The Fifth Liners

Shimano's MT34 2016 SPD shoes have been my go-to commuter shoe since my trusty MT41s were retired. After five years and countless miles, it was time for a new daily shoe.  As a commuter on a budget; I didn't really want to spend more than £50, and the shoes had to have a good tread as I want to be able to actually walk in them, even it's just around the shops. The MT34 seemed to be a perfect fit and four months in; they're still a great shoe. They arrived much cleaner than this.  It was not love at first ride though. It took half a dozen rides to break the shoes in, the upper sides around the top lace holes were stiff to the point of being painful, although they quickly softened. Now the shoes are as comfortable as my old MT41s and as good as any hard-soled non-SPD trainer/shoe. Build quality is good for a budget shoe, there's a little bit of flash left over from the moulding where the uppers meet the sole. Overall design is fine. Mine are a mix of ma...

Whether you're commuting or just out hitting the trails, everybody needs a hot drink every now and then. The Trail 42 Pack Flask can also be used for keeping cold stuff cold, but I live in Britain so there's little chance of a cold drink ever seeing the inside of this bottle. As someone who cycles to work all year round, it's nice to have a hot drink ready for when I get off the bike, especially with the weather that Greater Manchester likes to drop on its residents. After failed experiments with travel mugs; this was recommended on a bike forum as a good alternative. Size comparison with a regular size mug.  I ordered mine direct from Trail 42 , it arrived quickly and was well packaged, complete with a nice Trail 42 company logo sticker. Not sure where that's going yet. The flask itself isn't huge, it's capacity is 0.33L so it'll hold a cup of tea or coffee with no problems. It's small enough to not take up valuable rucksack space if you...