Snapped this just before descending Devil's Staircase on the West Highland Way. Was buzzing from an absolutely vaguely exciting ride, and the fact that on this day, like the 3 days before it, I seemed to be permanently riding towards blue skies, as clouds and rain filled in behind me. Literally neve...

That's interesting - I have been considering Gore Shakedry myself, so interesting you find it really sweaty.... One thing I would say is that I find the light weight pump liner seems to breath slightly less well than the heavier weight version. Nothing scientific - could just be related to ambient t...

They all have some version of the pump liner. The Third Element (which I have) has the original "heavyweight" or "standard" (depending on how you look at it) pump liner. I *think* the Velez has that liner too, but the Velez light has their lightweight pumpliner (same as the Quito...

I can't comment on the Velez specifically, however I find Paramo tend to be relatively boxy in thte torso but slightly shorter in the body and arms than companies like Rab / ME / Haglofs. The only exception I have found to that is the Ciclo, which is actually quite trim and relatively long in the ar...

Interesting regarding lights - thanks. I hadn't realised that the Exposure lights were USB rechargable. Mine have always been a battery pack that you charge from the mains

Random question that has kept bugging me; not that many of the riders are using dynamos... how do they keep their lights running when they aren't stopping all that often to charge? Most lights I have ever used only last 3hrs or so, then require a lot of energy and a 3-pin to get back up to capacity ...

Excellent, that makes a lot of sense. I'll stich something together myself then based off the GNT.

Agree about parts always being less good... Just was concerned about some stuff I had read!

Thanks all

I'm thinking of doing the GNT, starting in Glossop (Manchester) and heading to Edinburgh (then another trip to do the north half), as from looking at sat images, the bit south of Castleton doesn't look that interesting to me (I prefer fells and remote land rather than fields). People seem to rate th...

Good spot on that Polish site! Looks like they are charging VAT when you go to the checkout, so guess they have registered? For others interest, I received and fitted the Vittoria Bombolini that I ordered to my rear wheel. It seems pretty good. A bit narrower than a Chronicle (by about 8mm width), b...

htrider wrote: ↑Fri Apr 09, 2021 12:57 pm The links in my post above are showing availability of both XR2's and 4's in 29x3 - get them while they are going!

The XR2's don't seem to show up for me :(.

That news about July sounds promising though :D. Will have to keep a close eye on the stock!

Escape Goat wrote: ↑Thu Apr 08, 2021 10:07 pm I rode with the Chronicles then went to the Teravails, was a bit worried about them to start off with, but they're great tyres to be fair. Worked fantastic on a week and a half long trip!

OK thanks. Might try some of those if I don't get along with the Bombolini!

lune ranger wrote: ↑Thu Apr 08, 2021 9:52 pm Argh!
They had XR2’s last night. Now only XR4 and SE4....
It’s like lock down bog roll all over again!

Agree regarding 2.6 not being a patch on 3.0. I have 2.6 tyres on i30 rims as an option for my bike too, and I feel its the worst of both worlds really; it's quite slow rolling like 3.0 (compared to 2.2/2.4), but doesn't monster truck anything like 3.0. Trek Uk have XR2, XR4 and SE4 tyres available,...

Is it just me, or are there suddenly no 29+ Tyres available? I liked chronicles, but they were discontinued. Just had to buy another tyre, and literally the only vaguely sensible looking option was a Vittoria Bombolini (no, I hadn't heard of it either). XR2s, Rangers, etc all seem to have gone out o...

On the subject of hip packs, do people have issues hurting themselves landing on them? I have an Evoc pack that I use for running, but occasionally if I slip over and land on it, it really hurts. I figure if you land from stacking it, it could really hurt your back / bend your spine in a bad way?

Yeah, huge difference in price with the import etc. If you have any inclination to WW use, then definitely get one with good thigh braces. A packraft obviously behaves hugely differently to a kayak, but you can throw it around a lot with the thigh braces tight. I've surfed mine on one of the Thames ...

I've got an Alpacka Wolverine and an MRS Barracuda (2 person). Its worth pointing out that the Alpacka is way higher quality. Everything from the lack of a chemical smell to how the seat and backband is thought out. Being a whitewater kayaker, maybe I am more discerning than most, but I personally f...

I don't know if it applies to other Petzl headtorches, but I find that the Petzl Reactik, although bright enough causes a weird flickering on your breath. My suspicion is that a bit like "Pulse Width Modulation" on laptop monitors, the way they vary the brightness is to turn the led on and...

Thanks - found reading this thoroughly interesting! Particularly intrigued about Primaloft. I've always seen that as "static insulation," so interesting that people find it works on bikes. Don't your arms get cold just wearing an insulated gilet with a LS baselayer? That point about keepin...

Just interested in other's approaches to keeping your upper body comfortable while riding (both day rides and bikepacking) in winter. I find whatever I do, I end up hot and sweating on the climbs, but then freeze on the downs, or worse if I stop. It certainly saps the fun! I wouldn't say I sweat mor...

Vivobarefoot Ultra Eva shoes with the inner taken out are stupid light (way lighter than crocs even) and roll up small (although I reckon if you do this too much, they might eventually break). If its a bit cold, I wear some SealSkins under them. Works well, and been used on my biking and hiking trip...

Escape Goat wrote: ↑Sat Jun 13, 2020 5:12 pm

Chrisps wrote: ↑Sat Jun 13, 2020 4:43 pm 2.8 would probably go on an i30 rim, but I realised 2.8 isn't really a size made for 29ers any more

Worth noting the Teravail Corondo 29 x 2.8

Yeah, I was wondering about that. They seem quite expensive compared to say an XR2 though

ssnowman wrote: ↑Sat Jun 13, 2020 5:29 pm For 29", what width rims and tyres are people running?

I didn't buy mine with 29" in mind, but I am tempted.

Hope Tech XC, i19 I think and Halo Vapor i30 depending on tyre size

That's an ace picture. I like that! How easy do you think it would be to get the pivot to no longer be split? Kona make very good bikes don't they. Always liked em. Yeah, I have a soft spot for Kona. They are really good in my opinion. I've got an old 26er Kona Cadabra frame in the garage which use...

29 x 2.6 will fit and not be bothered by the worst of mud. 2.8 would probably go on an i30 rim, but I realised 2.8 isn't really a size made for 29ers any more

Just been out for a spin down the local downhill courses on mine with it in summer XC mode. Good fun