KEELA Road Runner cycling trousers; Commuting kit now dialled

It`s nearly mid winter here and for most folks it`s dark commuting into, and returning from work...
It`s not so bad if it`s high pressure weather with clear skies and red skies and long shadows. or snow like 5 years ago when we had the last White Christmas. But this December here has mostly been mild, damp and overcast with grey laden skies...
I am lucky to be outdoors in daylight weather permitting but still love cycling to work even in the depths of winter, You arrive at work buzzing from exercising and your head is clear and your ready for the day ahead as already decided what to do having been out in the weather, and after a days work and riding home you unwind and switch off...

I pass loads of cars and many of the drivers look miserable...  If you see a guy on a bike in a orange top grinning like a daftie near Whitekirk then it`s me!, and i am happy to be out in touch with the weather, the conditions, wildlife, and getting some exercise :)


Gearing up to commute by bike...
Waterproof cycling clothing has only been needed for a few commutes here in East Lothian despite the UK News reports of heavy rain and widespread flooding etc,
And commuting in even the most breathable waterproof clothing results in damp and sweaty  base layers even after a modest 4 mile commute if the temperature is at all mild.

DWR Softshell to the rescue!;
This is where soft shell clothing with a DWR coating for light rain showers comes in. The material is breathable and quick drying and as long as your not wearing a cotton base layer that will get damp and take a while to dry (i find a thin Merino wool layer can be kept on once at work and as well as warm dries quickly with body heat) then you can regulate heat better with softshell clothing...

KEELA Clothing;
KEELA Clothing is a Scottish clothing company  which manufacturers outdoor clothing used by the British Military forces, Mountain rescue and Emergency services and has a proven track record of excellent quality, and your not paying for a designer brand name like most Outdoor clothing companies...
Over the 7 years of blogging you will have seen my references to the excellent KEELA soft shell  multi purpose outdoor KEELA Scuffer trouser that lends itself to being a great cycling and general use outdoors trouser...
And it is!, i wear these daily at work and only when wet do these trousers sag a bit and the crotch and legs around the calf sag a bit and can catch on the saddle and drive train...

So imagine if KEELA were to make a trouser the same but in a cycling cut? well they have now for a year now!, and i recently bought a pair and think i have indeed found the perfect soft shell cycling trouser having been wearing these commuting and cycling off road for the last month,

Named the Roadrunner these are the perfect cut for cycling with all the same features of the famous Scuffer trouser with an added reflective strip on the rear of each calf. And these are a bargin at £63!...

Really impressed with these trousers which have completed a perfect commuting clothing set up...

The orange top is An Altura `Night Vision Soft shell top, And that top along with the KEELA Roadrunner trousers...

SealSkinz  gloves and Ron Hill Running skull cap is a comfortable quick drying ideal set up...

The top layer Altura top with a Merino long sleeve top and T shirt if needed is perfect...

And Shimano MT91 Gore Tex Boots makes the perfect clothing set up for dry to damp conditions...

On the bike...
Two front lights already reviewed Here...

And two rear lights, one steady, one flashing...

And a waterproof old Karrimor pannier with Altura Night Vision Trousers and a Craft 100% waterproof Jacket take care of the heaviest rain in cold conditions...

If you cannot see me with this lot on then you should not be on the road!...

KEELA Roadrunners Off road...
And these new trousers are also my off road cycling trousers and they have proved  perfect in the last months off road cycling on the coast. No reason they will also last as long as the Scuffer trousers i have used for over 5 years now...
I also have been wearing the Altura Night Vision soft shell top but it`s a bit loud! and i think i will buy another in a more muted colour!...

More soon...

Into Darkness; Mid winter commuting...Gear Review; Revolution 3W light, and stove update!

Sunset at 3.30pm on Monday evening. For the next 2 weeks i will miss sunset on my commute home until after the 21st and slowly the daylight hours begin to lenghten. It is lights on too and from work now, often during the day too!. The country roads are now filthy here now so mostly commuting on the old Muddy Fox ATB, a bike i do not wash all winter, and the only bike i use a wet chain lube on, it helps keep the rust at bay now the roads are coated in road salt...

Lights are Edinburgh Bicycle Co-Operative Revolution Vision 3W LED Rechargeable,  more on them in a bit...

Be dark within 15 minutes of this pic...

Good having an old trusty bike for this time of year...

And some good waterproofs!, arrived at work today in a downpour!, the fore casted `Weather Bomb` that the BBC was going on about was i think a bit over the top and the weather was not that much worse today here on the East Coast than any other winter storm...

Happy to cycle into work daily this week as not working outside in the wet weather...

But instead were painting the Gym in the Leisure Centre!...

Nice and warm and cosy in here!...

Watching the heavy rain and sleet pass over then the odd sunny spells from inside!...

Home Time!

And back out home  before dark...

Warm and dry with a Merino Buff, Altura Nevis Jacket... waterproof Crumpler Courier bag

 Altura Night Vison trousers, Keen Waterproof boots and Endura waterproof gloves...

Blowing a gale but hardly the fear mongering BBC forecast!...

Gear Review;  Revolution 3W Rechargeable light


Last winter the old Hope H.I.D front light packed in- well the switch became hard to get to fire up...

Alongside it i had been using 2 of these Electron commuter lights that take 4 AAA batteries...

I then bought one of the already mentioned Co-Op Revolution; Vision 3W Lights for £49. i like the Co-Op Revolution bike stuff and have bought quite a few things over the years by the Co-Op...

I bought this having noticed that it used the same mounting bracket as the Electron-prob made in the same factory...

I had previously bought spare mounting brackets to swap the Electron lights between bikes, these were £3 each on eBay...

Then in the summer sale i bought another Co-Op Vision for £30, giving me a pair of rechargeable lights for road riding, having spot lamps and a decent burn time- i only charge them once a week commuting (2 hours +) they are ideal and good enough to make out debris and stuff on un marked country roads...

I bought a load more spare light brackets on eBay and can now use the lights on all my bikes...

On or off road these lights are powerful enough for road and trail. I still have the Magic Shine monster 1600 lumen each lamps for full off road riding...

Stove Update; Pt 1;


You will often see pics of my open fire roaring on here, often while enjoying a cider post ride...

I love having a real fire, I call it `Natures TV`, and sit watching it for hours...

But a back boiler open fire is, while being lovely to watch and get hot water and heat the radiators,  takes a lot of wood to keep going...

So finally i have got round to buying a multi fuel stove, maybe not the right time of year to start fitting but it suited mate Eddie who offered to help out and do most of the technical work.

Demolition time!...

2 Saturdays past and the plumber drained off the water and undid the pipe work, dropping out the back boiler.
Out with the old back boiler, this and the old copper water tank that was replaced with a new bigger tank were weighed in at the scrappy and i got £140!...

Stove positioned, then after some measuring the plumber did his work and  connected the stove up along with the new tank and header tank up in the loft...

The plan for the chimney liner to go in the back of the stove was changed to the top of the stove due to the room, which required some stove chimney pipe work and a hole drilled in the wall....

Where that circle was drawn... :)

Eddie turned up with this!...

And the whole house vibrated as it ate its way through the chimney bricks...

Err, i watched on offering moral support... :)

Hole done he connected up the flu pipe and we had a wee test fire to check for leaks and cure the stove paint etc...

A few more wee fires then time to add wood and heat the water-and what a water this 11kw stove heats!
Can be as cold a winter as it wants to now!, I am gonna be toasty warm with this ticking over... Happy days!
In Pt 2 Stove update i will post up pics of it all finished. still all the finishing to do and  put a new chimney pot up on top!...

More soon....