When I used to teach photography, I would often tell students that if something felt as though it was taking too long in Photoshop, then it was taking too long – somebody else would have faced the same issue and worked out a way to do it more efficiently, or better. A hassle-free life is, almost always, but a small change in mindset and a little bit of research away!
I have since tried to apply this approach to other areas of my life. With that in mind, my round-up of the best cycling products I used in 2023 revolves around practical purchases that have improved my quality of life.
‘Quality of life’ may sound like a stretch, but I’m not exaggerating. Fixing stuff and cycle touring (and being able to see, apparently) makes me truly happy. Even small investments have made these things more enjoyable, which has an outsize impact on my well-being.
Oakley prescription lenses
My name is Jack Luke and I am an idiot.
Despite the fact I wear spectacles all day, every day, 2023 was the first year I invested in a pair of prescription cycling glasses and… I haven’t looked back since (haw haw haw).
It should come as no surprise that being able to see clearly on the bike has been a revelation – it’s not as though I was blindly grumbling along bike paths like a star-nosed mole before, but now I can see all of the pretty leaves in HD!
I retrofitted a pair of direct glaze Oakley OEM lenses to my oh-so-fashionable Radar Path EV frames and have been mostly satisfied with the combo.
The optics are excellent – there’s no distortion to speak of and they’re every bit as clear as my regular spectacles.
However, the central ‘corrected’ (prescription) section is darker than the periphery, which is a bit annoying in direct sunlight.
There’s also no denying they look a bit dorky, but it’s a price I’m willing to pay for being able, well, to see.
Now, before you tell me I should just use contacts, I was long ago put off for life by grand fromage George Scott when he revealed a contact lens had blown out of his eye while ripping down a road descent. To that, I say ‘no thanks’.
Convoy S9 torch
- £18 / $20
As with my prescription cycling glasses, I will look back on 2023 as the year of illuminating tech discoveries – in this case, quite literally.
Like a dafty, I’ve used my phone torch or a bike light when working on my bike for years. Neither is truly suitable.
Holding a phone while working on a bike is a high-risk strategy if hammers are involved and bike lights are, generally, too bright for close-up futzing.
Fed up with compromise, I blew a whopping £18 on a highly rated Convoy torch from AliExpress.
AliExpress is a minefield of electronics of unknown provenance, but this is the favoured affordable flashlight brand of Candle Power Forums users (yes, there is a BikeRadar-like site dedicated to torches), so I took the plunge.
I opted for the Convoy S9. It features integrated charging, adjustable power and runs on commonly available 18650 cells (which, ever the tight ass, I snaffled from a dead USB battery bank).
It’s hardly the most exciting object in the world, but it performs so well for the cash. I think I’ve charged it once in a year of use, it’s easy to adjust power and it feels solid in the hand.
Without question, it’s the most useful addition to my toolbox in years, and I feel like a fool for not buying one sooner.
Uniqlo Ultra Light down jacket
- £70 / $79.90 new, around £20 / $30 used
You know what sucks? Being cold.
What sucks times two to the power of thumbs-down-bummer-vibes is being cold in a tent.
The happiest days of my life are spent beneath a flysheet, but it’s hard to be motivated to do anything when you’re freezing cold and stuck in a damp malodourous touring cave.
After years of carting around a knackered and bulky PrimaLoft jacket, I decided 2023 was the time to invest in a down jacket for touring and bikepacking.
Synthetic insulation (such as PrimaLoft) generally performs better than down in wet conditions, but cheaper options are bulky and quite heavy. My touring is pretty gentle these days, so switching to down is fine for my needs.
As ever unwilling to spend money, I eventually settled on this second-hand fetching yellow down insulated jacket from, of all places, Uniqlo.
Uniqlo is a huge multinational clothing retailer, but it’s hardly known for its high-end outdoor wear.
Despite this, its ultra-light down jackets have a small cult following in the backpacking world. They are warm, very packable, genuinely light but – most importantly for me – dirt cheap.
This jacket was purchased for £15 on Vinted in nearly-new condition. Similar deals can be found widely online or, if you’re feeling flush, they’re generally available for around £70 new. Even new, that’s considerably cheaper than anything from a ‘proper’ outdoors brand.
The dirtbag touring lifestyle is hardly kind on clothing, so this bargainous price makes it a perfect choice – I am far less likely to go in a grump as I dribble pasta sauce down my chest hunched over in the vestibule of a tent wearing this than I am in some fetching Patagucci number.
The jacket is by no means perfect – the shell feels very fragile and the down wets out like a dishcloth when wet. It certainly wouldn’t be my first choice for a genuinely hardcore multi-day bikepacking adventure.
But, for £15? I’ve barely a complaint.
Silvercrest (Lidl) micro screwdriver set
- £30(ish)
My love of repairing stuff is well-documented and was made easier than ever in 2023 with the purchase of this micro screwdriver set from Lidl.
Security screws, tiny Torx heads and criminally small crossheads are a common feature of modern electronics, and are all designed to make it as hard as possible to open up your stuff.
No bike light, rear derailleur clutch or other fiddly-to-access components are safe now I am to be found prowling with my 125-piece set. It is no exaggeration to say I am astonished by how often I have used this kit since buying it.
If you can’t pounce on an upcoming ‘Middle of Lidl’ sale, iFixit’s Mako Driver Kit is identical, albeit a bit more expensive.
Apidura Packable Musette
- £34
I viewed Apidura’s £34 packable musette with some suspicion when it was released in 2020 – was anyone asking for a performance musette?
Well, three years on, I’m eating my words.
Packing down to the size of a plump beef tomato, the bag lives inside a pannier when touring or my Carradice saddle bag for regular rides.
I have never regretted carrying it on a ride when the need to transport a sweet roadside find or portage extra snacks arises (both are surprisingly frequent occurrences if, like me, you’re a hungry hoarder).
The bag is only secured by the main flap, so it’s by no means waterproof, but the fabric it's made from is impervious to moisture, so the contents are kept dry enough.
Said light grey fabric looks a bit grim after a year alongside the grimy base of my back – black would have been a more practical choice.
Overall though, you can file this one as a surprisingly useful hit.
