Have a look at the Climb and Conquer jacket from Stolen Goat. It’s half the price.

49 yo.

RHR 43

Sleeping HR 37-40

I’ve been wearing my Orkaan recently for mountain biking and its been a revelation for me. I’ve been wearing a long sleeve base layer underneath and have never felt cold even in sub zero temperatures. Its breathes superbly and I’ve yet to come home with a damp base layer. The fabric has DWR engineered in so you don’t need to reproof it. Mine has had multiple washes now and is still as good as new. Heavy rain just rolls off. Eventually it will wet through but for my standard winter rides of 2-3 hour its the perfect top for me.

I’ll second the Signal Ti. I’ve had mine two years now and it’s the best bike I’ve ever had. Its such a capable bike. I use mine for trail centres like Hamsterley Forest and Leeds Urban Bike Park and I never feel under biked. For big days out it covers the ground easily, it climbs well and descends brilliantly. I’ve got mine built up with GX Eagle and added Rimpacts to the tyres. The Rimpacts have been a revelation and have made the ride more comfortable. You could build yourself a really well spec’d Signal for a the price of a decent full suss.

I have an Orkaan long sleeve that I use for mountain biking and riding on the road. On the road bike I’ll wear a short sleeve base layer and usually a long sleeve base layer for mountain biking as there tends to be more stopping for faffing and chatting.

They are very breathable tops and if you live somewhere with long fast descents I would think about a windproof base layer for those colder rides. I find temperature regulation is good due to the front zip and I did a couple of hours mountain biking yesterday at around 6C in the mist with occasional showers and it performed really well. They also have three decent pockets that are reflective so there’s plenty of space to carry stuff.

Have a look at the Stolen Goat Orkaan.

These jerseys have water resistance woven into the fabric so it doesn’t need reproofing. The fabric is Tempest produced by Biorace.

Review here.

Message me direct if you want a 30% off code.

Two years on Sram Eagle GX all I’ve had to do in that time is adjust the b gap screw once. I’ve still got the same chain and cassette after 2000 miles and it’s all still good.

Second Decathlon. £3.99 a pair.

Bioracer have a sale on at the moment. They make the Orkaan tops for Stolen Goat. The Tempest material is water resistant and it’s engineered into the fabric so you don’t have to keep reproofing it.

After cutting off the last tyre I tried to remove with an insert I bought the big cushcore tyre lever designed just for this type of thing. This weekend I removed a tyre with an insert in using this and it took a couple of hassle free minutes.

I’ve had a Signal Ti for a couple of years now and it is comfortably the best mountain bike I’ve ever owned. For old school XC rides it just cruises superbly. I regularly take to Leeds Urban Bike Park and it rides brilliantly. A day out in the Peaks? No problem. I’ve ridden more, gone further and enjoyed my riding more than ever.

I couldn’t find anything similar to the Baked Alaska in the UK so just ordered one from Ground Effect. It didn’t take that long to come when you consider it comes from New Zealand.

I’ll second the Baked Alaska. Even in the depths of winter this top can be worn with a long sleeve base layer underneath and it’s warm enough. It has a good length zip on the front so you can cool off if you start to overheat and it has three decent pockets including a zipped pocket.

Bioracer are currently selling off jerseys at the moment that are made with their Tempest fabric that has water resistance engineered in. These are essentially the same tops sold by Stolen Goat at double the price:

Bioracer Tops

It’s a shame Gee isn’t competing at the sharp end of the downhill on an Atherton bike. I think that would generate a lot more interest in the crowd funding.

I’ve got the Proviz Gillet which I think is a decent compromise as I didn’t find it that breathable. For commuting I’d through it over my main jersey/jacket.

It’s not being broadcast live. Live timings are here:

UCI_MTB

It’s like watching sport on Ceefax like the old days.

I’ll second Laka. I have my bikes insured along with GPS units etc…. I recently made a claim as one of my bike computers had gone through the wash. Within two hours of making the claim they had ordered a replacement for me.

One of the reasons they appealed to me was that they cover you if you’re bike is stolen from within your car. I used to do this regularly in the before times when I worked in an office.

Check out their reviews:

Laka Reviews

Follow this link for a £25 credit:

Laka

All my base layers are from Decathlon. They are spot on and pretty cheap as base layers go.

@redx Did you get anywhere with this? I need to get my x-fusion Manic serviced.

Stolen Goat have water resistant tops that don’t need reproofing as the water resistance is engineered into the fabric so you can wash them and it maintains the proofing. The fabric they use is Tempest developed by Bioracer. The jerseys aren’t cheap and I have one for road riding but I’m not sure I’d wear one on a mountain bike in case I destroy it falling off etc…

I’ve had this top for a while and it’s certainly ideal for autumn and winter riding. It will shed a heavy shower but ultimately prolonged rain will soak through. My top has been washed numerous times and the repellency hasn’t diminished yet.

Stolen Goat

I use a Powerpod on my mountain bike. It’s a lot cheaper than other power meters and can be easily transferred to other bikes. It’s a bit fiddly to set up but the support is really excellent and it’s surprisingly accurate when you compare it to other strain gauge based technologies.

PowerPodV3

Aldi Earl Grey tea bags. A bargain and they taste fantastic. The last time Which reviewed Earl Grey teas they were second, beating tea from Harrods and Fortnum and Mason that cost considerably more. Off the top of my head I think they are about 90p for 50.

Here you go:

https://laka.co.uk/r/6OZ31

I have Laka insurance and made a claim on one of my devices I’d put through the wash. They turned the claim around within a couple of hours and ordered me a new one that arrived a couple of days later. I was really impressed with the service I got.

That bigger drop in the Quarry at Leeds Urban Bike Park is responsible for a lot of ambulance visits…That in itself is quite off putting…

I saw Peter Green at the Holmfirth Picturedrome the last time he toured. It was a huge privilege to see him performing. A memory I’ll keep forever.

He was my favourite guitarist and the best blues player of his generation. RIP.

I did Cut Gate on Monday and it wasn’t too bad apart from the usual bog at the top. Definitely one for a dry spell though to make the most of it.

I’ve got a Bolt. Its really easy to load routes onto and pretty straight forward to follow them.

How about a Zero 29?

Zero29

If you want to test the water on a hip pack these are cheap

Mountain Warehouse

I’ve got a large Signal Ti and I’m 6ft.

The Love Mud wheels are fine. I’ve done over a thousand miles on mine on all sorts of stuff and they are running true still.

If you are prepared to wait have a look on gearbest.com, you should be able to find one for about a tenner.

That is brilliant. Well done ST bods.

Kindness rocks.

My Ground Effect Median top has been my summer mountain bike top of choice for about 5 years. It’s a blended fabric:

‘A bi-component thermal fabric combining 51% merino wool and 49% polyester. Superfine 18.5 micron New Zealand merino wicks sweat away from your skin while the polyester provides a durable, non-pill outer. Lightweight at just 170gm/m2 and machine washable. Developed by Ground Effect and knitted just for us.
Composition: 51% merino; 49% polyester’

The fit is loose and the performance is always spot on. My two Ground Effects Tops have lasted years despite numerous washes. They are well made pieces of kit.

I’ve had a Bolt for a while now and it is excellent. I’ve used the navigation quiet a bit and have found it easy enough to follow. The intergration with Komoot and Strava is excellent and the smartphone app makes screen customisation easy. It’s a good product and I’d say most of my club riding buddies are using them now.

I had a recent delivery from Thornbridge. The service and delivery was first rate.

I really like their beer. Jaipur IPA is one of my all time favourites.

I’ve ordered a top and am an existing subscriber. Keep up the good work.

A fan is a game changer for indoor cycling. I got one of those massive floor fans from Screwfix. Even in the depths of winter when it’s only a couple of degrees in the garage I’m usually only wearing bib shorts and still have the fan blazing away.

I’ve been a long time Zwift user and the global community is really rising to the challenge of the current crisis. A lot of the Pros are on there at the moment leading group rides and workouts. I organise a club ride on Zwift every Friday night and we’re getting more and more riders joining.

Apparently you have to re-authenticate Strava in the Wahoo App.

This was posted on the Wahoo Kickr/SNAP/Elemnt Support Group on Facebook. I’ve not had the chance to test it out yet.

My worst day ever on a bike! I’m no mountain goat to be fair but it’s a hard day in the saddle and some of the cobbled climbs are absolutely brutal. I’d recommend you ride a compact chainset with a 32 cassette unless you’re Chris Frome or Egan Bernal.