Which of the ‘luxuries’ have I found work well and are worth taking?

I like the sound of the bleeper thing as sometimes its a right pain in the arse at the pay booths,are they linked to a credit card or are they on a different account and how do you go about getting one .......... assuming one will need one in the future !!!!
 
I like the sound of the bleeper thing as sometimes its a right pain in the arse at the pay booths,are they linked to a credit card or are they on a different account and how do you go about getting one .......... assuming one will need one in the future !!!!

Apply here

Had a Sanef tag for years.Now called Emovis.
Not used it much in last year if at all as have avoided autoroutes but comes in handy if blasting down the west coast of France to get to Spain in a hurry.

Works both in car and on bike.From memory car is Class 1 and bike is Class 5.
On a car you stick it in the holder up on your windscreen where the hatched area is.Works a treat, especially in the 30kmh tolls where you dont even stop !

On a bike, put it in a sleeve pocket if you have one or top of tank bag.
A few tolls now have exclusive bike toll lanes,but not widely available.
If not, just make sure you go through a toll gate with no height limit and 90% of the time it will recognise you’re on a bike and charge accordingly.
If you get charged wrong you can raise an adjustment claim very simply online.

You have to set an account up with a card and you get billed the month after you use the card. Simply check the statement and file adjustments if needed, which is rare.
 
What else do you do with yours apart from wear them on your feet ?

Comfy as a pillow but it's more to do with where you can use them i.e. as a shower shoe, pool shoe, slipper indoors, walking around all but toughest terrain in any weather.... I mean put them into SPORT MODE (strap around the heel) and you can really cover the ground:aidan:D
 
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You have to set an account up with a card and you get billed the month after you use the card. Simply check the statement and file adjustments if needed, which is rare.

SANEF now has (or had) a UK base so you can link the tag to your UK Bank Account as opposed to a card, if you prefer. All of the documantation is in English as well, if that is important to you.
 
I have the SANEF version, who operate from Leeds. They speak a version of English. It is linked to my UK bank account. They are really efficient, which is surprising as they are northern. Everyone knows the north is stacked full of work shy scroungers, who do nothing but talk about the weather.
 
Maps and highlighters to mark out where I have been that day. Now have a nice collection of maps that bring back memories at a glance.
 
I have the SANEF version, who operate from Leeds. They speak a version of English. It is linked to my UK bank account. They are really efficient, which is surprising as they are northern. Everyone knows the north is stacked full of work shy scroungers, who do nothing but talk about the weather.

I have the ATMB linked to my UK bank account. Only ever made a mistake once when they charged me as a car. I complained, they refunded.
Their website has a handy map with roadworks and bouchons. https://www.atmb.com/en
 
Or, more accurately, are worth considering taking?

1. Travel adaptor

Skross World Travel Adapter MUV USB. Why? It is well made. It has an earth, many do not. It has the two USB sockets. In a perfect world, join it to Skross’ World to Italy / Switzerland / Brazil adaptor and gain two more USB ports. One adaptor, to charge anything and everything.

2. Long USB lead

Anker Powerline Braided. Why? It’s long enough at 3m to reach most out of the way power sockets. As it’s braided, it should last longer than the other tat and maybe even longer than your phone.

3. Multi-head USB lead

SDBAUX Multi Charger Cable 4 in 1, Retractable Fast Charge with Type C/Micro USB/ 2 iP Ports for Smartphones and Tablets. Why. One, reasonably long, retractable cable, to charge up to four things at once. Now you don’t need to bring four separate cables.

4. Charging ‘brick’

Why? You can charge things on the go. You can keep your phone going, whilst your bike in lying in pieces on the side of the road, whilst you make an invariably large number of calls. Anything with a decent amount of power, preferably with more than one USB socket and of the right type of USB for your device(s). If you are going to take a ‘brick’, why ponce about with one USB socket or something that will struggle to just about charge your phone only once? Find one that charges up via USB, not a dedicated transformer. Why? You don’t want to be carting the transformer and the brick.

5. A payage bleeper thing

Why? Bods moan like buggery about the entry / exit card the machine spits out. The cards are a bitch when it rains, dissolving in a soggy mess. Bods also moan about feckin’ around with coins. They panic if their credit card does not work. They moan about dropping their gloves. In short they moan and panic about most things. A payage bleeper thing, cuts all that shite out. It sits in a small freezer bag in my jacket pocket. The freezer bag is to keep it dry.

6. Travel clothes line

Why? Doing washing is easy and manly. It means that you’ll cart less stuff to wear. Find one (it’s not hard) with a double strand twist, it’ll make it much easier to hang things. Look at it and ponder, just for a moment, if you think you’ll be able to attach it at either end to something in the hotel bathroom or on the balcony or wherever you’ll think you’ll be. If you think it will do, buy it. If you don’t think it will do, think about something small to add, that will enable you to do so. If you don’t you’ll be holding a length of double twist line in your hands and still have wet washing.

7. One large’ish supermarket type bag

Why? They fold up to all but nothing and weigh feck all. I watched my bike depart on a low-loader. Before then, I’d changed into my casual clothes, piled all my bike clobber into the bag and given it to the pick-up driver, to take along with my bike. I wouldn’t be needing any of it for a day or two. Of course, I could have carried it, too. I then jumped into a taxi and went to my hotel. In short, it made things easy and tidy; which is all you want to do when the wheels have come off.

8. A decent quality multi-tool

Now we are getting into the real technical stuff. Why? Well, it’s a luxury, innit mate. Me? I happen to like the offering from Victorinox ‘Swiss Tool’ but that’s just me.

9. Large screen iPhone or similar

Why? It’s a camera, library, cinema, internet browser, TV, radio, jukebox, calculator, map carrier, address book, bank, ticket holder, route suggester and, if necessary, a GPS device.......the list goes on and on. Everything in one tidy package; just don’t forget the charger and certainly don’t break or lose it.

Personally. I’d start with a motorcycle. That is a luxury you know :p
 
Not exactly luxuries, I like too hold on to things, all my biking gear pockets have additional velcro closure and thin nylon braided cord sewn in with a loop on the other. Nothing falls from pockets, wallet, phone, keys etc are extra secure and pick pocket scrotes are stymied.
Spare glasses aren't exactly a luxury but after a pair dropped on a French hotel bathroom tile and I had to wait 5 days to get a lens replaced I have spare glasses stowed on my bike.
Battery bank, yes. Noco jump start stowed under seat as additional back up and has been used on other bikes!

Phone satnav options and maps far better than Bike gear, Tab S2 8 for Readly (cover look like a tatty book) , Maps and Satnav back up and buds live.
Google lens app is also now a must have.

Again. not a luxury. Garmin In Reach Mini, I travel solo and it makes my wife and family happy;) It's an age thing.
 
Over the years I’ve moved away from the Compact Camera, Bike GPS & tablet, to a phone that does it all better. Better quality photos than the camera, bigger screen & faster route calculation, also able to use multiple GPS apps & as good as a kindle for reading in all but strong sunlight which is when I’ll be riding not reading. Still sometimes take the wife though ��

I second that, phone all the way! (but I do also use serious camera gear as well as the phone) I only use Android and the addition of a CARPE iter CI BT controller is a game changer on the bike in combination with Drive Mode Dashboard app ;)
 


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