Bearbonesnorm wrote: ↑Tue Apr 16, 2024 7:19 pm Most source rivers are currently at normal levels - they do rise quickly but obviously fall quickly too.

JohnClimber wrote: ↑Tue Apr 16, 2024 8:19 pm Kiss of death post......

I’ll pack waders and a snorkel so! Thanks lads.

So this year I'm hoping to ride my own (heavily 2015 BB200 inspired) route. I might need a sanity check on a couple of decisions though, given I'm mostly in unfamiliar country. Did the 2015 BB200 have a river crossing of River Vyrnwy after 138km (NE of Dolanog)?? Given the fact that it hasn't stoppe...

I think the only thing that should be pointed out, is Reg's penchant for cycling during extreme precipitation... Do we know if Karl has also angered the rain Gods in some way...? Well if he has, it's only since last year! The 2023 LHC group only had to deal with wet conditions on the Sunday morning.

I though the Apidura frame bag bladder looked a bit spendy, so I use a regular platypus bladder in my frame bag, and supplement it with a couple of runners’ squishy bottles in a running vest (I find it easier to drink from, and easier to track how much I’m drinking).

It was not a pleasant experience but when I got over the initial shock, ... A CT scan a couple of days later confirmed whiplash injuries but fortunately ruled out any serious structural damage or internal bleeding. Yikes, glad to hear you escaped serious injury. I know that climb up to the Shay Ell...

So has anyone studied what looks like an inverse correlation between the time remaining in the month to get in a bivvy, and the likelihood of it being raining? Back out next week for a decent three day spin and two consecutive nights out (April weather should be glorious as a consequence!) I put th...

So has anyone studied what looks like an inverse correlation between the time remaining in the month to get in a bivvy, and the likelihood of it being raining? I ticked off March last night, with a quick and local outing, back to the comfort and shelter of some old stones walls and the remains a fam...

A Pork pie on the other hand! (And with an apple and a lump of cheese makes a meal fit for any royalty you care to mention) There are insufficient words of praise for the role of the humble pork pie in bikepacking. The memories of the one (or two) I got from a little shop in Castleton, well, I have...

Boab wrote: ↑Thu Feb 29, 2024 1:18 pm a gold eye mask with absolute bliss written on it is a bit much

The power of positive thinking no doubt!

A bit more planning than usual went into my BaM this month. The missus had treated me to a weekend in Derry, so I took that as an excuse to bring the bike and make my own way home. I've not explored my of counties Donegal or Tyrone before, so I spend a few hours sticking together a route based loose...

I was looking at a Pinion c12 which I believe has very low gearing for this very reason. The C1.12 ratios run from 0.3-1.82, so when you factor in sprockets of 32 (front), 34 (back), you're down to 1.93, which I think is marginally better than a 28/52. So yes, you can spin up most things! I did pur...

https://i.imgur.com/YHfbwEZ.jpg After missing a few months last year I was determined to get back into the swing of things in 2024. Despite the national forestry company cutting down swathes of the woods where I like to bivvy this time of year, and the sort of January weather that doesn't make it t...

My 2c fwiw, is that it's good to have options. I'm hoping to have a crack at the Tour Divide next year, and decided against a coach, but did decide that Kurt Refsnider's 6-month plan book was worth the price and am finding the structured training plan a useful aid. I'm sure others with more ambitiou...

Right, I have totally neglected BaM updates for some time, and while I'm out of the running for a badge this year, I figure I'd add a quick update for the sake of completeness (or should that be incompleteness??) June 30th: I rode in the WalesDuro this summer with a friend. On the Friday morning I t...

I'm riding a Travers Ti Pinion bike for the last two years. No issues with the Gates belt, though I heard from at least two people at the WRT this year who've broken belts, and I've since started to carry a spare on longer rides. I have worn the front sprocket considerably, but I suspect that's coz ...

Perhaps also worth pointing out another facet of my situation. I suffer from chronic eczema. So while this particular "princess" is well used to climbing into damp clothing, after a couple of days my skin really starts to object! I suppose I'll just have to layer on the ointments a bit mor...

Just back from a 3 day trip and wanted to get advice from the forum. How do others stay dry (or even dry-ish) when bike packing in wet conditions?? My first night's camping on this trip had a heavy dew in the morning so the cycling kit, a bit damp from the previous day's exertions, stayed damp, and ...

Has anyone seen the new Smartshift (electroncic) shifting system by Pinion: It looks fantastic, two of my main issues were having to stop pedelling to shift, and the grip shift. It sounds pretty neat. Other nice features include an autoshift to a user preset gear when you come to a stop. I’ve not s...

dlovett wrote: ↑Wed Sep 13, 2023 9:21 pm Have a look at my spot v inreach post a few weeks ago it tell you how prote works

Already did (and thanks for the writeup, I reckon that's going to save me some $ in the long run). Anyway, all set up, and going to play around with it this weekend to make sure I understand how everything works.

I usually stuff a 2l or 3l platypus into my frame bag and run the hose out to my bars. However as I often find I don't drink enough/find it hard to monitor how much I have drunk, I'm wondering about wearing a running vest and stuffing a couple of squishy bottles into the pockets and then topping the...

Hey all, I just bough an InReach Messenger in prep for some longer rides (and providing the missus with some peace of mind!). I'm now trying to figure out the activation steps. Looking at the Protegear plans they seem better suited to my needs that the Garmin ones. However, I haven't figured out how...

I’ve been very happy with the frame bag I got made by https://www.meritgear.eu/

It is made to measure, and they added a rear port so I could run the dynamic cables bag to a rear light.

great to see the Mournes there @gonecaving -- the granite up there seems to weather into pretty coarse rounded chunks and it's put me off trying to take the bike much beyond the likes of the trails around Tollymore! Yep, there was a lot of pushing! Some folk can clearly ride it, but not me with a l...

In early June I ran the Mourne Way trail half marathon. It starts from a carpark near the Spelga dam, and just across the road was a rather enticing path up into the Mournes proper. Wondering if it could be cycled, and having said for a while that I should do a bivvy trip in the Mournes, I decided t...

Verena wrote: ↑Tue May 16, 2023 12:40 pm I’m offering this post as a bit of therapy for those of you who are already missing WRT

Aww that looks smashing V! I’m totally missing the WRT and Karl’s LHC ride. First week of my ridiculously early retirement and the solo rides this week while nice are all on road and just not the same.