That was a good read, and some good pics.

Charliecres wrote:Hmmm, a southern winter bivy...

Do they get winter down there?

It's the equivalent of a Scottish summer bivi.

I'm game for the Scottish one, wherever it may be. However if nobody has one planned, might I suggest the Pentlands given their proximity to Edinburgh (and my house)?

Thanks - that's useful. Alasdair, were you on a Swift? I've read a few HT550 reports now, and I've lost track! Salsa El Mariachi. I have two, one SS and rigid, one geared with the Reba. Both are ace in their own ways. In terms of preparing for a race like this, the best thing you can do is just rid...

Comfort is the key for completing things like this. I dont mean suspension as such but whatever bike you choose, make sure you are comfy on it for looooong days. Low weight is a bonus, but its no2 to comfort. Agreed. I originally rode rigid but my wrists got a battering so this year I had a Reba up...

I've got the Terra Nova candy cane ones with my Laser Comp, and have had no problems whatsoever with them. The ones with the yellow plastic on the crook of them - unsure of the weight. However, if you're looking to go light on short events, ditch the tarp altogether and go with a pure bivi. I'm toyi...

I think birthday cake before starting the race should be an annual feature. I reckon I got a few hours riding out of that doorstop wedge of cake I had at 8:30am .

Here's a route into bike packing that might be of interest - I think it's going to be a beer and biking weekend instead of Spot trackers and soreness:

http://bearbonesbikepacking.co.uk/phpBB ... f=7&t=3606

Yeah, very true. I discovered on that track that most bogs appear deeper than they are, and the rest are deeper than they appear. You won't know which is which until you ride into them though...

If in doubt, get a warmer rated bag than you think you'll need. Always better to be a bit too hot and have to stick an arm out to cool down, rather than be cold all night (its not much fun). I'd personally go the other way around, especially with a down bag. If you're in a bivi bag in summer with m...

I followed your tyre tracks for days Alasdair, glad to see you made it. Glad to hear you got around too - was following trackleaders as soon as I hit Tyndrum. When you say tyre tracks, were you also looking for a set of footprints next to them? I personally got some comfort in finding footprints ne...

Just put my comments on the other thread. I agree with jameso that a lot of luck is involved. You can't plan for everything, you just need to see what happens on the day.

Now just hoping Iona makes it to the finish!

I've been thinking about where to write this up, as I don't have a live blog at the moment. It's just a collection of thoughts, although hopefully something useful is in there. My background to the HTR550 is that I entered the HTR430 last year and binned it at Contin after day 2, perhaps too early i...

"Also looks like Markus is going to smash it one :shock: . Approaching the top of Devils staircase after starting from the YHA in Glen Affric." that's pretty hardcore, not an easy shift at all that.........good effort. :-bd That's a fair stretch, hope he makes/made it! I started at Camban...

I think technical riding is important as the more you can ride the less you walk.

For those asking about Michael's wheel - I spoke to him on the train up and he's all sorted. He almost missed the train (two big train stations in Glasgow) but other than that is ready to go.

Just had an epic trying to mount my new tyres. My existing track pump wasn't up to the job so I bought a replacement today. First tyre went up fine with gas, then it wouldn't go up again so had to replace the rim tape. All I had was road stuff that was really narrow so I ran about four layers of tha...

This seems a lot like an 'experience' provider instead of an actual way into bikepacking. I don't think that any biker who wants to do some bikepacking will go in completely blind - they'll just go out for a night with a sleeping bag (which you need already) and some gear stuffed into a rucksack. Bi...

Just need to swap over a set of tyres tonight (Geax Saguaros) after I ripped a hole into the sidewall on the Cairngorms Loop and needed to use a tube. Other than that, the bike is riding fine. I got a handlebar harness yesterday off a mate and I'm surprised I didn't get one ages ago - far easier tha...

I use Ziplok bags from Amazon - 56 of them for about £6

Nah, they all stopped in the bothy in before Feshiebridge... Think they were away by 5am though, so a full second day. Most of them were... Bryan and I left about 6:30 - I had to swap a tube in as I split the sidewall. I got into Blair Atholl at 22:49, and while not setting the record books alight ...

Bikepacking won't get as popular as trail centre biking has become. There's too much of a commitment to make, which can't be served up by a two hour loop of the red on a Saturday morning followed by a cake and a discussion of how rad to the power sick their ride was. Thankfully if MTB is the new gol...

A half bottle of whisky fits nicely in a Lucozade bottle (355ml to 350ml) and they weigh nothing.

I think the difference is that food is our fuel, so when we're hungry we need to eat to keep moving, whereas if you're peckish in the car you can keep driving potentially all the way home and just feel a bit peckish.

Hard to say depending on conditions. However, the tent gives far more comfort so I'd tend to need fewer clothes to wear to keep the elements off me when stopped. For repeat use as well I'd be far happier with my down bag as condensation in a tent is less of an issue I find.

I was just about to mention something about your hub Ian - terrible news.

My worst was having to strip down a cup and cone hub on the trail as it seized. It took a Leatherman and a Topeak Alien, but I got through the ride in the end.

Fifteen miles from civilisation, midway into my route.

I've just bought a set of Pearl Izumi X Alp Seeks for HTR. They're stupidly light but unfortunately after riding in them they seem a bit flexible and unsupportive on the upstroke. I'll persevere to see if I can make them work as they'll be great for walking in. I wore MT91s last year, which were gre...