One of the things that can make or break a ride is a bag, many of us like to carry a lot of stuff and most of it for no logical reason. A bag that is good for wearing when you’re on foot isn’t necessarily going to be comfortable or particularly practical when you’re hunched over your bars bombing through traffic in the rain.

In the past the diagonal strap messenger bag was the first choice for ‘urban cyclists’, everyone wanted to ride around in a bubble pretending they were delivering plans to architects (rather than tins of beans to their kitchen) but recently there has been a big shift towards backpacks.

Mission Workshop is a fairly young brand but they have donkey’s years of experience, it is owned by the guys who created Chrome and they have taken everything they learned running that brand, refined the aesthetic and are now creating bags that are, for want of a better word, perfect. I have been using The Rambler backpack for about six months or so now, when I think back to the time before it came into my life I shudder.

The Rambler isn’t simply a well made backpack, it’s actually two incredible handmade backpacks masquerading as one. I used to have to decide what bag to take out with me in the morning depending on what I was planning on doing throughout the day, not anymore. With The Rambler you have a small big bag and a massive huge bag, I know that sounds odd but its true. It’s actually quite difficult to explain with words just how special this backpack is, I could almost cry when I’m talking about it. Some people keep photos of their kids in their wallet, I keep photos of my Rambler.

In a nut shell, or is that a coconut shell?

This is a very unassuming backpack, it’s the epitome of simplicity but it’s a cunning master of disguise. In the blink of an eye you can convert it into something that you will struggle to fill, every time I unzip and expand it I can’t help but smile.

At it’s most basic it can be used as a slimline flap down backpack with one main compartment that you can stuff your day to day bits and bobs in and be sure that they’ll still be dry when you get home. This is the state that you’ll probably use it in most often and the one that I think is actually more clever than when it’s in it’s larger guise because at the end of the day, who wants to carry a ginormous bag around at all times?

For me The Rambler is actually a large bag that becomes smaller rather than the other way around. When I think of other bags that claim to expand I think of a piece of second rate material that is often somewhat superfluous and added just because it can be done relatively cheaply and added to the spec sheet. At it’s full size The Rambler is 100% functional, it’s not just an additional feature but the essence of the backpack, the real feature is that it can be folded away gracefully without losing any of its functionality.

As well as the full size and reduced size main compartment there is the slim rolltop section at the back and a similar full size thin pocket at the front but with a zip fastening rather than a velcro roll. A small pocket at the front right corner completes the line up.

Inside and out

The Rambler is constructed from a seriously water-resistant material, I have never had so much faith in something to keep the rain out. I happily store my iPhone in the small front pocket when it is absolutely pissing down, I don’t worry and place it in the main compartment which has more layers of protection because there is no need, not even a single drop of rain has ever appeared inside this front pocket let alone the main compartments. Every zip is urethane coated to make sure that the rain doesn’t sneak through anywhere, an essential feature that is often missing from other bags.

The shoulder straps are nice and wide but not so wide that they’re ridiculous. They are filled with a high density foam so they hold their shape, aren’t thick and spread the load very nicely across your shoulders. They can be adjusted as normal at the bottom but also at the top, they are attached to the bag a few inches lower than the top which lets the bag sit higher on your back. When it is expanded, full and heavy the top straps prevent it from pulling you back and keep the whole thing feeling nice and solid. There’s an elasticated sternum strap which you can clip across your chest to prevent the straps from falling off your shoulders, I use mine at all times because my broken collarbone has left me with a shoulder that the strap want’s to fall off all the time.

There is a full length carbon fibre back plate which stops irregular shaped cargo from sticking in your back and making every second of your ride miserable. This sounds simple but in terms of usability it makes a huge difference to how comfortable the bag is. It’s easily one of my favourite things, not only on the bag but in the whole wide world.

The full expanded internal capacity of the main compartment is 44L yet measures just 5″ deep when zipped down into it’s smaller 22L half size. I use the main compartment day to day for carrying around all manner of stuff: clothing, shoes, bike parts, cameras, food etc; I use it in it’s smaller state most of the time.

I can very comfortably fit a whole week’s worth of shopping in when it’s unzipped and in it’s full 44L glory. Full up the top is wider than the bottom so you can load it up with tins, bottles and other heavy stuff at the bottom then put stuff like bread and other crushables on top and they sit there without losing their shape. I know that this isn’t exactly a ‘shopping bag’ but lets face it, most of us are going to use it to carry food home far more regularly than anything else.

I am yet to experience a situation where I have looked at the Rambler and thought ‘I’ve run out of space’, I came close once with the ’4 kitchen roll episode’ but the front strap is elasticated so that problem didn’t last long. I simply zipped it up, placed the kitchen roll on top and clipped the flap over it, it held them securely all the way home without squashing them because it wasn’t forced. I have used this strap to carry wheelsets a few times and it does a great job, it’s these subtle little differences that separates Mission Workshop from the rest.

The two other substantial compartments expand upwards rather than outwards so are best suited to thin items. The front will comfortably take a 15″ laptop with a whole bunch of other stuff at the same time. I often use the roll top pocket to carry my skateboard. It’s not just the outside material that is hardwearing, the internal is as tough as old boots too, the griptape on my deck hasn’t yet left a single mark which is pretty amazing considering what a mess it makes of clothes and skin.

The small pocket on the front is well positioned, it’s designed so that you can swing the backpack under your right arm and access the essential bits and bobs you need regularly. The only criticism I ever hear about The Rambler is the apparent lack of ‘organisation pockets’, personally I’ve never found that to be an issue. At the end of the day this is intended as a no bullshit bag, if you think you need 20 little various sized pockets for your pen, your pencil, your 15cm ruler, the sugar sachets you steal from Costa, your wallet and the unopened box of condoms you will never get a chance to use then maybe it’s time for you to simplify your life, you nerd. Put small stuff in the small pocket, thin stuff in the thin pocket, big stuff in the big compartment and long stuff in the roll top pocket. This bag doesn’t lack organisation pockets because you don’t actually need them.

There is an optional waist strap available for The Rambler for those times when you’re going to be carrying a lot of weight, it’s also filled with high density foam and is extremely sturdy. As with everything Mission Workshop produce it’s not an afterthought, it is a top quality piece of additional kit that adds another dimension to The Rambler. I recently used it for a weekend away, I carried all my stuff to the destination using the waist belt then removed it, used the bag as normal all weekend and then fitted the strap again for the journey home. It’s the bag that just keeps on giving.

This bag changed my life and it will change yours too

I know the £200 price tag is putting you off but, in theory, this bag could outlive you. All Mission Workshop bags are hand made in the USA and carry a lifetime warranty.

If any part of your bag fails at any point down the line they will repair it for you free of charge; if any part wears out due to heavy use they will repair it for a small charge. I have heard multiple stories of people being run over and sliding across the road with just their Mission Workshop bag between them and severe road rash, those people report that their bags weren’t really harmed in the incidents so they are unlikely to wear out except in the most extreme of circumstances.

The Rambler has changed the way I live my life, not in a profound way or the way that the iPhone has but I don’t think I could live without it now. It is extremely well made, incredibly versatile and really is two backpacks rather than just one. Yes, you have to drop a fair chunk of money on it but it’s worth every single penny and more, ask anyone that owns one and they’ll tell you that i’s the best BEST BAG EVER.

For full product spec see the Mission Workshop website.

The Rambler and all other Mission Workshop backpacks and messenger bags are available from Urban Cyclery, there is a 10% off coupon code in the sidebar on the right, nice!>>>

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I’ve had a SmartAss on my bike for a few weeks and guess what, it actually works! It’s such a simple little thing that there’s hardly anything I can say about it really except that it’s really well designed, fits like a dream on all the saddles I have tried it with and is very well made.

It’s certainly not going to save your ass if it’s absolutely pissing down (nothing will) but if you’re riding around in the wet or get caught in a bit of a shower then it works great, my ass has never been so dry with so little effort on my part to keep it that way.

One thing I hate about my screw-on-to-the-seatpost-fender is that when I mount my steed I always kick the bloody thing off to the side then have to ride whilst trying to look backwards and tap it “a little more to the left, a little more to the right, a little more, more, argh, too much!” The Smart Ass by Ass Saver is small enough that that isn’t an issue, it’s really secure when it’s fitted properly over the saddle rails too, far more so than you might expect.

If you want to hide it away you can fold it up and fit it under your saddle, it’ll still be there next time you need to keep your ass in pristine condition. It’s great knowing that it’s there at all times and not something you have to try and remember if you think it may rain later.

I have a white Ass Saver up for grabs, all you have to do is answer one simple question on Facebook… or you can buy one for just €6 direct from ass-savers.com

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I used the Kenda Kwik Roller EZ Ride tyres on my trick bike before I finally accepted that I was completely useless, I absolutely loved them.

One thing I really hate is sluggish tyres and the bigger you go the more you need a quick rolling tyre. These are only 38c so they won’t appeal to everyone taking on fixed gear freestyle but they are a great tyre if you want to do a bit of commuting on your trick bike too.

The first thing that struck me with these tyres is just how badass they look. They have a really aggressive looking tread pattern and an all round air of toughness. They are the tyre equivalent of a 50’s teen in a leather jacket turning up at the local burger joint with his arm around a Pink Lady. They aren’t just tough looking though, they feature Kenda’s Iron Cap puncture protection strip which lives up to it’s name, I didn’t get a single puncture the whole time I was using these and I never once worried about getting one either.

So, these tyres are scary looking and built like a brick shithouse so you’d expect them to be heavy, right? Wrong! They are really light, I would describe them as ‘surprisingly light’. They also live up to their ‘Kwick Roller’ name, they have minimal rolling resistance, the difference with other tyres of the same size is noticeable.

Like I said at the start, these are 700x38c so won’t be what every FGFS rider is looking for but if you’re after a bomb proof, fast tyre for your commuter bike that you bash around the place then these are perfect. You’ll be able to skid them today, tomorrow and every day for months too, in fact they laugh in the face of wear.

Most local bike shops will be able to order them in through Moore Large, although the guy delivering them may turn up with a box of fags in his t-shirt sleeve and slicked back hair…

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The threaded track sprocket has done the job perfectly well for decades but now we are pushing our fixed gear parts to the limit. The threads on our hubs are one of the most vulnerable yet important areas of our bikes and brands are looking at ways of making it more reliable; some have gone for a bolt on cog but Halo’s new HG spline system is even better.

The traditional threaded system works, of course it does, but when it fails it really fails. Some brands have gone down the bolt on route but it didn’t really catch on, fixed gear freestyle is where it’s at now and the smallest bolt on cog option is a 16t which is a no-go for compact gearing. Halo’s HG spline system is so obvious and brilliant that other brands must be kicking themselves for not thinking of it first: it can’t slip or thread; it’s way easier to fit/swap and will take down to 12t cogs, it’s genius.

I know for a fact that I am not the only one that has experienced a stripped thread on a hub, it’s a royal pain in the arse. One second you are changing your gearing and the next you are swearing and trying to kick the last breath out of your formally fine back wheel, not just because it has broken but because of the inconvenience of having to buy a new hub and (more than likely) pay for your LBS to re-build it onto your rim. That will never happen with a Fix-G, there is nothing that can go wrong, in theory the groves could wear and the cog loosen over time but the tolerances are so tight that I really can’t see that happening and even if it did you would still be able to use it and it would be perfectly safe. There is also no settling in period when you fit the cog, sometimes a newly fitted threaded cog will slip a few times before it’s possible to tighten it right up and make it solid, I very nearly ended up sprawled across the front of a BMW because of that once.

I can see this hub making waves in the fixed gear freestyle community, not only does it take cogs right down to 12t for compact gearing but it will also run just as reliably for people that want to run a left hand drive. People are Loctite-ing their cogs onto their hubs as a precautionary measure because on the left the cog is, technically, loosening with every pedal stroke. There are no rotational forces being applied to a thread in any way with the Fix-G so forwards, backwards, left, right, it’s all the same.

Another great thing about this system is the ease with which you can fine tune your chainline, it uses spacers on either side of the cog so you can shift your cog left or right in 1mm increments, my bike is quieter than ever, the only real sound is from the tyres. You can also run two cogs next to each other which means that when using a Double Fix-G hub you can run four cogs on one hub!

The bearings in these puppies are badass, they go like the clappers. I noticed a huge difference compared to the ones in the Formula / System Ex which I was using before these. The all over finish on the Fix-G hubs is very nice, it looks and feels like a premium product as well as performing like one.

You’ll need a Shimano freewheel tool to fit your cog onto the hub, I bought my one for about £3 on eBay so that’s no hassle and it’s much cheaper than buying a decent wide lockring for a traditional hub.

I’m finding it really hard to come up with a negative point to balance this review out. I suppose having to buy a special cog for it could be seen as a bad thing if you have a good supply of normal ones but there is a Fix-G/Threaded option so you could use your normal sprocket on the other side if you wanted to.

These hubs are amazing, your life will not be complete until you get one! For the spec check out the Ison Distribution website. They have an RRP of £69.99 for Fix-G/Free or Fix-G/threaded and £79.99 for the Double Fix-G featured in this review.

If you have any questions pop them in the comments and I’ll get back to you asap…

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I’ve been wearing the Chrome Anza for a few months now, it’s a simple jacket with a few well thought out key features geared towards us cyclists.

The styling is similar to a traditional American coach jacket, featuring a 100% polyester shell, elasticated cuffs, fold over collar and hand pockets; there is a lot more to the Anza jacket though.

The polyester shell has a Teflon branded water repellant finish, it won’t keep you dry in a storm but it certainly fends off a shower and makes mincemeat of wind. The button fastening pockets are made out of mesh which helps to let the heat out and reduce sweating, complimented by a couple of air vent holes under each arm pit.

The Anza is cut pretty slim, like most cycling specific clothing, so it doesn’t flap around when you’re riding. The collar folds up and can be fastened by a button at the front, this is such a ridiculously simple idea, it’s almost a stroke of genius. It really helps when there’s a bit of a nip in the air because it fit’s snugly and high around your neck. On the rear there is a decent sized snap fastening pocket which always comes in handy for carrying bits and bobs like tools, snacks or gerbils.

Pros
Lightweight
Water/wind repellant
Super collar!
Rear pocket
Made in the USA

Cons
The button on the rear pocket can sometimes stick in your spine when wearing a heavy backpack, velcro fastening would have been a better choice.

The Chrome Anza jacket is available in Europe exclusively through Urban Cyclery for £79.99, order yours now.

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The BIGxTOP straps have been on my bike for a couple of months, so I thought it was about time I shared what I thought now that they’ve seen some action.

They are extremely well made, much better than you’d expect for a debut product. They are handmade in Bournemouth by Jordan Trent but they don’t at all feel like they are anything but professionally produced by someone with much more experience, it’s a bloody good start and a good sign for things to come.

The buckle has not once slipped even a millimetre, I thought it would be a weak point but clearly not. Fitting these is so easy, much easier than Hold Fast straps and a million times easier to remove after a lot of use, Hold Fast drive me up the wall when I try and get them off. The excess bits of the straps are kinda cool sticking out too, a bit like super hero wings.

They have remained stiff, very stiff, it’s like webbing on viagra; I can’t see them ever becoming flaccid.

BIGxTOP straps are available for £29.99 with free worldwide shipping and available online from the BIGxTOP webshop and Charlie the Bikemonger.

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I first became aware of Espresso Wheels a few months back, I’d come across them online somewhere and my initial impression was that they were just another set of cheap wheels that would fall apart in a few weeks. When they contacted me about reviewing a set I was very interested in trying out something that seemed too cheap to be good.

At just £109 for the set my expectations were not too high, my first fixed wheelset (Omega Mach 1) cost about £130 and they sucked, everyone I know who had a set experienced them falling to bits within no time. There are a fair few options out there for pre-built fixed wheels these days with varying degrees of respect in the scene, demand for them is through the roof but does the price represent the quality of these?

The wheels arrived from the factory and the first thing I noticed when removing them from the box was just how solid they felt, the double wall rims are 45mm deep so they should feel stiff and they really do. I used to have a set of Dodici rims which cost more than the built up Espresso wheels and they felt just the same in the hand. The paint on the rims is as expected, it’s not as smooth or thin as more expensive rims but I only noticed because I was inspecting them. Wheels are for riding not looking at all day so that’s pretty irrelevant.

I gave them the old ‘spin in the air’ and they felt pretty good, the bearings aren’t super duper smooth or as long spinning as my Halo’s but they are fine. The 32 hole rebranded Joytech hubs are a nice addition, I was expecting the usual Formula/System Ex jobbies. The rear comes bundled with a 16t fixed sprocket with a pretty decent wide lockring and a 16t freewheel on the opposite side, both chrome.

One of the major issues with pre-built factory wheels is spoke tension and truing and that was my main concern, who wants to buy a wheelset then have to pay a wheelbuilder £50 or whatever to make them useable in a couple of weeks? I took them over to Urban Cyclery in Swansea to have the boys look them over and they agreed that they were true, well tensioned and as stiff as a board, we were all surprised.

They weigh just as much as you’d expect a double walled deep section rimmed wheel to weigh, they aren’t overly heavy compared to similar wheels, nor are they noticeably light. No weight weenie would use wheels like these so I don’t think the weight is particularly important, a 45mm deep rim like this is designed to be stiff not light so it’s all good.

If there’s one thing I hate it’s people who spend more time talking about and analysing bike parts rather than actually riding them so I popped them on my Brother and hit the road. They feel great on the bike, you really notice how stiff they are, you can feel every bump in the road. It’s exactly what I want from riding a ‘track bike’ out on the streets, I want it to be twitchy, and I want the vibrations to shake my bones. These would be great on an old conversion because they would offset the flexy frame somewhat and give you a taste of the good life.

I’ve been riding them on and off for nearly two months now and doing all I can to push them to the limit. I’ve ridden in rain and shine; I’ve skidded them to see if the hub thread gave way; I’ve been bunny hopping up and down curbs and all that shit and they are still as good as new, rolling true and stiff.

So, would I recommend these wheels? I certainly would, I found no real problems with them so you really couldn’t go far wrong, whether they will stand up to years of abuse being ridden every day is unknown but I reckon they’ll do a great job until the time comes when you want to spend bigger bucks on something lighter or shallower.

Espresso Wheels are usually available in white, black, silver and aqua but are currently sold out across Europe, a good sign surely? The next shipment is due at the end of August, you can pre-order a set by e-mailing info@espressowheels.com

N.B. Espresso also sell affordable decent quality cranks, grips, saddles and brake components, be sure to check them out on the site too.

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As fixed gear riders we don’t need many tools, yeah it would be nice to have a full blown bike tool kit but in reality we only need a spanner; a couple of allen keys; a chain whip; a lockring tool; a pump and tyre levers and we’re good to go. The FGLDN LockWhip™ Tool kills three of these birds with one stone.

The tool was designed by Andy Ellis, founder of Fixedgearlondon, who comes from a product design background, this is not something that has just been funded by mummy and daddy after a chat in a pub, it’s a fine piece of design both in terms of function and form.

Chain whip tools generally have a long piece of chain and a separate short piece, not in this case. The end of the tool is curved so that you just need to wrap the single chain all the way around your cog and it fits perfectly against the end of the tool, ready for tightening.

There is an open ended 15mm wrench which I would describe as a ‘perfect’ fit, without a doubt the best fit I have ever had the pleasure to use actually, there is no way you’ll damage your wheel nuts with this tool. This can also double as a pedal wrench, it’s what I use and it works a treat.

On the other end of the LockWhip™ is the lockring tool, again this is so well designed, a lot of lockring tools just aren’t the right shape and forever pop out of the groove when you are trying to use them, I have never had that problem with this.

The tool is thick and boxy, it looks industrial and feels like a real man’s man piece of kit. it would also scare even the most hardened mugger if you pulled it out of your pocket when they were trying to get hold of your iPhone.

The LockWhip™ is not small, you couldn’t just sling it in a jersey pocket but then this is a tool designed for ‘urban riders’, the kind of people that probably carry a backpack. You get good torque due to the length which makes using every part of it a joy. Here you can see it alongside a normal spanner and the Pedros Trixie which performs many of the same tasks but simply isn’t as good due to the fact that the shapes and tolerances of the specific tools aren’t as well executed, in fact the lockring tool is plain wack.

The Fixedgearlondon LockWhip™ tool is made in the UK from hardened steel and costs £26 which is a lot cheaper than if you were to buy the 3 tools of a similar quality separately. I can’t recommend this tool enough, go and buy one now!

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I love Knog, they make the mundane exciting and that is especially true in the case of the USB Boomer Rechargeable; they are waterproof, flexible, bright and environmentally friendly, Knog really have turned the knob all the way up to 11.

The Boomers are the brightest, biggest and most expensive lights in the Knog range but don’t let that put you off, for a little bit of extra bulk and a few more quid you get a seriously bright light that will actually show you what’s coming up ahead as well as warn others that you are in the vicinity.

The USB version don’t need 2 AAA batteries so they are over 10g lighter than their aesthetically identical and same sized cell filled namesake. I found that the battery version gobbled through batteries like nobodies business, I had to buy high end branded ones all the time which was becoming quite expensive.

The Boomer Rechargeable feature four modes: Strobe Flash, Strobe Pulse, Random Strobe and Steady which has something for everyone. I always keep my front on constant and the back on any of the strobe modes, all of which are suitably blinky enough to attract the attention of even the dullest greasy handed white van man. The front blasts out a very impressive 55 lumens with the back giving out a nice 30 lumens. The front has a hot point in the centre like most other lights but the beam is actually much wider than the majority of it’s contemporaries, it even lets a bit of light out of the sides so that drivers can see you from all sides rather than just the front and back.

The run time on the Boomer Rechargeable is good, bad and irrelevant. On steady you will get up to 3.5 hours which is extended to 12 hours when using the strobe modes, these times are really just numbers though because how often do you ride for 3.5 hours in the dark? Most of us will be using these for commuting which for the vast majority is under an hour, so just charge them up every few days and you’ve got a set of lights that never run out of juice. Where charging is concerned you can either plug them into your computer or a USB wall socket adapter, I use the one that came with my iPhone. An added bonus for all the hippies in the house is that you won’t be sending batteries to landfill, so you can be extra smug when riding your bike.

A couple of batches of Knog lights in the past suffered from two problems, namely switching off when hitting a bump and/or dying in the rain, both of these problems have been fixed with the USB Boomer. I’ve been jumping all over the place with mine switched on and ridden in the rain for hours and can confirm that the problems don’t exist on this model. They are completely waterproof because of the way the silicone outer body fits around the main body at the lens, I have found a bit of moisture on the inner plastic body of the rear light but not enough to cause any problems.

It’s hard to find fault with these lights, a small niggle is that the front one won’t really stretch around your headtube if you don’t want it on your bars but there is always your fork if you like your bars clear.

The Boomer Rechargeable sell for around £28 each which is just a few quid more than the AAA version, it may seem expensive compared to some of the other lights in the Knog range but you’ll save a fortune on batteries over time and they’l l make you safer on the road. The best price I’ve found is on Amazon, they are a little bit more on Wiggle, for more info check out the Knog product page and if there is anything I’ve missed that you’d like to know post a comment and I’ll remedy it asap.

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I am really anal about my chain tension to the point of madness. If I can’t get my chain just right I throw my bike and sulk like a big baby but I’m not ashamed because I think it’s justified. Some frames have built in dropout adjusters but most don’t so you can either ‘walk’ your wheel back until it’s straight and your chain is taut, force a plastic bottle between your tyre and downtube or just buy some chain tensioners, the absolute dogs bollocks are the NJS stamped MKS ones.

I first saw these at the Cycle Show in 2009 and was instantly struck by their beauty, other chain tugs are huge and ugly but these are tiny little things that could certainly be featured in a design book. As with all NJS stamped parts the quality is second to none and made from the highest quality materials, these are no exception. They fit snugly against the back of your dropouts and are so small that you’ll forget they are even there.

As you can see from the photos they fit over your axle and slip into the dropout, with both on the inside of the frame (as they should be) you may need to pull your seat stays away from each other a bit to get the wheel in. You can use them on the outside of the dropouts if you really have to but the knurled part of your track nuts won’t be gripping your frame then which may cause some troubles.

They feature a double threaded system (see above) which means you can pull the wheel right back to the point where your chain is right and not have anything protruding from the main body. It’s kind of hard to explain but a very clever design, basically there is the part that goes around the axle and then the main body; they are pulled towards each other when you tighten them rather than just one part pulling the other. So with a bit of practice you can position the double threaded bolt at a point where it will stay inside the body, it just looks nicer.

These are without a doubt the best chain tensioners out there and definitely worth every penny for both their good looks and their excellent functionality. They are available from VeloSolo for £27.95 a pair.

NOTE: There are a few different versions of these, the ones in the photos above are the NJS 5mm ones for steel frames, you can also get 8mm ones for alloy frames. There are others that you need to use a spanner with rather than an allen key too.

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