- this is what I want in the morning : )



Beats my breakfast of warmed-up cereal bars last week. And any meals I've eaten since Christmas in fact...

(pic via random tumblr image site)

http://vimeo.com/43613878I saw this on MTBR - a relaxing bikepacker film. I imagine it's hard to convey the solo trip on film but I thought it worked well. I liked the occasional narrative.

That is excellent ) I like the idea of using a bladder in my frame bag, but creating space as I drink seems to be the issue - I like a tight-pack and rattles drive me nuts on the downhills, so seperating the two like that is a great idea. Stable in use? Edit/ Reminds me, I have this from my alpine b...

My reduced and fine-tuned garage now has 5 regularly used bikes. Jones steel + truss - bikepacker and travelling bike - road, off road, geared, ss. Jones Ti spaceframe - SS 98% of it's time, local singletrack enhancer, bought as a treat to myself as well as being a bike design geek / fan. 953 road b...

That looks fantastic.. are all the pics from one trip? There's a great mix of terrain. We all seem to daydream about the usual Alpine destinations but the Tatras have always interested me.

Depends - what are the other 4 or 5? (and how many coffees have you had now?!)

A rigid fargo is a great do-all dirt tourer and bike-packer.. maybe we all 'need' something like that in steel.

Amazing... ! A few yrs ago I had 14 bikes in varying stages of use / completeness in my garage, plus a load of frames and forks etc. It got silly.. Down to a handful now. Never thought people had a complete tent-village at home.. I have a Rab bivi, 2 MYOG (not by me) tarps, a minimal one (150g) and ...

Decided to get in a school-night Chilterns trip for Jan since the weather looked rubbish over the weekend. Out just after 5pm, rode out for 6hrs and got a load of fun cheeky trails in, noodles followed by Talisker for dinner, 4hrs sleep-doze and then the 'sht, late again' route home. Got back just a...

Actually, I'd go for Flows, or wider. They are heavier, but on a rigid bike efficiency and overall weight is good as it is. What you may come to love (I have) is the bigger rims and tyre's float at lower pressures - a real bonus when you're tired or slogging over rough ground when loaded up, more so...

On my GPS I have the display set to riding time (i.e. time actually moving), and total time (i.e. since the ride started). The game is to keep both as close to each other as possible Good point.. minimising faff time is worth many hours of hill training ) I've been reading up on all this again rece...

Quality ) I'm in, minimum one overnighter a month. Last year I think I managed 22 between April and Sept but 2 holiday trips helped the total along.

Karrimor light down gilet, £18 inc P+P? http://www.fieldandtrek.com/karrimor-li ... merreviews Arrived today. Bargain.. Size M suits me at 6ft/11.5-12st, nicely snug fit, not gappy at arm or waist hems and reasonable length. No tug adjusters tho. Thin, low fill power down but feels warm enough as a...

Karrimor light down gilet, £18 inc P+P?

http://www.fieldandtrek.com/karrimor-li ... merreviews

Dunno if it's any good but at £18 I've ordered one, will report back

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8178/7992545648_f146154d4e.jpg DSCN9122 by james-o , on Flickr 6-7lbs on a 23-24lb bike for a September 'probably the last bivi of the year' ride. 5lbs could be done in summer but I'm in favour of taking an extra pound or 2 of added comforts / faff-reducers! Generally ...

Slugwash - It's easy, no family holiday commitments here ) And fly-fishing bivi-biking .. brilliant idea. I bought a little telescopic rod from poundland a while back and just need destination ideas. Gari - the camino was good, but it's a walker's path so be prepared to use a bell and put up with gr...

My only experience with sliding dropouts was a friends bike where the sliders distorted under the heavy loads halfway through a long ride, almost ending his trip. Higher braking and impact forces (180mm rotors and loaded bikes plus a strong rider) don't mix well with many swinger - slider designs, t...

Looking back on 2012, it was one of my best years for riding. Bikepacking really clicked for me after recent years' road tours or the usual Alpine MTB holidays, climbing/hiking trips and finding my perfect all-round ride. Here's some pics that sum up the year, ones that I'm enjoying looking at on we...

First post on here I think..long overdue ) http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8296/8019134720_b40150aac2.jpg Pushing just below the col Anterne on the GR5 in the early morning, after a wrong turn meant carrying and pushing most of the afternoon and evening the day before from 500m upto 2400m. To add to t...