I've got no problem with guns either, but it does seem sensible to regulate them fairly stringently. In the US currently, due to lobbying by firms like Vista Outdoor, there is legislation preventing any digitised searching of gun owners, either their license numbers or their names. It has to be done...

If you start getting in to who owns who then you can pretty quickly end up your own behind. I could probably find an ethical reason to not buy anything from anyone ever again. We pay our taxes to a government that is happy to sell arms to some of the most unsavoury regimes in the world. This is und...

RIP wrote:Do they flog a bullet-proof bike helmet? Could be handy in some of the places on my bivi bucket-list.

Don't think so, they're more into the killy ammo'n'gunz rather than that fluffy protecty stuff.

I've no idea if any of you good folks will care for this, and if it's not the sort of thing BB gets into then prune it, but it seems that Giro, Bell and Camelback are owned by a parent company that sees over 40% of it's sales from guns and ammunition in the US. It lobbies in support of the gun indus...

They have a set of bongo's at the Star?

So....what other instruments would make up a BB band? Who plays what?
I could add a trombone though you wouldnt thank me (never look at a trombone player, it just encourages them).

I appear to have booked myself a 'holiday', probably by mistake.

*Does that scene in Withnail appear in everyone's else's minds when they consider a trip to mid Wales? Just me then.

Yesterday was goods and news day. Arriving in the post was my 1st proper bikepacking luggage stuff - a frame bag and front bag from Restrap. I'm not expecting perfect, but as my first foray into it I'll at least start to understand what works for me. In diving there's a truism that the first kit you...

If that doesnt work, your next option is probably the soap sud test. We use it for drysuits (think cold water diving or air/sea rescue etc) Lay out a sheet of plastic in the sitting room. Inflate your mat and put it on top, bottom side up. Chances are the hole is on the bottom. Mix up a good soapy m...

ITT? Independent Time Trial.

Looks like a good job, thanks for posting those. I've been working on one that follows much of the greensand way, the fun bits anyway.
Also another Salisbury to New Forest with an upland loop of Cranford Chase. I'll post them here when done.

PaulB2 wrote:We've not even got onto what bike should we use and most importantly what tyres?

That's probably a new thread.

"A WRT virgin asks"

Oli, I plan to drive up from London. I have a pretty crap car but it should get there and has room for another bike. I'm on the west side of London - near twickenham. Kind offer Bradder, I need to check whether a prior event has been successfully shelved or not, should know in a week or two, and th...

Certainly you could look at it as elitist, or you could look at it as simply setting the bar higher than low to medium. I'm not sure there's anything wrong with that. When you come to look at it, the WRT is one of the simplest forms of events, start at a set location and time, ride wherever and as f...

Anyone thinking of going up from that there Londonistan? Happy to share fuel/banter/train ride and pootle at other end.
Probably looking at going up on the Friday.

As a potential nervous first-timer to WRT what attracts me to it is precisely the low-key nature of the event. Make it much bigger and try to accommodate many more people and it'll start to be work and you'll need to employ people, put prices up a chunk, fill the garden with portaloos and upset the ...

While it's good that they're trying to 'drop some weight' I'm not really sure what the article is trying to say beyond "bags are lighter than panniers and racks" ... who knew? In some peoples minds, the fitting of soft luggage defines them as a 'bikepacker' ... it doesn't. It requires a s...

Which would be interesting considering that Ison are clearly on good terms with QBP, owners of Salsa, Surly, Whiskey, All-City, Dimension, Problem Solver. My contact at a well known Nottingham based and Dutch owned distributor who specialises in mom'n'pop slatwall bread'n'butter products tells me th...

I am parpticularly cheerful this Friday. Yes, I am farting like a natural born trouper, but mainly as I had a 1 yr check up on my new bionic hip and got some up to date pictures of my innards. All is top notch apparently, and I've been given reassurance that I can go hell for leather at anything I p...

The most effective changes in bike set-up I've found is in the simplest things. Moving the saddle back or forwards or up or down 5mm, raising or lowering the stem height or changing it's length by 10mm, or putting slightly different handlebars on. Gives your muscles and joints a slight change and an...

benp1 wrote:

Bearbonesnorm wrote:600 frozen day old chicks for me today and some dried lavender for Dee

Atkins diet again?

[or have you got a reptile?]

Or a raptor?

Just a word on Otto-lock. I made an enquiry today about the possibility of setting up a trade account and importing some. Turns out they've already got a deal going with a German distributor for Europe that should start up sometime early this year, so hopefully they'll be more easily available here ...

I had an ooooold Bontrager saddle - was very comfy. Currently using a Cambium 17 and it's by far the most comfy I've used in over 30 years riding. Used to use Selle Italia Turbo saddles exclusively and they are very good. Have one on my commuter/day tourer and it's pretty comfy. They used to be THE ...

Same almost everywhere. What they need is a metal measuring cup, or just to learn that your cup is the same size as a regular coffee.
It only takes a few tedious customers pointing this out everywhere before the message snowballs.

I'm just bedding in my 1st set of spyres - and find the oddest thing is the pads seem to fit with a bit of fore-aft space that allows movement for and aft. Feels like an insanely loose headset if pull either brake and rock back and forth. Doesnt make me feel like trusting them, but heh, they do seem...

May be worth running it as an opensource/contributor project somewhere on Scotroutes site.

From a 1st glance DokuWiki looks like it might be ideal for it.

Nice little animation here showing how butted tubes are made.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QKAg1yMZIpY