Cycling in Turkey Apr/May 2012
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Myself (Jared) and partner Katie are currently cycling in Turkey. I have created a dedicated section just for the trip that includes maps, photos, gear, and much more.
Check out Braking Boundaries Turkey 2012.
Just watched this cool video of Katie Spotz and Sam Williams non-stop relay ride across America attempting to break the world record.
Unfortunately Katie broke her pelvis just a few weeks out putting the record out of reach but not stopping their ride. She rode using a hand bike. Truly phenomenal!
And they did all this for WATER.
Read more here : http://www.crowdrise.com/rideforyourlives
Some of you may have hear me tell the story of time a “enormous man eating spider” tried to hitch a ride on my bike in the Chinese desert. (read more)
Now I bring you a Katie Tibbetts reason why you should always look before peeing in the woods of South Korea.
Interested in our encounter of the arachnid kind while cycling the Gobi desert. Here is the video again, and you can also read about it in Tom’s write up of the encounter.
I’m extremely soft when it comes to cycling in the winter, mainly because I hate the feeling (or lack thereof) of numb feet and fingers. After a bunch of research I decided to try a European company called GripGrab, specifically the Arctic Shoe Covers (4mm neoprene) and Polaris Gloves.
If you don’t live in Europe and want to order GripGrab products read below.
Cost: €49.90 (minus 19% VAT)
What the Company Claims: Arctic is the warmest shoe cover for cycling available. Made from 4 mm waterproof neoprene with a thick fleece. Comfort Zone 0 to -10 °C.
Why I bought them: They are the thickest shoe cover that I could find and despite the price tag after reading this review I decided to give them a try to see if they are as good as the company claims.
Link: GrabGrab Arctic Shoe Covers
Cost: €39.95 (minus 19% VAT)
What the Company Claims: Polaris gloves are both wind and waterproof with a comfort zone of +5 to -5 °C.
Why I bought them: My old ski gloves are getting a little worse for wear, plus I was already going to be paying for international shipping on the Arctic Shoes Covers so I thought I’d try them out.
Link: GripGrab Polaris Gloves
It proved more difficult than I first thought as GripGrab products are only available in selected European countries.
After several dead-ends due to a lack of international shipping information, options, or English support, I finally found Sonja from B&T Bikestore in the Netherlands.
She was willing to go out of her way to help me, even though it seemed as if they did not usually fill orders out side of Europe.
B&T Bikestore shipped my order via TNT for €25.00 after a few months of stock shortage, during which time Sonja kept me updated – GREAT CUSTOMER SERVICE!
Their website http://www.bikeandtravel.nl is in Dutch, however Google translate does the job. The companies contact information can be found here : B&T Bikestore Contact Information. One last piece of information worth mentioning is that they only accept Paypal and wire transfers from overseas.
Thank you Sonja for helping me get the gear that I wanted.
One minute Katie was cycling up the hill, the next she was on the road, gear strewn everywhere. Why? Don’t really know, but here is the resulting conversation the next morning and the discovery that she had broken her bell, which used to be Tom’s.
The following review of Ground Effects Storm Trooper Jacket is based on my personal experience while riding a Surly Long Haul Trucker touring bike and Scott Sub 20 hybrid.
The Storm Trooper is by far the single most expensive piece of clothing I have in my touring gear, but totally worth the expense. I previously wrote about my initial impressions in a review here. Here are my thoughts 3 years later.
Pricing Note: Products that are shipped outside of New Zealand do not get charged 15% GST (NZ’s VAT). The price I quote below is what I paid while living in South Korea unless otherwise stated.
Shipping Note: Shipping of the orders cost between $5-12 NZD which is next to nothing for international. My orders generally took the standard 8-10 working days to arrive
Cost: Purchased Aug 2008 for $279 NZD + 5 Shipping (not GST free). The current price of the jacket has gone up slightly by $20 NZD. For shipping outside NZ it currently retails at $260 NZD.
Durability: AMAZING. 3 years of harsh conditions an no signs of wear. The velcro is still strong and I have had no problems with any of the zips. Have only cleaned it twice.
Likes: EVERYTHING. If I were to get into specifics, the shape of the hood is great. Their website states that it is designed to “fit snugly under your helmet – without blocking peripheral vision or restricting movement” I’d call it designed to not be bloody annoying and love this feature.
Dislikes: The only dislike which I have is the underarm zips are hard to open while riding, especially as I often have gloves on. They also get caught on the inside zipper flap. I noticed on Katies She Shell (female equivalent jacket) that bigger zips are on the newer version, so this is a moot point.
Overall Performance and Usage: My “Agent Orange” Storm Trooper has taken a beaten through rain storms in China to freezing cold temps over passes in Kyrgzstan and Switzerland. This jacket is made to protect in rainstorms (expect after 8 hours of constant downpour where only a wet suit would have done the job) but more importantly I have found it most valuable on cold windy days and long downhills. The light weight build of the Storm Trooper makes layering easy on those cold days. On my recommendation 3 friends have also bought this jacket, or the female version (The She Shell) and despite the initial sticker shock (yip it is expensive) absolutely love it.
Ground Effect has it spot on with The Storm Trooper. Light-weight, great shape and super waterproof, you can’t go wrong with it.
Link to Product: Storm Trooper Jacket