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In the Drops: Carbon fibre powerbank, Ortlieb seatpost bag, Sealskinz clothing, Lifejacket skin protection and The Day of the Jackal

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In the Drops: Carbon fibre powerbank, Ortlieb seatpost bag, Sealskinz clothing, Lifejacket skin protection and The Day of the Jackal

Since no one – not the postman, bus driver, news anchor, shop cashier, or indeed any single person I’ve encountered in the past few days – has mentioned it, I’m going to confront the frozen elephant in the room. Man alive is it cold! There, I said it. Icy cold take from yours truly.

It’s very good timing, then, that Cyclist‘s wisest and hardiest kit testing sages have been ploughing frosty furrows through the bitter badlands of the UK, checking which bib tights, jerseys, gloves and whatnot will keep your limbs and digits intact while you pursue your favourite pastime.

Andy Turner’s wooden outhouse has been getting routinely dazzled by the camera, with these Santini and Isadore leggings scoring particularly well in his cold-weather bib testing. While Paul Norman has opted for a Cotswoldian backdrop as he weighs up the pros and cons of the best long-sleeve jerseys in our buyer’s guide. Katherine Moore is more (sorry) handy than those two, so it made sense for her to decide on the haves and the have nots in our winter cycling gloves buyer’s guide.

In spite of the inclemency, there have been some nuggets of news to warm the tech cockles this past week. Colnago has launched a very bling limited edition steel bike that’s less audax than it is St Moritz and will set you back about 40 years’ worth of Christmas presents. Speaking of audax-adjacent goods, DT Swiss has tossed its cap into the gravel dynamo market, releasing some dynamo wheels that promise easy setup, compatibility and can be bought as either full wheelsets or separate hubs. Plus there’s a newly launched Pinarello far more competitively priced than its fancy siblings, and some new permanent members in the Argonaut range.

You must be wondering what’s happened to Robyn and Ewan. No, we haven’t sent them to a high-altitude training camp to prepare them for the new season or frozen them in the basement. Robyn’s Pro Log stokes up the remaining embers of the pro season, while Ewan, icicles forming on his beard, has proposed a few things the pro tour could and should leave behind in 2024.

And before I slide glacially down into the drops, if it’s bargains you’re after, check out the best of Black Friday via our articles on Balfe’s Bikes, Decathlon and the best Black Friday deals.

Ortlieb seatpost bag

My previous seatpost bag saw some pretty brutal treatment over the years and, for the most part, performed admirably despite not being fully waterproof. It strutted around with an atmosphere of superiority to water-ingress, but when it came to squeaky bum time – or wet bum time – your stuff ended up getting wet. Also, persistent rubbing on the seatpost eventually tore a hole in the fabric, which I’m yet to ask the company to repair for me.

Enter the Ortlieb Seat-Pack QR (quick release) with answers to both problems. Its tender underbelly is protected by a robust plastic panel that functions as both an ersatz mudguard and protection against any rogue wheel rub. The material has a waterproof rating of IP64, which, while not fully waterproof, is plenty good enough for heavy downpours and constant splashing. Just don’t go lobbing your bag in a loch and expect your laptop to be fine.

Ortlieb has also included a patented Seat-Lock attachment so that the bag is mounted directly, and securely, onto the seatpost, meaning none of the bag’s material layer is ever exposed to friction while riding. A couple of hooks clamp onto the rails of your saddle to finalise the fit.

In raw numbers, the QR itself weighs a decent 625g and has a 13L capacity with a maximum recommended load of 5kg. Plenty, when all I’m usually packing is an assortment of super-light down, tabasco and chamois cream.

There are plenty of straps and attachment points to hook onto and cable tie things to when your packing gets a bit haywire, while the compression straps should help you to make the best use of the space you do have – even if it is by brute force. Also, there’s an ingenious little pop-out valve that means you can squeeze all the air out of the bag before tightening it up as much as possible.

Nitecore powerbank

Any bikepacker worth their salty electrolyte carb mix should worship the ground powerbanks rest on. These little puppies make the impossible possible. With just a USB cable and a powerbank, no matter how rugged the wilderness, you can keep your navigation, tracking, lights, headphones, glove heaters, microwave, phone and goodness knows what else running. (The Nitecore even charges my laptop, which is certainly not common.)

Not to be dramatic, but it could be the difference between life and death – or at least life and life without a functioning pair of headphones during a long, dark night of riding.

Obviously a clunky old powerbank just isn’t going to cut it when weight is a consideration. As Christopher Wallace once said, drillium and powerbanks just don’t mix, so put your DeWalt away and get an eyeful of the Nitecore NB20000 Gen3 Powerbank, an especially light contender that’s made from a carbon fibre solidified polymer and thus weighs just 291 grams.

For anyone who has ridden a frame with a raw carbon finish, the Nitecore is finished in the same fashion, with a smart interlocking carbon weave. Nitecore says this forms part of its anti-torsion structure that makes it more resistant to vertical and horizontal impacts.

20,000 sounds like a big number but what does that really mean? Well, Nitecore says its lithium ion battery will charge an iPhone 5.5 times and functions between -10° and +40°C, with a decent IPX5 weatherproof rating as well as two charging ports. It has two different functions for low and high output devices and Nitecore claims it will never overheat or short-circuit. Plus, you don’t need to worry about the journey to the start line, as its wattage is low enough to be carried as hand luggage on a plane.

Sealskinz clothing

I’m in the fortunate position where my commute is less than 30 minutes door to door, via this nifty little contraption called a bike. (More on that later.) I can’t scream too loudly about this as other members of the Cyclist team literally have to cross hell, high water and the English Channel to get into the office.

Because it’s such a short journey, I don’t ever really need something totally waterproof. If it’s just moderately rubbish outside, I can get away with fabrics that will shrug off showers and focus on drying out quickly once I’ve arrived, not to mention look reasonably presentable and non-bikey once I’m tapping pearls of prose into the laptop.

This Sealskinz ensemble is pretty much ideal for the job. The Geldeston fleece comes in navy or olive, and is both warm and very quick drying, in spite of its cosy fabric. There are a couple of handy zippered pockets and some buttoned ones too.

The fleece is a good accompaniment to the Ellingham chino trousers, which Sealskinz says are water-repellent. The cotton is blended with stretchy elastane and Tencel, a fabric that has some decent environmental credentials, and is both breathable and moisture wicking. The cut of the trousers is great – loose without risking any catching in the drivetrain – and there is a drawstring at the rear in case you suddenly shed a few inches.

Lifejacket skin protection

They say – ‘they’, of course being the skin care industry – that you should start piling on the anti-ageing cream once you turn 18. Don’t worry about me: save yourselves people, the horse has officially bolted from this sun-scorched stable. There are hides of mountain ibexes in better shape than the wizened old skin bag I’m carrying around in place of a face, but that doesn’t prevent me from slapping on the factor 50 come rain or shine, summer or winter. And that’s where Lifejacket comes in.

There comes a point in life where you start feeling guilty about piggybacking on your partner’s expensive skincare routine. I have reached that point.

Lifejacket specialises in products for those who spend lots of time outdoors – including cyclists – and has a product for most eventualities. I’m particularly enjoying the Daily Repair moisturiser, which is intended for end-of-day use as it doesn’t contain SPF (there is also an SPF version), but is also handy after shaving and just generally when you’re feeling husk-like.

It works to soothe damaged and dry skin and purports to be non-greasy and hydrating. I can confirm the former is certainly true. Interestingly, it contains something called carnosine technology, which protects skin from infrared radiation. Can’t say I’ve been worrying about that very much but now I am.

Other highlights are the Mineral Sun Stick, a 50+ SPF stick that is water resistant and protects your face and lips when out riding, and the equivalent 50+ spray, which has an oily consistency that dries quickly and doesn’t leave any sticky residue. Lifejacket says the fact that it doesn’t contain any water at all, means it is more durable and protects the skin for longer.

For the ultra distance bods, there is an anti-chafe bar containing coconut oil, shea butter, beeswax and jojoba, that Lifejacket says is good for protecting the skin from friction, and restoring it after the damage is done. The founders of Lifejacket were inspired by several of their friends, who contracted skin cancer while in their 30s. Raising awareness of this threat is the company’s main message – so however, you go about it, make sure you’re covered.

What we’re into this week: The Day of the Jackal

It’s story time with mummy

There’s no two ways about it: it’s grim out there. As I type this I’m dusting the grey, freezing sleet off my shoulders, wiping spatterings of road grime from my pallid face and coaxing my hands back to life over a mug of warm gruel. (Fine, it’s just normal tea, but we’re setting the scene.)

According to the Met Office, the sun rises briefly for around 14 minutes in the middle of each November day, leaving us more and more hours of frigid, unfeeling darkness to fill while holed up in our respective caves. (Of course, I fill most of my hours with cycling because I’m impervious to bad conditions – as should you.)

Luckily, my cave has a telly, and that telly has a remake of The Day of the Jackal beaming out of its life-giving screen. I try to play pretty hard to get when it comes to TV. I’m suspicious of the sheer range of choice. I refuse to believe that simply because there’s now loads of it, a correlating fraction is still excellent. But this is some different melon.

I’m by no means a spy thriller aficionado, but the raw materials of this Eddie Redmayne-led joyride through picturesque European cities – a fictional tour that our own capital-hopping Ewan Wilson would be proud of – are thunderingly good, and far less naff than 007 and his watered-down cocktails.

You’ve got Lashana Lynch, fresh from a strong turn in an actual Bond film, flicking two fingers and a Glock in the direction of the MI6 HR department, while also throwing her hat in the ring for terrible mum of the century rosette.

‘Mummy, mummy,’ whines daughter #1 tiresomely. ‘You’re late for dinner, you’ve left a bullet in the soap dish, you missed my parents’ evening and, on the rare occasion you’re even here, you seem monumentally bored by every prosaic thing me or my brothers dare to utter.’

‘Oh no, really? I’m afraid I really don’t care darling – I’m busy tearing holes in this angry ex-paramilitary with a zombie knife and your plaintive wails might as well be in ancient Greek. Now, pass me that bulletproof vest and go and stay with your father’s ex-wife.’

This is the sniper school for kids who can’t read good

Super mum’s job is to track down Eddie Redmayne, or The Jackal, who is – I suppose – a good actor in so far as he has me convinced that he is a taciturn assassin rather than a silver-spoon-fed thespian. However, this consumptive, razor-cheeked version of Zoolander seems to deliver his lines on the breeze of an unending exhalation, the escaping syllables somehow eluding his lower jaw’s attempts to consume the upper part of his face. Overall, I’d say his death-from-afar energy is anything but relaxing to watch.

Since they’re both such monstrous parents, life partners and employees, maybe the series will conclude with Jackal and Bianca – rightly tossed by society onto the twisted pariah scrap heap – meeting on whatever Hinge-adjacent app has been made for blood-thirsty narcissists divorced from reality who answer to no one. I’m envisaging a quick snarling snog and then a mutual murdering courtesy of some 3D printed weaponry. Bring it on.

  • Watch The Day of the Jackal on Sky

The post In the Drops: Carbon fibre powerbank, Ortlieb seatpost bag, Sealskinz clothing, Lifejacket skin protection and The Day of the Jackal appeared first on Cyclist.


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