BARGAIN HUNT - 33

Where does the time go?! Yes, it's Timeout Tuesday again and this week Cycle Surgery are offering a whole 50% off their favourite RSP front and rear light set.


This week we just need to use TT113 as the checkout code.


Now these are some serious deals as the RSPs are akin to Cateye's commuter range, so grab a bargain today whilst this deal is on.


I like the look of the Radian light set - perfect for the urban commute. Not great to see with, but very good indeed to be seen by...


Even if you run other lights a second set is always useful to have as a backup.

BARGAIN HUNT - 31

Just a quick bargain hunter update.


Wiggle are gearing up nicely for Christmas with some impressive offers. £100 off baskets of £1000 or more - good if you are in the market for a new bike obviously. 


£50 off baskets of £500 or more, £25 off baskets of £250, an odd £16 off baskets of £100 and £6 off baskets of £50.


The offer codes are UK100, UK50, UK25, UK16 and UK-6 - just add them to the magic box at checkout.


These offers expire on Monday so get shopping.


Incidentally, Wiggle are also offering up to 25% off all dhb merino base-layers. As someone who owns both short-sleeved and long-sleeved flavours of these I can highly recommend them. Supremely comfortable, high-wicking and terrific value all round.

BARGAIN HUNT - 21

Are you sitting comfortably? Then we'll begin.


If not, you might be interested to know that Rutland Cycles are offering 20% off selected saddles.


And there are some peachy saddles on offer too. I ride with a Selle Italia on my winter hack and Rutland are offering 20% off the excellent Flite Gel Flow taking it down to £87.99.


At the budget end the SL XC is down from £55 to £39.99 and at the top end of the market, Rutland are listing the SLR Kit Carbonio saddle for £131.99, a drop from £165.


There are also some healthy discounts on Ritchey saddles too, with the well reviewed Pro Streem saddle down to £40.99 from £52.00 and the desirable WCS Streem reduced from £85 to £67.99.  Very tempting.


Finally, if you want to add a bit of traditional English class to your steed, you could do worse than cap a Brooks saddle on the top of it. Rutland have a flat 20% off their whole Brooks saddle range. The Brooks Standard is now only £59.99 and the top end Swallow Titanium £190, down from £240.


Not cheap by any means, but you will be buying a little piece of leather cycling history and a saddle to last.


Go on take the plunge, your bum will thank you!

BARGAIN HUNT - 17

Evans Cycles are offering a mighty 50% off some of their end of season kit. They have split the offers into clothing and accessories  and there are some good deals to be had.


There is an odd collection of stuff in there - real bargain bin stuff - but take a look. There might be something you want...


My favourite? The Charge Oven gloves for under a tenner. That's an impressive 70% off RRP...

BARGAIN HUNT - 15

Another Timeout Tuesday from Cycle Surgery, and this one ties in rather nicely with my post about new tyres yesterday.


Even with spanking new tyres we are all likely to p*ncture at some point, especially in the winter. Having a decent pump packed makes getting back on the road that little bit easier - just swap out the tube, pump and go.


So, it's apposite that Cycle Surgery should be offering 40% off selected pumps. This is for today only, so you'd better hot-click it over to their website pronto if you want to take advantage of this one.


Pick the pump you want and simply enter TT106 at the checkout.

BARGAIN HUNT - 14

Time for new tyres? Winter is approaching, no really it is. I know the temperatures have been reaching record highs this week, but mark my words - the crappy weather will be with us before the month is out.


So, it might be time to invest in some new tyres. Getting a puncture is rough at the best of times, but getting one on a cold, wet, dark winter ride is really nasty...


ProBikeKit are offering up to 30% off Continental tyres right now and I think the pick of the bunch is the Conti GP4000 available in all colours for a touch under £30. Not cheap, but worth it if you're after an all-rounder for winter.


PBK are also offering big discounts on LOOK pedals, pretty much 25% across the LOOK board, plus up to 25% off saddle packs, another useful winter accessory.


Gotta keep those discounted Conti tubes somewhere...

BARGAIN HUNT - FOUR

An email from Cycle Surgery dropped into my inbox today with details of today's Timeout Tuesday offers.


These deals are only available for today and for me the stand-out deals are the Altura Night Vision Evo vest, half-price at £17.49 and the Santini H2o Epic Men's Jacket down from £160 to £80. 




There is also a nice little deal to be had on the Lezyne SV5 multi-tool available today for £10.79. I have one of these and it is a thing of beauty!

BAA-GAIN HUNT - THREE

Today is the final day to grab a Planet X or On-One merino base-layer at half-price. £14.99 is exceptionally good value for a 100% merino wool base-layer.


I have tried merino base-layers from both Rapha and DHB, both of which are very, very good. The DHB wins out because it is so much cheaper, but this one from Planet X promises to scoop the two.


It boasts the following features:

• 100% Merino wool, super-fine knit to ensure itch-free very soft-feel next to the skin.
• Excellent wicking properties
• Highly breathable
• Low odour
• Machine washable
• Designed for cycling
• Flat-locked seams ensure a great fit
• Care-labels are stitched to the bottom hem to avoid scratching at the neck.
• Perfect for all-season cycling
• Smart enough to wear off the bike

I look forward to getting mine in time for the weekend when I can try it out on the Sunday run...

THE TOB AND BARGAIN HUNT - TWO

I took a trip out to the Queen's 'favourite residence' yesterday to watch the finish of stage 7 of the Tour of Britain. Sandringham provided the perfect back-drop to the end of an amazing day's racing. We were all expecting the bunch gallop with Cav pocketing another win, but the break-away managed to stay away all day, holding an impressive advantage all the way to the finishing line. It was a shame Ian Wilkinson jumped a little early, missing out on the stage win. 


After the stage my eldest son Joe and I managed to see Geraint Thomas, who was tirelessly signing autographs and chatting outside the SKY bus. We also had a chat with the nearly man of the day Wilkinson, and with Dean Downing, who although not riding was there promoting Rapha-Condor-Sharp. We had a good chat about Rapha kit...


All in all it was a great day and I am sure the TOB will be back to Norfolk again in the near future. And as we were leaving I am almost certain I saw Liz herself heading off on her bike for a quick reccie of the finish...


Still, on to more prescient matters. Much like the stage finish yesterday, that Planet X BOGOF offer ended quite abruptly in the end. There's just a 'you're too late' message on their website now. I am sure it will be back...


There are, however, plenty of new deals coming through thick and fast. Worth a mention are BikesYouLike (the web arm of the rather excellent Thatto Cycles in St. Helens and my dad's LBS). They have some great deals on jackets from Altura, Polaris and Funkier - up to 75% off in fact. The best of the bunch is probably the Altura Night Vision at half-price, a great commuter jacket. They are also offering some good deals on Cateye light sets - up to 50% off.


If you missed out on the Planet X BOGOF deal, you might be interested in their wheel deals. They are shifting out Shimano Dura-Ace carbon clinchers at a healthy discount. A pair of Dura-Ace 7850 50mm rims are being let go for a penny under £800, from £1250, and the budget Dura-Ace 7850 CLs for £500 from an already reasonable £700.


Shame I am a Campag boy!

AUTUMN DEALS

It's that time of year where there are some excellent savings to be made on cycling kit. It seems that every day I come across a bargain buy that is too hard to resist - not that I ever need much encouragement! All the big names are fighting it out amongst themselves to catch our attention with big discounts - Evans, Wiggle, CRC, Cycle Surgery, Primera...


The list goes on. Even the boutique names, and I am thinking mainly of Rapha and Shutt VR here, seem to get caught up in the excitement and there are some real bargains to be had.


The smaller online outlets also have amazing savings on kit right now - the Merlins, BikesYouLike and Shinybikes - and it is here that perhaps the best buys are to be made.


So, watch this space for the low-down on the best deals to be had over the coming months, and don't even think about paying full price for that new piece of kit you crave.


Let's face it, as the days grow shorter and those dark mornings and evenings loom, we all need something to cheer us up. Knowing we just bagged ourselves a bargain is a good way to do just that.