I tried out the Dinotte 600L light this summer and it was just too bright, the reflection of the road was like looking at the light of an oncoming car, even at a medium setting!!! And other lights I looked at looked a bit “flimsy” and couldn’t easily be detached.

I’m not a big fan of standard drop bars. The main reason is that I don’t feel I got a good grip when it comes to braking when you are riding in the hoods.

Today I passed the 2000 miles mark on my little Tank the Surly Long Haul Trucker \o/ Why haven’t I listened to others before, kinda kicking myself here, when they talked about a touring bicycle. Because it is such a joy to ride. Worth every penny.

I was cleaning the Tank, the surly long hall trucker, the other day and noticed the scratch on the seat tube. I have no idea how and when it happened. I’m pretty sure it wasn’t there when we got home from Croatia. And I never dropped it either, hmmm.
Well it is the first one to “break” the bicycle in, so everything is all right again :)

I fettled a bit tonight and created light.
I had some old front lights and rear lights that for various reasons didn’t work anymore. The Cateye for example had some leaked batteries in it so the terminals needed to be cleaned, which is hard when the Cateye is welded together.

So armed with this little diagram, thanks Bo, I went over to Maplin to get some bits and bobs.

Since I have lend out my soldering iron to a friend of mine and pretty much only have tools for mending a bicycle, the project soon became interesting. Drilling was done with a phillips screwdriver and soldering was a couple twist with the wires and black electric tape. And I cased it all into a older inner tube.

But since this was a just a test to see if it would be possible, I didn’t mind it.
Though soon after starting the project it hit me, batteries is DC and the Schmidt SON dyno hub is AC, doh, but the light still works though they blink rather a lot :) I haven’t had the time to test it out fully yet to see if the capacitor stores light and how fast it charges up.

Description: Brixton Cycles – Powering the individual for 25 Years and still we roll
Shop visited: Continuously.
One of the most famous bicycle shops in London, people from all over would come from all over. Even I travel 6 and a bit miles to go there even when I got easy 8-10 bicycle shops closer too me.
We have had only good service from Brixton Cycles when we ordered our Surly Long Hall Truckers.
They are run as a workers Co-Op so it can only be good service, what other bicycle shop can you enter and hear Mozart or other classical music playing ?
Even when they are clearly off their feet because they are so busy, they have given me a great service. I have arrived 5min after opening time on a Saturday and there was already a queue! So be prepared for a little wait.

Shop contact:

www : http://www.brixtoncycles.co.uk/
phone : + 44 (0) 20 7733 6055
Ratings:
I really love the sign on the door saying, No manners – No spanners.

This is a little list in no particular order of what I have learned while cycle touring and camping, this list will probably be edited and added to as I learn and tour more.
Take lots of plastic bags : Like the ones your get from the supermarket. They just come in useful, they just do. To wrap up your wet closing, food and as a bin bag etc. you name it.
Take zip lock plastic bags : Sometime even the best panniers with let some water in. And you want to keep that mobile, GPS or MP3 player extra dry. Also good to keep bits and bobs in, like extra screws for your bicycle.
Get a groundsheet/footprint for the tent : But make sure that it is not bigger than the tent. Because if it rains it will get wet and that water will run into your tent.
Take a full outfit of dry, loose, non-cycling clothes : Something like boxers and a t-shirt. It is easier to get into than your lycra or wet clothing. To use when you need to use the facilities at night on the campsite. Like merino wool long sleeve and longs to sleep in on that extra …

… and the little Tank.
Our two new Surly Long Hall Truckers. Red/burgundy and a bit of metallic, 2007 model, 26″ wheels and 46cm. Olivie Green, 2008 model, 700c wheels and 58cm.
Finally finished, well still have to get the riding position right and some other bits. But finished enough for us to go riding in Wales this coming weekend.
So I gave Peli a head start this morning and will pick her up at her work early afternoon. So that we can ride together to the railway station and use our 28 tickets.
This is the route for our Woollyland Wanderings, starting in Machynlleth and finishing in Machynlleth.

My review of the Surly LHT

If you have landed here after a search, click here to read my review only about the Surly Long Haul Trucker. Below is a ride report too so if you don’t mind the extra do read on :)
A little prelude :
This is a shake-down ride, review of the Surly Long Haul Trucker and write up of our attempt on the DunRun, so bear with me, but hey you get three stories in one :)

The story :
Over the last few years we have read and heard so many wonderful stories about people’s journeys on their bikes, riding across a continent or just around the local dales. And especially over the last 8-9 months the “being out there riding and enjoying the freedom” really has pulled us in.
We also both loved camping over the years and cycling. So why not join these two things? If others can do it and enjoy it, so can we.
So after a lot of asking around and reading up we settled for the Surly Long Haul Trucker.
The last few weeks has been full of mad online shopping, we got nearly everything ready. Though I fecked up and got the wrong front dérailleur for Peli’s bike and …