toddler on tour

I was looking for ways to charge my Android mobile phone and other devices whilst out on my bicycle, and began researching hub dynamos, bottle dynamos, and the selection of devices which could perform the relatively straightforward task of taking the AC current produced by dynamos and converting it to DC. You can purchase the [...]

The Chariot has been a particular desire of Matts for quite some time, mainly because- in spite of it’s merits- the Burley appears (in our opinion) to have a fundamental design flaw in terms of the wheels, as we have had the misfortune of many slashed inner tubes which appear to get caught between the tyre and wheel rim, no matter how carefully we put together the wheels. In addition, the Burley had no suspension, which originally didn’t bother us, but after some more adventurous rides on the quieter country track-style roads in the Welsh countryside, we discovered the Burley successfully magnified each and every pothole, bump or patch of stones to Theo’s great discomfort. A few other little quibbles were starting to show the more we used it… the fiddly tow bar, the velcro securing the rear ‘boot’, etc. etc. Although in all honesty… I feel the lure of the Chariot was the sheer ‘gadget-esque’ specifications and design which caught Matts eye- not to mention the impressive size.

We secured the Chariot from ebay at a bargain price of £300- almost 1/3 of RRP. The Chariot itself is in beautiful condition and the seller threw in an additional ‘baby’ kit which we can sell- always a bonus. However, I’ll say it once more- it is BIG.

The last weekend in Feb marks the start of our proper training. We aim to cover around 160-170 miles over 4 days, travelling from our home and through the Snowdonia national park and across to the Llyn Peninsula. The Llyn Peninsula is just a small arm of land reaching out from Wales into the Irish [...]

We had mistakenly disillusioned ourselves into believing that we already had nearly all the gear we would need for our trip and the remaining costs of outstanding equipment would be relatively minimal. Having sat down and logically worked through a list of what we believe we still need, we’re taking several large gulps and now [...]

Having been disappointingly negligent of my cycling ‘training’ these past 2 weeks, I vowed that I HAD to take Theo out for a ride this week, regardless of weather, other commitments, injury or my rather lazy state of mind. So come Wednesday, on my day off, I pulled together all my gear, assembled the trailer and set off for a short(ish) ride under a rather threatening-looking sky. What ensued was a battle of sheer determination against the elements.

This eternal question is one we have been confronted with time and again- and with particular concern since the arrival of Theo. Our mutual travelling dreams and ambitions are so deeply ingrained within us as a couple that they have never been a secret to anyone- and yet, once Theo arrived, the question of whether [...]