26/46 on the fatty here as well though TBH fatties are a bit different and their traction/stiction create their own effects. At the top end the angular momentum of the tyres lets you keep a higher speed than you'd otherwise imagine.

I'd say 2kg would be around the maximum for a bar mounted bag but everyone's different, some might baulk at 1kg up front. If you are happy with it and it doesn't affect *your* handling/enjoyment then I wouldn't worry about it.

godivatrailrider wrote: ↑Thu Feb 08, 2024 10:43 am
And 30/11 is acceptable for the flatter/slightly downhill sections still?

Yes. By the time I'm spinning out I'm going fast enough that it's not a problem. It doesn't happen that often anyway, makes more sense to have something usable at the lower end.

My lowest gear is 30/50 so 1.66 ratio.

I could go lower but I find I need a bit of resistance especially if the ground is rough and sometimes will actually be in a higher gear to give me momentum through rougher sections.

Everyone is different though and a lot depends on what you are used to.

A couple of red kites whilst walling over at my brother's. Not seen them in the Lakes before.

Apparently the curlews are back from the coast already. Not heard any yet but if they are here then it won't be too long.

It was last a working farm forty or fifty years ago. By 2000, possibly earlier, it was derelict and was renovated in 2006. The walls of the in-bye fields are in a very poor state indicating a long time since they were worked. These would be the most likely to be kept in good condition. I Need to do ...

Phil, you could glue reinforcing patches onto it. Just need to determine if it's silnylon or silpoly. It's what I've done when I've made tarps but the tension is more across the material than at right angles to it though I have done ridgeline tie-outs that have held. Glue the patch (I used Sil-net o...

Back to the etymology :grin: I use "bivy" as a noun (contraction of bivouac) and "bivvy" as a verb. The doubling of a final single consonant when going from noun to verb is pretty common in English: trap -> trapping; etc. Anyway... I use a lightweight Borah Gear bivy, 170g, along...

Also, what do you wear to sleep in? That's a very valid point: I'm guilty of going au naturel too often, and really ought to remember to make use of my old-school Helly Henson LIFA long johns and top. Remember that bag ratings are for the user wearing a lightweight base layer so you'll feel colder ...

Thanks both for that We could handle a short push ok We may even do kershopehead bothy and visit the downed Halifax which is nearby on glenghu hill but again is meant to be hard to access There is a visible path from the forestry road to the bothy, it's just easier to push than to ride so we're not...

As Phil says, easy apart from the last couple of hundred metres which is a bit of a push. We visited it in 2018, trip report here - https://bearbonesbikepacking.co.uk/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?p=169555#p169555 . I'd imagine the saplings around the place have grown a little in the intervening six years. T...

I headed up into the Dales to fill in some VeloViewer squares - any human powered activity can contribute and some of my missing squares are all but impossible to get to by bike. I'd a big block of seven contiguous squares at the head of Littondale. I parked at Halton Gill at the top end of Littonda...

Some Winter Event goodies because we weren't able to get down to Llanbrynmair that weekend.

It's probably the perceived "faff factor" and tarps don't really fit in with the hipster/gravel scene as promoted by the bike industry, plus of course being able to sell a £400 tent rather than a £50 tarp might be a factor. Pretty much our first bikepacking trip was on a really wet and win...

Might be worth questioning the IP rating? Really not my forte in that side of things Although I am a user of exposure, it does put me off a brand that has ‘excellent customer service’ and is well known for it too. If the product is good, then how do people know this? Generally companies with a repu...

Nice one Sean. I did consider heading out for a hammock bivy the last couple of nights (well Tuesday and Wednesday) but the temps round here were well below what I've got hammocking kit for, I've only one UQ which is rated to -4C, I've been OK at -1C but haven't been lower than that. The stacking fo...

On the two Rovaniemi trips I used a pair of Scarpa ice climbing boots that I already had (couldn't get, or justify, a pair of 45nrth Wolvhammers). i think they are an earlier version of these https://www.scarpa.co.uk/mountain-boots/phantom-tech-hd/ (I paid nowhere near that price BTW) The boots have...

Caol Isla and Ledaig have been our standard go to malts. Pretty much opposite ends of the spectrum! Cath did buy me a bottle of Kelpie - one of the annual specials from the Ardbeg distillery - sadly we've now finished it.

One that I've had recommended to me is Dalwhinnie.

https://www.bearbonesbikepacking.co.uk/product/ultralight-22g-meths-stove/ This one? Does the mug/pot just sit on top? I've got a windshield. Yes. The flames come out of the side so you won’t extinguish them. See earlier in the thread for more details. The 22g stove suits something similar to the w...

Bearbonesnorm wrote: ↑Mon Jan 08, 2024 8:28 pm This Bob? https://send.royalmail.com/

That looks the ticket, ta. That site never appeared in the results of my searches.

These days no manufacturer can afford to make a truly "bad" vehicle. You might get a lemon but it's unlikely. The local post office use Peugeot Partner vans (basically the same vehicle as the Citroen Berlingo and the Vauxhall Combo) so presumably they are reasonably reliable. We are on our...

Could it not just be done on-line Bob? Person in France buys postage for UK to France on-line, prints label and attaches it to envelope or whatever. Packages envelope and posts that from France to the UK. You put 500g of crack into envelope and drop it off at the post office. Sorry if I misundersta...

A bit of an odd one and my google-fu seems to be lacking... Is it possible for someone living outside the UK to purchase stamps that can be used here to send an item back to them? Specifically the return envelope should arrive here with the postage already affixed so no "here's €2 for postage&q...

Sad news. About 20 years ago I had an EVO4 hardtail, a nice responsive bike.

Doesn't appear to be an isolated case - https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-n ... e-67902540 - job losses at Raleigh.

Looking at the specs for the Jungle Bag it's rated at 7C comfort/ 2C limit. That's slightly better than a quilt like the Cumulus 150 (9C/4C) which I find is fine for UK summer usage but it's two and a half times the weight. (The next heavier Cumulus quilt, the 250, is rated at 4C/0C and is still onl...