andy jennings

Yes, I got a solar charger for christmas. Great! But it took a small extra purchase to get it working. What did I want? A stand-alone charger that didn't need to be connected to the iphone. Yes, on a rest day I might put it on top of the tent and charge it up. But more likely I would use it as an emergency charger. I wanted to strap the charger to the top of a pannier bag without the phone. Don't want the phone on, and don't want the drama of rushing for the phone in the event of a sudden downpour. Asmann charger seemed ideal. Two AA rechargable batteries, USB. Two modes "IN" charging and "OUT" powering by the USB. You can charge the battery pack via the USB port also. Very convenient. So I charge it up. Connect with the Apple cable (iphone USB) : nothing happens. Try the same setup on Nokia with the Nokia cable. Works fine. Back to the store. Turns out that iPhone is picky about the connection. This is some weird thing the Apple engineers ar...

People ask me: you've been commuting by bicycle for 25 years or more, and you're not dead: how do you do it? Well, it's simple. I have three rules that I apply. 1. Be critical of your route. You go the same way every day. So you get used to it. It's a habit. But habits are not good if you want to be safe. My rule is simple. If I have an incident where I feel uncomfortable, or I think I'm going to not be safe then I change something. I might change the route. I might ride along the footpath (slowly, treating pedestrians with respect). If I feel unsafe then I do something about it. 2. Watch for the psychopath. Roughly 1% of the population are psychopaths, it seems. Of that percentage, how many drive cars? Sometimes it seems like all of them. I once had a car drive across three lanes in order to try and hit me. Of course I could see them coming and had plenty of time to dodge. You might meet young bicycle riders who do things like riding three abreast in traffi...

I once went on a ride with a touring bike club. There were about eight of us. For some reason I looked at the bikes, and realised that I was the only one on a factory bike. Everyone had a custom made bike, except me. Some even had their name on the paintwork. Lots of Ortlieb pannier bags, also. Nice gear, nice bikes. Serious tourers all of them. Not just getting the equipment for show. But I wondered whether my trusty Avanti factory bike was any less fit for the riding. A while ago I gave away my semi-fancy bags to my daughter. It's nice to give things away, especially to people who will use them. Got some nice Tioga $50 bags from the bike shop. Not super stylish, but they do the job. No, they are not waterproof, but they have a plastic cover. Yes, that Ortlieb ad with the guy walking the bike across the river is very compelling. But I've never done that, and I'm not sure I ever will. But there was a problem with the new bags. When I bounced down a hill, the bags worked...

I'm back from the Great Vic. 9 days of cycling from Yarrawonga to Marysville. I'd done it 8 years ago, now doing it again. Yes, it is great. It's epic. 3800 other cyclists. Not a crowd, it's an army of cyclists. All you can see around you, all the time, is other cyclists. Intense emotions. Tough challenges. 75km into a 100km day and we get a ferocious thunderstorm. I'm determined to keep going, but realise that I'm actually going to get physically blown off the bike. Have to stop and wait for it to pass. Riding with my daughter. 8 years ago I was a fast rider, Rita drafted me almost the whole way. Now she's fitter than me and I was drafting her. Up the hills I'd watch her rising faster than me. Yes, time does pass. But this time is truly magic. The rest day. Playing croquet with the Nagambie croquet club. Average age of member: 90 years old. They were so kind to us. The schoolkids. Gotta love em. Struggling up a hill and the group from Clifto...