Fresh Goods Friday 675 – The Black, White & Read All Over Edition

Why do companies keep selling water bottles without a proper cover for the nozzle? At £17 I would expect one. On an MTB they always get covered in crap (literally!) and mud, sheep shit, cow pats, etc, just don’t taste nice.

Why do companies keep selling water bottles without a proper cover for the nozzle?

I wonder this every time I see Steve Peat on Facebook trying to sell me his Fidlock water bottle. No cap no purchase.

these work well in keep the muck out and cheap.

https://www.cyclestore.co.uk/elite_fly_tex_mtb_water_bottle_with_cap_550ml-ID_86954?opt=191031&gclid=CjwKCAjw7c2pBhAZEiwA88pOF3xAuNN-qtEHOtJK5VEfE9V4Ay5z8jBJXa4e6tNQzv-P5F6hlnEWIBoC0eoQAvD_BwE

 

and:

https://www.elite-it.com/en/products/water-bottles/sport/jet-plus

 

CamelBak do a little rubber cap which is fine for most conditions.

When it’s worse, or there’s a lot of actual poo (rather than mud), Dawn To Dusk Dirt Mask (fits CamelBak bottles):

I am looking for a flat pedal shoe that will keep the mud and crap out of my feet over winter.The clipped in folks have many options. So I really hope there’s a review of the Shimano GF8 GTX and the Endura MT500 Burner flat waterproof shoe.The 510 GTX Trailcross option looks a bit flimsy.

My old 510 mid top with the flap across the laces worked well but they eventually died after years of riding. 🙂

The gtx 5 10 doesn’t feel flimsy to me- it’s a pretty clumpy thing, definitely not my favourite sole but it does work well. Best “bike specific” winter flat shoe I’ve worn, but that’s not an especially high bar tbf.

My favourite bad conditions shoes are Columbia Fairbanks Omnis- they don’t have a “sock” to keep water out so for best results you do need to wear trousers so that water doesn’t get in the top, but they’re otherwise proper waterproof, super warm, and stay warmer than most when wet. And bizarrely they feel better on the bike than most bike-specific shoes, while at the same time not being very good winter walking shoes which is what they’re designed for (because they lack squishy mud grip while walking). Obviously shoe feel is very subjective though.