Good that you mention Salomon. I had years of trying and wearing ill-fitting hiking boots, developing blisters and other foot problems. I eventually got around to some Salomons and they fitted me really well (using a slightly different last to most others). As a result, almost all my walking/leisure...

Alloy bolts? A step too far IMO. I hope you don't pay for it later.

If it's for Jones Loops just use the cheapest you can find. It's not like you will be using it much. Other than that, Lizard Skins DSP sets the Gold Standard others are judged against. It feels grippy even when wet meaning you don't have to grip the bars so tightly and even comes with functioning fi...

Bearbonesnorm wrote:If you need to up the stakes, you can do so by whooping loudly at the bottom of each descent and waving your hand in the air in the hope that someone equally affected will do the same and your hands might touch.

Get with the times Grandad. It's all about the fist bumps now.

That Colin chap you met sounds like a right shady character. I wouldn't trust anything he told you about the conditions...

I reckon there's a good market for this sort of event - at that sort of price. I won't be doing this one (I'll be on the Outer Hebrides) but I'd certainly be interested in more of the same.

It's true that gravel/adventure bikes are now beginning to fill that requirement but I can easily think of routes where they would be overwhelmed on the off-road sections (at my ability level) anyway).

Tri-bars have a place on routes with lengthy road transitions. I reckon they're worth a gear or more, particularly into any headwind. There are certainly routes in N Scotland where they work well. I do like my Jones Loops for bikepacking and on the fatbike. Wider helps. The advantage on the fatbike ...

Looks very neat.

As above - the 220-age thing is basically bollocks. I'm 60 so would top out at 160bpm. I can comfortably exceed that for long periods with no duress.

TheBrownDog wrote: What do you do when you feel like reaching for a packet of crisps?

Think of Friday morning

However I'm guessing that any rack you have will not be suitable for a fatbike. I don't have a rack Colin, I have a bag to fit one. Ah. Otherwise known as a "bag" :lol: TBF I have an Ortlieb Rack Pack that neatly clicks on to a not-so-neat base. Barely used. This might be a good time to f...

I use a rack on my fatbike - for bikepacking. That's because it's mainly used in winter and I appreciate the added flexibility of being able to carry a bigger sleeping bag.

However I'm guessing that any rack you have will not be suitable for a fatbike.

01/01 172.2 / 78.1
04/01 170.2 / 77.2
11/01 168.1 / 76.2
18/01 167.0 / 75.75
25/01 166.2 / 75.39
01/02 165.2 / 74.93
08/02 165.2 / 74.93
15/02 165.8 / 75.20
22/02 162.6 / 73.75
28/02 162.0 / 73.48
08/03 162.2 / 73.57
15/03 162.0 / 73.48
22/03 162.6 / 73.75

Basic choice (and one which is being argued over here) - intervene by removing non-native species and leave nature to take its course, or give nature a hand by positive rewilding. I suspect we will end up with a bit of a mix by letting plants re-establish themselves before re-introducing higher leve...

Oh no the tarp tifiso have taken over, at the risk of being stoned as a heretic I’m yet to be convinced by tarps. Yeah, sorry. However, once you start looking at single-skin tents the line gets very blurred, especially once you start considering inner nets etc. As for faff, if you are always using ...

I've used a wheel at both ends but a wheel at one end and pole at the other gives quite a bit more headroom (depending on length of pole of course). If it's windy and/or it's a larger tarp then you might want a lifter/tensioner half-way along the tarp too, but bike handlebars work well for that. I r...

If you are bikepacking, use the bike as support and leave the poles at home.

FWIW I use Specialized 3" tubes in my 4" tyred fatbike and have been doing so for the past 7-8 years. As for Tubolitos, I carry one or two as a spare on my Plus setup which is run tubeless. I also have a couple of Tenacious patches which should handle any subsequent problems with the Tubol...

I eventually replaced the Kinesis forks on mine. The looks of them always bothered me. I bought some Van Nicholas Carbon Touring forks instead. Looks much better

20180611_120326 by Colin Cadden, on Flickr

A quick google at Horizons suggests £36 ea, so how about £60 the pair (posted)?

Van Nicholases.

I have a pair of WTB Horizons I bought in error and didn't get around to returning. Never fitted. Any interest, or are you after something more off-road capable?

Yeah. Still loving my Amazon. Currently considering a hydro/11 speed upgrade for it.

Two small pieces of plastic pipe of 25mm internal diameter. Feed the straps through in both directions so that you form a figure of eight with your bag as one loop and your bars as the other and the pipe as the crossover point.