Truck Tape Ankle Strap

I have been trying to think of different uses for the wonderful high-vis truck tape I posted about in February. I thought that it would do very well as an ankle strap, for keeping your trousers free of the chain whilst cycling.  So last Weekend I poked about the fabric shops of Goldhawk Road and the stalls of Shepherds Bush market until I had red suede, transparent PVC, green thread, sliver reflective tape and brass popper buttons. Out of these ingredients I cobbled together a prototype for a truck tape ankle strap (please forgive the shoddy stitching).

Truck Tape

... Is a bit more special than it sounds if we are talking Pakistani trucks. Out there truck owners lavish vast sums on the decoration of their chariots before they are deemed worthy of the road. In the image below we see a modest example crawling its way up the Karakoram Highway (from a scan of a postcard bought in Lahore). A principal element in the truck decorator's pallet is special reflective tape covered in cut-out designs. In a previous trip to Pakistan I bought a roll of this tape and put it on my bike, it has lasted pretty well over the past couple of years, so I think I might start to import the tape and sell it under Hindu Kush.