Any mountain biking pack needs to first of all perform as a pack on the hills. After all, it’s pointless carrying anything on a bike that doesn’t perform in its basic function. Thankfully, the Deuter Flyt 14 backpack performs superbly in its base function as a mountain bacpack or for adventure days on a gravel bike.
The Yakima High Road is a top of the range heavy duty piece of engineering, designed with typical Japanese effectiveness. The front wheel is locked into place by a moveable set of hoops that wrap around the wheel. Simply lift the bike up and place the front wheel into the front hoop, bring the second hoop in towards the wheel and tighten things up with a calibrated ratchet that clicks when the correct tension is applied.
I used to be a bit of a philistine when it came to coffee, coffee was just coffee and instant tasted okay. That was until I started drinking freshly ground and freshly made coffee. What a revelation and how bad instant now tastes. Far from being any kind of connoisseur, but I can now appreciate the subtle undertones of flavours in different coffees, although this has created a bit of hole for myself, demanding good coffee wherever I travel, even bikepacking.
Stuck for trainer options due to space? This well engineered trainer from Feedback combines the best aspects of rollers & fixed trainer
Everybody in cycling seems to talk devices these days. Strava has become a pain, yes a pain, Garmin is a close run second and there are a plephora of other devices that cyclists seem lost … literally without. I’m no technophobe, but I do believe that you should first learn to use a map and compass, and in truth, with great devices like Quad Lock which allows you to pop you mobile phone onto the handlebars, Google Maps simply can’t be beaten – or can it 😉
What if we had something like a big compass, something very simple but very effective…
When I first saw the Beeline, what impressed me was the simplicity and design. It reminded me of an old fashion prismatic compass in modern form and essentially this is how it operates. You fasten it across your handlebars with the tough rubber case and strapping, set up the app on your phone and you’re away. You can set yourself a route very quickly, tapping away on the app and mapping it out, then watch as the large illuminated pointer directs you.
As you progress your ride the arrow moves as you approach corners – big wow here, as it really helped on the winding roads of the Yorkshire Dales – and it moves either left or right as you approach junctions! You simply cannot get lost with the Beeline. Several times on a ride I would delete the route and then simply set it again and test it for accuracy and it never let me down.
Wondering how well the Beeline would perform with a mountain bike, I took it into the hills and simply set a ‘beeline’, which allows you the freedom to roam at will, simply pointing to your ultimate direction and telling you how far away it is. Once again this awesome device acted like a compass needle, giving me ultimate confidence to ride freely.
The Beeline is also super tough and rugged, being made of so few parts and being stylishly well made. it’s actually a very beautiful item of kit, simple and stylish – definitely a classic design. The only thing left for me was to hand it overto the I.T. crowd – yes! Having a couple of geek friends who work in I.T. and cycle seemed the ideal test. These guys know tech and would certainly know if the Beeline has merit, so it was off to Sheldon and Co. for this interesting device.
Despite working in IT, I am not easily swung or won over by gadgets as I find many create a hassle to my life, instead of making thinks easier. When you threw me the Beeline to try I was a little excited but also a tad sceptical. Its tiny!
1. The App.
This is so easy and user friendly to use and navigate around. Once downloaded onto my iPhone, the App is clear, bright and engaging, with simple steps to either find a location or to download a route via GPX. This in the past has proved to be a bit of a nightmare with some applications but Beeline handled this with ease. With this being the bulk of my riding, I shall be testing this method. The event is the Tour De Aky. A 106.6 mile group ride from Scarborough to Leeds in memory of a popular fallen colleague who sadly took his own life whilst suffering from Mental Health issues. The route uses major and minor roads across Yorkshire and will factor in several publicity stops. Should be a cracking test.
2. The device
At first glance it seems almost impossible that something so small can be effective. I have shied away from other GPS devices other than my IPhone because every time we go out in a group, someone always has issues. Be it a late call at a junction or a delayed signal. Perhaps I am also a little old school too. I like to know my route in my head and I confess to using a map to do this. I need to get out more.
The case is robust and cleverly designed to wrap back on itself and feels tough to the touch. I would think this will last for a while. The Beeline sits snuggly within the case and can only go in one way so you’ll never have it sat off centre. The screen is simple and old school with its display. The light works very well too. Pairing initially didn’t work as I tried to pair directly to the iPhone. The second attempt worked as I did it via the app first. This checked the firmware etc before connecting.
My Route has been downloaded onto the App and is clear and easy to read. I have followed the instructions to join with my Strava account which again was a breeze compared to my Garmin. A quick test of the route start sees the Beeline fire into life and sync straight away. Bodes well for its first outing.
Ride day.
No issues fitting the device to the bike and I use aero bars too. Started the route via the app and the Beeline easily fired into life with a clear arrow to point the way. Scrolling across gave me the speed data and the light shined brightly, lighting up the display. The weather was horrendous with cold rain lashing down but the Beeline took it on the chin and kept pointing the way.
The first 6 miles I simply followed the arrow and watched for the marker to count down to the next turn. It seems weird not having a map and I’m generally untrusting of these sort of devices but it really is simple and very easy. Unfortunately that’s where the fun stopped. We had to change route slightly because of a diversion near Filey. It was only a couple of street and we were back on course, however where a normal navigation system would re-route, the Beeline just wanted me to turn back around and complete the course as per gpx. This meant for the next 45 miles it just pointed me backwards. Frustrating as it was going well. At the first major stop off at York I decided to stop the route, clear it down and start again from this point. It fired back up and worked perfectly again. I am a happy cyclist again. As we were biking with 80 others it gave me the chance to show off the Beeline and check out what the competition is. The size and clarity did seem to impress others, as does the price.
The thing is that the Beeline does require you to stop, go to the app and press your destination in again from your current location, unless of course you’re riding with it in simple ‘beeline’ mode, where the arrow will always point to final destination. Lots of devices can be like this, but it would improve things if the Beeline was able to auto re-route.
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Whether or not you’re heading out into the mountains locally, or taking a bikecation abroad, travelling with your bike is far more frequent these days. We think that it’s important to get it right, and give your bike the best chance for staying looked after.
Time then to look at the type of accessories that can make your daily riding and the longer trips more enjoyable and easier.There’s a lot of kit out there, so we want to just focus on the very best.
We’ll be looking at brands such as Quad Lock, Beeline and others that produce tech to take your riding out to new places. The tech market is always changing and it’s too easy to spend a lot of money on something that will simply not perform as expected. Our aim is to keep it simple and to look for the best and most efficient options for you.
Anyway, take a look below and get yourself kitted out for your own global cycling trip.
For many years, the general view in terms of touring cycles has been to use either a steel frame, aluminium, or at the higher budget end, titanium. Whilst carbon is now the mainstay of the road bike industry, it was simply not seen as being strong enough for carrying panniers.
Yes, a frame bag or two could be used, but for a long road trip where panniers were necessary, the extra weight of the metal frame was seen as the only reasonable option.
Setting out to challenge this theory, and to try to encourage more people to seek a cycling adventure, we looked around for two key elements: firstly we needed a bike to fit the bill, and then we needed something really special – a carbon specific pannier. As our expedition would be taking us to France, it was only logical, and indeed only polite to find a bike designed and made by this heart of cycling nation.
We contacted the iconic French brand ‘Look’, and were rewarded with their 765 Ultegra disc bike, in high modulus carbon, with a bit of flax also woven into the frame, to help with the spring when you’re riding off the roads and hitting the tracks. Having tested this on winter bridleways in the Yorkshire Dales, I’m now addicted to flax in frames, with the bike handling like a well broken in Mustang.
It’s all day bike, with a geometry suited for climbing, and tucks you neatly into the corners when descending too. The top tube length and overall angles keep you well seated for comfort and power transfer all day long. All we needed now then was find the panniers. Obviously thinking along the same lines as us, had been a young English engineer and designer, Nick Broadbent from Bristol, producing a sleek and unique product that could win awards on design alone.
The Tailfin is a simple, carbon constructed rack system that fits onto any bike without touching the frame, weighing only 350 grammes, which is less than a can of coke, and allowing you to fit two pannier backs that lock onto the rack and stay stable wherever you ride. Trust me, some of the rustic roads of northern France would wobble anything loose, but on our 1100 km ride over 11 days, not one rattle was heard or felt. In terms of aesthetics, it looks sleeker than a wet ferret, and more stylish than than David Beckham, and will guarantee to not get sent off at that crucial moment.
Fastening the Tailfin onto the bike is simplicity itself, with a strong rubber strap and fastener that locks around the seat post, and a special axle replacement/ quick release for the rear wheel, with two protruding pegs onto which the lower arms of the Tailfin fit and lock into place with the superbly designed clamps. Security is further enhanced with torx screws for you to lock it onto the bike to deter thieves. All that you need to do then, is to drop the Tailfin bags onto the arms on the top bar of the device and use the lever clamp to lock them down … voila.
Two key issues should be mentioned here, for the benefit of anyone thinking of cycle touring. How much kit can you fit into the 22 litre bags, and how waterproof are they?
Tailfin themselves state that the two bags on each Tailfin device should be limited to 18 kg, which I’m certain we used to its full capacity. Despite riding in a torrential Normandy storm too, everything inside the bags remained dry and fresh, meaning we looked like bobby dazzler tourists when we’d cleaned ourselves up in the evening, and like stylish cyclists the following morning when the sun decided to shine.
How good is the Tailfin then; it’s a game changer, really it is. This innovative bunch of Bristol based engineers have redefined cycle touring, opening up the long haul expedition to anyone with a carbon bike. Instead of the extra expense of a touring specific bike, you can save money for socialising and eating well along the way. On our initial 11 day ride from Mont st Michel, to the heart of France and back to the iconic island, it was looked at in awe by the people we met along the way, and the only instability was our own mental state after 100 km into a headwind.
We’ll be writing more over the coming weeks, about the trip and the kit we used, along with more useful tips and advice for would be adventurers. It’s not often you can say that a product has totally reinvented an element of activity, but Tailfin has done just that. All that’s left for now is for you to visit the Tailfin website and book your future expedition, by adding one to your own cycling kit and add even more miles to your life.
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For someone whose riding is carefully circumscribed by a radius from my house, there’s something impossibly glamorous about a dedicated bike bag. It’s sitting there now, daring me to turn my back on Northern England, with its endless floods and storms, and get myself on the nearest flight to somewhere warm and dry.
I can’t claim I’m not tempted. But,even if you’re not about to jet off to somewhere exotic, bike bags are handy things to have for a number of reasons:
They tidy the bike into a more stowable shape that doesn’t lock pedals with neighboring kit (a perennial problem if you’re one of those folk for whom the correct number of bikes is n+1)
They hide expensive kit from acquisitive eyes.
They allow the bike indoors without fear of getting chain oil on your new cream sofa (if you’re one of those folk who worry about bikes catching a chill in the garage)
They keep the car upholstery clean when lifting bikes in.
This one is very smart. Ideal for road bikes (an MTB would probably require disconnecting the bars before you could do the zip up),and it has a robust ABS tray with an alloy subframe that supports the bike by its drop-outs. The wheels zip into circular pouches on either side of the bike but inside the bag. The whole thing zips into a neat, portable package that feels tough and will protect your prized ride for when you unwrap it at the other end. There are several handles for grabbing hold of the bundle and, if in transit through a large airport, you can fasten wheels on one end and pull it behind you. In effect it’s easy to move around and won’t trouble the keen traveller.
The bag fits neatly into a hatchback with the seat down, and easier still into the back of an estate car. Packing the bike is ease itself, and wheeling it along at the other end is simple and effortless. We’ve taken this out and about a bit during the late winter and it’s been a good piece of kit for keeping the bike tucked safely away. In terms of storage in the house, when the bike is back hanging, the bag folds down small enough to be tucked away into the garage – simple.
More importantly, as highlighted, the robust nature of the bag means that both it and the contents will survive the efforts of airport handlers and luggage systems, leaving you free to concentrate on planning the rides!
Now, where’s that passport?
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The truth of the matter is that wherever you live, at some point you’ll want to travel elsewhere to ride your bike – and your mates will want to come too. With this simple fact, bike racks are a necessity unless you own a transit van; in which case your mates will be uncomfortable. For mere mortals with simple cars, choosing the rack is the issue then.
This rack is the type of quintessential engineering that you’d want to carry your pride and joy. It folds up for ease of storage and is like a ‘mini transformer’ when you fold it all out to put your bikes on it. Built by Buzzrack, the model tested is for 2 bikes. It’s a techies dream, with lots to show off to your buddies about it. It’s a solid steel frame that will take the daily knocks with ease and will carry the heavier bike – up to 30kg per bike. Everything is so simple and smooth when setting this little gem up for carrying the bikes.
Straight out of the box, all you have to do is fit the clamp arm post to the main body with 4 bolts – instructions and tools supplied again, then it’s ready to use and put on the back of your vehicle. Once you’ve had a play with it, it just gets easier and slicker to set up or take off and store.
The rack is heavy duty so may be a little weighty for some users, but don’t let that put you off. Heavy is good, as it will last the test of time, with all parts available as spares if damaged or lost. As with everything, there are some bits that a heavy hand could lose or knock lose, so spares may be useful – and cheap. The tow ball attachment takes a bit of getting used to (unscrew fully before dropping onto tow ball) but once again, when you’ve done it a couple of times you’ll be all over it. The screw lock for the tow ball is supplemented with a locking bolt for that extra security and comes with a spanner to tighten it more securely onto the tow ball. I used my own adjustable for extra purchase to ensure it was ‘on’.
The carrier is ideally suited for big bikes, including electric models, but we’ve used it for MTB – 29er, 27.5 and 26, as well as road bikes. We’ve carried carbon, aluminium and steel frames and it hosted and carried them all admirably. The wheel supports, which are easily adjusted by screwing the locking bolts via plastic handles, easily accommodated all the bikes carried.
The rack will also take the kids bikes if required, with easy to use ratchet straps and locking clamps on the securing arms which again – are easy locked with the keys provided. Once clamped and ratcheted in, which is very simple to do indeed – there were no worries whilst transporting the bikes.
Safe as houses and no fear of losing a bike in a ditch on a sharp bend.
There’s a built in tilting handle, which enables you to get into the boot when required – very simple to operate – so no more taking the bikes off to access the boot. Another well thought out design feature by Buzzrack. The company have also just introduced a loading ramp accessory to help with Electric Bikes, making this an even better option all round.
The lighting rack is built in and has 5 function lights with adaptors to suit most tow bars. When you’ve finished using it, you just fold it all up while its still on the tow ball, lock it down, take it off and store it away, very easy. Be mindful when using it in the wet or having hosed it down, the frame stores water in the recesses and it will trickle out, so store in the shed, on the garage floor or on an old towel / sheet. Overall we’re very very pleased with this rack and the performance and usability – everything about it is hard-core and it will, without shadow of a doubt last longer than your bike and quite possibly your motor – well-earned 4.5 stars.
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I’m sold on the new breed of bike carrier’s from Roof Box Company that fold around the wheels, but this one had me a bit wary to start with. The main issue being the lack of ‘T’ bar connection, and the structure of the front gripper for roof bars, which seems to have a square block type structure, meaning that it doesn’t look as though it’ll go neatly around your aero bars.
It’s a small point, but when testing I wanted to make sure that it stayed firmly attached to my Audi bars, and that it didn’t dig into them with its block edges. A small piece of foam around the front gripper soon resolved this, and it was firmly and safely attached. If you have non-aero bars, or bars that aren’t so dramatically aero then it won’t be an issue. For me though, it could be fixed by Yakima with a small adapter to round the gripper off for aeros. A small point and only 1 star lost due to this.
Now then, onto the real detail – how did it perform on test on the road?
Fitting the carrier to the car was simplicity itself once this aero issue was addressed. It simply slipped over the bars, on when the fixing below the bars, a quick tighten at both bars and hey presto! Giving it the usual stability test, it stayed firmly in place despite my efforts to move it.
Opening the front wheel loader was easy, by simply fitting the supplied lock, twisting the red handle and lowering it to lift the bike into. The rear wheel arch support moves easily along the carrier arm for the variety of bike sizes, and has a really tough and easy to use ratchet wrap for keeping the rear wheel in place.
Lifting the bike up, you place the front wheel into the very wide wheel guard, which has clips to alter the size for all wheels. Then it’s a case of lifting the smaller or the wheel arms onto the back of the front wheel and twisting the red handle to lock it in place.
You’re also given a very useful security strap to fit the bike carrier around the frame for peace of mind. All good so far then, and a very quick and easy for anyone. Best of all, your nice expensive carbon frame is not touched and therefore not damaged .
Testing this carrier on the roads, I’ve been using it on long motorway journeys, as well as some very tight and twisting and steep country lanes. Whilst I actually passed a car that had a bike hanging off a carrier from another manufacturer, the Yakima has been rock solid all the way, with no adverse movement, and no cries from lane side sheep as a flying bike hit them full on!
I’ve fitted a selection of bikes to the carrier: BMX, Road Bike, Mountain Bike, getting a good selection of tyre sizes, and all slip in to the very wide and very secure wheel arms easily.
I suppose that despite my early reservations, the Yakima Front Loader from Roof Box Company is a great little carrier. With all the carbon frames now on the road, it makes sense to get yourself one of these. Price wise, they’re also very reasonable and won’t break the bank.
If Yakima bring in a ‘T’ Bar adapter and/or an aero bar adapter it would be a full 5 stars. However, it’s a very worthy 4 stars for the Yakima Front Loader
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Crank it Up!
