The Orange Peril

On reflection, every day has a challenge or two in it, and some days those challenges are greater than others. On Sunday a rider, who shall remain nameless lest he shame the Bianchi more, faced a challenge. The challenge for him was avoiding a fence. The fence in question was no ordinary fence, it was a bright orange section of safety netting, sited in clear view near Monterey Park on Upper Harbour Drive. According to eye witnesses, and also the rider in question, it was in the open and straight in front. Said rider was looking sideways to try and locate the bike path and rode straight into the netting located in front of him. The other riders had already seen this and were able to enjoy the unfolding spectacle. He stretched the netting, then tumbled over onto the concrete on the other side. Thankfully, apart from a few minor bruises and scrapes and a dented pride he was unhurt. By all accounts it was highly amusing to watch.

Onto more cerebral pursuits than enjoying the mistakes of others. I have a variety of constants in my cycling kit that have been almost unwavering over several years and to me, are a matter of personal taste, but are close to essential for my ongoing riding pleasure. The list could be lengthy and include such absolute necessities such as helmet, glasses, etc, but I have chosen a few that have either changed riding patterns and habits for me or have proven unquestioningly reliable and I would recommend without hesitation.

Handbuilt Wheels - Handbuilt wheels used to be the only wheel one could get, then the factory wheels started appearing and became the staple choice for most riders. However I'd happily say from my own experience that handbuilt wheels are a far better choice for all riders. With handbuilt, from a good builder one can get a wheel that will suit your budget, riding style and needs. Tristan Thomas (Wheelworks) has built a couple of pairs of wheels for me, and they are simply superb. Comfortable, stiff, light and very reasonably priced, there's no drawback at all to them. Add in that Tristan is a damned good chap and it makes for a compelling argument for handbuilt wheels

LED lights - The slew of new cycle specific lighting technology that has arrived on the market in the last couple of years has changed riding in the dark for good. Based around LEDs there have been huge gains in battery life and safety, coupled with a massive reduction in size and weight, all at reasonable cost. The newer front and rear flashers mean greater safety in traffic, and the increased light output and longer battery life from the larger kits mean that virtually nowhere is out of bounds sans sunlight.

Velco Closureless Track Mitts - Riding with gloves is a pretty good idea, both for riding comfort (although not essential there) and palm saving for those moments when you do place hands on the deck at speed. I had never been a great fan of the track mitts with velcro closures as they often seemed to peel back, snag clothing and just annoy me. I prefer the elegance and practicality of the gloves without closures. I have sampled Prendas, Assos and Giordana and they have all been great. The Assos saved my palm in February's crit crash and now have a thumbnail sized hole in their palm, but are still servicable. The Giordana offering are less expensive and I'd wager slightly more comfortable, minimal padding Pittards Leather palms, nothing here not to like.

Garmin GPS - I was an early adopter of cycling GPS technology with a Garmin Edge 305. A great piece of kit for seeing where you've been and all the data captured from your ride. However that was moved on as soon as the Edge 705 hit the market. With full mapping and routing capabilities it has been a game changer for exploring, riding in different towns, cities and locales. Not to mention the ability to share rides with people and send them off to enjoy what I have had a grin from.

Good Tyres - I have two tyres that I consider as reliable and no-brain choices. I have had dalliances with a variety of other tyres and have loved the ride of some, the feathery weight of others, but ultimately have always felt let down by reliability or punctures, so now I stick to two known quantities and experiment with others from time to time. The two tyres are:-

Continental GP4 Seasons - I have ridden sets of these tyres for years, wearing out numerous rears and suffering few punctures. To me, they are reliable, ride not that badly for a training tyre, are as bombproof as anything else on a road bike and last a reasonable amount of time. They are sure footed in the wet, handle metal excursions, easy to mount and readily available. I have graduated to the 25mm version a couple of years ago, and never looked back.

Vredestein Fortezza Tricomp - Not superlight, but a lovely riding tyre that is reliable and handles and rides like a charm. A good race tyre, but quite capable of functioning as a training tyre and putting up with all sorts of surfaces without cutting up, or failing.

Selle Italia SLR - I have ridden and worn out three or four of these saddles over the years. Some view them as an ass hatchet, and a weapon of torture, but to me they fit like a charm. That said, the best saddle is the one that you are comfortable on.

Good Local Bike Shop - My local bike shop is the ongoing key to riding pleasure. They are the guys who can solve problems for me, sell me items that I do need, fix the mechanical issues that are beyond me and are hugely important, plus they give me endless friendly grief and make me feel loved in a very special way. My local shop is Planet Cycles on Dominion Road and they are very good to me and my minion, I can't recommend their service highly enough.