I was never entirely satisfied with the method I used to carry stuff my Swifty kick scooters. My setup uses a Rixen and Kaul Vario Rack with an Altura Arran 16 litre pannier attached onto it with some pipe clamps. The pannier has been hacked to pieces to get it to fit. It does the job but is not very neat and a bit of a bodge job. Not something I’m happy with. The whole thing attaches to the steering stem with a Klickfix Caddy Post Clamp. Something had to be done and with some cash still available from the sale of the Surly Krampug bicycle, I had the means to do just that.
My thoughts this time, rather than a single messy bodged bike pannier, I’d go for a smaller handlebar bag which means I can still utilise the Klickfix Caddy Post Clamps for easily mounting and removing the bag. Some research online came up with the goods, the Rixen and Kaul (also marketed as Klickfix) Aventour Pro Handlebar Bag.
The bag measures 270 mm wide x 190 mm long x 200 mm high which gives a capacity of around 6.5 litre, which is considerably less than the 17 litres of the pannier above but I usually carry far too much stuff anyway so that should, hopefully, not be an issue. The bag comes equipped with reflectors, a front pocket with separate rain cover, two mesh pockets, shoulder strap, three inner pockets and a document compartment. The lid can easily be open one handed.
Initial testing and loading seem promising, and there’s enough space for food, a water bottle, small odds and ends and enough space for spare or removed clothing or waterproofs. The mesh side pocket gives secure and easy access to the camera and will also hold a battery powerpack for the mobile phone. Keys, money and the like go in the zipped internal pockets. Further reviews later after some real-world turfing session.
Now, on to cycling and more specifically fat biking. Back on the 8th of this month I treated my Surly Ogre to a paint job and rebuild and with just enough cash left over from the sale of my rarely used Surly Krampug, I decided to treat my Surly Pugsley fat bike to the same. So, he was stripped down on Monday and off to Pentland Powder Coatings we went. Should be ready by tomorrow, Thursday.
I was initially thinking of a different colour to the Ogre but I kind of love the orange. The paint code is RAL 2003, if you want to know. The Pugsley is actually not in that bad a state considering what he gets used for, riding on sandy salt-laden beaches and in the snow in winter. All he needs is a new chain and bottom bracket. The other components just need a clean and brush-up before refitting. Should have him back on the road by the weekend. Takes about a morning’s work in the man cave to complete the rebuild.
Was out for a meal on Saturday evening, at my brother in law’s house. It was all rather posh as they had caterers in to cook and serve the meal. This actually came about from my niece Emma’s wedding back in the peak of the Covid-19 outbreak. I think it was a deposit they could not get back, so they used it for a family meal. All very nice but the portions were too small. Anyway, nephew Johnathan has bought a drone, a DJI Mini 3 Pro, and I now find myself thinking again about getting one myself.
However, still cannot make that final decision. Yes, I can visualise all the scenes I would want to create but the downside of requiring Operators ID, Flyers ID, puts me off. You should also have permissions from both private land and even council owned land before you can fly. Insurance is also highly recommended. Just seems that so much red tape has been created to stop people using drones. You cannot fly within 50m of people or above them. You cannot fly above 120m or withing 150m of buildings. The laws in Scotland are different and also tighter than those in England. Some drone sites also recommend informing both the Police and CAA before flying. I’m asking myself, is it worth the bother for the sake of a few additional video clips?
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