Ta for the Neoair tip. Just ordered one.

Nice one. Much neater than my first attempt. I'm making a bar harness at the moment then I'll be on to an frame bag for my Inbred, hopefully it'll all be ready for Spar and Back.

Mountain Hardwear Lamina 20
Unfeasibly light Pole-a-Bear tarp pole
Karrimor lightweight down jacket (that the cats unfortunately took a fancy to before it was wrapped)
All set for There and Back now

There and Back
WRT
SSUK
A multi-day Scotland trip taking in Torridon
Bivi a month
Want to do a big-bike trip to the Alps but I don't think it's going to happen
Get more confident on jumps and drops
Get back into rock climbing
Get younger, not older

Pennine Outdoor Fabrics are good

www.pennineoutdoor.co.uk

Nice one. What did you use for the spacers?

I've been sketching out ideas for a few weeks but I don't think I'm quite there yet.

I'm watching the weather. Think I'll be using bivy/tarp unless it's forecast to rain hard.

But I'm no expert...

That took me back :)

That looks *quite good*

I too have dreams of doing this in 2015.

I'm thinking about doing this SS - am I insane? I've got lots of experience riding SS but none with a loaded bike and I'm guessing there will be hills, bogs and boggy hills. My plan is to drop to 32:20 (29er) and man up. Is this sound plan or a recipe for misery?

Well I've just paid up, so I'm committed now. Looking forward to this...

Fat recumbent unicycle is the obvious solution.

IGMC

I've been doing this for ten years with various Inbreds and other slotted frames without any problems at all. Just use a chaintug and all should be well. BTW, Shimano QRs are better (more solid and secure) than many others.

I use the Sealskinz mtb gloves. Some don't rate them but I've used the same pair for 95% of my winter riding for a good 5-6 years and they're still going strong. I have separate silk liners for when it gets proper cold.

Just got a Uniqlo vest. Good for the money and packs v small but, as said above, it's nothing like my Mountain Equipment expedition jacket, which is super-warm.

Uniqlo down vest arrived today. It packs down smaller than a tennis ball but seems fairly warm. Looking forward to giving it a proper test

Johnnystorm +1

I had an Exotic carbon fork on my 26in Inbred and loved it. I'd happily buy another but I went for a steel Singular Swift fork on my 29in Inbred and that's also very good. It's a bit heavier but on balance I think I prefer the feel of it to the Exotic, which had a definite twang to it over bigger ro...

Like it.

Interesting. So is it worth making a proper groundsheet? Is there any real advantage over the cheap, disposable options?

I tend to use nothing in warm dry weather and have managed with a space blanket in winter. I'm considering making a bathtub groundsheet like this http://www.backpacking-lite.co.uk/diy/make-an-ultralight-tent-bathtub-floor.html - probably out of silnylon. So what do you use? Does a bathtub make a big...

That Pinnacle looks pretty damn good for the cash. I've been pondering building up an Alfine rear wheel for my Inbred SS for longer, hillier trips but it wouldn't cost that much more to just buy one of these. Hmmm...

Great - that's what I was hoping. Thanks for the reassurance

Great PSAs - thanks v much! Just ordered a Uniqlo down vest and a Eurohike down sleeping bag.

Anyone used the Eurohike bag? I'm sure it's not as good as they make out but for £40 I reckoned I couldn't go wrong.

I use Viewranger on an iPhone and I'd recommend it. That said, I don't use it as my sole means of nav, more to check where I am if I'm not sure. I got a huge bundle of OS maps in with the £15 download fee.