First decent ride of the year. Decided to ride from Newbury to meet the family at Mottisfont. A nice 35 mile ride of mainly valley riding. Lots of beautiful chalk streams (mainly the Test) and snow drops.

Ooh, I can hear some teeth-sucking on the compliance and ethics committee (think the Verderer's court for ditch sleeping https://www.verderers.org.uk/verderers-court/)

I'm a bit fussy so I like to hose down the bike and wipe the chain as a minimum - just a quickly...

Can't remember if it's SIlt or Hunt, but one of them has a freehub body with an anti- cassette bite thing. That's worthwhile as all these generic hubs have alloy freehubs to get a good headline weight. I've got a couple of sets of novatech hubs and they're fine, but they all succumb to cassette bite...

I think this is intended as the budget version, so won't really be troubling the Mason or Fairlight. More like a Kona Unit. Think it'll do well but it'll be hefty with those dropouts and all the mounts, not that it'll matter too much... certainly looks good

I'm guilty of reading multiple books at once, so as well as the others mentioned, i've just started reading Alisdair Gray's 'Poor Things', based on reading a bit about the film release. So far it's a really interesting take/homage to the Frankenstein theme. It's also got an interesting structure in ...

Don’t think trees come quite under wildlife but ventured out today to see an old tree… Question is (I’m either being daft or over thinking it) does it mean the tree is 3500 years old or I’m reading it as it’s a cut off from an older tree, planted there and taken well Think it's just that someone to...

I also went to a Bristol one quite a few years ago and it was great. Really interesting and picked up some good freebie stickers too

Worth noting that in summer the cycling ban is from 10-am each morning, so if you get your timing right you can still use it. But in summer it will still be busy from fairly early with dog walkers, people setting up camp in beach huts, and various vehicles cleaning up the seafront, lifeguards, land ...

New bike now built. New chainset did improve chainline. XL Titus el Viajero, meant as my XC-biased ATB. Weighs 25.4lbs as is, which i'm happy with as it's mostly a swap for what was on the Unit and it's not a weight-weenie. Not had a proper test ride yet. But it'll be versatile and I can use the 120...

Aside from the joys of canvas (or very thin plastic as it now is), I like the thought of basic 'found' shelter that meets all your needs. Impromptu stuff abounds in the UK with barns and derelict buildings etc. But nothing beats the Scandi system of wilderness shelters in the woods. Like a basic Fin...

Lots of stuff. Sold the Unit frameset, transferred most bits to the new Ti frame. As ever, always some additional faff, and in this case the cable routing meant none of the cables or hoses was long enough to the rear. Also, my cherished old M660 SLX chainset had very tight clearance for the chainrin...

Have you thought about a dual mount which holds wahoo and light on one bracket, with the light underneath inverted? Have too but then it'd be in the way of the front harness. Used to have dual mount on the MTB lights light and worked well. Only not with a front harness/bag. Problem with the harness...

Have you thought about a dual mount which holds wahoo and light on one bracket, with the light underneath inverted?

Isn't Chris Townsend a long time tester/writer in TGO magazine? Been pleased to be getting a decent amount of reading done recently. Recently finished and enjoyed: Ridgeline by Micheal Punke. Historical fiction/western about the frontier Fort Phil Kearney in what would become Wyoming. Very good and ...

It does feel like a touch of miscommunication. The wording is about visitor centres at these locations, and how they might be used in future, and not surprisingly all are at risk. But, it's taking a leap to suggest the trail centres themselves would be closed, pretty sure that activity can happen wi...

Dare I say this is clickbait for ye original dirtbaggers and their Masonic tarplore?

I can't comment as I get by with the worst/best of both worlds: the cursed hooped bivvy

Hmm, difficult one. Probably a merino buff. Always pack one no matter what time of year, and useful on and off the bike...pretty much wear one every day in the winter anyway.

Some bargain price (£15) Ti headset spacers from Gone Biking Mad. Not bad for a pack of 3, and there's no logo on them unlike the product photo, which is a bonus!
Also a nos USE Sumo seatpost for £15 from USE's factory outlet, so a decent bargain too, though i'm a bit sceptical of the clamp.

It is a nice route, and the quieter end is Cranborne chase and North Dorset, which is easy to overlook but worthwhile for a bivvy. As Dyffers said, outside of the villages, should be fine to find a spot and it's a cracking area. Aside from Swyre Head, you can get down to Chapman's pool area if you w...

The Jones sounds like such a lovely classic though, and you could make it 2x12 if you wanted mammoth gear range, i guess it wouldn't be plus at the back though? You're then refreshing it with nice wheels and new drivetrain. The Broken Road (pinion or otherwise) is a decent option for sure, and can b...

I lost my 'taste' for whiskey a couple of years ago, and i'm not sure why. I used to enjoy a very small tipple in the evening every now and then, but it got to the point that it just felt like reflux every time so I stopped. I used to like a Penderyn, Doublewood, Monkey Shoulder...single malts but n...

Not that new really, and I personally wouldn't want canti's, but this does look really nice...Cinelli Hobootleg

That Stooge looks really good, and good value too. I think he's going to need a second run of those!

I've got a jungle bag and I used it on a chilly night (about 5'C) wearing merino tip to toe, and it was good. That was inside a hooped bivi. Worth noting that snugpak temp rating are for inside a tent and it seems to be their own rating, not directly comparable to other brands who use the EN standar...