Search found 7834 matches

by whitestone
Fri Mar 15, 2024 4:00 pm
Forum: General banter
Topic: Yay, it's cheery Friday.
Replies: 3932
Views: 464220

Re: Yay, it's cheery Friday.

Given the gales I've swapped dry stone walling for some database normalisation. As you do :roll:
by whitestone
Sun Mar 10, 2024 11:07 am
Forum: General banter
Topic: 1400 metre climb over 100km ??
Replies: 16
Views: 532

Re: 1400 metre climb over 100km ??

Tony, you could do a good loop from close to your door:

Head to Mytholmroyd, up Cragg Vale, down to Rippondon, up Oldham road over the M62 to Denshaw, road back over Buckstones and down to Huddersfield.

Three long steady climbs, the first and last are quite alpine like.
by whitestone
Sat Mar 09, 2024 11:39 am
Forum: Your Trips & Adventures
Topic: Bivvy a Month 2024
Replies: 387
Views: 18406

Re: Bivvy a Month 2024

The number of times I've woken up with a start thinking someone is shinning a torch in my face only to realise the clouds have cleared and it's the moon :lol: Unless you sleep outside you don't realise just how light it is on a full moon, but it needs to be otherwise how would the werewolves see wh...
by whitestone
Mon Mar 04, 2024 6:06 pm
Forum: Anyone playing out?
Topic: North York Moors 300
Replies: 23
Views: 591

Re: North York Moors 300

It's longer than feared https://ridewithgps.com/routes/45752621?fbclid=IwAR3Bcf39yHtaZBWBS4ueBj_q1-NXJR8nW3raXT3eeT17m2JzuintYO5poT8 He's a naughty boy. For those on FB https://www.facebook.com/share/p/ASRKat84arWhpB9C/ Start Skipton, reverse YD300 to Pately Bridge, nip across to Thirsk and ride NY...
by whitestone
Sun Mar 03, 2024 10:09 am
Forum: General banter
Topic: 1400 metre climb over 100km ??
Replies: 16
Views: 532

Re: 1400 metre climb over 100km ??

Tony, 14m per km is pretty flat for the Pennines/Dales. I've a local loop of 30km, half of it's along the canal and that has 490m of climbing (not the canal bit!), here's a Strava link https://www.strava.com/activities/10687539854 . This one is just riding up the valley to Kettlewell and back - http...
by whitestone
Sat Mar 02, 2024 9:22 am
Forum: Anyone playing out?
Topic: North York Moors 300
Replies: 23
Views: 591

Re: North York Moors 300

I had a chat with Stuart a couple of months ago. He said that everyone was so fast last year he was thinking of making things a little more "interesting" to slow people down a bit :wink:
by whitestone
Fri Mar 01, 2024 5:42 pm
Forum: General banter
Topic: Narrow-wide chainrings
Replies: 9
Views: 350

Re: Narrow-wide chainrings

I'm pretty sure that I've not engaged the clutch on my derailleur for several years, the NW works well enough.
by whitestone
Fri Mar 01, 2024 3:25 pm
Forum: General banter
Topic: Proposed Wind Farm near Glaslyn
Replies: 101
Views: 2677

Re: Proposed Wind Farm near Glaslyn

There are various "alternative" battery technologies being developed/in use - gravity and sand are two that spring to mind. Sand batteries basically work by taking the electricity and converting it to heat and heating a big f-off heap of sand to around 600C. We're talking 50 tonnes and upw...
by whitestone
Fri Mar 01, 2024 2:52 pm
Forum: General banter
Topic: Proposed Wind Farm near Glaslyn
Replies: 101
Views: 2677

Re: Proposed Wind Farm near Glaslyn

Living by the sea and witnessing day in day out the power of the tides that are ALWAYS flowing, unlike wind, I find it amazing that we've not properly invested in harnessing this free power that surely could be done in a much less obtrusive manner. There have been long term tests in the Pentland Fi...
by whitestone
Fri Mar 01, 2024 1:57 pm
Forum: General banter
Topic: Narrow-wide chainrings
Replies: 9
Views: 350

Narrow-wide chainrings

This popped up on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nZXzXH4gBfs about the "revolution" that NW chainrings enabled. As he admits, his testing isn't "scientific" and has a small sample size regarding runs, etc., but it's interesting nonetheless. One point he doesn't mention...
by whitestone
Wed Feb 28, 2024 11:06 pm
Forum: General banter
Topic: Proposed Wind Farm near Glaslyn
Replies: 101
Views: 2677

Re: Proposed Wind Farm near Glaslyn

I've seen talk of reinstating the site once the masts/turbines reach the end of their life but as Paul notes, surely once the base infrastructure is in place then the topside stuff can all be replaced/upgraded? There was discussion on Countryfile about wind farms - turns out that so far "they&q...
by whitestone
Wed Feb 28, 2024 10:14 pm
Forum: General banter
Topic: Proposed Wind Farm near Glaslyn
Replies: 101
Views: 2677

Re: Proposed Wind Farm near Glaslyn

However, just where is the energy we all need going to come from if no-one wants the production facilities (of whatever nature) on their doorstep? The community where my sister-in-law and her husband live campaigned against a small (4 masts) wind farm. They then approved a floodlit football pitch! ...
by whitestone
Wed Feb 28, 2024 8:46 pm
Forum: General banter
Topic: Proposed Wind Farm near Glaslyn
Replies: 101
Views: 2677

Re: Proposed Wind Farm near Glaslyn

I have to admit to being somewhat ambivalent, on the fence, about wind farms. On the one hand they certainly aren't aesthetic in any way and by their nature have to be in areas with (reasonably) reliable wind which does mean our more upland areas or a reasonable distance out to sea. However, just wh...
by whitestone
Tue Feb 27, 2024 9:23 pm
Forum: Your Trips & Adventures
Topic: Bivvy a Month 2024
Replies: 387
Views: 18406

Re: Bivvy a Month 2024

My latest Deschutes pitching experiments have led me to do it like the flat tarp in an A config - peg out the two rear corners, in with the pole and peg out the pole guy, peg the rest out - works every time! That's pretty much how I do the Gatewood which is essentially the same design. I've found u...
by whitestone
Tue Feb 27, 2024 2:26 pm
Forum: Your Trips & Adventures
Topic: Bivvy a Month 2024
Replies: 387
Views: 18406

Re: Bivvy a Month 2024

Apparently it was "International thingymijg" or something at the weekend so in a mad moment of joining in we headed south picking up the Pennine Bridleway. If you weren't on rocky tracks then the going was very soft and slow. We were aiming for a bivy spot that Cath had been told about clo...
by whitestone
Sun Feb 25, 2024 5:44 pm
Forum: General banter
Topic: OT: Cheapest way to (entering) a trail half marathon!?
Replies: 26
Views: 751

Re: OT: Cheapest way to (entering) a trail half marathon!?

Have done both half and full Yorkshireman, can't remember the years but should be in the results from about 12yrs ago. Even though it's an FRA event it's closer to trail running terrain. Edit Scratch that! Did the full in 2004 (4:57 finishing time) and the half in 2005 (1:54) and 2006 (2:04) /Edit E...
by whitestone
Fri Feb 23, 2024 1:42 pm
Forum: General banter
Topic: Flttingford bothy
Replies: 16
Views: 596

Re: Flttingford bothy

Depending on how turbid (cloudy/dirty) the water is, then filter to remove the particulates and bigger Protozoa. Then bring to boil. No need to have a rolling boil as is often recommended, you just need to get it above 70C (or thereabouts) to kill off any remaining bacteria and viruses. I did post a...
by whitestone
Thu Feb 22, 2024 11:18 am
Forum: General banter
Topic: An interesting bikerafting route up in the Highlands
Replies: 11
Views: 285

Re: An interesting bikerafting route up in the Highlands

I might be wrong but I struggle to believe folks genuinely think in KM in the UK.... "oh the speed limit on a UK motorway is 112km" it's not, it's 70mph. But like I say I might be wrong. I'm 64 and while, like you, I mix and match much of the time (I'm 1.80m tall with a 42" chest :??...
by whitestone
Thu Feb 22, 2024 11:10 am
Forum: General banter
Topic: An interesting bikerafting route up in the Highlands
Replies: 11
Views: 285

Re: An interesting bikerafting route up in the Highlands

I had noticed the route being posted. A good way to make use of some of those frustrating "tracks" that just stop in the middle of nowhere, most will be stalking paths so just lead to close to the edge of that particular estate - there's two tracks on the north side of Loch Mullardoch for ...
by whitestone
Mon Feb 19, 2024 9:17 pm
Forum: Your Trips & Adventures
Topic: Winter JennRide
Replies: 2
Views: 169

Re: Winter JennRide

A mixture. I just put on the damp leggings but had an Alpkit mid-layer top that I used instead of the thermal top I'd been wearing on Saturday. I'd taken a spare pair of socks but they were almost as wet by the time we got riding.
by whitestone
Mon Feb 19, 2024 12:06 pm
Forum: Your Trips & Adventures
Topic: Winter JennRide
Replies: 2
Views: 169

Winter JennRide

Well that were a ride of two halves John. Saturday was almost a horrid day as you could hope for in February in the Lakes. Perhaps its only redeeming quality was that it wasn't cold, it would have been really serious if it had been. Meanwhile Sunday was just about the exact opposite, more like an Ap...
by whitestone
Mon Feb 19, 2024 11:10 am
Forum: Your Trips & Adventures
Topic: Bivvy a Month 2024
Replies: 387
Views: 18406

Re: Bivvy a Month 2024

When we did/attempted the French Divide we were each given a cycling cap with our name on the underside of the peak. Might be an idea. The BB jerseys (in whatever colour) are quite distinctive so even without names they are something of an ice breaker: "So who are you on the forums then?" ...
by whitestone
Mon Feb 19, 2024 8:39 am
Forum: Your Trips & Adventures
Topic: Bivvy a Month 2024
Replies: 387
Views: 18406

Re: Bivvy a Month 2024

We need BB username badges! I hope I spoke to all of you doing the JennRide—Whitestone, we spoke on Walna Scar Road today—but I wish I'd been able to put names to faces at the time. But where to put them? On the back of the bike/seat pack so that riders know who they are passing/being overtaken by,...
by whitestone
Sun Feb 18, 2024 7:42 pm
Forum: Your Trips & Adventures
Topic: Bivvy a Month 2024
Replies: 387
Views: 18406

Re: Bivvy a Month 2024

Just back from the winter JennRide - 150km of winter wonderfulness :???: Come to the Lakes they said. It'll be picturesque they said... There'll be wonderful views they said... It'll be lovely they said... They lied! Got to the ODG at about 1830 and decided to have tea there. About 2030 we headed ou...
by whitestone
Fri Feb 16, 2024 6:38 pm
Forum: General banter
Topic: Who'd have thunk it, an interesting article on Road.cc?
Replies: 65
Views: 1701

Re: Who'd have thunk it, an interesting article on Road.cc?

Ultimately we all (try to) justify our own actions. Of course that means airlines also try to portray themselves as "green" by saying "flying is only X kg of CO2 per mile" and is thus comparable to, for example, train journeys. This somewhat sidesteps the fact that a typical flig...