My grandads touring/commuting bike. It’s 10 years older than me and fits the all road niche so well. Descending rough stuff is out of its capabilities, but I do it at a snails pace with a smiley face.

I feel this is onto something but has missed out some critically important parts. Sharing works if you care about the community you are sharing with. Obviously you couldn’t do it just with your mates, as you’d all want the shared sleeping bag for your trip away at the same time, but some connection ...

With increased frequency friends, and occasionally strangers on the internet, have told me that I should write a book. I like riding, writing, and the vague image of inspiring people I am connected to, but feel all of these needs are properly met without “going pro”. From your experience, would you ...

I am ridiculously positive, and both of those words are important here, but the weather is just another part of the environment. I love the woods but not all the time, the flat is sometimes wonderful, but being an active part of the changing landscape is truly incredible. Oversimplifying weather to ...

I mean it’s pulling a sickie as much as any other sickie, even if this sickie has media hype.

I could handle the pain and general illness much more than having to be in isolation for two weeks. Would be so rubbish. I really don’t want to do that.

The orange and the blue levels of os map for my “back yard” as it often feel I try to escape with my bike trips but actually live in an area of outstanding natural beauty that I know mere ribbons and bulges of.

My next trip I want to go depth rather than breadth.

Walking to Listen by Andrew Forsthoefel. Really liking his angle on adventures but, as with any reading I do, spend most of my time with the book in front of me daydreaming about something triggered by the words. It takes an author who thinks fantastically like me for me to read at any pace.

Ah sorry North Face, gloves, and campy levers gone.

Lets say tenner larger items, fiver smaller items. Cost is per delivery as that's what I am trying to avoid. Working on the pictures but will likely be group pics as so many items. would you hang on to them if I swapped for a beer or 2 next time I'm over that way? Sure thing. From 19th March I will ...

K1100T wrote: ↑Tue Mar 03, 2020 6:52 am How packable is the jacket...?

It packs into its own pocket, but this is a specially large pocket. Roughly double my down jacket something like 20x20x5 will measure and photograph this evening.

Call it a tenner posted?

I back bikes for transport and am having a clearout of all those bits you keep just in case but haven’t seen the light of day in over a year now. I live in Chalford which is in the Cotswolds. All functional condition so I can’t chuck them. Will add a few quid premium to post because I don’t want to....

Whereabouts are you for collection/inspection? I’m in the Cotswolds but am reasonably mobile at weekends. Been longing for a trailer for ages now and do love fixing bits up

Wow. I'm slightly overwhelmed!

benconnolli wrote: ↑Fri Feb 21, 2020 7:50 pm ...scary things are sometimes necessary, and they are rarely as scary as being scared of them was.

I didn't really believe myself when I said this, but had made up my mind, it holds true in buckets and barrels

I would define a good bivi as getting away from "it all" and taking advantage of the freedom to sleep wherever I please. The more "it all" I have on in a hectic life, the more anything out of the door satisfies me. I remember after working a 50 hour week in London, returning to W...

I don't include compulsory off-road in my definition of bikepacking so a stiff road bike might still make the cut off. I agree that backpacking can be road as well, it is mainly that I see my road bike as inappropriate because it is uncomfortable for long periods of time and I would not want to ris...

Much love for this family. BTW, personally, I don't give a damn about anyone's sexuality or how they identify; that does not mean that they cannot express themselves though, especially if it puts them in a better place mentally. It's not that I don't care, just that it's really none of my business u...

Riding the winds of change. The climate is changing at an alarming rate. Extreme weather is less rare. We should be doing everything in our power to slow this change, but we are not. Seeing as this is the bed we have made for ourselves, we are going to have to sleep in it. That is exactly what I dec...

I have a stiff road bike that is fantastic for a couple of hours, then extremely uncomfortable as I found out when some enthusiastic guys in a pub accidentally convinced me to extend a quick evening loop into a through the night epic. It also has immaculate paint that I am ashamed to say on here tha...

Might have been up there, definitely wasn't down here. I'll vouch for that. To be fair yeah it was right and proper between Newtown and Mach, so your neck of the woods. Presumed that was just a passing strop among the drizzle. Can I ask if you rode it as a BP trip or in one go? Sort of both. I took...

I rode to Anglesey and honestly Denis is much more of a dribble than deluge, just constant drizzle, none of that proper bouncy rain. The wind was the power play. The reason for my destination was it was as North Wales as I could get so I had plenty of tailwind to play with. Will write up tomorrow in...

So my fortunes were with getting a train, but I still got a taste of the storm riding back from the station. It felt like I was riding on a treadmill. At a point I did a gust powered two wheel skid into the middle of the road, then had a branch the width of my bars fall two seconds ahead of me. Love...

I’m currently in Sheffield and complete train cancellation is looking distinctly possible. Hell of a headwind, no tools or waterproof, on a lock anywhere tourer.

There is a hint of one at 8:55 and in my twisted mischief this feels like a win win situation.

As a relative young person I can confirm that “respect” has been relegated to older folk impersonating yoof speak. I rate that is probably the current champ

Hate to break it to you... but my eagle eyes have spotted that the bag your uberlight harness was attempting to harness has escaped

Good brainwaving nonetheless

I am seriously literal like that. Words mean words to me or, more specifically, computer generated symbols mean words to me, a wry smile goes a long way in mockery or mischief and real life is less lost.