Christoph Rehage 2.0 with his second video in China
Category: All things Cycling (page 2 of 7)
All things cycling from daily commuting to cycle touring and all the bits in between
Power monkey solar charger
solar power to mains power
Boys and their toys. Any excuse to buy a new bit of new kit. To be honest you don’t need it at all but some things are just nice to have. And for me, one of these things is power… Yes, power. Power in the form of electricity. On my last trip, I was always looking for ways to keep my phone and tablet alive. I felt connected and safe in the Knowledge that I had my phone with me.
Power on demand
I purchased the power monkey solar charger for my last trip and it worked ok. I tried charging it up by solar whilst riding but the constant movement of the bike prevented it charging properly. If you were on a rest day in a sunny spot I’m sure it would charge up fine. The good thing was you can charge it up by the mains.
Although the power monkey solar extreme was good it still left me needing additional power. So for this trip, I’ve gone and purchased an Anker power cord 20100. I’m told this can recharge my phone up to eight times and also power my IPad and Garmin.
A Little Bit More Kit
I’m not taking a dedicated camera but will my iPhone X Instead. and for the blogging and general communications ill use the iPad Pro with Smart Keyboard.
Get me home, please
Tracking My Trip
Last of all in the Garmin touring plus which I purchased from eBay For £100. It’s a basic bike GPS and ill use it for basic navigation and to record my route. Not sure if I’m going able to update my route day by day but try.
The Bike & Bit’s costing
Thorn Sherpa Bike 510XL with Standard forks £999.00
Brooks Saddle £100.00
Ortlieb Front Roller Plus – Hazel/Black – 25Ltr £84.00
Ortlieb Back Roller Plus – Hazel/Black – 40Ltr £94.00
The Altura Orkney Bar Bag with 7 litre capacit £54.00
The Shimano A530 Touring Pedals £41.00
lights £100.00
Sub Total £1,472.00
Thorn Sherpa Touring Bike
The Bike In Detail
Frame:
Thorn Sherpa frame and fork set 510XL Satin Stealth Black with silver decals
Transmission:
Shimano Deore HG50 9 Speed Cassette – 11-32, Budget Sealed Bearing Tapered Bottom Bracket with Steel Shimano Splined Cups – 113 mm,FSA Alpha Drive MTB Chainset 8/9 Speed – 24/36/48T – 170mm, Shimano RD-T661 Deore LX Top Normal / Standard Rear Derailleur – SGS, Shimano Deore SL-M590 RapidFire 9 Speed Shift Lever / Pods,Shimano Deore FD-M591 9 Speed Conventional Swing Dual Pull Multifit Front Derailleur, KMC X9-93 116 Links 9 Speed Chain – Silver / Grey.
Brakes:
Shimano Acera BL-M421 V Brake Levers, Shimano M422 Acera V-brake Front, Shimano M422 Acera V-brake Rear.
Wheels: 26″ (559) Wheelset 36h Rigida Grizzly Rims with Shimano HB-RM70 Hubs in Black, Schwalbe Marathon HS368 Rigid Tyre – 26 x 2.00 Inch (50-559)
Finishing Kit:
Thorn Mk2 Comfort Handlebars – 25.4mm Clamp – Black, SKS chromoplastic 26in mudguards Black 55(include fitting kit), Velo Deluxe Sports Mens Saddle – Black,Kalloy AS-009 UNO 1 1/8 Inch Ahead Stem +17 Deg – 25.4mm Clamp – Black – 100mm, Herrmans DD08B Comfort D.D. Dual Density Ergonomic Handlebar Grips – 120 mm Length – Black / Grey.
Accessories:
Thorn Expedition Steel Rear Cycle Pannier Rack – Black Powdercoat, Thorn MkV Cro Mo Steel Low Loader – Black Powder Coat, Zefal Ping Bell – Black NO PEDALS
Saddle and Bags
My friends and I have formed a tradition of cycling Mont Ventoux. For the last few years, we have climbed the famous stage of the Tour De France. This will be my third year climbing the Ventoux with my colleagues and friends. The yearly climb forms a great training goal and serves to keeps us focused on our fitness. Not forgetting the banter that goes along with it.
This year is sure to be a vintage one with two guys really battling for the top spot. Posh Mick and Rocket Riyadh have been training like mad even though none of them will admit to it. There has been an underlying battle ragging for years and battle lines are drawn and many a conversation has been had to who will be victorious. I’ll keep you posted on that front.
Sitting at home over the Christmas break, my mind started dreaming of cycle touring again. My last major ride was with the Fireflies back in 2015 where I rode from Geneva to Cannes for ten days and cover 1000 kilometre. So as I am riding Mont Ventoux in June I thought It might be an idea to ride back from there to the UK. Initial investigations into distance is about 700 miles not including any climbs. I recon it will take about two weeks to get back.
So that’s the plan as it stands. Ride back from Mont Ventoux to the UK
[instagram-feed hashtag=”#cyclethealps”]
So I’ve been signed up a 60 mile back ride. We kick off on Sunday 2 July 2017 from Pickett’s Lock in Edmonton and head off for Cambridge at 8 am in the morning. So if anyone fancies a ride out tomorrow please come join us. The more the merry. Look out for the Instagram pictures tomorrow.
Cycling a mountain is never going to be easy and for that reason alone is why people do it. This weekend I rode Mont Ventoux. This is my second time in taking on the challenge and Friends and colleagues ask what it was like? and if I enjoyed it?
ride the waves of Mont Ventoux
To tell you the truth I ask myself the same question, did I enjoy it? There is no simple answer really. The facts are this. It’s painful to ride 90 kilometres with a lot of those going uphill on a gradient of anywhere between 6% to 11% and being in the saddle for six hours takes its toll. So the answer to the question “Whats it’s like” In simple terms, Painful. The second part of the question. Did I enjoy it?. Yes, I love it. It’s challenging in a stunning setting. I love the Alps, I love the mountain and I love the weather. Riding along the French countryside with the smell of Jasmin and rapeseed is heaven. I love the food, in particular, the bread and finally, I love the feeling of adventure and the unknown.
If you fancy taking on the ride next year you can book yourself a place by going to this website http://www.grandtrophee.fr/index.php
Amazing video of Christoph Rehage crazy walk filmed in a time-lapse style. So cool.
My brothers and sisters doing what they do. Please support them if you can
