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Why not ditch the rucksack?

30/5/2016

4 Comments

 
Davey Push Bikes Alpkit Fuel Pod
All else being equal, no-one really wants to wear a rucksack while they are riding. Regardless of how well ventilated they are you inevitably end up with a sweaty back and no amount of straps will stop them from jiggling around to some extent. But I’ve worn a Camlebak, in various forms, whenever I’ve headed out on my mountain bike ever since I bought my first Mule well over a decade ago. And the kit that it contains has slowly expanded, partly because I’m one of those people who likes to have every eventuality covered (Did someone say they had a loose cassette?) and partly because you may as well if you’ve got the room. Once I’d accepted that a rucksack is part of my core cycling kit I only ever seemed to add more stuff, never taking anything away.

Well, with the new bike I thought that it was also about time to re-think the rest of my gear. I’d previously tried to rid myself of a rucksack by switching to a saddle bag, but it only took a single ride for the thing to rip itself apart as the weight of it swung around off-road. The real catalyst for this re-visiting was a recent browse of the Alpkit website, where I stumbled across their Fuel Pod (www.alpkit.com/products/fuel-pod-small). 

Originally designed to sit on top of your top tube up by your stem, the Fuel Pod is a convenient way to have a few energy gels and a banana to hand if that’s your kind of thing. However, given its three broad, velcro straps I figured that it could be repurposed to hold most of what I need on a ride, safely secured between my top tube and seat tube (a bit like those triangular bags from the 90’s!) A few rides with this set-up seem to have proved the theory.

I went for the smallest of the three Fuel Pod options, which is just big enough to hold: a 29er inner tube; tyre levers; 15mm spanner; multi-tool; electrical tape; a couple of zip-ties; an iPhone; and my keys. So I’ve had to rationalise my equipment, but I’m hardly slumming it. I also use a traditional bottle and cage - I went with a 600ml version as this holds plenty of water for me for a 2 hour ride and is less likely to be shaken out than a 750ml option. With a mini-pump attached in the same location that’s everything I need without the sweaty back! ​

I’m loving riding in just a t-shirt again - one thing I’ve noticed is that it just makes going out for a ride feel a bit more relaxed and spontaneous. I just thought that I’d share this in case anyone else fancies doing something similar?
4 Comments
Neil
15/6/2016 06:04:17

Hi Dave great blog, I have a question which I can't seem to find an answer to anywhere regarding the rear hub sizing, is it possible to for a larger size inbetween the dropouts or is it 135mm qr only. I'm going to run wide rims and a lot seem to come with 142mm minimum.
Regards

Reply
Oli
15/6/2016 09:28:09

Hi Neil and thanks for getting in-touch.

As you point out, the hub comes with a 135mm O.L.D. (over lock nut dimension). Although in theory you could add spacers to increase this, theirs a good chance that either the disc rotor will end up in the wrong position and/or the chain line will be pretty awkward. Plus, as far as I am aware, 142mm axles only come in 12mm bolt-through form, which I don’t believe would be compatible with the hub anyway. However, the O.L.D. of a hub shouldn’t preclude you from running wide rims. Things like the new Boost standard (148mm O.L.D.) have helped to stiffen wheels by increasing the bracing angle, but there’s nothing inherently wrong with the 135mm standard. I hope that helps.

Oli

Reply
Neil
17/6/2016 12:41:38

Hi Oli,

Thanks for your reply very helpful one last question what size frame did you go for ?I'm 176cm which is right on the limit of medium to large I'm thinking more towards the large.

Regards

Oli
20/6/2016 10:31:31

Hi Neil

I'm around 182cm and I have the large FastForward frame (you can tell because it's the only size to get the extra strut between the top and seat tubes). I hope that's useful?

Oli

Reply



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