Search found 284 matches

by touch
Thu Sep 28, 2023 11:53 am
Forum: General banter
Topic: The great British train scandal
Replies: 37
Views: 3842

Re: The great British train scandal

Bearbonesnorm wrote: Wed Sep 27, 2023 6:43 pm
(there's only 1.3m people
No one taller or is it a bit like a scaled up Lilliput?
No one tall in Tallin
by touch
Tue Aug 15, 2023 9:33 pm
Forum: General banter
Topic: Restrap = Aero bar bag.
Replies: 5
Views: 346

Re: Restrap = Aero bar bag.

A full, firmly packed drybag is fine to strap directly onto aero bars like that. I've had some problems when it's not full things can shift around inside and it comes loose. It can make quite a difference to handling having the weight far out in front. Even compared to a normal transverse mounted ba...
by touch
Mon Jun 19, 2023 3:00 pm
Forum: General banter
Topic: Just how long ....
Replies: 20
Views: 1115

Re: Just how long ....

Any route can be a bikepacking route. You don't have to be riding all day to be "bikepacking". IMO the only element required for a good bikepacking route is just a nice spot to stop and camp, distance isn't a big factor in making it a good route or not. Even for the hardcore racer types a ...
by touch
Mon Jun 19, 2023 9:06 am
Forum: General banter
Topic: Wildlife
Replies: 669
Views: 129046

Re: Wildlife

Just tried finding what I'd heard. Sounded most like this https://youtube.com/shorts/WDecq2YL1Ms?feature=share Fourth or 5th bird in, called the Northern Flicker. Tried looking her up in my Collins Birds book, but to no avail. Could it be a Common Snipe? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ImGcEaQ7As4 ...
by touch
Sun Jun 18, 2023 6:24 pm
Forum: General banter
Topic: Conveyor uplift?
Replies: 13
Views: 1231

Re: Conveyor uplift?

There's one at the Lecht which has been there a few years. Only open for skiers and snowboarders but is great for the beginner slopes. Working a tow is one of the more difficult parts of learning to snowboard and if you can't do that you don't get much chance to learn anything else so the magic carp...
by touch
Mon Jun 12, 2023 10:32 pm
Forum: Your Trips & Adventures
Topic: Highland Holiday
Replies: 18
Views: 1166

Re: Highland Holiday

There's also the option to shortcut the middle loop from Tomich -> Cannich. Cuts out about 8-9 hours riding but doesn't miss any of the good parts.
by touch
Mon Jun 12, 2023 11:54 am
Forum: General banter
Topic: Catalyst pedals?
Replies: 8
Views: 707

Re: Catalyst pedals?

I would be put off buying them due to all the dubious claims on their website. It seems to be an American thing - presumably due to differences in advertising laws? Despite "decades of research" and an entire page dedicated to "The Science", there isn't actually any evidence of t...
by touch
Tue Jun 06, 2023 5:30 pm
Forum: General banter
Topic: HT550 2023
Replies: 303
Views: 63494

Re: HT550 2023

Alan posted on instagram to say the climb out of Tomich towards Fort Augustus is closed because of fires. Not sure what will happen if it's still closed when Kurt gets there if it's still closed? Guess he just has to wait for it to open?
by touch
Mon Jun 05, 2023 3:21 pm
Forum: General banter
Topic: HT550 2023
Replies: 303
Views: 63494

Re: HT550 2023

Kurt's tracker is super reliable! I don't think it's missed a single ping so far from about 90 in total*. Other people seem to lose around 1 in 5 of their pings. I wonder if he's using a different device when most people have Spots? Or maybe the volume of updates during the group start causes some l...
by touch
Tue May 30, 2023 8:12 pm
Forum: General banter
Topic: HT550 2023
Replies: 303
Views: 63494

Re: HT550 2023

I wonder what Tom Hall is doing at poolewe? Just a navigation error? The section where he left the route is really good gravel estate road so I can't imagine he's trying to find an easy escape route. It doesn't look like the way he went is any quicker to get him into Poolewe either. I'm pretty sure ...
by touch
Tue May 30, 2023 1:38 pm
Forum: General banter
Topic: HT550 2023
Replies: 303
Views: 63494

Re: HT550 2023

Will they be able to see each other for those who have done the route? Yeah, at some points over the devil's staircase there is probably enough visibility to see that far. The west highland way in the middle of a nice day, even a weekday, will be reasonably busy so they'll be able to see other walk...
by touch
Sat May 27, 2023 8:40 pm
Forum: General banter
Topic: HT550 2023
Replies: 303
Views: 63494

Re: HT550 2023

Oops, Rich Rothwell took a wrong turn! He's the last person I'd expect to do that.
Image

Very minor. He's back on route now and doesn't look to have cost him much time.
by touch
Fri May 26, 2023 1:59 pm
Forum: General banter
Topic: How would you carry a bike on shoulders!?
Replies: 26
Views: 3102

Re: How would you carry a bike on shoulders!?

I rarely ever carry my bike and prefer to push it. Why bother taking the weight on your shoulders when it'll take it's own weight on the wheels? Shouldering the bike also makes it more difficult for me to balance. It's fine on a decent path like in the photo but across a peat bog I often use the bik...
by touch
Wed May 24, 2023 10:13 pm
Forum: General banter
Topic: What are you drinking now?
Replies: 704
Views: 69559

Re: What are you drinking now?

Verena wrote: Wed May 24, 2023 10:06 pm Nothing :cry: , having just spilled my cup of tea whilst making my bed for the night on a BAM that's decidedly not going to plan.... let's just say it involved some cows...
I hate it when I forget to bring milk too but I've not gone to that extreme yet :lol:
by touch
Wed May 24, 2023 2:29 pm
Forum: General banter
Topic: NC500 record attempt
Replies: 13
Views: 1026

Re: NC500 record attempt

Was the forecast wrong or something? The wind is pretty easy to forecast for a window as narrow as 26hours, was there not a weather window? I doubt it's that simple. With all the logistics involved of travelling to the start and coordinating all the support team to have the right days off you proba...
by touch
Fri May 19, 2023 7:54 pm
Forum: General banter
Topic: HT550 2023
Replies: 303
Views: 63494

Re: HT550 2023

I've never managed to keep my feet dry. Tried taking shoes + socks off and paddling through the rivers, which works fine but inevitably step on what I thought was solid dry at the next bog and end up knee deep and soaked. It's not the obvious river crossings which get you wet - it's the hidden bog!
by touch
Fri May 19, 2023 5:52 pm
Forum: General banter
Topic: Get off the f#=÷*^ pavement
Replies: 9
Views: 722

Re: Get off the f#=÷*^ pavement

And the council still can't confirm if it is a shared ped/cycle path. Very clear that it isn't. Something dodgy there. What makes it so clear that it's not a shared use path? After passing the shared use sign here: https://goo.gl/maps/iEkdZTdsG9mzHP8SA (about 370 metres before), at what point does ...
by touch
Fri May 12, 2023 11:10 am
Forum: General banter
Topic: Yay, it's cheery Friday.
Replies: 3943
Views: 482104

Re: Yay, it's cheery Friday.

Not raining (yet) which as you'll know is something which always adds to my cheery persona. Also, that stupid idea I've mentioned previously is now taking shape and will hopefully be a fully living, breathing reality before very long. Is your front tyre on backwards? I dont know anything about moto...
by touch
Wed Apr 26, 2023 6:21 pm
Forum: General banter
Topic: Outlet outdoor gear website - is it legit?
Replies: 5
Views: 497

Re: Outlet outdoor gear website - is it legit?

I'd guess no - not genuine. The address listed on the contact page doesn't seem to exist (45 Colorado Way, Rhyd-Y-Meirch, NP7 4ER) There's PayPal and stripe logos in the footer but the checkout page doesn't seem to give the option to pay with them and wants your card details. The privacy policy has ...
by touch
Thu Apr 20, 2023 2:16 pm
Forum: General banter
Topic: Well OT: Cashlessness
Replies: 22
Views: 1591

Re: Well OT: Cashlessness

Someone convinced someone else that a few bytes of data was worth a few quid and they believed them - it spiraled out from there. That's how all money works - not specific to BitCoin. A british £20 note isn't actually worth £20 in raw materials. It's used as a placeholder for the real value. It's t...
by touch
Wed Apr 12, 2023 10:38 am
Forum: General banter
Topic: HT550 2023
Replies: 303
Views: 63494

Re: HT550 2023

Not moved for a while no, hope everything is ok Rich said on instagram that the weather wasn't looking good today so they were considering hiding out in the campsite at Lochcarron for the day. Looks like they may be on the move now though. The rain has stopped in my part of the Highlands recently s...
by touch
Mon Apr 10, 2023 11:23 am
Forum: Your Trips & Adventures
Topic: TransEngland23.
Replies: 4
Views: 714

Re: TransEngland23.

Not that it's much help to you now (maybe helps your sanity) but you're correct that it was originally planned for Friday 7th: https://i.imgur.com/VQryC5S.png (Found using the "Wayback Machine". This is the last copy they have saved - from December 2022.) Presumably when they confirmed the...
by touch
Mon Apr 03, 2023 11:45 pm
Forum: General banter
Topic: The Pictish Trail - more Scotlandshire for you.
Replies: 24
Views: 1631

Re: The Pictish Trail - more Scotlandshire for you.

We looked into the theory of getting a train from Manchester to Thurso. No possibility of taking a bike, so seems lime a bit of a non-starter. Is it due to a number of the trains actually being buses. I'm not a prolific public transport user, so know little about these things! Anything via Glasgow ...
by touch
Mon Jul 19, 2021 5:26 pm
Forum: General banter
Topic: Bothies and HT550
Replies: 9
Views: 1120

Re: Bothies and HT550

I noticed he diverted to Inverness and back, wonder what that was all about? One of the track points is right outside Alpine Bikes so I guess it was something mechanical-related. There would have been 3 bike shops much closer to the route at that point (Strathpeffer, Dingwall and Muir of Ord) but a...
by touch
Fri Jun 11, 2021 1:47 pm
Forum: General banter
Topic: HT550 2021
Replies: 637
Views: 65195

Re: HT550 2021

Good write up! I would guess that the strange bird noises you heard might be Snipes "drumming". I heard some recently at Achmelvich and again at Shenavall - both times just after sunset. I'd never heard a bird noise like that before and after a lot of searching (it's difficult to try and d...