A rather odd couple quit everything to travel the world on bikes....

The Kit We Are Using

While I'm preparing for the Grand Tour by generally decluttering my life of all excess trammel - books mostly, I am allowing myself to buy vital tour related goodies and essentials. Here you can find reviews of the equipment used so far.

At the moment I have started testing the Polar S725 heart rate monitor and cycle computer, this is used with the PCCoach training software and The Heart Rate Monitor Book for Cyclists by Sally Edwards.

My new bike has arrived, it is the Airnimal Chameleon Ultegra Ultra, it's a beautiful looking bike but it promises to be fast, fun and practical. Check out my review, and for the latest news and updates on my experience with the new bike you can follow us on the blogs Airnimal Archive.

More: Airnimal  |  Polar S725  |  Books

Safer Web Browsing with Opera

I've tended to be fairly blaze about all the virus scares and phishing scams that seem to be designed to try and stop me utilising the wonders of modern technology, like online banking and ebay. However some of the stuff I've read recently has started to rattle my cage.

The good thing about all this as there seems to be an easy way to avoid the pain and continue to benefit from the advances in technology. Instead of panic purchasing firewall and spyware software we could just stop using Microsoft's Internet Explorer software. Easy, just switch from the Web browser that is used by 95 percent of Internet surfers and try something like Opera.

The Opera Web browser stays true to its tag line "the fastest browser on earth", making you more productive on the Web. Get the hot features you need in one package: integrated search, built-in e-mail client, a presentation tool, and a superb pop-up killer. Opera supports the latest in security, such as 128-bit SSL and TLS, and lets you choose to block pop-ups, JavaScript, or cookies.

More: Home |  Browsers  |  Fat to Fit