In terms of IPA wipes, would some bog roll and a bottle of BrewDog do?

I have a Pipe Dream 600. The old one and it's been pretty good given its tiny pack size compared to my daughters Rab bag of similar warmth and cost.

Anyway. I do find that using a down bag a bivvy bag can reduce the effective insulation by preventing it loft fully.

I have a Rohloff on a Troll. It has been on Thorn Ravens and a Woodrup and is about 10 years old. I don't use it as much now as I'm usually on my Pugsley or Tour de Fer. I like it but I am still not sure that I absolutely love it. Pros: predictable and reliable. Gear changes always smooth and immedi...

I have used sealskinz for years and, if you don't expect miracles, find them to be pretty good. When new they keep my feet pretty dry as long as water doesn't go in from the top. When they start to leak a bit or water comes down from above they keep my feet warmer when they get wet than they would b...

I think that the UK price of Surlys has crept up so you now have to think hard before buying one. I have Pugsley and a Troll and both are great bikes. I also,have a Genesis Tour de Fer which is fine. None are of the build quality of my old 'handmade' 531 Woodrup tourer - but they ride as well for th...

I guess I am missing the point but the high cost and low mileages quoted for the high end 1x systems makes me think that Rohloff looks like good value for money.

Cheers Ton

That's useful. As I still use racks... I was wondering about the Jones and loads.

Hey Ton. What do you like about the ECR over the Jones Plus?

I have a Troll that I quite like but is nothing like as comfortable as my Pugsley despite similar geometry. I was thinking of swapping the Troll for and ECR or Ogre so was interested to hear you thought the ECR was comfy...

I never pedal smallest x smallest, at least not on purpose, but I want to be able to change into every gear without something going wrong. You need the capacity in your rear mech combined with a long enough chain to do biggest x biggest as well as a short enough chain to retain tension on smallest x...

With the chain on the granny and smallest sprocket it isn't sagging onto the chainstay. There is just enough tension to keep it tight- but only just.

Indeed that is one of the ways I calculate the chain length. Stick it on small x small and make sure it is just held tight.

I am still on 2x9 on my pug.

Great. Thanks.

They look good. Can you get latex strips to fit a Margelite?

So if you use a split tube, how easy is it to seat the tyre nicely on the rim? I often have trouble with seating the bead on my Pug and I feared the extra layer of split tube sandwiched between the bead and rim would make that worse. I hate the wobbly tyre that an incorrectly seated tyre gives.

I thought it was a weak article. It didn't really explain that you can get custom frame bags made to measure, it didn't discuss that you can mix and match frame bags and racks (as I often do) and didn't explain which system is better for which uses. Mind you, it doesn't really matter what you use as...

If you have time Iohan's videos are entertaining. There are loads of them mind. For example:

https://youtu.be/42FR1BieeaY

I had a JJ on the back. They seemed like great tyres but after one longish ride at low pressure in the snow the casing cracked all around the tyre. I sent it back and got my money back. I hope it was a one off!

I took my pack raft to Jura. locked my bike up at the head of West Loch Tarbert and paddled down for the loch for an explore and a night in the bothy. It was great. You need to catch the tide down and back up again and it runs quite fast through the narrows - but it's pretty sheltered and a great pl...

I have a Pamir Hypercracker. It's very similar and works really well, possibly better because it already has a rubber protector on the lug that jams against the frame. It's no longer made but I managed to buy one for a friend from eBay so keep a look out.

I didn't anchor them at the join, just butted them together. Because the rubber is carried on a chassis of rigid plastic, the lock on ring at the end of each half keeps them firmly in place.

image by Hamish Osborn, on Flickr

I bought two pairs of rubber coated lock on grips, cut a length off each grip so that two grips are the right length and placed them back to back so there is a lock on at either end and the cuts butt together. Works fine. I used a fork steerer cutting guide to cut the grips square.

I think our Welsh Bothys are getting less and less attractive as the typical users are no longer walkers, cyclists, horse riders, etc. I know this sounds like a whinge from a grumpy old cyclist - but it's more of an observation and reflection on how I can adapt to the reality that Bothys have had th...

Hi bobs

I'd be interested in the C17

Let me know how your details to send the cash.

Hamish