DWD Booties & Overshoes
by Trevor Creighton
Cold Feet
Winter cycling can be hard on the toes and a pair of overshoes will help keep your feet warm and drier. The DWD neoprene shoe covers pull on over your cycling shoes to help keep the warmth in and the rain out. They are designed with cut aways for cleats and heels and a snug fit around the ankle. Two reflective strips down the back are a plus for night-time safety. They are designed for road-style shoes and if you wear mountain bike-style shoes you'll need to buy a larger size to fit the shoe in. In mountain bike-style shoes the XXL large is a good fit for size 42/43 shoes and the XL for a size 39.
If you often ride in cold and wet conditions the fleecy lined DWD booties provide protection against wind chill and rain. These booties have a Porelle membrane which makes them windproof, waterproof and breathable. These are a zip up design but only suitable for road-style shoes due to their shape. Guides on the soles show you where to cut to allow for cleats.
L-Max Cable Cutter
by Trevor Creighton
Like a hot knife ...
Fed up with daggy, shaggy, frayed and tired looking split ends? The L-Max cable cutter from DWD is the answer. It worked for me, and I'm as bald as a badger. Anyone even remotely interested in shed-based tinkering should have one of these gadgets. Instead of crushing and splaying the ends of gear and brake cables, as pliers typically do, good cable cutters like these cut cleanly through the cable - and slightly crimp the end. This reduces the likelihood of a frayed cable and makes the cable easier to pass through the outer housing. The L-Max cable cutters are also excellent for slicing through housings. A good cable housing is hell to cut with pliers and you will almost certainly damage the ends of the housing, creating a crushed section which can hamper the smooth passage of the cable. The L-Max carves cable housings like a hot curling wand through butter. Go buy one before I extend this metaphor any further.
Blitz Scooter
Two wheels are cool, and mini scooters are the coolest two wheels around. Dean Woods Direct are stocking the Blitz scooter that they claim is 45 per cent stronger than cheapo open-bottom platform scooters. They even provide a 30 day satisfaction guarantee and the manufacturer's three month warranty.
The Blitz scooter's sturdy design is built for children and adults. It's made with a 7005 aluminum alloy frame and handle bars and a chromoly front fork. The rear brake is a sprung rear mudguard and the wheels come in a variety of colours: orange, blue, clear, red or pink.
The scooter folds simply into an easy to carry unit that makes it simple to take on buses and trains and into shops or offices. It weighs 2.8kg.
It's easy to ride and fun to scoot around on smooth surfaces. No substitute for a bicycle but an amusing alternative way to get around. Price $149 plus $7 delivery.
6-8 Handley Street (PO Box 654) Wangaratta Victoria 3677 Australia.
