Aspiration or inspiration?

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Bearbonesnorm
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Aspiration or inspiration?

Post by Bearbonesnorm »

The thread about UKH and the tangents it produced got me thinking ...

It appears that there is a widening gulf between the portrayal of bikepacking and the reality as most of us know it. Manufacturers, tourist boards, writers and any number of 'others' have decided that bikepacking presents them with a new (and seemingly) expanding market. Generally speaking, marketing / advertising of any description will appeal to peoples aspirations ... we want to be something else, something better than we think we are, even if that's just through association. After all, having the 'right' jacket or bag puts us one step closer to becoming our aspirational figure.

I can only imagine the disappointment when they discovered that bikepacking has very few 'poster boys'. It's not that the average bikepacker or bikepacking trip can't inspire (scenery alone can do that) but to bring in those punters not already tainted, requires the presence of someone people can aspire to. Just about every other facet of cycling has aspirational people and these people sell kit, bikes, pop, etc by the bucket full. They're not average looking, they're not scruffy, they are appealing both to the eye and to the mind.

Those companies who find such a figure tend to hold onto them tightly but there isn't enough to go round ... so, those without, simply distort reality and mold it into something better suited to their needs. But, I think there's a solution ... what if we had a pool of poster boys / girls that we could hire out to these companies for a reasonable charge. Some of us probably wouldn't be suited to the task and those who were would probably need to smarten themselves up a little but it could work.

I'm going to put this forward as a start.

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jameso
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Re: Aspiration or inspiration?

Post by jameso »

I think I have what it takes. Bikepacking's Next Top Model.

ImageDSCN9907 by james*o, on Flickr
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Bearbonesnorm
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Re: Aspiration or inspiration?

Post by Bearbonesnorm »

Brilliant, we're building a portfolio :-bd
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Re: Aspiration or inspiration?

Post by Bearbonesnorm »

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pistonbroke
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Re: Aspiration or inspiration?

Post by pistonbroke »

Posters or poseurs?
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Bearbonesnorm
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Re: Aspiration or inspiration?

Post by Bearbonesnorm »

And just to prove that you can make even the 'coolest' of models look like a tw@t ...

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Asposium
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Re: Aspiration or inspiration?

Post by Asposium »

We are a sub-set of a sub-set.
The “famous” bikepackers would be complete unknowns outside the community; and I doubt any is doing to become a Sir or Madam for riding across some continent looking and smelling like they need a good wash.

Given we don’t tend to buy things based on trends or fashion we must, on the whole, be a marketing departments’ worst nightmare.

Sure, we do but stuff; however, usually based on need, requirement, and the opinion of others.

On the positive side, could be some bargains to be had on eBay.
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Mike
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Re: Aspiration or inspiration?

Post by Mike »

I dont think I'd cut the mustard as a posterboy :lol:
Artie Fufkin
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Re: Aspiration or inspiration?

Post by Artie Fufkin »

No offence Mike but I have to agree!
However, that photo for me sums up the UK bikepacking scene! The guys knackered, trying to get a brew on and then get his head down for more onslaught! My only concern is the fact he’s indoors and not under a tarp in a force 9!
Seriously though, that’s what I love about this site and the people I have met is that they are all down to earth, two feet planted firmly on muddy ground and don’t feel the need to brag about it all over anti social media! It’s a different mind set and long may it reign.
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Mike
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Re: Aspiration or inspiration?

Post by Mike »

:-bd don't knock those birdhides for shelter... They r a good send when u r knackered and it's raining :lol:
Showed that pic to the lads at work and they thought I'd been in some sort of chemical incident :o
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Mariner
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Re: Aspiration or inspiration?

Post by Mariner »

Last weekend I collected a bike off a chap who has a sixteen year old son who is mad keen on bike packing. The son recently discovered mountain biking then picked up on bike packing and is busy gathering all the gear together.
It is sites like this that inspire him so perhaps we are all a collective role model to those who will follow in our wheel tracks.
Zazen - nothing happens next this is it.
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Mike
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Re: Aspiration or inspiration?

Post by Mike »

I have the perfect photo for this thread..mine an huxs efforts at a great photo shoot. I apologise now if it offends anyone

* I will post it here tomorrow evening when I'm home and sober
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Pirahna
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Re: Aspiration or inspiration?

Post by Pirahna »

Mariner wrote:Last weekend I collected a bike off a chap who has a sixteen year old son who is mad keen on bike packing. The son recently discovered mountain biking then picked up on bike packing and is busy gathering all the gear together.
It is sites like this that inspire him so perhaps we are all a collective role model to those who will follow in our wheel tracks.
We should send him a few gpx file so he can test his hiking boots. :grin:
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Richpips
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Re: Aspiration or inspiration?

Post by Richpips »

Here's one to inspire the youngsters out there.

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JustinF
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Re: Aspiration or inspiration?

Post by JustinF »

Well it seems that GCN have jumped in, Simon 'I hate top tube bags' is off on a trip with Mr Ibbet.
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Bearbonesnorm
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Re: Aspiration or inspiration?

Post by Bearbonesnorm »

GCN
?
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sean_iow
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Re: Aspiration or inspiration?

Post by sean_iow »

https://www.globalcyclingnetwork.com/

They have an amusing youtube channel

Edit, I should of also linked to this

https://www.gmbn.com/
Last edited by sean_iow on Tue Apr 17, 2018 12:53 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Chew
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Re: Aspiration or inspiration?

Post by Chew »

Paris, Milan, Llandioes...

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Bearbonesnorm
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Re: Aspiration or inspiration?

Post by Bearbonesnorm »

I knew that was coming ... took longer than I thought mind :wink:
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Asposium
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Re: Aspiration or inspiration?

Post by Asposium »

Bearbonesnorm wrote:I knew that was coming ... took longer than I thought mind :wink:
Hot pants???
:-bd
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PaulB2
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Re: Aspiration or inspiration?

Post by PaulB2 »

Nice tan line :mrgreen:
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Bearbonesnorm
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Re: Aspiration or inspiration?

Post by Bearbonesnorm »

There's a story to go with that picture.

The inability to smell yourself is something most bikepackers will experience at some point. Personally, I view it as just another positive side effect of the ‘lifestyle’ but I can appreciate how those of a more delicate nature, might see things differently. Most of the time, if you can’t smell yourself, then you can’t smell anyone else either - it’s something that proves most useful on those multi-day group trips. Perhaps it’s some kind of natural defence mechanism, a sensory self-denial maybe? Anyway, positive or not, you must always remember to be careful when venturing back into polite society as the people you encounter are unlikely to possess your special abilities. You should also be aware that, there will come a time when your super-powers desert you and when they inevitably do, you’ll need to take quick and decisive action.

I pushed the top of the bivvy bag down onto my chest, lifted the edge of the quilt above my face and took a deep breath. Not bad, I thought. The merest hint of cat piss and maybe just a touch of corned beef - but not bad. I climbed out from my down cocoon wearing the same clothes I’d worn for the last five days. Once white socks poked out from my shoes, now a dusty grey version of their former selves. I gave them a shake and released a plume of dust that threatened to engulf the entire valley. After pulling them over my feet, I carefully adjusted the cuff of each one until there was a seamless transition between grubby grey sock and grubby brown leg. Now properly attired, I busied myself with the task of packing what few belongings I had onto my bike while contemplating the mornings ride to ‘Little Peru’.

‘Little Peru’, it sounds almost cuddly doesn’t it? It’s not. In near thirty degree temperatures and offering little shade, the road to Little Peru is somewhat less fluffy than its name might suggest. Although not yet mid-morning, things were hotting up. When the opportunity of a coke and corenetto breakfast presented itself, it was gratefully grasped with both hands. The inside of the shop was cool but the inside of the freezer was cooler, so I spent longer than strictly necessary elbow deep in the search for mint choc-chip. With both fridge and freezer raided, I walked to the counter and that’s when it happened. A quick glance and the briefest glimpse was all it took. I now know how Medusa must have felt after seeing her own reflection. The large mirror behind the counter pulled no punches and a dirty, drawn and slightly unhinged looking character stared back at me through piss-hole eyes. Were they playing tricks on me? No and neither was my sense of smell, for as the true reality of my appearance struck me, so did the stench of a fourteenth century London street. It was as though all my senses had suddenly come back to life in an instant and they were all telling me the same thing.

The perfect spot presented itself less than a mile further on from breakfast. A gently sloping shingle bank leading down to the clear waters edge. Some uncharacteristic forethought had actually prepared me for this eventuality and after a minutes rummaging in my frame bag, I found it. I had both soap and what for me, passed as spare clothes. The soap was in a small plastic box which until this point, I’d never opened. It was supposed to be in the form of thin leaves, each having a cleaning power well beyond their size. They appeared to be stuck together, so I simply used the lot. Before I tell you any more, I should just point out that the soap was fully biodegradable and guaranteed not to harm flora or fauna. Power beyond their size? Oh yes. In no time at all, I’d transformed a crystal alpine stream into widow Twanky’s laundry. I rinsed and rinsed but to to avail, it didn’t seem to matter how much I dunked my clothes in the stream and splashed about in the water, a new layer of white suds would instantly appear on the surface of whatever I was trying to clean. Finally, after twenty minutes I gave up and told myself that any soap left would probably act like some kind of built-in deodorant. I rung the water from my shorts one last time before tying them to my bar-harness to dry.

I usually carry very little in the way of spare clothing and quite often, I carry none at all but today, I was better equipped. A thin gilet covered my torso. The sleeveless garment providing a Billy-Bob redneck flavour to my attire. I had believed that I was going to cover my flesh from waist to knee with a pair of lightweight undershorts but the sizing seemed somewhat ‘continental’ and left everything below my groin exposed to the world. A sarcastic wolf-whistle from my companions on the road above, made me realise that the snug fit and thin material did little to conceal anything above it either. I peered down at my shorts and was presented with what looked like a cling-film wrapped fruit salad - albeit a small one. I suppose I could have put my wet shorts back on but in truth, I was kind of enjoying the freedom afforded by my figure hugging, spray-on hot pants.

Although I’d promised to ride at the back, every now and then I’d find the extra energy required to overtake the pair in front, stand, then bend over and give them a wiggle - a game I played more for my amusement than theirs. The road continued to climb and our surroundings continued to inspire. Given that (I think) it was Saturday, I was surprised by how few people we’d seen but as tarmac petered out and turned to gravel, all that changed. The plateau was a maze of tracks each burrowing its way deeper into the mountains and it appeared that the entire local population had been air-lifted onto them while we pedalled up the hard way. Serious looking mountain bikers and somber looking hikers hurried about the place. They were all too busy to notice us but interspersed between them, were the slower moving and more observant families. While my outfit might have being tolerated in an adult only environment and even celebrated in certain establishments, it wouldn’t be what you’d choose to wear to a kids party. I wasn’t deliberately trying to cause offence or draw attention, I simply didn’t relish the thought of wearing wet soapy shorts. When the need arose, I would pull my top down like a girl who’d overestimated the length of her dress and underestimated the size of her arse, in the vain hope of concealing my modesty.

“Anyone else hungry?” asked Andy. “I think there’s a refuge that serves food if we stay on this track”. I thought how now would be an appropriate time to make a joke about having brought my own ‘packed lunch’ but given the proximity of mum, dad and two young children, I decided against it. The nearer we got to the refuge, the more often the question of whether my shorts were yet dry, was raised. Every time I said “no”, we’d stop for a seemingly inadvertent yet strategic break - a photo, a drink, a mechanical adjustment, in fact anything to postpone reaching the refuge and the people within. Even these sneaky delaying tactics couldn’t halt the inevitable though and as the refuge finally came into view Andy stopped one last time, looked me up and down, shook his head and with the voice of concern said, “wet or dry, you’re gonna have to put your shorts back on, I’m not going in there with you looking like that”.
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Asposium
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Re: Aspiration or inspiration?

Post by Asposium »

Could have been worse, they could have been bright red

Moral of the story? Take two pairs of shorts; TLS does indeed have limits.
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Scattamah
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Re: Aspiration or inspiration?

Post by Scattamah »

Nahhh....take one pair and subject all and sunder to Eau de Bikepacker.

Side story...

When I slunk into Nice and stupidly rode to the end of the route (the airport and not the nice part with bars and food places), I went across the road to the Novotel to collapse. The nice young lass behind the counter, who could probably smell me at 50 paces, recommended I went around the back to the Ibis (Novotel for poor bastards) and stop there. I couldn't figure out why. Upon rinsing my riding gear out in the closet sized bathroom of my newly acquired hotel room, the water turned black. My Sawyer couldn't have rescued that water.

6 days in a single pair of riding shorts can be liberating and nasty all in one shot.

Greetz

S.
jameso
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Re: Aspiration or inspiration?

Post by jameso »

6 days in a single pair of riding shorts can be liberating and nasty all in one shot.
2 1/2 weeks is my record : ) and I've not worn lycra shorts since. Mental scarring. Quite possibly other scarring, I'd need a mirror to find out.
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