Over the last few months I’ve slowly been gathering the gear I need. This weekend was supposed to be my first proper shakedown trip. The plan was to ride the 30-odd miles to Tewkesbury, camp overnight at a campsite behind a pub ( elite level of planning), and then ride home the next day.
However, in true Haphazard Athlete fashion, I decided at the very last minute that I should probably ring the campsite to check they actually had space.
Turns out there was a festival on.
Which is awesome.
Unfortunately it also meant there was no general camping available.
So there I was with the bike fully loaded, bags packed, tent strapped on, looking every bit the intrepid adventurer… with absolutely nowhere to stay.
Rather than waste the opportunity, I took the loaded bike out for a test ride instead. Nothing epic, just a few local miles to see how everything felt. According to my satnav thingy, I managed 16 km, (via the pub ), which was enough to reassure me that both the bike and rider are capable of moving under their own steam when heavily laden. You can see the TikTok here ( of course, you can)
Talking of satnav thingies…
A few weeks ago I applied to join the Beeline Ambassador Programme, mainly in the hope that I might get a discount on their Velo 2 navigation device.
To my complete shock, they said yes and actually sent me a unit to test.
Today was its first proper outing, and I have to say I’m genuinely impressed.
The Velo 2 does what I want a bike navigation device to do. It’s simple, uncluttered and easy to read while riding. You can switch between navigation, speed, odometer and a few other useful metrics without being bombarded by endless screens and menus.
The real test will come when I’m somewhere completely unfamiliar and relying on it to get me home. But after today’s ride I’m 100% confident that when the big bikepacking adventure finally happens, the Velo 2 will get me where I’m going.
For full transparency, Beeline did provide the unit free of charge. That said, I’d be saying exactly the same thing if I’d paid for it myself. It’s one of those products that just works.
At the moment, I’m not part of Beeline’s affiliate programme, so I won’t earn anything if you buy one through the links below. But don’t let that stop you from supporting a small British company that has pretty much built itself up from scratch. Click HERE to buy
I absolutely love my Velo 2, and I suspect it’s going to become a permanent fixture on my handlebars( or more correctly on top of my stem as I also got the cool stem fitting).
Stay Haphazard.
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