Sydney commuter The Smut Pedaller (!) reviews the Carradice Duxback Waxed Cotton Cape. 

Key points:

• It’s quite a heavy material but it feels durable instead of flimsy like modern synthetic materials.  
• The cape works best on a more upright bike as it is less cumbersome. [O]n a drop bar bike and it is fine but it just feels a bit weird with the hunched over position.  
•  The Duxback cape has many little features that aren’t on cheaper capes, a large reflective stripe on the back as well as a waist strap to stop it flying up in a gust and wrist loops at the front so the cape stays attached to your arms. 
• Compared to the rain jacket the ventilation is a lot better, you can lift up the cape to get a bit of a breeze going, however since it’s waxed cotton and it sits flat on your back, I find that you do get a little bit of back sweat.  
• It is very fast to put on or take off.  You can put it on straight over whatever you’re wearing and it’ll keep you dry.  This is something that is unmatched by a rain jacket and rain pants.  

For the full review click here. The Carradice Duxback Waxed Cotton Rain Cape was also reviewed in the April/May 2012 edition of Ride On Magazine.

In the second of our LEKKER test rides, we asked stylish cyclist Kirsty to ride the LEKKER Dutch Courier Ladies bike and give her independent review. Here is what she thought!

- how does it fit?

Even though the bike seat was a touch too high for me to step onto without the assistance of the curb, which could easily fixed with the right set of tools – the seat could be lowered! – I found the bike quite comfortable. It was surprisingly easier to pedal like this, and gain more speed, as this extra height allowed me to extend my legs further for optimum pedaling power.  

 - riding position comfortable?

I’m used to sitting up straight and tall on my old rattler of a bike, but found the slight forward incline quite good. I felt like I had more control over the bike and it made me want to ride faster, and to pay more attention to the road – and not the scenery, which I often do when I’m sitting up straighter and going slower! The bike was quite comfortable for riding the amount of time I rode it, which was around an hour. The seat was harder than I’m used to but I’ve been told you get used to this very quickly. 

 - wheels? tyres?

Hmm not really sure what to say about the wheels/tyres but they were white, round and seemed to do the job pretty well! I liked the colour; very vintage-esque on a modern bike. 

- how smooth a bike feels, how quickly it responds to accelerations, and how smoothly and crisply it shifts.

The bike was a very smooth ride, being all new and shiny, and went pretty fast effortlessly on a straight road. It made hardly any noise except for the sounds you’d expect of the tyres on the gravel road. 

 - how well the bike absorbs shock and vibration from the road. 

Riding on the straight flat gravel road was like a dream, while riding on the cobblestones it was as you’d expect: bumpy… but not unbearable.

 - how quickly it responds when you jump out of the saddle and also when climbing hills

I always came to a complete stop before jumping out of the saddle, which worked out nicely when parked next to the curb side. Without having any gears I wouldn’t like to climb up a steep hill on this bike as I’m not very fit, and I like the gears to do all the work for me. But, as I mentioned before, this bike gets up some pretty nice speed so it wouldn’t be too hard to go into a hill if you’ve got good speed behind you.  

 - how stable the bike rides while descending at fast speeds

The back pedal brakes on this bike took me straight back to my childhood and I’m honestly now confused as to which I prefer; either the handlebar breaks or back pedal? I think I’m going to pretend my bike has a back pedal brake while braking with the handlebar’s ones… then I get the best of both worlds! The back pedal brakes seemed to work out pretty well, they stopped me when I needed them to stop me without too much effort, and while going really fast and stopping suddenly did get a little screechy, it stopped in time all the same.     

 - whether the bikes will corner effortlessly

I found turning the corner quite easy. Even tight turns weren’t too difficult with the structure of this bike. Usually, on my old rattler, the wheels get in the way on tight turns but on this one they didn’t.

Overall I really enjoyed riding this bike, and with the seat at a slightly lower height it would be a dream!

We asked one of our favourite stylish cyclists Marianne from Esme and the Laneway to take a LEKKER Double Dutch bike for a test ride and to give an independent review.

Here are her thoughts… enjoy!

- how does it fit?

This style of bike has a really secure feeling fit. The handle bars weren’t too far away so I could sit up very straight, which makes for a very serene, enjoyable riding style! I did find it quite a large frame, though, and wouldn’t want to be much shorter for this particular size (26″ inch wheels).

- riding position comfortable?

Very! Sitting up so straight feels fantastic. It actually feels like you are sitting in an armchair, and the seat is very padded and soft. I felt I had a good presence on the road, too, as cars would be able to see me easily. 

- wheels? tyres?

They look great! They fit the style of the bike really well. The bike is really good looking – so distinct and vintage-like! It got lots of oohs and aahs.

- how smooth a bike feels, how quickly it responds to accelerations, and how smoothly and crisply it shifts?

Incredibly smooth. It responds really quickly to faster pedaling, too – great for slight, short hills!

- how well the bike absorbs shock and vibration from the road? 

This bike was almost surreally smooth and comfortable, even on cobblestones. Possibly the most comfortable/smooth bike I have ever ridden; the shock absorption is amazing. And I thought my everyday bike was comfortable..! I felt like I was floating.

- how quickly it responds when you jump out of the saddle and also when climbing hills?

I had to put in a little more work going up hill but the bike responded very quickly. I do like to stop completely before jumping out of the saddle, but the bike felt very secure and stable, so I think if this was my daily bike I’d be leaping out pretty quickly and easily before long!

- how stable the bike rides while descending at fast speeds?

The riding position feels very safe, so hills weren’t scary at all as I felt really secure. I like that this bike has both front and back brakes as this is what I am used to, and they stopped me safely without being too abrupt, which is good!

- whether the bikes will corner effortlessly?

I did find turning corners a bit harder on this style initially, as I am used to a smaller frame and narrower handlebars. My hands and knees met the first few times when I turned! I did get used to it quite quickly though. Tight bends might take some more practice, but this feels like such a cruise-y bike that you wouldn’t want to snap around corners too quickly.

I think frame size is very important with this style of bike (even more so than with other styles) as the handle bars get very close too your knees when turning – so longer legs would need to be further away from the handle bars and need the next frame size up.

Overall, I loved riding this bike – it looks great and is a great ride, too!

Next week we’ll be posting the results of the test ride of the LEKKER Dutch Courier Ladies bike. 

Barb from Bike Style Spokane went in search of the perfect purse and landed upon Po Campo‘s bike bags. She loves her Free Bird Loop Pannier and Classic Rack Tote. Why?

• Quick attachment with straps that just buckle around the rack—nothing to dig into my side later and this would fit on any rack.
• Nice bright lining.
• Pockets inside and a separator in the pannier that will make it easy to develop consistent packing habits.
• Big outside pocket on the pannier has a magnetic closure—no more snags.
• Straps on the bottom of the tote used to fasten it to the top of the rack would also let me hang a yoga mat on there.
• Reflective elements on the sides that will show while I’m riding. Plus the light fabric will just show up more.
• Last but oh, so far from least, they look like purses. Nice finish, nice hardware, protected zippers, pretty fabric (with a water/fade resistant finish).