It feels awfully like we are on a steep hill in angel gear, we can slow our descent but going uphill is gonna be bloody difficult. It will involve holding our nerve and keeping up the momentum. And... that's just me making it to work.
Things have slowed down a bit at Strapz HQ, that's not unusual for this time of year. Ordinarily, I'd be sneaking away for a break, a ride and to test a few potential new goodies. As if...
I've had enough of digging holes in the garden, going around in circles in my local area is growing warts and the footy season is coming to an end. Despite all this, I haven't yet reached the 'cleaning the shed' stage. Those of us on the Eastern edge of the wide brown land see travel plans as a recipe for disappointment. Booking a trip away is sure to come apart at the seams.
Putting on my positive thinking hat, I can see that not only will I get a leave pass when things open up, my bike will be packed and play lunch made. I'll be told to bugger off and leave her that must be adored, alone for a week or two.
Changing to my nurses' hat, this Delta thing is with us for good now I reckon. The vagaries of human behaviour mean that there are just too many variables to keep the lid on this plague. How we progress to riding about in this modified world is up to the mugs who will do what they deem necessary to get elected next time, who can tell.
Oh, dear maybe we'll end up with N95 filter helmets or be mandated to wear an extra visor via a politician's brain fart.
A few months ago I channeled Nostradamus and predicted a series of price rises across our lives. Blind Freddy was also helpful in forestalling the effect of supply and demand filtering down to the price we pay for stuff.
The cost of freight has skyrocketed, I have conniptions daily when I see the fees Aussie Post stings us with. A recent airfreight load of Strapz to our mate Nippy Norman in the UK was eye watering. Many of my suppliers have told me that air freighting gear from the EU is out of the question now. Long live made in Australia, I'm told the cost of a container load of gear has tripled.
The Aussie made steel we use for our pannier frames has gone up 50%... If you can get it. I'm receiving emails from suppliers weekly with the usual 'we can no longer absorb price increases and unfortunately...' .
Naturally that is affecting us at Strapz HQ too. Faeces occurs I guess, there's not much I can do about most of it.
The mighty Elefant in Tour de Frog country.
On the topic of angel gear, it dredged up a long forgotten memory of being in the French/Swiss Alps, on the Col de Something'R'Other in Tour de Frog country. It struck me that if the Lycra Loonies went wizzing down this road with no engine, why shouldn't I?
I remember a glorious 5 or so kilometres of what electric motorcyclist might experience these days. Just the wind and a little chain noise. The memory rose up strongly, I can almost hear it now. Magic!
Riverfront Camping Arguments
A story on the ABC News website came across my desk this month about the Victorian Grovelment legislating to open up more riverfront areas for campers.
On the face of it I love the idea of getting to more beaut, peaceful camping places by a relaxing, bubbling stream. The farmers don't own the land, as I understand it, they can only own up to a point away from high water mark (hey, I ain't no lawyer), they lease this land.
You and I would treat it with respect, leave only footprints and a cold fire place. However, I fear there is so little respect left that the areas would soon be stripped of timber, carpeted with toilet paper and torn up by 4x4 tyres.
You might remember last month that my mate Tomaselli and I got away camping and riding. We spent a night on the Macallister River east of Licola a few klicks inside the Alpine National Park. Most camps had dogs and one mob about a K away had a bell-end who fired up a powerful chainsaw every half hour until about 10.30... PM! I was desperate to turn it into a very uncomfortable suppository.
Around my home on the Mornington Peninsula I'm finding more and more evidence of 4x4 vandalism. Torn up roundabout centers, cut up roadsides and deeply rutted verges.
The damage gets worse the further up this road near my home
I know I'm sounding like a old fart moaner and I'm sure that's what I'd be characterized as by that part of our community. I do love getting away in our 4bee but there will never be enough resources allocated to make it work. And nowhere near the reverence of the bush and the custodian cockies.
A Dipstick SNAFU minority spoils it for the rest. Damned shame!
Lockdown Info
Victoria is still in lockdown and it looks like it will continue for a couple of more weeks at least. The crew are still making our gear, we are still answering phones, doing 'click and collect' as well as sending out mail orders.
Our regular first Saturday of the month open morning has had the kybosh put on it.
The term 'it is what it is' is getting a work out.
Next Gen Clobber
It's no secret I'm a fan of the Held Carese jacket and Torno Pants. I've now been involved in three generations of this smart – no – rat cunning gear. Cross my heart and hope to die (very old), I've ridden in it in temperatures ranging from -4 to 40. Many suits are designed for and in the Northern Hemisphere where hot weather (used to be anyway) was infrequent. I found that they tend not to work so flexibly as Carese in the sort of conditions we get here in Oz.
I'm about to be sent the new EVO version of Carese but the plague will not help me put some serious kays into it. What I want to find out is – Are these genuinely a next generation improvement or a polish up to keep them fresh in the market place? On the face of it the changes do look like true development changes. The Aussie importer assures me that my feedback to Held in Germany has been taken seriously over the last few years. Hey, I have clocked up 30 or 40,000klicks in my suit, made eyes at the ground numerous times and put in some very long days in it.The most outstanding feature of the whole system is the internal Liners being able to be employed on the outside as a dry shell.
On first glance at the blurbs it does indeed look to be evolution with a few tweaks on an already cracking jacket.
Carese EVO has larger ventilation panels, including new Goretex stretch as well as new Goretex 3 layer Liner that still operates as an external shell. A modified collar with a hood, more secure cuff closure and more that I want to get up close and personal with.
Armour has changed to what Held describe as 'revolutionary EN 1621-1:2012 CE-approved D3O® T5 EvoProX adaptive shoulder & elbow protection'.
The price has gone up, surprise, surprise to $1150.
In the last newsletter bragged about getting a ride, geez that seems like a long time ago. On that trip I evaluated a few new items.
Other than the undies (which was just a confirmation ride on that {Y} front) none passed my tight scrutiny. The helmet was a 'get what you pay for' refresher lesson, the heated jacket left me damp and the cold crept back stronger when I stopped. Great heating system, awful fabric.
Waste Not Want Not
In a recent newsletter I alerted you to a dodgy batch of yarn used in our socks. Despite diligent care the bloody things felted. It was only a few pair and I hope all have been replaced by now.
Just as I was about to chuck out the shrunken left overs I had an idea (or Brain Fart, it's sometimes hard to tell).
What a neat drink cooler!
BTW, sizes 6-10 will be back in stock in a few days time.
Vale Bundy (Oh, and Charlie too)
It's been a month of losses of the great and good I guess. We've lost The Doctor to Moto GP, the best ever, Charlie Watts's death represents a loss of the world's best drummer and the beginning of the end of the most successful rock band the world has seen.
News has just crossed my desk that the world's greatest biker pooch Bundy has passed onto the great dog park in the sky too. Too old to travel with Tex over the last few years, Bundy had clocked up hundred's of thousands of kilometer's bringing joy to sick kids and passers by alike.
I know how much Tex loved Bundy, we all did. Hang in there mate.
Mystery Object
Last month's object seems to have stumped everyone, it remains a mystery. Someone call Skully and Mulder!
This looks to be some sort of trocar and appears to be bronze, it unscrews at the knurled collar, is hollow all the way along and a 5/16 (8mm) socket fits the end.
What do you think?
Kato 'n' Quadlock
Another WTF grumble I had was dipping my toe into some Chinese merch. If you remember I bought a few 'GPS' brackets but the patchy, crappy paint had been coloured in with Texta.
I stripped them and sent them off for powder-coating. They promptly lost them, finally turning up at the local Ducati dealer. Sheesh!
The reason I grabbed them in the first place is that when combined with a Quadlock Mirror Mount they are a cracking place to fit the 'telling bone'. I use phone maps (usually Hema) instead of GPS much of the time as I like the idea of choice rather than directions. The position is excellent, in direct field of view.
Those of youse with a 790 or 890 KTM might like to grab one of the four I have left.
Jump in quick and send an email, they are not on the website. $47 each, Quadlock Mirror Mounts are $45 each.
Secret Men's Business
One of the strangest bags we've ever made was a pre-production demo for a testicular prostheses company. A display bag not dissimilar to a felt lined jewellery (appropriate don't you think) box for the patient to choose the new silicone almond of their liking.
Landing gear control on the bike seat runway is a continual issue for active riders and over the past few years I've been trialing undies, searching out nut bags that:-
Are comfortable,
Have few days stink resistance,
Wick moisture,
Don't chafe,
Keep the nuts from getting squished as I put my feet on the pegs (oooow, that can be an eye watering distraction),
Not roll at the waist band,
And... have a functional fly.
Merino, the right material in the wrong place.
Merino dacks de-laminate leaving only the Elastane (Lycra) substrate behind, bamboo do OK, but I haven't found the technical designs I was looking for, close but no errr... cigar again. As you can see above, the Merino isn't going to restrain too much down there is it?
Step up SAXX. By pure coincidence these skiddie canvases lobbed on my desk. SAXX reckon they are the biggest Reg Grundy manufacturers in the Whole Wide.
In addition to satisfying my demands for the above, these – how do the Poms say it – 'pants' have flat seams, with the main part of the stitching on the outside. Featuring what they call nine panel, 3D ergonomic construction they do seem to go the same direction as I do. No crack creeping, side-winding, nut twisting in my testing.
I save them for riding, yes, they aren't cheap at $40 (no sneaky $39.99 around here) but that's the point.
Initial stocks are limited so grab some now - click here
By the way...
What is it about male anatomy that causes that last nasty dribble to be impossible to manage when sitting at the throne in motorcycle gear?
The Big Kato
We got our grubby hands on a new generation KTM1290 last week and worked on a frame set for it.
On the face of it it looked to be a pretty straight forward job... Wrong again!
The big pipe proved to be quite a challenge, neither here nor there, we struggled to find the solution for a few hours. We wanted to offer a frame set that would allow Avduro Pannierz to be used and a pillion taken.
We should have stock on the shelf in a week or so.
