{"id":44964,"date":"2022-12-25T11:00:48","date_gmt":"2022-12-25T10:00:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bikeradar.com\/?p=710543"},"modified":"2022-12-25T12:34:13","modified_gmt":"2022-12-25T11:34:13","slug":"robyn-furtados-gear-of-the-year-2022-kit-that-made-epic-bikepacking-adventures-better-than-ever","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/cyclingplus\/rss_feed\/robyn-furtados-gear-of-the-year-2022-kit-that-made-epic-bikepacking-adventures-better-than-ever\/","title":{"rendered":"Robyn Furtado\u2019s Gear of the Year 2022 | Kit that made epic bikepacking adventures better than ever"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"rssexcerpt\"><\/p><p class=\"rssauthor\">By Robyn Furtado\n                \t\t<\/p><p class=\"rssbyline\">Published: Sunday, 25 December 2022 at 12:00 am<\/p><hr class=\"no-tts wp-block-separator\"\/><?xml version=\"1.0\" encoding=\"UTF-8\" standalone=\"yes\"?>\n<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC \"-\/\/W3C\/\/DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional\/\/EN\" \"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/TR\/REC-html40\/loose.dtd\">\n<html><body> <p>Maintaining the same theme as my <a href=\"&quot;https:\/\/www.bikeradar.com\/features\/robyn-furtado-gear-of-the-year-2021\/&quot;\">2021 Gear of the Year<\/a>, 2022 has been all about <a href=\"&quot;https:\/\/www.bikeradar.com\/features\/routes-and-rides\/what-is-gravel-riding\/&quot;\">gravel riding<\/a> and <a href=\"&quot;https:\/\/www.bikeradar.com\/features\/routes-and-rides\/bikepacking\/&quot;\">bikepacking<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>In part, this has been down to my fantastic long-term review bike, a <a href=\"&quot;https:\/\/www.bikeradar.com\/reviews\/bikes\/gravel-bikes\/robyns-sonder-camino-ti-rival-1-long-term-review\/&quot;\">Sonder Camino<\/a> that has made touring all the more fun and comfortable.<\/p>\n<p>Similarly, the products I have chosen as my <a href=\"&quot;https:\/\/www.bikeradar.com\/tags\/gear-of-the-year\/&quot;\">Gear of the Year<\/a> selections this time round are things that have made the long off-road miles as easy, comfortable and manageable as possible.<\/p>\n<h2>Ortlieb Gravel Pack<\/h2>\n<ul class=\"&quot;monetizer-in-text-link-list&quot;\"><li data-type=\"&quot;in-text&quot;\" class=\"&quot;monetizer-in-text-link&quot;\" data-config=\"'{&quot;nameKeywords&quot;:\" gravel=\"\" pack=\"\" pannier=\"\" data-text=\"&quot;&lt;b&gt;Buy\" now=\"\" from=\"\" and=\"\"> <\/li>\n<\/ul><script><![CDATA[ (function () { var s = document.createElement('script'); s.type = 'text\/javascript'; s.async = true; s.src = \"\/\/bikeradar.com\/pricecomparison\/widget\/intext\/app.bundle.js\"; s.onload = function () { new inText({ domain: \"bikeradar.com\/pricecomparison\", shopId: 608, geolocation: true, }); }; var x = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; x.parentNode.insertBefore(s, x); \/\/trim whitespace from li to flag empty items (twig seems to strip out closing if you remove the space..... [].forEach.call(document.querySelectorAll('.monetizer-in-text-link'), function(textLink) { textLink.innerHTML = textLink.innerHTML.trim(); }); })();\n]]><\/script><div class=\"&quot;image-handler__container\" image-handler__container--aspect=\"\" style=\"&quot;padding-bottom:\" calc=\"\"> <picture><source media=\"&quot;(max-width:\" data-srcset=\"&quot;https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/21\/2022\/12\/Ortlieb-bags-2-70c7d4e-e1671555074963.jpeg?webp=true&amp;quality=90&amp;crop=12px%2C116px%2C4008px%2C2670px&amp;resize=299%2C199,\" https:=\"\" type=\"&quot;image\/webp&quot;\"><source media=\"&quot;(max-width:\" data-srcset=\"&quot;https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/21\/2022\/12\/Ortlieb-bags-2-70c7d4e-e1671555074963.jpeg?quality=90&amp;crop=12px%2C116px%2C4008px%2C2670px&amp;resize=299%2C199,\" https:=\"\" type=\"&quot;image\/jpeg&quot;\"><source media=\"&quot;(max-width:\" data-srcset=\"&quot;https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/21\/2022\/12\/Ortlieb-bags-2-70c7d4e-e1671555074963.jpeg?webp=true&amp;quality=90&amp;crop=12px%2C116px%2C4008px%2C2670px&amp;resize=354%2C236,\" https:=\"\" type=\"&quot;image\/webp&quot;\"><source media=\"&quot;(max-width:\" data-srcset=\"&quot;https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/21\/2022\/12\/Ortlieb-bags-2-70c7d4e-e1671555074963.jpeg?quality=90&amp;crop=12px%2C116px%2C4008px%2C2670px&amp;resize=354%2C236,\" https:=\"\" type=\"&quot;image\/jpeg&quot;\"><source media=\"&quot;(max-width:\" data-srcset=\"&quot;https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/21\/2022\/12\/Ortlieb-bags-2-70c7d4e-e1671555074963.jpeg?webp=true&amp;quality=90&amp;crop=12px%2C116px%2C4008px%2C2670px&amp;resize=404%2C269,\" https:=\"\" type=\"&quot;image\/webp&quot;\"><source media=\"&quot;(max-width:\" data-srcset=\"&quot;https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/21\/2022\/12\/Ortlieb-bags-2-70c7d4e-e1671555074963.jpeg?quality=90&amp;crop=12px%2C116px%2C4008px%2C2670px&amp;resize=404%2C269,\" https:=\"\" type=\"&quot;image\/jpeg&quot;\"><source media=\"&quot;(max-width:\" data-srcset=\"&quot;https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/21\/2022\/12\/Ortlieb-bags-2-70c7d4e-e1671555074963.jpeg?webp=true&amp;quality=90&amp;crop=12px%2C116px%2C4008px%2C2670px&amp;resize=554%2C369,\" https:=\"\" type=\"&quot;image\/webp&quot;\"><source media=\"&quot;(max-width:\" data-srcset=\"&quot;https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/21\/2022\/12\/Ortlieb-bags-2-70c7d4e-e1671555074963.jpeg?quality=90&amp;crop=12px%2C116px%2C4008px%2C2670px&amp;resize=554%2C369,\" https:=\"\" type=\"&quot;image\/jpeg&quot;\"><source media=\"&quot;(min-width:\" data-srcset=\"&quot;https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/21\/2022\/12\/Ortlieb-bags-2-70c7d4e-e1671555074963.jpeg?webp=true&amp;quality=90&amp;crop=12px%2C116px%2C4008px%2C2670px&amp;resize=620%2C413,\" https:=\"\" type=\"&quot;image\/webp&quot;\"><source media=\"&quot;(min-width:\" data-srcset=\"&quot;https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/21\/2022\/12\/Ortlieb-bags-2-70c7d4e-e1671555074963.jpeg?quality=90&amp;crop=12px%2C116px%2C4008px%2C2670px&amp;resize=620%2C413,\" https:=\"\" type=\"&quot;image\/jpeg&quot;\"><source media=\"&quot;(min-width:\" data-srcset=\"&quot;https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/21\/2022\/12\/Ortlieb-bags-2-70c7d4e-e1671555074963.jpeg?webp=true&amp;quality=90&amp;crop=12px%2C116px%2C4008px%2C2670px&amp;resize=407%2C271,\" https:=\"\" type=\"&quot;image\/webp&quot;\"><source media=\"&quot;(min-width:\" data-srcset=\"&quot;https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/21\/2022\/12\/Ortlieb-bags-2-70c7d4e-e1671555074963.jpeg?quality=90&amp;crop=12px%2C116px%2C4008px%2C2670px&amp;resize=407%2C271,\" https:=\"\" type=\"&quot;image\/jpeg&quot;\"><source media=\"&quot;(min-width:\" data-srcset=\"&quot;https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/21\/2022\/12\/Ortlieb-bags-2-70c7d4e-e1671555074963.jpeg?webp=true&amp;quality=90&amp;crop=12px%2C116px%2C4008px%2C2670px&amp;resize=555%2C370,\" https:=\"\" type=\"&quot;image\/webp&quot;\"><source media=\"&quot;(min-width:\" data-srcset=\"&quot;https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/21\/2022\/12\/Ortlieb-bags-2-70c7d4e-e1671555074963.jpeg?quality=90&amp;crop=12px%2C116px%2C4008px%2C2670px&amp;resize=555%2C370,\" https:=\"\" type=\"&quot;image\/jpeg&quot;\"><img data-crop-width=\"&quot;4008&quot;\" data-crop-height=\"&quot;2670&quot;\" class=\"&quot;wp-image-710545\" align=\"\" size-landscape_thumbnail=\"\" image-handler__image=\"\" image-handler__image--aspect=\"\" no-wrap=\"\" js-lazyload=\"\" data-src=\"&quot;https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/21\/2022\/12\/Ortlieb-bags-2-70c7d4e-e1671555074963.jpeg?quality=90&amp;crop=12px%2C116px%2C4008px%2C2670px&amp;resize=620%2C413&quot;\" width=\"&quot;620&quot;\" height=\"&quot;413&quot;\" alt=\"&quot;&quot;\" title=\"&quot;&quot;\"\/><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div><div class=\"&quot;caption-hold&quot;\"><figcaption class=\"&quot;wp-caption-text&quot;\"><span class=\"&quot;caption-copy&quot;\"><i class=\"&quot;icon-arrow\" icon-camera-circle=\"\"\/> Ortlieb\u2019s Gravel Packs did a lot of heavy lifting for Robyn this year.<\/span><\/figcaption><span class=\"&quot;im-image-caption&quot;\"> <i>Robyn Furtado \/ Our Media<\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<p>They may be small, but these cargo fork bags have made quite an impact on my bikepacking this year.<\/p>\n<p>The Ortlieb Gravel Packs are 12 litres in capacity, and fit to your forks using a plastic rack structure. If you have mounts on your fork, the rack can be bolted on, and there are metal collars provided for use on suspension forks too. The panniers lock on to the rack via two clips that are easy to slot on and off.<\/p>\n<p>I\u2019ve been very impressed by the whole system this year. After rattling the packs up and down gravel roads and singletrack, the locking system has been great. They\u2019ve stayed put with no trouble.<\/p>\n<p>Slotting the bags on to and off the racks is easy too \u2013 there\u2019s no fiddling with securing bolts or cables.<\/p>\n<p>The packs are very well made, using hardy and waterproof material. Despite being used in muddy, wet and boggy conditions, they\u2019ve performed flawlessly and everything inside has remained dry and safe.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s useful to carry weight low on the bike too \u2013 using the Gravel Packs helps to keep the centre of gravity low, which ensures the handling remains stable and confident, even on off-camber descents.<\/p>\n<p>A capacity of 12 litres isn\u2019t huge, but it\u2019s perfect for storing tools, food and coats \u2013 which are accessible to grab if needed.<\/p>\n<div class=\"&quot;monetizer__price-comparison-container&quot;\" data-position=\"&quot;adhoc&quot;\" hidden=\"\"> <h5 class=\"&quot;monetizer__price-comparison-title\" monetizer-title=\"\" style=\"&quot;background-color:\" color:=\"\">Latest deals<\/h5> <div id=\"&quot;monetizer__deals&quot;\" data-type=\"&quot;price-comparison&quot;\" data-config=\"'{&quot;shopId&quot;:&quot;608&quot;,&quot;market&quot;:&quot;gbp_en&quot;,&quot;template&quot;:&quot;flxmmtwnoj&quot;,&quot;searchKeywords&quot;:&quot;Ortlieb\" gravel=\"\" pack=\"\" pannier=\"\"\/> <div class=\"&quot;monetizer__price-comparison-explanatory-text\" body-copy-extra-small=\"\" editor-content=\"\"\/><\/div> <h2>Redshift ShockStop stem<\/h2>\n<ul class=\"&quot;monetizer-in-text-link-list&quot;\"><li data-type=\"&quot;in-text&quot;\" class=\"&quot;monetizer-in-text-link&quot;\" data-config=\"'{&quot;nameKeywords&quot;:\" shockstop=\"\" stem=\"\" not=\"\" shim=\"\" accessory=\"\" mount=\"\" data-text=\"&quot;&lt;b&gt;Buy\" now=\"\" from=\"\" and=\"\"> <\/li>\n<\/ul><script><![CDATA[ (function () { var s = document.createElement('script'); s.type = 'text\/javascript'; s.async = true; s.src = \"\/\/bikeradar.com\/pricecomparison\/widget\/intext\/app.bundle.js\"; s.onload = function () { new inText({ domain: \"bikeradar.com\/pricecomparison\", shopId: 608, geolocation: true, }); }; var x = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; x.parentNode.insertBefore(s, x); \/\/trim whitespace from li to flag empty items (twig seems to strip out closing if you remove the space..... [].forEach.call(document.querySelectorAll('.monetizer-in-text-link'), function(textLink) { textLink.innerHTML = textLink.innerHTML.trim(); }); })();\n]]><\/script><div class=\"&quot;image-handler__container\" image-handler__container--aspect=\"\" style=\"&quot;padding-bottom:\" calc=\"\"> <picture><source media=\"&quot;(max-width:\" data-srcset=\"&quot;https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/21\/2022\/12\/Redshift-ShockStop-stem-9fb7f52.jpg?webp=true&amp;quality=90&amp;resize=299%2C199,\" https:=\"\" type=\"&quot;image\/webp&quot;\"><source media=\"&quot;(max-width:\" data-srcset=\"&quot;https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/21\/2022\/12\/Redshift-ShockStop-stem-9fb7f52.jpg?quality=90&amp;resize=299%2C199,\" https:=\"\" type=\"&quot;image\/jpeg&quot;\"><source media=\"&quot;(max-width:\" data-srcset=\"&quot;https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/21\/2022\/12\/Redshift-ShockStop-stem-9fb7f52.jpg?webp=true&amp;quality=90&amp;resize=354%2C236,\" https:=\"\" type=\"&quot;image\/webp&quot;\"><source media=\"&quot;(max-width:\" data-srcset=\"&quot;https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/21\/2022\/12\/Redshift-ShockStop-stem-9fb7f52.jpg?quality=90&amp;resize=354%2C236,\" https:=\"\" type=\"&quot;image\/jpeg&quot;\"><source media=\"&quot;(max-width:\" data-srcset=\"&quot;https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/21\/2022\/12\/Redshift-ShockStop-stem-9fb7f52.jpg?webp=true&amp;quality=90&amp;resize=404%2C269,\" https:=\"\" type=\"&quot;image\/webp&quot;\"><source media=\"&quot;(max-width:\" data-srcset=\"&quot;https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/21\/2022\/12\/Redshift-ShockStop-stem-9fb7f52.jpg?quality=90&amp;resize=404%2C269,\" https:=\"\" type=\"&quot;image\/jpeg&quot;\"><source media=\"&quot;(max-width:\" data-srcset=\"&quot;https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/21\/2022\/12\/Redshift-ShockStop-stem-9fb7f52.jpg?webp=true&amp;quality=90&amp;resize=554%2C369,\" https:=\"\" type=\"&quot;image\/webp&quot;\"><source media=\"&quot;(max-width:\" data-srcset=\"&quot;https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/21\/2022\/12\/Redshift-ShockStop-stem-9fb7f52.jpg?quality=90&amp;resize=554%2C369,\" https:=\"\" type=\"&quot;image\/jpeg&quot;\"><source media=\"&quot;(min-width:\" data-srcset=\"&quot;https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/21\/2022\/12\/Redshift-ShockStop-stem-9fb7f52.jpg?webp=true&amp;quality=90&amp;resize=620%2C413,\" https:=\"\" type=\"&quot;image\/webp&quot;\"><source media=\"&quot;(min-width:\" data-srcset=\"&quot;https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/21\/2022\/12\/Redshift-ShockStop-stem-9fb7f52.jpg?quality=90&amp;resize=620%2C413,\" https:=\"\" type=\"&quot;image\/jpeg&quot;\"><source media=\"&quot;(min-width:\" data-srcset=\"&quot;https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/21\/2022\/12\/Redshift-ShockStop-stem-9fb7f52.jpg?webp=true&amp;quality=90&amp;resize=407%2C271,\" https:=\"\" type=\"&quot;image\/webp&quot;\"><source media=\"&quot;(min-width:\" data-srcset=\"&quot;https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/21\/2022\/12\/Redshift-ShockStop-stem-9fb7f52.jpg?quality=90&amp;resize=407%2C271,\" https:=\"\" type=\"&quot;image\/jpeg&quot;\"><source media=\"&quot;(min-width:\" data-srcset=\"&quot;https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/21\/2022\/12\/Redshift-ShockStop-stem-9fb7f52.jpg?webp=true&amp;quality=90&amp;resize=555%2C370,\" https:=\"\" type=\"&quot;image\/webp&quot;\"><source media=\"&quot;(min-width:\" data-srcset=\"&quot;https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/21\/2022\/12\/Redshift-ShockStop-stem-9fb7f52.jpg?quality=90&amp;resize=555%2C370,\" https:=\"\" type=\"&quot;image\/jpeg&quot;\"><img class=\"&quot;wp-image-710546\" align=\"\" size-landscape_thumbnail=\"\" image-handler__image=\"\" image-handler__image--aspect=\"\" no-wrap=\"\" js-lazyload=\"\" data-src=\"&quot;https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/21\/2022\/12\/Redshift-ShockStop-stem-9fb7f52.jpg?quality=90&amp;resize=620%2C413&quot;\" width=\"&quot;620&quot;\" height=\"&quot;413&quot;\" alt=\"&quot;&quot;\" title=\"&quot;&quot;\"\/><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div><div class=\"&quot;caption-hold&quot;\"><figcaption class=\"&quot;wp-caption-text&quot;\"><span class=\"&quot;caption-copy&quot;\"><i class=\"&quot;icon-arrow\" icon-camera-circle=\"\"\/> Redshift\u2019s ShockStop stem helped smooth out the roughest trails.<\/span><\/figcaption><span class=\"&quot;im-image-caption&quot;\"> <i>Robyn Furtado \/ Our Media<\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<p>I borrowed the <a href=\"&quot;https:\/\/www.bikeradar.com\/reviews\/components\/seatposts\/seatpost-and-seat-pin\/redshift-shockstop-seatpost-review\/&quot;\">Redshift ShockStop<\/a> stem from Tom Marvin after he used it on his long-distance ride across Europe. I admit I was quite cynical about it \u2013 it offered only 20mm of travel and I didn\u2019t think that would make any difference to the ride.<\/p>\n<p>However, once I got out on the trails, I found it actually worked really well. It\u2019s not the same as mountain bike suspension (you\u2019re still going to feel the bumps), but as a way to dampen trail chatter, it helps significantly.<\/p>\n<p>The stem offers 20mm of travel through a series of elastomers inside it. When you set up the stem, you choose between different elastomers based on your weight, which is explained in an easy-to-follow manual.<\/p>\n<p>The ride with the stem is definitely smoother than without. When riding on the hoods or in the drops, the movement is fluttery, and incessantly rough surfaces are dampened, reducing fatigue on long days.<\/p>\n<p>It also doesn\u2019t bob around if you\u2019re climbing or sprinting, so you don\u2019t feel you\u2019re expending energy unnecessarily.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s not a replacement for a suspension fork, but to help make rough trails smoother, it works a treat.<\/p>\n<div class=\"&quot;monetizer__price-comparison-container&quot;\" data-position=\"&quot;adhoc&quot;\" hidden=\"\"> <h5 class=\"&quot;monetizer__price-comparison-title\" monetizer-title=\"\" style=\"&quot;background-color:\" color:=\"\">Latest deals<\/h5> <div id=\"&quot;monetizer__deals&quot;\" data-type=\"&quot;price-comparison&quot;\" data-config=\"'{&quot;shopId&quot;:&quot;608&quot;,&quot;market&quot;:&quot;gbp_en&quot;,&quot;template&quot;:&quot;flxmmtwnoj&quot;,&quot;searchKeywords&quot;:&quot;Redshift\" shockstop=\"\" stem=\"\"\/> <div class=\"&quot;monetizer__price-comparison-explanatory-text\" body-copy-extra-small=\"\" editor-content=\"\"\/><\/div> <h2>Al\u00e9 Stones Cargo bib shorts\/ Blizzard bib tights<\/h2>\n<ul class=\"&quot;monetizer-in-text-link-list&quot;\"><li data-type=\"&quot;in-text&quot;\" class=\"&quot;monetizer-in-text-link&quot;\" data-config=\"'{&quot;nameKeywords&quot;:\" bib=\"\" stone=\"\" cargo=\"\" bibshorts=\"\" data-text=\"&quot;&lt;b&gt;Buy\" now=\"\" from=\"\" and=\"\"> <\/li>\n<\/ul><script><![CDATA[ (function () { var s = document.createElement('script'); s.type = 'text\/javascript'; s.async = true; s.src = \"\/\/bikeradar.com\/pricecomparison\/widget\/intext\/app.bundle.js\"; s.onload = function () { new inText({ domain: \"bikeradar.com\/pricecomparison\", shopId: 608, geolocation: true, }); }; var x = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; x.parentNode.insertBefore(s, x); \/\/trim whitespace from li to flag empty items (twig seems to strip out closing if you remove the space..... [].forEach.call(document.querySelectorAll('.monetizer-in-text-link'), function(textLink) { textLink.innerHTML = textLink.innerHTML.trim(); }); })();\n]]><\/script><ul class=\"&quot;monetizer-in-text-link-list&quot;\"><li data-type=\"&quot;in-text&quot;\" class=\"&quot;monetizer-in-text-link&quot;\" data-config=\"'{&quot;nameKeywords&quot;:\" blizzard=\"\" bibtights=\"\" data-text=\"&quot;&lt;b&gt;Buy\" now=\"\" from=\"\" and=\"\"> <\/li>\n<\/ul><script><![CDATA[ (function () { var s = document.createElement('script'); s.type = 'text\/javascript'; s.async = true; s.src = \"\/\/bikeradar.com\/pricecomparison\/widget\/intext\/app.bundle.js\"; s.onload = function () { new inText({ domain: \"bikeradar.com\/pricecomparison\", shopId: 608, geolocation: true, }); }; var x = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; x.parentNode.insertBefore(s, x); \/\/trim whitespace from li to flag empty items (twig seems to strip out closing if you remove the space..... [].forEach.call(document.querySelectorAll('.monetizer-in-text-link'), function(textLink) { textLink.innerHTML = textLink.innerHTML.trim(); }); })();\n]]><\/script><div class=\"&quot;image-handler__container\" image-handler__container--full=\"\" style=\"&quot;padding-bottom:\" calc=\"\"> <picture><source media=\"&quot;(max-width:\" data-srcset=\"&quot;https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/21\/2022\/12\/Ale-Bibshorts-586c8c4-e1671555159947.jpeg?webp=true&amp;quality=90&amp;crop=11px%2C320px%2C3627px%2C2416px&amp;resize=300%2C200,\" https:=\"\" type=\"&quot;image\/webp&quot;\"><source media=\"&quot;(max-width:\" data-srcset=\"&quot;https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/21\/2022\/12\/Ale-Bibshorts-586c8c4-e1671555159947.jpeg?quality=90&amp;crop=11px%2C320px%2C3627px%2C2416px&amp;resize=300%2C200,\" https:=\"\" type=\"&quot;image\/jpeg&quot;\"><source media=\"&quot;(max-width:\" data-srcset=\"&quot;https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/21\/2022\/12\/Ale-Bibshorts-586c8c4-e1671555159947.jpeg?webp=true&amp;quality=90&amp;crop=11px%2C320px%2C3627px%2C2416px&amp;resize=355%2C236,\" https:=\"\" type=\"&quot;image\/webp&quot;\"><source media=\"&quot;(max-width:\" data-srcset=\"&quot;https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/21\/2022\/12\/Ale-Bibshorts-586c8c4-e1671555159947.jpeg?quality=90&amp;crop=11px%2C320px%2C3627px%2C2416px&amp;resize=355%2C236,\" https:=\"\" type=\"&quot;image\/jpeg&quot;\"><source media=\"&quot;(max-width:\" data-srcset=\"&quot;https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/21\/2022\/12\/Ale-Bibshorts-586c8c4-e1671555159947.jpeg?webp=true&amp;quality=90&amp;crop=11px%2C320px%2C3627px%2C2416px&amp;resize=405%2C270,\" https:=\"\" type=\"&quot;image\/webp&quot;\"><source media=\"&quot;(max-width:\" data-srcset=\"&quot;https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/21\/2022\/12\/Ale-Bibshorts-586c8c4-e1671555159947.jpeg?quality=90&amp;crop=11px%2C320px%2C3627px%2C2416px&amp;resize=405%2C270,\" https:=\"\" type=\"&quot;image\/jpeg&quot;\"><source media=\"&quot;(max-width:\" data-srcset=\"&quot;https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/21\/2022\/12\/Ale-Bibshorts-586c8c4-e1671555159947.jpeg?webp=true&amp;quality=90&amp;crop=11px%2C320px%2C3627px%2C2416px&amp;resize=554%2C369,\" https:=\"\" type=\"&quot;image\/webp&quot;\"><source media=\"&quot;(max-width:\" data-srcset=\"&quot;https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/21\/2022\/12\/Ale-Bibshorts-586c8c4-e1671555159947.jpeg?quality=90&amp;crop=11px%2C320px%2C3627px%2C2416px&amp;resize=554%2C369,\" https:=\"\" type=\"&quot;image\/jpeg&quot;\"><source media=\"&quot;(min-width:\" data-srcset=\"&quot;https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/21\/2022\/12\/Ale-Bibshorts-586c8c4-e1671555159947.jpeg?webp=true&amp;quality=90&amp;crop=11px%2C320px%2C3627px%2C2416px&amp;resize=620%2C413,\" https:=\"\" type=\"&quot;image\/webp&quot;\"><source media=\"&quot;(min-width:\" data-srcset=\"&quot;https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/21\/2022\/12\/Ale-Bibshorts-586c8c4-e1671555159947.jpeg?quality=90&amp;crop=11px%2C320px%2C3627px%2C2416px&amp;resize=620%2C413,\" https:=\"\" type=\"&quot;image\/jpeg&quot;\"><source media=\"&quot;(min-width:\" data-srcset=\"&quot;https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/21\/2022\/12\/Ale-Bibshorts-586c8c4-e1671555159947.jpeg?webp=true&amp;quality=90&amp;crop=11px%2C320px%2C3627px%2C2416px&amp;resize=408%2C272,\" https:=\"\" type=\"&quot;image\/webp&quot;\"><source media=\"&quot;(min-width:\" data-srcset=\"&quot;https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/21\/2022\/12\/Ale-Bibshorts-586c8c4-e1671555159947.jpeg?quality=90&amp;crop=11px%2C320px%2C3627px%2C2416px&amp;resize=408%2C272,\" https:=\"\" type=\"&quot;image\/jpeg&quot;\"><source media=\"&quot;(min-width:\" data-srcset=\"&quot;https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/21\/2022\/12\/Ale-Bibshorts-586c8c4-e1671555159947.jpeg?webp=true&amp;quality=90&amp;crop=11px%2C320px%2C3627px%2C2416px&amp;resize=556%2C370,\" https:=\"\" type=\"&quot;image\/webp&quot;\"><source media=\"&quot;(min-width:\" data-srcset=\"&quot;https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/21\/2022\/12\/Ale-Bibshorts-586c8c4-e1671555159947.jpeg?quality=90&amp;crop=11px%2C320px%2C3627px%2C2416px&amp;resize=556%2C370,\" https:=\"\" type=\"&quot;image\/jpeg&quot;\"><img data-crop-width=\"&quot;3627&quot;\" data-crop-height=\"&quot;2416&quot;\" class=\"&quot;wp-image-710547\" align=\"\" size-landscape_thumbnail=\"\" image-handler__image=\"\" image-handler__image--full=\"\" no-wrap=\"\" js-lazyload=\"\" data-src=\"&quot;https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/21\/2022\/12\/Ale-Bibshorts-586c8c4-e1671555159947.jpeg?quality=90&amp;crop=11px%2C320px%2C3627px%2C2416px&amp;resize=620%2C413&quot;\" width=\"&quot;620&quot;\" height=\"&quot;413&quot;\" alt=\"&quot;&quot;\" title=\"&quot;&quot;\"\/><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div> <div class=\"&quot;caption-hold&quot;\"> <span class=\"&quot;im-image-caption&quot;\"> <i>Robyn Furtado \/ Our Media<\/i> <\/span>\n<\/div>\n<p>I have been lucky enough to use both the Al\u00e9 Stones Cargo bib shorts and the Al\u00e9 Blizzard bib tights this year.<\/p>\n<p>Al\u00e9 has long worked to make great women\u2019s cycling kit, and these pieces are super-comfortable and well made.<\/p>\n<p>I\u2019ll start with the bib shorts, which I wore on almost every ride throughout the summer. These <a href=\"&quot;https:\/\/www.bikeradar.com\/advice\/buyers-guides\/best-womens-cycling-shorts\/&quot;\">women\u2019s bib shorts<\/a> are very comfortable, with a seat pad that allows for a good amount of coverage without being overly padded.<\/p>\n<p>They come with mesh side pockets and mesh back pockets \u2013 fantastic for storing snacks or a phone. It also means you aren\u2019t wedded to wearing a <a href=\"&quot;https:\/\/www.bikeradar.com\/features\/6-of-the-best-womens-cycling-jerseys-for-summer\/&quot;\">cycling jersey<\/a> (with its useful back pockets) if you don\u2019t want to \u2013 and every gravelista knows it\u2019s much cooler to wear a patterned shirt on the trails!<\/p>\n<p>The Blizzard bib tights are as comfortable as the shorts. They use the same seat pad, and have a design with minimal cut-outs to minimise friction.<\/p>\n<p>The B-Power DWR fabric has stayed warm, even in minus temperatures, keeping out wind and light rain. I found the fit of the bib tights very comfortable \u2013 they use ergonomic panels to provide a good fit the whole way down the leg.<\/p>\n<p>When going out on a ride, I will reach for either of these before anything else, and I look forward to another year of great riding with them.<\/p>\n<div class=\"&quot;monetizer__price-comparison-container&quot;\" data-position=\"&quot;adhoc&quot;\" hidden=\"\"> <h5 class=\"&quot;monetizer__price-comparison-title\" monetizer-title=\"\" style=\"&quot;background-color:\" color:=\"\">Latest deals<\/h5> <div id=\"&quot;monetizer__deals&quot;\" data-type=\"&quot;price-comparison&quot;\" data-config=\"'{&quot;shopId&quot;:&quot;608&quot;,&quot;market&quot;:&quot;gbp_en&quot;,&quot;template&quot;:&quot;flxmmtwnoj&quot;,&quot;searchKeywords&quot;:&quot;Ale\" bib=\"\" stone=\"\" cargo=\"\" bibshorts=\"\"\/> <div class=\"&quot;monetizer__price-comparison-explanatory-text\" body-copy-extra-small=\"\" editor-content=\"\"\/><\/div> <div class=\"&quot;monetizer__price-comparison-container&quot;\" data-position=\"&quot;adhoc&quot;\" hidden=\"\"> <h5 class=\"&quot;monetizer__price-comparison-title\" monetizer-title=\"\" style=\"&quot;background-color:\" color:=\"\">100<\/h5> <div id=\"&quot;monetizer__deals&quot;\" data-type=\"&quot;price-comparison&quot;\" data-config=\"'{&quot;shopId&quot;:&quot;608&quot;,&quot;market&quot;:&quot;gbp_en&quot;,&quot;template&quot;:&quot;flxmmtwnoj&quot;,&quot;searchKeywords&quot;:&quot;Ale\" blizzard=\"\" bibtights=\"\"\/> <div class=\"&quot;monetizer__price-comparison-explanatory-text\" body-copy-extra-small=\"\" editor-content=\"\"\/><\/div> <\/body><\/html>\n<hr class=\"no-tts wp-block-separator\"\/>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By Robyn Furtado Published: Sunday, 25 December 2022 at 12:00 am Maintaining the same theme as my 2021 Gear of the Year, 2022 has been all about gravel riding and bikepacking. In part, this has been down to my fantastic long-term review bike, a Sonder Camino that has made touring all the more fun and [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":44965,"template":"","categories":[1,36],"acf":{"readingTimeMinutes":"4"},"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/43\/2022\/12\/robyn-furtados-gear-of-the-year-2022-kit-that-made-epic-bikepacking-adventures-better-than-ever-scaled.jpg",2560,1920,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/43\/2022\/12\/robyn-furtados-gear-of-the-year-2022-kit-that-made-epic-bikepacking-adventures-better-than-ever-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/43\/2022\/12\/robyn-furtados-gear-of-the-year-2022-kit-that-made-epic-bikepacking-adventures-better-than-ever-300x225.jpg",300,225,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/43\/2022\/12\/robyn-furtados-gear-of-the-year-2022-kit-that-made-epic-bikepacking-adventures-better-than-ever-768x576.jpg",768,576,true],"large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/43\/2022\/12\/robyn-furtados-gear-of-the-year-2022-kit-that-made-epic-bikepacking-adventures-better-than-ever-1024x768.jpg",800,600,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/43\/2022\/12\/robyn-furtados-gear-of-the-year-2022-kit-that-made-epic-bikepacking-adventures-better-than-ever-1536x1152.jpg",1536,1152,true],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/43\/2022\/12\/robyn-furtados-gear-of-the-year-2022-kit-that-made-epic-bikepacking-adventures-better-than-ever-2048x1536.jpg",2048,1536,true]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"importmanagerhub@sprylab.com","author_link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/cyclingplus\/author\/importmanagerhubsprylab-com\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"By Robyn Furtado Published: Sunday, 25 December 2022 at 12:00 am Maintaining the same theme as my 2021 Gear of the Year, 2022 has been all about gravel riding and bikepacking. In part, this has been down to my fantastic long-term review bike, a Sonder Camino that has made touring all the more fun and&hellip;","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/cyclingplus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed\/44964"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/cyclingplus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/cyclingplus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/rss_feed"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/cyclingplus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/cyclingplus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/44965"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/cyclingplus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=44964"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/cyclingplus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=44964"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}