Posts by Russell Brown
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Signs of winter’s approach … sometime.
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This is good news: He Toki Huna: New Zealand In Afghanistan is available for viewing on-demand.
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Hard News: The War Stories, in reply to Ana Simkiss,
The particular devastation of the world wars on Maori can’t be underestimated. I don’t know, but would not be surprised to learn, that they are a high proportion of the armed forces today.
Yes, that's absolutely the case.
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Hard News: Dressing for the Road, in reply to Lucy Stewart,
I am seriously looking into panniers now I’ve seen so many of you recommend them for round town. I love my Kathmandu backpack, but in midsummer – which here can easily mean 30C+ temps and high humidity – it’s no fun.
I'm definitely a backpack > pannier convert. The Vaude one I bought from Rode even doubles as a backpack.
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Hard News: Dressing for the Road, in reply to Natalie H,
I don’t see that many people wearing work or street clothes and I can’t remember the last time I saw a ‘frocks on bikes’ type. Why not? Because bike-specific clothing is ideal for riding in. That’s what it has been designed for! It’s comfortable, it doesn’t flap around or get caught in the moving parts of your bike (no need for trouser clips), there are zips so you can respond to temperature changes while riding, and pockets to carry your pump/work swipy card/whatever in.
Quite. I didn't start out with cycle/active clothing. It was just a bit of a revelation when I did start using it. More comfortable, more practical.
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Hard News: Dressing for the Road, in reply to 81stcolumn,
These days I will tend to walk journeys less than 4km. Any distance on a bike for me is likely cause a soaking, so wicking synthetics are a no brainer (might try merino when I can afford it).
Outlet stores are your friend. Pt Chev to Onehunga for a visit to Dress Smart is kind of a perfect ride for me. I confess, I've never worn merino on the bike -- perhaps I should try.
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Hard News: Dressing for the Road, in reply to Gary Town,
Auckland can be a challenging place to cycle comfortably…the humidity means waterproof rainwear can be horribly sweaty. I’ve always found it better to focus on breathability over waterproofing. I have a fantastic windproof fluoro rain jacket, which will let through severe rain but doesn’t overheat.
Exactly. It’s often more comfortable to wear a light jacket and clothes that will disperse the wet.The idea of a raincoat and overtrousers isn't very appealing.
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Hard News: Dressing for the Road, in reply to LucyJH,
It’s also pretty hot and humid up here in summer. You can’t ride in Auckland for more than half an hour in summer without being too smelly for most work/social situations. Some men I know can’t ride for more than ten minutes…
I don't seem to be very smelly, but I tend to perspire heavily about five minutes after stopping riding more than about 30 minutes. That'll evaporate from an activewear shirt, or I'll wait that long before changing into the dry shirt I've brought along.
Granted, I'm sometimes riding fairly vigorously, but even if not, you can't get a lot of places without riding up a hill or two from where I live.
A better range of shirts in breathable fabrics would suit me fine. Sports design is cheesy.
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Hard News: Dressing for the Road, in reply to Patrick Morgan,
While it's true that some bike clothing is more comfortable if you are heading out for a couple of hours, most trips can be made in whatever you are wearing now.
Pedal on,
Patrick Morgan, Cycling Advocates Network can.org.nzYeah, but I shouldn't need to feel like I'm letting the side down for wearing what feels comfortable for me, and I think the utility of a cheap exercise shirt kicks in long before the two-hour mark in Auckland. I don't commute as such, but for most of the summer it would be tricky for me to wear ordinary office clothes on a ride of my than half an hour from where I am.
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Hard News: Dressing for the Road, in reply to BenWilson,
I'm considering cycling pants of some sort, but it's way further down the list than upgrading my bag was. Russell put me on to a winner, the backpack that converts to a pannier, from Rode. What sold it was that it's actually a very good backpack for a student since the rackside backing is hard and flat, which is perfect for notes and books.
That pannier has improved my cycling life a lot. As you say, flat back so it carries paperwork well (and looks presentable for meetings), works pretty well as a backpack, and just swallows up whatever you put in it. I can easily come back from the supermarket with far more than I'd want to carry in a backpack. I had to get a rear carrier that cost a bit more because it had to be the wider version for disc brake hubs, but it's all been money well spent.
