short look is your thing then I’d definately consider these over a big name brand who just care about the profit margin.

Altura All Roads and Esker Clothing Review

British brand Altura have long been known for good value practical clothing and kit. This season they have expanded their “all roads” collection and these items seem perfect for commuting, gravel biking and riding in general so to see if what’s written on paper is true I tried a few pieces out to see if they lived up to their billing.

All roads Cargo Shorts. First up then is an essential, in my opinion, part of any cyclists wardrobe if riding medium to long distance and that is a pair of padded shorts. I was a long time sceptic of bib shorts with pockets on the legs but since trying them I’ve become a complete convert and now wouldn’t consider a pair of bib shorts without some sort of storage option.

The Altura Cargo shorts actually have 5 pockets. two on one leg, one on the other, two rear pockets in a similar spot to where jersey pockets would be and also a loop at the rear which I found perfect to store an Altura rain pullover jacket.

The two pockets on one leg i found a perfect size to hold a phone and some gels and keep them separate from each other and the other side perfect for a bag of walkers! The two rear “jersey” pockets are sized just like jersey pockets so anything you’d be able to stuff in a top you’ll be able to fit here too. Bear in mind though that whatever you stow here will be nearer the heat of your body so chocolate bars are probably out but gels should be easier to swallow when warmer! Obviously if you put something heavy or unwieldy in the pockets they will drag the short legs down but trial and error is your friend here.

The pad in the shorts is comfortable for short and medium rides without any chamois cream for me, anything over 50 miles I’ll be slathering on the cream to stop any hot spots, but this is the same for any padded short regardless of cost.

The sizing is realistic, I usually take an XL to feel comfortable at over 6ft tall and XL in these shorts was spot on. numerous washes haven’t made the shorts baggy or tight so I can say with confidence they are worth a place in your wardrobe and may end up as your go to shorts.

All Roads Shorts At the other end of the spectrum are the Altura All Roads “baggy” shorts. I’ve put those quotation marks in as although the shorts are baggy compared to bib shorts they are quite fitted and so look “normal”, more quotes but what I mean is you could wear these as everyday shorts and no one would bat an eyelid. Ride to work and wear them all day or in the pub. Personally i’d add a padded short too if going any distance as these shorts have no padding. What they do have tough is a stretch fabric so pedalling is easy in them with no pulling.

The shorts have waist adjusters and three pockets. The rear is zipped for security and the two side pockets are very useable in that you can ride with a phone in the pocket without it interfering with pedalling action. The material is lovely and soft to the touch but maybe a little thick to wear on the hottest of days. Sizing again is realistic and large for me with a 34″ waist was spot on.

All Roads Cycling Shirt The ubiquitous check shirt, sometimes known as a flannel. Well Altura’s verion is not flannel at all. It’s a technical fabric more akin to a cycling jersey and is made of a polyester ripstop material, very handy when riding through the UK’s overgrown bridleway network. It has a lovely amount of stretch to the fabric has two chest pockets and snap button (or press-stud if you’re old enough) which makes venting on climbs very easy. Because it’s not flannel it folds up compactly so is great to stow away on your bike for pub stops or bike packing when you’ve made camp and are sitting around the fire…ok, maybe eating rehydrated cardboard dinners and hiding from midges but you know what I mean. The shirt also has some reflective detailing if the check pateern isn’t enough to get you noticed.

A shirt like this should be in every riders kit as it’s so versatile and comfy to wear.

Altura Esker Cave Trail Hoody Hoodies for bike riding? doesn’t the hood just fill with air and act as a brake? sometimes yea in a high wind or speed situation but it really is just occasional and the benefits outweigh that drawback massively. The Altura Cave hoody (not sure what the Cave bit is about if i’m honest) is a soft feel jacket with high loft fleece areas on the chest and outer upper arms, just where windchill will make it’s presence felt. because of this it’s really an early or late in the day or an Autumn-winter-spring garment. The two zippered front pockets are big enough to stash a phone and the hoody is treated with a water repellent coating to shrug off spray and a light shower. And the hood? it’s actually elasticated so it’ll fit over a helmet and not fly off.

This hoody has been so comfortable and because the test period co-incided with the hottest spring for years has seen more use off the bike than on. That just shows it’s versatility though.

Altura Esker Waterproof Packable jacket Riding in the UK you will need a waterproof jacket at some point unfortunately. In my mind there are two types of waterproof cycling jacket. One that you wear when it’s already raining when you leave the house or one that you take with you, tucked away somewhere on you or the bike incase it starts raining when you are already mid ride. This Altura jacket is for the latter and it works pefectly in this respect as it is very packable and will fold away into it’s own pocket.

It is full waterproof with taped seams and has vents front and rear to aid breathability and an integrated hood. the hood has a drawstring adjuster to tailor the fit and prevent it blowing about. the jacket is cut for cycling and has sleeves that are longer to account for the cycling position. The cuffs are also partially elastic to stop draughts blowing up the sleeves. Again the fit is real world.

As with any waterproof jacket, even the most expensive, you will get warm riding in this jacket in warm humid conditions, that’s unavoidable but this jacket is no worse in that respect than jackets costing three times as much.

An essential waterproof jacket that takes up no room at all so you can take it with you for when you need it….and you will!

Altura All Roads Packable Waterproof Trousers Do you really need waterproof trousers? I’ve always thought this as all the waterproof leg wear I’ve tried in the past has been franly, horrible. Rustlely, clammy and hot is my experience with waterproof trousers so I put these on in trepidation, prepared to absolutely hate them but, what a revelation, these Altura waterproof trousers were truly excellent.

I picked a day when it had been raining for a couple of days and was still raining to give them a proper test. First thing to note is that the zip “fly” is off set to one side so no bunching up when you bend over and there’s a waist adjuster to get the fit just right. there’s also a side pocket that these trousers actually roll up into and are of small enough bulk to stash away on the bike making them perfect for bike packing or commuting.

The main thing I loved about these trousers was the fit. most cycling trousers tend to not have the correct articulation at the knee and the pedalling action pulls the trousers down when the knee grips the fabric. No such thing happened here, even standing up i didn’t have to adjust the waist height everytime. The material has a waterproof coating which made water bead off them and despite riding for a couple of hours in the rain in them I didn’t feel like i was over heating.

Fit again is good but I’d like to improve a couple of things, first the length. I’d like the legs to be longer, when riding there was a gap between trouser leg hem and shoe. easily rectified with a waterproof sock btu if you were using these as an emergency rain stopper them water will run off them into your shoes. the other thing is also hem related. the hem is elasticated and this ensures minimal trouser-chain interfaces but they fit so well here it’s definately a shoe off situation to get them on in that emergency deluge situation.

Those two things are far outweighed by how good the trousers perform and also how quiet they are when pedalling. no annoying rustle of the fabric. Invest in some waterproof socks, buy a pair of these altura all roads waterproof trousers and go and play in the rain!

Altura Esker Eco Trail Trouser winter riding sucks right? Its cold, dark and motivation is at an all time low. bib tights are just not cutting it in the single digit temps. That’s my feeling anyway so I bought the old version of these trousers and wore them with bibs and knee warmers underneath and they kept me toasty and able to extend rides because of the warm and how comfortqble they were.

I was keen to try this new version to see if they were still as good and what differences there might be. The ECO part of the name is the result of using recycled materials in the fabric. there’s a water repellent coating that works well and the fit is great. the waist is a wrap around design with the adjuster over to one side so it doesn’t stick in your belly when in the cycling position. The material has a great stretch to it and it doesn’t hamper pedalling at all. Altura say there’s enough room at the knee for low profile knee pads, not something I’ve ever used but this room means the knees are free to move and don’t pull the material down. the close fitting hem length means there’s no flapping that might put the material into the chain.

The fit is just as good as the original pair i bought and they pedal equally as well. If you hate riding through nettles and brambles in summer then these trousers are your go to. Despite me wearing mine in winter i have tried them in more clement conditions just to see how they faired and you won’t feel like a grain of rice in a boil in the bag sachet. They also pack up fairly small too so definately an option for bike packing.

The Altura Esker trail trousers are still my favourite full length riding trews!

This is just the tip of Altura’s clothing iceberg, they do road specific , commuting and MTB stuff too but these pieces above seem to cross all genres and so fit gravel riding perfectly.

The Altura All roads and Esker clothing range is good value, has realistic, real human sizing and is carefully designed by people who know about UK riding. Definately check them out when looking for kit to go riding in.

here’s a link to altura’s website, it’s not an afiliate link so I don’t get any money for this review, I do however get to keep the kit that they sent to me, afterall, no-one would want those bib shorts now would they?……hmm, maybe of of those specialist websites!

Restrap Saddle Bag Review

Restrap is a British company who have been producing bike packing bags and accessories since 2010. The company started from a bedroom in the North of England.

Now anyone who knows Northern England will know all to well that they get, and I’ll describe it generously as, “mixed” weather up there. So, they should know a thing or two about what works on a bicycle in those varied conditions. Restrap have had saddle bags in their range for many years but recently introduced some new models a 2.4ltr and a 4.5ltr bag. i was lucky enough to be contacted by Restrap and they asked me to give my opinion on the new models.

I plumped for the 4.5ltr version in a green colour (to match my Fustle Causeway) but they are available in black and orange too. Made from super hard wearing 1000d cordura nylon material the bag looks quality from the outset, it is also easy to wipe clean. The part of the bag in line with potential spray from the rear wheel is coated with a TPU rubber for extra water protection and the interior is seam sealed to keep 100% of any moisture out. The interior material is also a bright orange colour which makes finding items inside the bag in varying light conditions much easier than if it was the usual black colour.

Fixing the bag to the bike is very easy. It has straps and buckles that fit over the saddle rails and a rubber strap with a sponge spacer to fit around the bike’s seat post. All these straps can be snugged right down to fit the bag neatly under the saddle, minimising movement. the straps can be neatly tucked away too with the supplied plastic clips making for a very neat surplus strap solution.

The saddle bag has a roll top and this means if you have only a small cargo to carry you can cinch it right down to stop any baggyiness and of course if you have a lot of kit you can do the smallest amount of roll and really stuff the contents in and it’ll still be secure. The bag closure features a lovely fidlock magnetic clasp that emits a very satisfying click when it engages.

Although Restrap don’t mention it on their website the back will work with a dropper post. I’d recommend taping the post where the strap sits though.

On the bike and fully loaded the bag has impeccable manners, there’s very little side to side “wag” even when i deliberately put the heaviest items to the back of it. check out the video below to see it in action. it’s not a quick access bag as it sits out back, but if you wanted to replace a bar bag and just run a top tube bag for essentials it would be ideal. the fact that it easily detaches means if you are touring and need to take the bag with you into accomodation it’s straightforward and convienient. On that note, it’s not really a long distance bike packing bag unless you are one of those riders who can ride ultra events on 1 mars bar and 2 hours sleep in a hedge! For the rest of us it’s a great day ride or “credit card” touring bag where you carrying minimal kit and travel between B&Bs/AirB&B etc and aren’t carrying a tent and cooking paraphernalia.

the Restrap saddle bag is hard to review really as there aren’t any downsides. it’s always nice to suggest an improvement or a short coming and the bag doesn’t have these. I’m reluctant to say it’s boring, maybe drama-less is a better description as it just gets on with the job,…. if i think hard maybe it’s lacking a loop to attach a rear light as it’ll probably cover your seat post, the traditional spot for a light but really that’s just nit picking.

The Restrap saddle bag is made of quality materials with years of design experience learnt in true British conditions built in. it’s even great value when you look at other bags of similar size. there aren’t any downsides*

here’s a link to the Restrap website for this bag Restrap 4.5ltr please note this is not an affiliate link. i don’t get any kick back (£) from this review so you can be assured it’s a genuine one.

please check out the videp that goes alongside this review and please take the time to subscribe to my youtube channel, it’s absolutely free to do so!

*the only downside is i’ll have to probably send it back to Restrap!

Shimano Deore CS-M5100 cassette

With the current war of ratios that is going on between Shimano and Sram over who can shoe horn the biggest sprocket onto their 12 speed cassettes ,at time of writing, Sram has gone one better with 52T over Shimano who introduced 51T just to outdo Srams 50T from a while ago…phew! it was refreshing to see that there are options further down the price scale that don’t need a specific freehub to work. Shimano 12sp needs their propitiatory “Micro Spline” freehub and in turn to run Sram big cassettes in most cases you need their “XD” driver.

However if you haven’t invested in the 12sp technology yet and are still running 11 speed then there is now a very good alternative from Shimano. The Deore M5100 cassette which happily fits straight on to the standard Shimano freehub that everyone running the big “S’s” gears already has. Before this new cassette the biggest sprocket on a 11sp Shimano cassette was 46T which is a very low gear indeed and originally ideally suited to a mountain bike. It does suffer though from a hug gap between the penultimate sprocket and that 46t, namely 37t-46t. I ran this cassette through the winter months on my gravel bike on a set of 650b wheels with much knobblier tyres than those I use in the drier months as my local terrain is very muddy and clay rich so i need all the traction i can get for the seated climbing necessitated to stop the wheel from spinning out. The gap was very annoying and when I needed a slightly lower gear than the 37t to stop stalling (I’m no climbing super hero as you can tell) the big jump to 46t was too great and I ended up loosing balance as my legs spun wildly.

The solution pt1

to over come this i butchered a 11-42t cassette, removing the 15t sprocket and adding a very second hand expander sprocket which used to be all the rage before huge cassettes but seem rare these days. This sprocket had 45 teeth so making the final jump between cogs 42-45t which was much better and this is what i ended up running for most of the damp months. Unfortunately the horrible gritty/grinding local conditions all but destroyed the cassette and chain (ok, i should have checked the chain wear more regularly) so knowing that the new Deore cassette was imminent I nursed that chain and cassette for as long as possible until my local bike shop called to say the new cassette had arrived!

The Solution pt2

The Deore M5100 has a ratio of 11-13-15-18-21-24-28-33-39-45-51T and those last 3 sprockets are very evenly spread so even tough the gaps are bigger than at the other end of the cassette the transition is easier to keep a good cadence on and aids balance and traction as your legs aren’t all over the place when concentrating on traction and line choice. The smaller sprockets are much closer in range and this is a good thing as on a gravel bike this is where you will mostly be sat. Small ration changes enabling smooth pedaling and letting you carry your speed on tarmac and less technical off road sections. the new cassette was 70g heavier than my modified 11-45 extended cassette)

Lucky?

M5100 in action

When I came to fit the cassette I was expecting to have a fight to get it to work, probably requiring a rear hanger extender/road link but i thought i’d try it out first anyway. I did fit a complete 116 link chain ( the old one was left this long too to accommodate the 11-45/46T) , set the clutch to on and with trepidation cycled through the gears. As you can see from the video, I was lucky and it worked straight away without any modification. I didn’t even have to adjust the “B” screw it was fine on the setting from the previous cassette. Please note if you try this your set up may be different! it’s not my fault if you damage anything!

So there it is, as mountain bike cassette on a gravel bike. the rest of the gearing is all GRX 810 with a 1 x 40 chainring. the 51t sprocket gives very very very low gearing and other than deliberately trying it out when riding I doubt if I’ll ever use it on this bike. the next sprocket down tends to be my extreme sit and spin gear. However for a heavily laden touring or bike packing bike that has done away with the fuss of a double (or triple) chainset this could just be what you are after at the end of a long day with that last long steep incline to grind up.

The cassette has now done a couple of hundred miles around my local area and is so far trouble free so I’m in no hurry to swap it for something less silly. in fact i’m going to get one for my mountain bike as the cost of the cassette is much less than the cost of upgrading to 12 speed to get that extra gearing and who needs that extra one tooth (sram)?