East African Destinations - Mombasa bike life

Out and about in Mombasa this morning. It's the second day back to work after the recent Kenyan elections. The schools have gone back and people are going to work and about their normal lives. I always take a couple of shots as we drive along, there's always something interesting to look at!

RIDE magazine

Good, light holiday reading. Fits in your rucksack or pannier for those travel moments where you have to wait.....

Local matatus

To ward off other drivers and reassure potential passengers the local matatus (passenger carrying pickups and minibuses) put up slogans. The vehicle crew, usually a burned out driver and a couple of lads to help with fares and bundling passengers into a confined space, take great pride in their wagon!

If you've got any classics then feel free to share them here!

Ted Simon, Jupiter's Travels

Ted Simon speaking in 2012;

"A long time ago I heard Truman Capote describe his idea of a short story as, "a scrap of lightning that briefly illuminates the landscape." The image is so vivid that it has stuck with me over many decades, and I can't think of a better model for Journey Insights. Ideally they should be short and unpretentious. They should deal with a single event such as an incident, a meeting, a confrontation, a revelation, but within the telling there should be something that illuminates the landscape, and that landscape could be the local environment or culture, the journey of which it is part, or it could be the human condition. Some Insights may stray a long way from this prescription, but whatever it is it must be simple, honest and genuine, and to write something honest and genuine is already a triumph." 

Ted is the original Jupiter's traveller. On his trusty Triumph he showed us all how to travel simply, and as a co tributing and whole part of the local cultures he visited. He remains a strong inspiration for me and us all.

His blog is linked on the right - have a look!

Heartbreak Advert - funny description

Someone's going to get a bargain bike in this sale if you believe the reason why it's being advertised!

Seems legit!

Boda Boda riders negotiate in Mombasa

East African destination ideas

This is Mombasa harbour in the morning sun. It's low tide and the locals come down to the beaches and swim, run and exercise. In the day they get a 'boda boda' taxi into to town for work or to see their mates. These are Chinese copies of CG125s; the local bike industry is increasingly dominated by Asian imports. They seem fine so far.

As destinations go Mombasa is a good one to finish at or, equally, a good waypoint. There's an international port to ship your bike if required (enquire with Seaforth Shipping locally) and an international airport.

If you ride in or out then the road north will head through Nairobi's urban jungle to the dry plains of Northern Kenya and then up through Ethiopia. Challenging riding with off road tracks, difficult navigation and limited fuel stops.

If you ride south then it's black top highway into Tanzania and on. Perfect African riding.

Cold start; keeping it going through the winter

At five o'clock it's tough to get out of bed, find your clothes and get it to the kitchen to make a coffee. This morning by twenty past five I had the bike running and on the road. Took me five minutes.

The trouble is it's taken two winters of practice to get here. Variously I've tried two different bike covers, two pairs of gloves, three pairs of bike trousers, the same Knox back protector, a chest protector, three helmets, four pairs of waterproof boots and an old hoody.

Do you remember that pseudo bike zen phrase; 'whatever bike you have is the best bike for you'? Well, it is kind of true. The best kit is the most comfortable, warm, waterproof that you currently own. If it's an old friend, worn in and still works then that's the best.

Hein Gericke Sheltex Trousers

Overall these have done the job asked of them. They have stayed waterproof in all but the heaviest of rain, coped with sub zero temperatures and been comfy enough to wear for 10,000 miles of all weather commuting.

"You know Gore tex, right," said the flash London kid shop assistant, "well, these are Sheltex, it's the same". Good sales technique - in my customers head I was already thinking Gore Tex but looking at a cheaper substitute. And you know what? Gore tex trousers for bikers aren't a big deal. You don't really need the kind of porous membrane and breathability that Gore Tex offers adventure athlete and high end mountain climbers.

What bikers actually need is waterproof kit.

Really, really waterproof kit.

Lift drills

Touratech Screen Spoiler

This is a decent, solid in the 25% over-engineered German sense, biker's bit of kit.

The shape doesn't give you a massive increase in screen height but can make a critical difference. Especially if you are in the grey zone of rider comfort where the correlation between your upper body height, bike design and bike screen position can expose your head and shoulders to wind buffeting at speeds above 70mph. I always seem to forget how much of the ambient noise once in the bike is nothing to do with the engine sound but wind roar. This screen clips on the top of your existing shield - at whatever the existing angle is bear in mind - and can be easily carried or packed in your everyday bike kit.

This spoiler is lockable, so gives you a bit of peace of mind that it won't be nicked; although the chances of this sort of opportunistic crime are, frankly, slim.

JB Verdict; do your homework obviously but if your bike screen is more vertical than most and you want to cut the wind noise it's a good option.

Kriega R35

This rucksack lived up to the strong recommendations it was getting. Ride Magazine, MCN and Bike Magazine all gave it gleaming reviews.

JB agrees.

It's in the little touches that the R35 really excels. The grippy pads on the inside of the chest and waist straps to stop it shifting at speed make a surprising difference to comfort and wearability on the road. The two zipped pockets at the front are, frankly, a genius idea. These pockets alone have saved me a cumulative time totalling hours whilst filling up. No need to take the pack off or scrabble inside an outer jacket; cards and cash are right there. I got so slick that all I had to take off was my right glove in order to hold the pump and punch in the pin. The side pockets (vertical zips on the back) are solid and waterproof and the space inside is just right. On the downside, for there must be balance in a really good review, under heavy load the shoulders still take a strain and the mesh pocket at the top is too small for most everyday kit (wallets, phones etc) combined.

Journeymanbiker's verdict: Sorted.