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.
moon titan max mountmoon titan max usb-cmoon titan max wireless charging
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.
Moon titan max city lowMoon titan max city highMoon titan max highway lowMoon titan max highway high
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!
moon titan max bar remotemoon titan max on garmin stem mountmoon titan max on action cam mount
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.
moon titan max stem cap mountmoon titan max stem cap mount
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
When it comes to feet, mine run cold and I’m always searching for the perfect solution to keeping my toes comfortable when the temperatures drop to single or minus figures. So it was either very brave or very foolish for Northwave to take up the challenge with their Celsius Arctic GTX shoes. Warning: there’s a lot of acronyms and product names in this review, such is the current fashion in the bike industry. Still, “Celsius Arctic GTX” does on the face of it sound impressively warm doesn’t it? Luckily the period of riding in these coincided with the UK weather reverting to normal with a named storm, torrential rain, floods that then turned into a cold snap of windscreen scraping mornings and crunchy puddles, so all in all perfect test conditions!
Northwave Celsius Arctic GTX the clean unworn edition
Ok, lets get some of the jargon and acronyms out of the way first, the Northwave Celsius Arctic GTX boots are advertised as having a “Cirrus XT 4L membrane made by Gore-Tex” for waterproofness and breathability, 200g recycled “Primaloft Gold thermal padding” inside and a “4 layer Arctic insole”. More of a shoe with a neoprene cuff than a boot they close using a “X-Dial SLW3” (think Boa but with a quick release lever) and a zip up the inside of the cuff. The sole has an aggressive looking “Jaws Evo sole” tread, with a SPD cleat pocket and the provision of fitting football boot studs at the toe for added traction if you are fit/mad enough to run with your bike on a cyclocross race.
Enough of the jargon, what are they like to wear? Well i asked for a size larger than my normal summer shoe size as I intended to run thicker or waterproof socks with them and Northwave agreed that was a good idea. With a thicker sock on my feet I attempted to put them on for the first time. There’s definately a knack to it. Inside the shoe are two red straps to aid pulling them on and they are needed. It was a bit of a wrestle to be honest and i was instantly worried I needed an even bigger size. However once on and my socks straightened by wiggling my feet in the shoe they felt totally the right size and i had plenty of toe wiggle room. Infact they are sort of T.A.R.D.I.S like as they seem bigger when on than when putting on if that makes sense?
Once on and the dial turned to snug the front of the shoe down and the zip done up they feel really comfortable, there’s loads of adjustment with the X-Dial and the neoprene like cuff fits well around the ankle and allows unhindered ankle joint articulation. So no resistance to pedalling.
the sole has a very generous amount of cleat adjustment, I’d go as far as saying the most I’ve experienced on any clip in shoe. I set it as far back as it could go thinking the shoes were like most others and soon realised I had to move the cleat back towards the toe which is unheard of in my experience! The sole is aggressive and there’s lots of grip even without the toe studs for hike a bike sections. The close spaced knobs will get clogged with clay and leaves (your soil conditions may be different) but a quick bang on the pedals soon clears them though. Taking of walking, the sole has just the right amount of flex for trotting up muddy trails and lets face it more importantly they won’t make you look like a penguin when walking up to the counter in your favourite coffee/cake/chip shop/pub. Despite this flex there is plenty of stiffness at the cleat for efficient pedalling.
Northwave Celsius Arctic GTX test conditions
Are they waterproof then? the shoe part of the “boot” definately is, i know this because I deliberately on your behalf pedalled my bike through all the floods, stood in X-dial deep puddles and tried to (unsuccessfully) leap across a ford. The neoprene cuff though isn’t, it’s weather proof but will eventually get damp from spray. Bear in mind though that there’s a big hole in the shoe where your foot goes in so a wet sock cuff is equally caused by water running down the leg of my waterproof trousers as much as the neoprene. The good thing about neoprene though and why it’s excellent as a wet suit is that despite being damp it still insulates the wearer by trapping body heat. On the wettest day when i removed the shoes the top of my sock was damp but from the ankle down was as dry as when I put them on.
Northwave Celsius Arctic GTX in the wildNorthwave Celsius Arctic GTX full frontal
Despite having to really tug to get the shoes on the straps have remained intact. the X-Dial looks fragile put I have accidentally smashed it into a concrete bollard (Northwave sell spares) and the release lever allows very easy adjustment, in a juxtposition to putting them on the shoes come off at the end of a ride very easily which messes with my mind somewhat.
Northwave Celsius Arctic GTX X-Dial adjusterNorthwave Celsius Arctic GTX side zip
Did the Northwave Celcius Arctic GTX shoes keep my feet warm? Northwave needn’t have worried (I expect they weren’t losing any sleep) as my feet stayed warmer in these shoes a lot longer than I’ve experienced before. i’d go as far as saying they are the warmest cycling shoes/boots that I’ve tried so far and as the temperature drops the further we get into winter i’m looking forward to spending longer out on the bike than previous years.
Northwave Celsius Arctic GTX making wavesNorthwave Celsius Arctic GTX will never be this clean again
The Northwave Celsius Arctic GTX shoe is a comfortable, efficient pedalling, warm and weatherproof shoe that’ll help you go further for longer in the grimmest of conditions.
Northwave haven’t paid for this review, they took the risk of an honest review, there are no affiliate links or discount codes. I do (I hope) get to keep the shoes, not that anyone would want then after my plates of meat have been in them for a few weeks!
Back in 2020 as the first Covid lockdown loomed I contacted the owner of Fustle Bikes, It was a speculative move on my part. UKGRAVELCO up to that point was mainly based around instagram, reviews were on this website, including a couple of bikes but it was small potatoes really and reviews were mainly via contacts i’d made working in bike shops. I wanted to expand this but not review a bike from the mainstream big manufacturers as every website or magazine did this. instead i looked for more interesting brands who, even though the gravel scene was just beginning to gain momentum, were doing something different and putting their own design ideas into a bike rather than just rehashing a road frame with more clearance but sticking with traditional road bike geometry.
Fustle Causeway G2do both regularly
Fustle Bikes stood out as they were a fledgling bike company based in Northern Ireland and were designing their frames from scratch and using the experience of riding on the very same sort of terrain as we do in the UK rather than Californina or Wisconsin. That bike was the original Fustle Causeway G1 and I got to test it in the spring of 2020, you can read the original review here it’s worth reading the review to get a backround on this new version but if you don’t have the time the spoiler is this….I liked the bike so much i bought a frameset myself and it’s been my main bike for the last five years.
new Fustle Causeway G2 V G1
So to say i was intrigued by this latest iteration of the Causeway frameset would be a great understatement. Fustle in the meatime had brought out another frame, the Lakelander, which leans slightly more towards racing but has had a great reception. it was also Fustle’s first forary into carbon fibre and I was hoping for a version of the Causeway I love but in a lighter plastic package.
Alistair, the owner and designer at Fustle bikes sent me a bike that he had ridden at a local gravel sportive in Ireland. It was built with a basic 11 speed groupset and finishing kit and He was apologetic that it wasn’t the 12 speed Shimano GRX kit that all the production bikes get, this was down to the bike having launched a month or so before and all the available 12 sp stuff was going on bikes being sent out to customers. It was ideal for me though as my original bike has the very same groupset so comparing the two frames and how they ride would be much easier.
Side by side the two frames look very different. Alistair has taken feedback from customers and his own experience and added features to the new frame. the first is the front triangle. the G2 has much more space inside the frame for bottles or bags than the previous frame. it’s true that two large bottles would reduce the carrying capacity and size of any frame bag you decided to fit on the G1. the new frame manages to add more room without losing much of the standover. the top tube still slopes from headset to seatpost giving ample crotch clearance.
Fustle Causeway G2 mountsintegrated but clean
Talking of mounts and bike packing, the G2 has bolt mounts on the top tube, two sets inside the front triangle (one set that has three bolts so you can alter the position of a bottle cage up and down) mounts underneath the down tube, with rack and mudguard mounts on the rear end. The fork also gets three mounts per leg/blade too.
The next big difference on the new frame is tyre clearance. Officially the G2 will take a 50mm tyre with loads of mud room between that tyre and the frame. unofficially, and I’ve tried it, a 2.1″ (53mm) tyre will also fit. So the new trend of big tyres on gravel bikes is covered.
clearancefordays
The frame features a T47 bottom bracket. You don’t need to know what that is just know that it is a threaded system and 100% less hassle to maintain and replace than a press-fit bottom bracket would be and thanks should go to Fustle for using this. they also use a Rideworks T47 BB which is a UK company making parts in the UK so applause for that too.
The seatpost clamp and adjustment is accessed from under the rear of the top tube and can be a bit fiddly to adjust as it’s hard to see but this is a minor thing because (especially if using a dropper post) you’ll set the height and not have to adjust it again other than for maintenance.
Fustle Causeway G2 hidden seatpost boltCause and effect
FIT and sizing The original G1 frame came in only 3 sizes, S/M M/L and L/XL and some riders found this limiting when trying to get a good fit. The new G2 frame is avaliable XS, S,M,L,XL so should make the frame accessable to more riders. the geometry of the new bike has been tweaked and the reach is slightly shorter and the head angle a tiny bit slacker. the wheelbase remains the same. Like for like the new frame is around 700g (1.5lb) lighter than the original
The cable routing is all internal including the dropper post. It looks amazing but does mean all those cables run through the inside of the headset bearings making changing those bearings at best a pain if you have the skills and tools or at worst expensive if you are paying a mechanic to dismantle the bike and rebleed the hydraulic system to change what in effect is a £10 part. Most carbon bikes now have this internal hose/cable routing so it’s nothing unique to Fustle. All that said though the bearings on my G1 are 5 years old and have suffered all sorts of abuse in all weathers and are still as smooth as the day I got the bike so not too much of a worry as Fustle clearly use quality components.
Finally on frame differences is the Fustle branding logo. It’s in the normal place you’d expect on the side of the down tube. I know this seems a weird thing to point out but on the G1 the logo hides under the top tube, gets covered in mud from the front wheel and you can’t see it. just a tiny thing but it’s always annoyed me!
Fustle Causeway G2 logoFustle Causeway G2 paint
i must also mention the paint on the frame too, the colour is “Dunseverick Dingleberry” and is a lucious deep colour that has a lovely pearl fleck to it if seen in the sun. The other paint option is “Bushfoot Dune” which i’ve not seen in the flesh.
HOW DOES IT RIDE So no matter how the frame looks or how many features it has had added it always comes down to how it rides. Quite frankly it’s got big shoes to fill as the G1 rides superbly and in my case definately flatters my riding style. Carbon bikes are often described as being able to dampen fibrations and give a more comfortable ride. Well yes that can be the case but they can also be as stiff as hell and give the harshest feel. It all comes down to how the sheets of carbon are layered into the mould and where stiffness is added or compliance dialled in. Alistair the designer has vast experience of bike design and has put all that knowledge into the G2 and it shows
Tarmac, yes the T word, I know some of you spend a lot of time on the black top on your gravel bike so i need to tell you that the G2 bowls along very efficiently on tarmac and yes on our current rough ass roads it does feel smoother than the G1. it also turns into corners well with no flex at the head tube and despite the slacker head angle compared to a road bike it doesn’t feel sluggish or slow to turn. It does feel like the bike wants to propel you forward when you stamp on the pedals, the side to side flex of the frame is miniscule and you feel like non of your energy is wasted. It doesn’t though batter you, it’d be perfect for a cobbled sportive ride. if you are intending to ride it more on the road or with a road club i’d get the double chainset version to try and match any of your buddies using road groupsets as although the 1 x range of gears is perfectly adequate the quick changes of pace in a group ride are better suited to the double set up. One other thing to note if using as a road or winter bike is that because of the massive tyre clearance you’d be able to run a wider tyre and still fit full mudguards.
With full mudguards and a double chainset set up this bike would make a stunning long distance mile eater, perfect for Audax in fact.
Off road is where the pressure to perform was highest for me, I set the bike up to be as close as possible to my original G1, reach, handlebar and saddle height etc so I’d be feeling at home straight away and able to concentrate on how the frame and fork felt in comparison and get over the “new bike” feel. this took a couple of rides to get right. Then I took the bike on familiar trails where I knew exactly how the old bike felt. All in all I think I’ve ridden around 300 miles during the time I had the bike to test.
There’s a video below that’ll show you the sort of stuff I was riding and if you have time please take a look as it does give an insight on how the bike handled.
Riding the new frame felt different to the alloy version as soon as I started the first climb, yes, the lighter weight does make a difference. I swapped wheels and bags between the two and the new bike was just under 4lbs (1.8kg) lighter. The aforementioned feeling of all your effort being used to move the bike on tarmac applies here too. the bike is agile and you can pick a line on techy climbs with confidence. It’s easy to lift the front wheel over roots and fallen branches but it still tracks well in ruts and loose gravel. Riding along flat chunky gravel feels different too, this is no suspension bike, you can still feel the terrain under the wheels and you’re not isolated from anything but you do get a floaty feeling that combined with the pedalling efficiency makes you want to go faster! Downhill on gravel/fireroad and the typical cross country trails near my house I found myself using the brakes less and just letting the bike flow and do the work. Its lack of weight doesn’t mean it bounces off every hump or stone like a pinball like some light weight bikes do. I’m no engineer but I guess this the the slightly slacker head angle of the new bike helping here. the G1 is a fun and engaging descender helped by the length of it’s wheel base keeping things balanced and non twitchy, this is exactly the same on the new G2 and is confidence inspiring. there’s a set of steps you’ll see in the video which on a MTB i’ll usually drop off the last step of to maintain speed. On a gravel bike I’ll be slower and roll down them. After riding them once and going back a few times to film different angles I also dropped off the last step on the G2! Add the dropper post into the equation too and the bike becomes a little ripper down steep techy XC trails. Sit with your hands on the drops and you feel in control and stable.
The Fustle Causeway G2, and I hesitate to say this as it’s a bit of a cliché is a great all-rounder. It’ll scoot along quite nicely on tarmac, It’s forgiving enough to be a long distance bikepacking bike but having said all that where this bike shines for me is off road and that’s where it excels. if you are a beginner or coming from a road bike backround to gravel the G2 will flatter you and help you gain confidence, if you are an MTBer at heart you’ll feel at home as soon as you hit the dirt.
So i guess as I own the original Causeway i should say which of the bikes I prefer. I do love the aluminium G1 it handles great and we’ve had some top adventures together but if i had the money i’d definately go for the G2, same great handling in a lighter package and all that tyre and front triangle clearance, what’s not to like!
This Fustle Causeway G2 is like the person your mom warned you about but you ignored her, met up with that person and had the most incredible summer that you’ll remember forever!
here’s the video of my few weeks riding the G2, please take a look and please subscribe to my youtube channel, it costs nothing but really helps me grow this website.
you can find more information on Fustle Bikes here
I am a self confessed thick bar tape hater, I don’t even like wearing gloves unless the temperatures really take a dip. So the concept of a cushioned bar tape designed to provide “excellent damping” with 2.5mm thickness left me a bit cold.
Fitting was relatively easy, the tape doesn’t have much stretch but is flexible enough to fit around the shifters without the need for cheat strip use and there’s plenty of it to fit my 44cm bars which have a generous flare to contend with too.
Ergon BT allroad bar tapeErgon BT allroad bar tape
the tape has the usual sticky strip on the underside but its not too superglue like that you can’t unwind it from the bars to make adjustments if you need to when fitting. The tape comes with simple push in bar end plugs but i opted to use my own wedge plugs because they match the frame colour and I’m a tart! The tape does come in other colours, white, blue, red and green. Green would have been my prefered colour (see previous sentence).
Ergon BT allroad bar tapeErgon BT allroad bar tape
The Ergon allroad tape has a patterned finish said to aid grip and looks pretty good too. After a month of riding, including in the rain I found that my fears about the thickness of the tape were unfounded. The tape has a pleasing squish and is grippy without being tacky even with bare hands. The 2.5mm thickness does give the feeling that it’s actually giving a little help with the vibration coming from the bike compared to my usual tape that was much thinner.
The Ergon Allroad bartape has survived very hot sun (yay!), dust, mud and quite a bit of sweat. It has coped well with being leaned on various cafe and pub walls, lots and lots of bramble brushing, hedgrow interfaces and being loaded into vehicles. Infact with a quick wash with soapy water it looks almost like it’s just been mounted to the bike.
Ergon pitch this tape for riding on all roads and they have a gravel specific tape that is 1mm thicker but I think if you are like me and don’t get on with the very thick bar tapes then this all you need. It’s up there with the premium bar tapes when it comes to price (£34.99 RRP) but performs well if not better than its competition
Ergon BT Allroad Bar tape, a tape for all roads and off roads, it’s expensive but the comfort and ability to brush off the rigors of off road riding is worth it.
you can find more details here ALLROAD BT this is not an affiliate link, although I don’t think Extra UK will want the tape back after many weeks of me gripping it!
Brooks saddles have always scared me. Tales of having to do long rides to break in the leather top, the spanner that came with them to adjust the spring underneath to stretch or relieve the pressure on that top and the well, lets face it, the retro bygone era look of the things all contribute to asthetically make me not want to go near one with my tender under parts!
Well Grandad I hear you say (and probably Brooks reading that paragraph) things have moved on. Brooks have evolved and moved with the times. They do of course still produce those hand made leather saddles and I concede that once the breaking in period has passed and the saddle has molded itself to your undercarriage they are probably the comfiest saddle out there. However, who in the modern world has time to go through all that discomfort? I have to hold down a day job and also have the every day humdrum chores that we all do so my riding window is small and I need to make the most of it by jumping on the bike and go riding.
The Brooks Cambium range of saddles is their solution to those of us without the time to break in new parts (or break our own doing it) and shock horror it isn’t even made of leather!!! No the Cambium has a vulcanised rubber cover so no worries about water damage or having to treat the material to protect it. Wash and go at the same time as you clean the bike. It has tubular steel rails and aluminium rivets.
Yes rivets, you see Brooks haven’t abandonned the traditions completely. The saddle is still designed to have the “hammock” effect of the original saddle, the top is still riveted together but with anodised aluminium rather than copper rivets and it even has a traditional twin fitting for a saddle bag, such as Brooks’s own or something like a carradice waxed cotton one. Lets not stray too far into the past though, as sunlit and glorious in a rough stuff fellowship kind of way it might be. Make no mistake the Cambium is a well thought out modern saddle that has been designed for commuting, road riding, world travel, gravel biking & bikepacking in all weather conditions.
The 17 part of the name represents the width, Brooks produce a 15 and a 19 in these and their other saddles. I went with 17 as it was closest to the width of saddle I’m most used to. I received a “carved” version which means there is a cut out in the middle designed to add pressure relief and more flex for long hours in the saddle. The rails will fit any modern seatpost and theres is no tension adjustment for the top.
The ride then does not match what my preconceived ideas forecast. To my eyes it looks uncomfortable and hard. This though is as far from the truth as it’s possible to get! The saddle feels like you are easing into your favourite armchair. The first few rides I found the flex a little disconcerting and I thought I could feel the cut out move and close together a little as i sat down but I think this was entirely psychosomatic as it didn’t interfere with any of my delicate parts at all. I didn’t find this flex affected the ride though, there’s no bouncing pogo stick like over rough ground but I could tell the difference from my regular saddle. The ride wasn’t as harsh, its no substitute for a suspension seatpost (or full suspension bike) by any means but it does help with that trail chatter and that has got to help with fatigue over a long ride.
Brooks C17 carved rivetsBrooks C17 carved saddle bag mount
I’ve used this saddle over the summer and now into the wet autumn…..who am I kidding, the summer was nearly as wet! The rubber saddle cover has proved durable and actually doesn’t look like its been used at all! It shrugs off water and a quick wash with a sponge or hose cleans off any residual mud or grit completely. After multiple rides the only thing I think I’d change if I was to buy one of these saddles is to go with the narrower C15. This is because I’ve mostly been using the saddle on a bike with a standard seatpost, not a dropper post so going downhill I’ve had to get my weight and myself behind the saddle in the old fashioned way and the slightly wider rear of the saddle has made this a process I’ve had to concentrate more on than if it was narrower. The fact that this method of riding with a rigid post is the only old fashioned thing about the saddle is not lost on me given my first two paragraphs. I think I’d go with one of the colours too, black is rather too traditional!
The Brooks England C17 saddle, there for the long haul rides with armchair comfort and lasting looks
you can find out more details from Brooks England (not an affiliate link)*
*if you’d like to support these reviews and ukgravelco.com then please consider following this page, the instagram channel, subscribing to the youtube channel all of which are free to do or buying something from the ukgravelco shop, links below
The very first thing I noticed when I received this bottle from the team at Lyon Cycles, the distributor of Hydrapak was the “removes 99.99% of ecoli and parasitic cysts” boast on the pack. Who knew there were cysts lurking out there to make your day less fun?
I will be the first to admit that I am not the worlds most prolific bike packer, I tend to like to ride between B&Bs and hotels with a clean water source rather than wild camp in a tent, bivi or bush and use streams to replenish my water supply.
Luckily I ride with people who do love that sort of riding so I was able to give them the Breakaway + bottle to try out in the environment it was designed for.
Tim is a veteran of the Tour Divide and numerous Silk road races and will be using the Breakaway + bottle in next years Atlas mountain race. He along with Maria spent a weekend in the Elan Valley in Wales on a route that even though was not far from civilisation can get pretty remote and definately doesn’t include shops to top up your water supply. they also had an over night stop in a bothy so wouldn’t be carrying enough liquid for drinking and cooking with them. Ideal then to try out the bottle filter system.
here’s the message I got from Tim
A picture paints a thousand words so they say…how about a picture of some words? Anyway I’m sure you get the gist but lets have a look at the bottle in action. This was filmed on that Welsh trip with the Breakaway+ being used with water from a stream
I can confirm that Tim and Maria are very much still alive and well and have had no side effects from using the filter bottle and Tim has continued to use the system on his ultra rides ever since.
The filter will filter 1 litre of water per minute and is good for 1500 litres before its recommended to be replaced. Spare filters are readily available. The bottle itself is very squeezeable making the whole operation very easy even with freezing cold hands or big thick gloves. The cap also includes a cover to stop the drinking nozzle from being covered in spray (the hydrapak website does describe it as a dust cover…..dust! how i laughed!) the whole system, bottle and filter weighs just 114g.
To quote Tim again “I’ve used a few (filter bottles) and this is the best one I’ve ever used” you can’t say fairer than that.
more details can be found at the Hydrapak website (not an affiliate link)*
*if you’d like to support these reviews and ukgravelco.com then please consider following this page, the instagram channel, subscribing to the youtube channel all of which are free to do or buying something from the ukgravelco shop, links below
I absolutely love the fidlock clasp and bottle holder on the recently reviewed Collins Cycle Works Hip Pack so I was happy when Ison Distribution sent me a fidlock bottle and toolbox to try out.
Both items come with a magnet embedded strip of plastic that I guess you could say takes the place of the traditional bottle cage. Of course though there’s no “cage”. Both the bottle and toolbox have an integrated mount built into the bottom. This also contains a magnet and when you place the bottle or box over the strip they come together with a very satisfying click and are then held very securely. To release the bottle or box simply twist to one side and the magnets disengage.
The Twist bottle holds 590ml of liquid, has a self sealing mouthpiece and a cover to stop the part you drink out of getting covered in mud. It’s a very soft squeezy material with a wide opening screw off top. It works just like any bottle but because of the self sealing cap you do hve to give it a good squeeze to get the liquid flow going. The wide lid makes it easy to clean.
On the bike the clip on/twist off technique soon becomes second nature but you do have to look down to make sure the magnets are in the vicinity of each other before letting go! I had a couple of occasions where I missed and dropped the bottle. Once you dial in the technique though it becomes second nature
fidlock twist bottlefidlock twist toolbox fork leg
The Twist Toolbox works in exactly the same way but obviously you won’t be removing and replacing it as often as the bottle. It’s made from a water repellent material, which is just as well as I mounted it under the down tube in the way of spray from the front wheel. Despite the weather’s best efforts the interior has remained dry. It will take up to 550ml of kit. It has a zip opening and opens like a clam shell. There’s a few of elastic strips and a mesh section to hold tools steady and I’ve got an inner tube (full size mtb) tyre levers, a multitool and a tubeless repair kit in it. It has never detached itself from the bike but because the part that attaches to the bike frame is quite narrow and the toolbox quite wide and full of kit there’s is some noticable wobble.
fidlock twist tool box has seen some actionfidlock twist tool box openfidlock twist tool box contents
The bottle is very neat and allows for a very clean looking set up on the bike, drinking wise it’s the same as any other bottle, the twist system really works. You would need to commit to the fidlock system though as if you were to be handed a standard bottle in say a race situation there’s nowhere to put it. Theres also a financial element too as the bottle and mount are quite expensive. You can get kits to convert your normal bottles to the twist system though.
The toolbox works brilliantly and if you had more than one bike you could swap tools quickly between them if you had a mount on each frame.
The Fidlock Twist bottle and Toolbox, two pieces of great functioning and good looking kit but it’s best to go full Fidlock to get the most out of the concept.
My last article on UKGRAVELCO.COM was about flat pedals and if it was possible to use them on a gravel bike and a quick review of the Crank Brothers Stamp and HT pedals. As discussed in the video you can wear whatever shoes you want with flat pedals, that’s what makes them so versatile and popular, you don’t have to have expensive specialist or specific shoes to use them. However, if you want the optimum amount of grip and performance and your budget or circumstance allows you can buy shoes designed to mate perfectly with flat pedals. the bonus of shoes without a cleat sticking out of the bottom is that you can use them as ordinary shoes too and you won’t stand out as “a cyclist” sterotype at work, the supermarket or down the pub!
The benchmark flat pedal shoe before Adidas took them over was the Five Ten range of shoes, known for their super sticky sole and robustness for trail riding. They were excellent for all round riding from cross country to downhill. They kind of lost their way especially with sizing and narrowness when taken over and lots of other companies caught up and designed and introduced their own version.
Crank Brothers are one such company, not new to the cycle industry and well known for their pedals they have introduced the Stamp Trail line of shoes. Yes, they call their pedals Stamp too so I’d hope they were designed in conjunction. I tried out a pair of the lace up version and as well as using them on the “can you ride gravel on flat pedals” experiment I’ve been using them on my mountain bike too.
The look of the shoe is very understated (they do a white version too, perfect for UK conditions! 🙂 ) with a blue upper and a brown gumwall sole. there is a reinforced poly urethane toe bumper. the heel is well padded and the laces mean micro adjustments for fit are easy and endless. The upper is perforated for heat transfer. The tongue also has a very neat lace pocket to stop any lace-crank/chain interface. this is much better than the elastic lace strap you get on a lot of these type of shoe. I like the fact that the logos are subtle and don’t shout “LOOK AT ME” which is why you can wear them all the time with pretty much any outfit, I’ve even worn them a few times at work.
Crank Bro Stamp shoe in and out of lace pocketCrank Bros Stamp lace Shoe
Crank Bothers advertise these as the perfect blend of performance and adventure and that the sole has high-friction MC2 rubber compound combined to provide optimal grip on and off the bike. So they are pitching these as an all rounder, a shoe that can play at the bike park and also engage in a bit of hike a bike or bike packing where sections of walking might be involved.
The sole is made up of “lozenge” shapes that you will realise is the same outline as the Crank brothers logo, a nice touch. at the heel and toe the pattern changes to horizontal grooves that are designed to aid traction when walking up or down slopes.
So you’ve seen the specs and the intentions fron Crank Brothers how do they compare to the bench mark?
First of all sizing. I initially went for my usual size of 44 and I found them a little small so I exchanged them for a 45 and they felt spot on. In use on both gravel bike and mountain bike they are superbly comfortable i’d go as far as to say they felt like slippers on my feet. Now usually when a shoe is that comfortable it tends to be quite soft and flexible on the sole. The Stamp shoe however was not. It was good to try them on the gravel bike because on that bike I do longer distance on tarmac where any flex would be felt after a few miles through the sole of your feet. In this case the Stamp shoes were stiff enough on the ball of the foot to not feel hot spots or like my feet were curling around the pedal. i’m not saying they are as stiff as a clip in shoe but compared to the bench mark they are excellent. I’ve had the shoes since the end of april and they’ve had multiple rides but obviously I can’t say how flexy they’d get after a year etc, but up to now there’s no complaints. There’s no compromise for this stiffness in the way of grip either, they stick to the pedals tenaciously, I’ve even found myself trying to unclip like a clip in shoe when I’ve forgotten I’m wearing them such is the level of adhesion. This soft compound pleasingly hasn’t meant the sole has been chewed up by the pedal pins either. They size up a little small but only in length, width wise they are spot on for me.
The Crank Brothers aim of making a flat pedal shoe fit for adventure has been met and I’m happy to say exceeded the benckmark.
The Stamp flat pedal shoe is thoroughly recommended, if you need a flat pedal shoe for all your riding then crank bothers might just have the shoe you’ve been looking for.
I was contacted by a media company who asked if I would like to try out a cycling jersey from a brand new company called Staark. Now I’ll be honest with you I get quite a few emails or DMs via social media asking if I’d like to try this or that, thats not a boast by the way, I’m just trying to convey the fact that I have to filter a lot of these requests out. Many times it’s for stuff completely unrelated to cycling such as jewelry for pets (“from our extensive research you’d be the ideal ambassador for our product”) or female specific running shoes etc etc, you get the idea. So it was with a pinch Of salt I looked into Staark to see if it was legit. I’d also been repeatedly told that Staark was a “B-Corp Certified Company”. Well, to be honest I had no idea what this meant so them making a big thing of it didn’t make me want the jersey more, or less for that matter.
By the way being B-Corp certified means that the company meets the standard of verified performance, acountability and transparency on factors from employeed benefits and charitable giving to supply chain practice and input materials.
After checking our their website and a chat to the media company via email I agreed to try out the Founders jersey. As always witht he caviat that It’d be an honest review looking at performance and value for money. basically If I thought it was great I’d say so but also if I thought it was rubbish I’d let my readers know that too.
Enough of the corporate business stuff though, can they make a decent jersey?
Lets get down to basics, the jersey is a limited production run and as such just comes in one colour, black with a contrast blue zip, the inside of the collar is also blue. It has a very soft front, rear and sleeve material with quite a bit of stretch. The side panels have a mesh like material to aid breathability. there are three rear pockets and one pocket has a zip closure. The front zip is full length and has a “beard garage”
I was sent the jersey at the end of February and given that it’s definately a warm weather top It’s been difficult to test it how it was intended to be worn. For a lot of the wears it’s been used as a second base layer with a thin layer underneath and a flannel or gilet over the top. I Can tell you though that it was very comfortable. All the seams are flat and so nothing dug into my skin. The last month or so we’ve experienced the strange phenomena that is “warm , dry weather”….. you may have heard of it. It’s a freak occurance that happens only so often in the life time of a UK rider. So I’ve been able to try it how it was designed to be used.
Using the jersey as a outer layer with a very thin base underneath has brought to the fore how comfortable it is. Fit wise I’d say it’s semi-aero. It doesn’t make you look like an over stuffed sausage skin but it is in no way flappy. the sleeves come to a few centimetres above the elbow and the whole soft stretch feel of the top make it very easy to wear. The full length zip has come in handy for venting duties when the temperature has got high enough that the mesh side panels need a little help (so thats maybe once then!) the pockets are easy to access but are not very deep. the average smart phone (pixel 7 here) will stick out of the top but nothing has ever jarred loose even over rough ground.
Sizing is pretty standard, I’m an XL in most jerseys and I’m XL in this. Length is perfect too. I’d say if you do want the stuffed sausage aero look go one size smaller but you’d run the risk of it looking like a crop top.
Now if you were buying this jersey from one of the well know big brands, those with a big pedigree or those that have a great marketing department and a logo with lots of fashinable kudos (you probably know who I mean) then you’d be paying a premium for this jersey, upwards of £200 in some cases which is frankly ridiculus! The staark jersey is a limited edition yes, it’s a great jersey, again yes but when I was sent the top it cost £159 direct from Starrk’s website. I’ve looked today and the price is £129 so moving in the right direction.
Currently (and has been since I first checked them out back in the winter) the jersey is only avaliable in male sizing, a womens version is “coming soon”
bearing in mind the ethos of B-Corp, and feeling the need to embrace the performance, acountability and transparency can I whole heartedly get behind this jersey and say go out and buy one as it does things no other jersey can do? Hmmm, there are lots of jerseys out there that perform a similar function at less cost to your bank balance. Do I think it’s a great jersey? yes I do, it’s made from premium italian fabrics, the fit is great as is the performance. at £129 it just about justifies the expenditure but I worry as a start up Staark may have out priced themselves from the market. At £129 the average rider on a budget will look elsewhere and equally the rider with deep pockets who wants the label and the look will see the Staark logo and dismiss it. Which is a great shame because at the very basic level it’s a jersey worth having.
you can find out more about the staark founders Jersey at their website www.staark.cc
UK GRAVEL COLLECTIVE 