Nothing wrong with touring but its not bikepacking anymore than a sportive is or an enduro race is.

"For most, ultra distance bikepacking races are camping sportives" - discuss

Interested in the PR roll and bag - will PM

Same here :) Did he make a shimmed loop bar? Didn't see those. I had the original Ti Hbars on a 650B gravel bike for a while, was a good combo. Some Al cut loops also. They felt a bit narrow overall though as the grip section ends are shorter. I like the old Hbar design as a road/utility/ hybrid bar...

Edit: on a carbon steerer tube I always assumed the bung that goes inside helps equalise some of the pressures from the torque applied by the stem! Should do yes, doesn't always prevent the stem edge making marks into the outer or leverage against the headset etc but it could/should make up for com...

Loops?
Could save yourself a fortune and get the Al versions.. I have both and can't tell a jot of difference fwiw. Bought the Ti loops just to finish off the bike. The old Ti H-bar non-loops feel quite different though, much softer.

In my head, a manufacturer has designed that forked or spaced it to the forces required (here’s hoping) whilst a lot of manufacturers I’m guessing has not designed the rear stays for such use (and a lot now in design the rears to flex or to be more ‘compliance). Yes, I agree - was just picking up o...

voodoo_simon wrote: ↑Sat Apr 06, 2024 1:45 pm Its clearly.a bad idea to inflict clamping forces on a carbon tube

Carbon steerer tubes?

Don't get me wrong, the design does raise eyebrows.

Some failures allegedly on carbon frames, (disclaimer, I work for the company who distributes them now but it's not related to my own role there) A while back I got a chance to talk to the chap behind the product and had to ask him about what looked like an interesting leverage situation and how th...

Er, any conclusion after all that then James?

Yeah .. I bought something for under £15 to wear around the house/pub/etc which now has me looking at £70+ Alpha Direct fabric tops to wear while sleeping in fields

(a good read here, thanks all!)

Thanks Ben, will look up the Polartec fabric and the 100wt. How many ... just one! : ) I'm not too worried about pack size as I generally have fairly small packed bags and can afford a bit more space, was interested to hear if there's a brand/material that does better than an average fleece on the w...

Not sure how I got this far through life as an outdoors type without owning a fleece top.. but I got a Fohn fleece from the CRC sale on recommendation of the clothing designer at work who rates what they do, and it's brilliant. Probably no different to most similar fleeces but fits well, feels snug ...

"Roamer, wanderer, nomad, vagabond, call me what you will.. "

"Judge not lest ye be judged yourself.."

Metallica have all the answers

BB7S MTB.. yes please?

It seems like there's different formulations, normal latex solution just peels off but I found one (Joe's?) was really hard to remove at first. Had to use GT85 to get under it. That or meths should do it.

It's a byway so 4x4 and motorbike access - the article mentions a ban (damage-related?) so is this is a repair project that simply re-instates the original access rights? Don't get me wrong I'm not much of a fan of the 4x4s and motorbikes in places like this, but if there's access rights .. Edit, I ...

https://theradavist.com/all-bicycles-are-handmade/#meta Good article today, a good read on bike production and quality perceptions ending with a recommendation for Shop Class as Soulcraft. Whether a Radavist recommendation for the book adds to your motivation to read it, idk.. :grin: I think they're...

No problem, I would too!

voodoo_simon wrote: ↑Thu Mar 14, 2024 10:59 pm Interesting bar from Cannondale

Interesting because the crossbar stiffens it makes it less comfy while also being too thin for mounting things to? : ) I suppose it'd be useful for stabilising a bar bag strap. And £15 is a good price.

edit: can't use the STW link as I'm not a paying member

I'm sure one of us who is could buy it for you Dave (PM if needed)

While I'm here .. tried to get back into a reading habit with something light last year, Bez's 'Freaky Dancin'' which is great for anyone who was into that music scene back then. Up there with 'How Not to Run a Club' by Peter Hook. Now trying to get through Daniel Kahneman's Thinking Fast and Slow -...

I have two copies of 'A Short Walk in the Hindu Kush' by Eric Newby, after WOB sent me one that was definitely not in "very good" condition. If anyone wants it, then let me know... Hi Boab, I'd love to read that. I have his 'Round Ireland in a Low Gear' and Andrew Harvey's 'Journey in Lad...

Can't help with the unicrown but if you were selling the truss I'd be interested, got a Jones needing a few fork. Cheers,
James

Talk of concrete blocks and carbon blades etc.. Thinking back to conversations about bikes and impact where even the highest CO2 cost to produce is offset if it replaces a few hundred miles of car use I wondered how much energy an average wind turbine has to generate to become CO2 neutral Vs coal or...

That Salsa sale is an eye-opener - a carbon fork at over £500, reduced from £800+ ?

At what point was £800+ an OK RRP for a carbon fork? As nice as the product is the route to market (margin stack) doesn't seem workable esp not in the current climate.

Thought this was interesting, about how there are areas of land we have access rights to but they're surrounded by private land we don't have rights to. A couple of hilltops locally have public access rights but I wouldn't pass them on a route using the usual ROWs (inc FPs). Google map here - you mi...