Cardio Goth

Snuck out of home office to make the most of some fantastic weather. Autumn is a solid contender for most photogenic season here.

Winter is coming.. Spent more than I would believe reasonable on lights and a winter jersey, but European winters don't take prisoners. I hope I can get through some long winter rides without freezing my butt off or worrying about lighting for once.

Autumn dawnie..

Fasted, not fast.. Autumn is here.

I don't get why this has become such a polarised debate. I am a more than happy Apple user for most devices - I have owned and used more phones Macbooks, iPads and watches than I can count because, like it or not, the Apple ecosystem is better than any other. But I use a cheap Garmin watch because I occasionally go running and a Wahoo Bolt and HRM for cycling because, surprise surprise, they connect to everything else in the ecosystem I have and are, brand notwithstanding, completely fit for my purpose. If I needed a new smart watch, I would happily look at Apple. If I needed a new GPS, I would happily look at Garmin or Hammerhead. Why does your choice need to be a statement about who you are?

bikepacking.com are a really good source of info for this kind of thing - see their article on DIY bags here: https://bikepacking.com/plan/diy-handlebar-bags/. I would definitely go for something that allows you to take the bag off quickly and easily (like a roll with a cradle), as opposed to something like an Ortlieb bar bag, which is a bit of a hack in that way. In terms of lights, I've been using the Fenix BC21R V2 (https://www.fenixlighting.com/products/fenix-bc21r-v2-bike-light) and it's been awesome but it's been discontinued. The new one looks really good and can run while charging (https://www.fenixlighting.com/products/fenix-bc21r-v3-rechargeable-bike-light)

I've had the same issues with a Lezyne pump - I'm sure the quality is great, but every time I've used it I've ended up getting really frustrated with that happening and wished for a pump with a different head design.

How is the new Bolt's battery life?

It might also help to look at ebike-specced wheelsets. I think there are a few that have weight limits > 120-130kgs.

Over the last two years, I've used the Wahoo Elemnt Bolt v1 for everything from multi-day bikepacking trips to 200+km gravel races and I can't fault it

SRAM recommends using a 12-speed compatible tool, especially with the Force flat-top chain. I bought the Silca Venti multi-tool specifically because of that (hopefully not tempting fate, but I haven't had to use it yet).

I've tried a bunch of saddles (incl. Brooks Cambium, Ridley, Fizik) over a fair amount of time and miles, and the one that is my go-to is the Fabric Scoop Shallow - it's now on both of my bikes. In terms of bib shorts, I've never had a bad experience with the Rapha Core bibs, long or short. If you can get them on sale, they're not horribly expensive, and they're super-durable.

Vienna and it's environs showing off

A big day out for me. Definitely the toughest, most spectacular day I've spent on a bike.

I would definitely look for something with larger tyre clearance (45mm+) as it's a good option to have. 1x and 2x both have advantages - if you're planning to tour with a loaded bike then 2x is awesome and shouldn't be discounted, even if you're used to 1x. Ultimately, don't treat a gravel bike as something that is set in stone - I'm continually tweaking both of mine. My Fairlight runs 38c slicks and 43c knobblies, and my Lauf swaps between more and less aggressive tyres and 42 and 38 tooth chainrings depending on what is coming up.

A good morning for gravel.

I've noticed that, here in Austria at least, a lot of people who spend significant time of their feet for work wear On shoes.

Took the Secan out for its maiden voyage. Steel is real.

Took advantage of a long weekend to get some solo groading preparation in for The Rift.

Late January was a particularly bad time for me and I put down the deposit on this as part of a deal with myself - I could only go through with it if I was in a better place when the time came to pay for the rest of it. It arrived today.

I bought mine from Bike24 (but I'm based in Austria). Disclaimer: I treated myself to the Tattico and the Venti minitool and, honestly, they both feel streets ahead of any other pump and minitool that I've owned, but they are ####ing expensive and I haven't owned them long enough to testify to their longevity.

Silca Tattico - it's a little bulky, but I ride with mine in my jersey pocket and I haven't noticed it. I realised how much better it is than my previous Lezyne pump when I took the Lezyne with me and needed it, and it kept unscrewing my valve core and couldn't get me up to enough pressure to get home.

More solo groading - an easy-ish day out after a bit training week.

I've used Bike24 plenty (albeit in Austria) - they're completely legit and my experience of their service has always been very good.

Thanks again for the input and advice everyone. I put my fitness to the test with a good long gravel and mixed-surface ride yesterday and felt a lot better than I thought I would, even if two beers and a large lunch 110kms into a 150km ride did make me rethink that as a fuelling strategy!