Lovely bikes - the Retrotec 29+ with 15mm axles in particular. So are hub geared belt drives becoming the norm for divide riding and bikepacking then? I aim to move onto hub gearing at some point and have looked at belt drives but there don't seem to be many frames that are suitable for a belt drive...

Mine's done well for 1500+ miles now and I'm good at breaking zips and seams on all kinds of bags ) For £65 they're great VFM.

http://www.evanscycles.com/products/pinnacle/ramin-1-2013-mountain-bike-ec044226 http://www.evanscycles.com/product_image/image/565/48c/166/88702/large/pinnacle-ramin-1-2013-mountain-bike.jpg We just got these in at Evans for £500 RRP if that's who you're buying on CS through, I can vouch for it bu...

Sounds like fun.. But I would be wary of chinese ti companies for a tandem - they make some good enough frames but unless either you or they have a lot of experience in that area, can find the right tubing and communications are very good, it could be an expensive experiement.. Even if it was a stee...

I have H-bars so the brake goes in front of the cross-piece and teh new shimanos have shorter levers - the loops work fine with them apparently. but I like the width of the cross-bar on the H's so would rather change levers. Shame really as they're vaguely exciting brakes, but I'm happy on BB7s and ...

Could be interested in the Rab bag Gari, will PM you.

Unfitted and boxed, fully packaged as new. Warranty replacement set - selling as they didn't really match my H-bars, as much as I'd like them to.
CRC price is £179.99 / RRP £209 per end, selling for £300 F+R posted 1st class + insured.

james.olsen.remote AT hotmail.co.uk

This made me laugh..

•Loops for add-ons (TP, bear bell, shovel, hand sanitizer, etc.)

Bear bell? Well they do Sh1t in the woods too... : ) What to do, wipe and run or ring the bear bell?!

I'd say Adrian's on the right track, rim weight is worth noting but rolling resistance is lower off-road if you can use lower pressures, a bigger footprint from a wider rim means lower pressures can be used. Light rims are great for road bikes and XC racers, for loaded rigid bikes that get ridden by...

A bit of meths on some loo paper goes up easily from a fire-steel spark, I've made a paper wick and sparked that, it warms the meths till it lights fully. Either that or soak a bit of twig in the meths and use a lighter, agreed it does feel better doing it with sparks ) dip my finger in meths, light...

Use the snow to bury one edge of the tarp to seal the lower edge, string the upper by bike /tree and kip downwind of the angled windbreak? Just an idea not advice from practice - I've bivvied in the snow a few times but never needed a tarp, low wind or sheltered spots. Woke up half snowed-under once...

Field n Trek email today - Vivo 'Barefoot' running shoes on offer at £18-22. Maybe a good lightweight evening shoes for tours. http://www.fieldandtrek.com/vivo-evo-ii-nylon-mens-running-shoes-189165?utm_source=FT-Email-130213&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=FT-vivo-barefoot-130213 Extra 10% of...

Hope to see some pics from Tenerife, looks good for exploring.

Tip, if you can't find meths and end up trying naptha in a pop-can stove in a hotel bathroom the night before a trip.. just be careful ) particularly if they have a towel stack above the bath ...

Load of pics on Jones blog about this. Looks useful. My next front wheel will be a 50mm rim, probaly a Knard while I'm at it. I have 35mm rims already but the volume-to-weight seems worth going the whole 29+ hog. No real interest in a heavy full-fat front, would go for a full fat bike if I needed th...

Not much, had a lot of the gear from fumbling-climbing days and had done a few trips before joining - late to the party. But then my Wildcat Tiger arrived today - the best bit of kit in a while. I don't need any new stuff but took a punt on what looked like a better way to pack and I'm impressed wit...

Rigid's great. I'd take the 'fail-proofness' and lack of dive of my rigids over a sus fork for any loaded trip. Bikepacking means you're rarely hitting things as hard and fast anyway. Climbs better. Copes with hard, loaded braking better. Suits any terrain. And the added weight of kit makes sus fork...

Monkey cage looks good.. could be ideal for my under-DT cage mounts. Thanks for the link )

restlessnative wrote:love that Jones Jameso, what's the wee red bag?

Thanks. It's a dinky Profile ~cough~triathlete~cough~ feed bag. £2 in a sale ) I have a large Rev gas tank but don't use it on trips where food is in easy supply / I'm happy stopping often (ie Spain where that pic was. mmm Tortilla..)

Thanks - useful to know. Maybe next year I'll mail you for some tips if that's ok? We rode a route in Spain that wasn't typical MTB-resort trails but it really opened my mind to that kind of tour. Eastern Europe is the next area I'd like to see.

How to get stuff on handlebars securely. - zippy's right, a drybag or even a cut-down rubble sack and 2 webbing pull-straps with lock-buckles? Pull them tight and they should be fairly secure but much depends on your bars and controls positions. Also see here for a simple DIY seat bag on the cheap -...

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8328/8439066726_194b52351a_z.jpg Pretty much settled on this set up, sometimes with a Revelate gas tank or road tyres, or different gearing. Only thing to change is to get a Tiger seat pack, I reckon it'll be quicker, lighter and more adaptable than the usual type of s...

Ok, got it. Initially it doesn't seem to work with an event like that, but taking a different attitude to it appeals.

It's an appealing idea, I was planning a Self-Supported-Solo 24 end of last year but didn't feel up to it after a busy summer and autumn. I posted the plan on STW to see if others had done it / general chat about it and got zero replies ) I can't be arsd with the laps format and crowds of events but...

- 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.