Game Changing Gear
The latest cycling gear I’m obsessed with
For every 10 hours I spend on the bike I spend another hour researching yet more stuff I can put on it. For those of you who have followed my nought-to-one-hundred frolic into ultra-endurance over the past couple of years, you’ll know that I’ve suffered my fair share of torment on the bike – from agonising saddle sores to nerve damage in my hands – it’s been a rough ride to say the least. And so entered the never-ending quest to find that perfect balance of weight and comfort to get me through multi-day events with minimal crying.
With this year’s events hurtling towards me at breakneck speed I’ve been putting in the extra hours to test out some new gear that I hope / pray / touch wood will get me over the finish line – or at least a decent way towards it – with as little trauma as possible.
The Tank
This is my current bike setup that has just endured ~600 hilly kilometres through the Peak District and Yorkshire Moors over the long Easter weekend. Yes, she may be slightly on the heavy side, but she’s made some massive improvements to my comfort that I without-a-doubt consider worth the extra weight. So, what’s new?
1. Aerobars (Profile Design Sonic Ergo)
It may seem mad to some people that it’s taken me this long to attach aerobars to my bike; especially when they’re such a staple of most endurance-riders’ set up. Whilst they do provide a certain degree of aero-gains, the main benefit for me is giving myself additional hand positions to relieve pressure on the ulnar nerve, reducing the chance of nerve damage – something that I struggled with immensely after All Points North (my pinky was numb for over a month!).
Aside from relieving pressure on the hands, it’s also damned comfortable! I am kicking myself that I haven’t used aerobars sooner; I always joke that cycling is my favourite triathlon discipline because I can sit down the entire time, but this takes it to a whole new level – I don’t even need to hold on!
When researching aerobars my primary motivation was comfort (vs speed) and that meant I needed to find a product that was super adaptable and versatile so I could find the perfect fit. Enter Profile Design. With around 1,200 possible configurations – including adjusting the length and rotation of the bars, tilting the arm rests, and raising the overall height – this is the most adjustable clip-on product in the market. And it did not disappoint! I ended up adding the 50mm risers to achieve a more relaxed (but super comfortable) position on the bike and I’m reluctant to ever ride without them ever again. You heard it here first.
The only downside is that clip-on bars obviously take up a lot of handlebar real-estate (my new favourite phrase) which means I needed to find a new way to mount all of my accessories – of which there are many. Although, thanks to AliExpress this downside was short-lived and I now have my light and bike computer fixed to the bars using a single mount – leaving room on the bars for my most prized possession: the snack pouch.
2. Suspension Stem (Redshift)
As if aerobars weren’t enough, I’ve also invested in a Redshift Shockstop Suspension Stem – something I didn’t even know existed up until a month ago. I’m sure I’m not the only one who struggles to keep her cool when riding tarmac riddled with potholes, cracks, and other deformities that send furious vibrations through your entire body, especially when you’re 50 hours into a 1,000km ride and everything is screaming at you to stop.
Who knew that there was a solution which didn’t involve squabbling with the local council? You do now. It’s called a suspension stem and is it one of the greatest inventions known to (wo)man.
Once fitted (which is super easy) you just need to customise the elastomers based on your weight, and then it’s goodbye forever to rough terrain and gritted teeth; the suspension stem is designed to help you ride faster and further by reducing all that nasty fatigue from energy-sapping bumps and vibrations.
It adds a little extra weight to the bike than a regular stem, but for me – the benefits completely outweigh the cost. I’ll be looking into the accompanying suspension seat post next to see if wonders can also be worked on my behind!
3. Rack and Rack Bag (Tailfin)
This has been on the cards for a while and I’m glad I’ve finally taken the plunge. Tailfin racks and bags are notorious in the ultra-distance and bikepacking world known for their durability, stability, and clever engineering – but also have the added benefit of a few extra litres of space over some of the popular saddlebag brands.
My primary reason for upgrading from my Apidura saddlebag was simply: it was too much faff. I have absolutely nothing against it (it’s one of my favourite purchases ever) and I will continue to use it on many more trips to come, but for ultra events I wanted something that was easily packable when my mental capacity starts to diminish. The innovative thing about the Tailfin bag is that it uses a roll closure but opens from the top, giving a much clearer view into the space and making items much more accessible (instead of having to pull everything out onto the floor – a process much less desirable when it’s 3am and raining).
The rack mechanism is also highly commendable; it attaches to the bike via a custom thru-axle (which comes as part of the order) and completely eradicates any unwanted swinging and swaying that often comes with an ill-attached saddlebag.
The other highlight is the fact that the rack can be purchased with additional mounts and panniers for EVEN BIGGER adventures. Please don’t roll your eyes at me.
4. Tubeless Valves (Fillmore)
A bit of a rogue edition but one definitely worth mentioning. I recently switched to tubeless (yes, you can all stop hounding me on instagram now) and was an instant convert in terms of how much it improved my comfort on the bike due to being able to run the tyres at lower pressure. But. And this is a big but. The sealant was so good at its job that it consistently and without fail clogged my valves, meaning I couldn’t top up the air without removing and cleaning the valve cores – not something I want to do be doing on the side of the road in some foreign country.
I had assumed that this was just an unfortunate burden I needed to bear if I wanted to continue to run tubeless, and I have never been more euphoric about being wrong.
Fillmore valves are presta-compatible (meaning I can still use the same pump) but they have a wider stem diameter and no valve core, meaning goodbye sealant clogs and hello three-times the air flow. The high-flow design also means that seating my tyres no longer needs the extra oomph of an air compressor – a track pump does the job just fine!
I never expected to be so excited by valves but these have been a game changer and the world needs to know!
Whilst the above has gone a long way to solving some of the key issues I face on longer rides, the quest continues. Next up: how can I prevent saddle sores?*
*any advice or recommendations welcome