Somewhere with some good trail links leading into it - half way along the SDW, Ridgeway or similar, or well connected with sustrans paths? There must be some good trail-central locations like that.

That's a good idea, just a bivi spot and some stories about how everyone got there, be it 20 miles, 200 or a week's ride.

Intending on being there! Just got to sort transport.

I know what you mean. I'm bad for keeping myself to myself but that trip was a good new experience, I guess I found the complete unknown aspect of a spur-of-moment trip meant I had nothing to lose, whereas other trips have been all about my plans, a well-read up on route and aspirations. I'd sign up...

I've been reading climbing/mountaineering books again - climbing trips were where bivi-ing started for me. Climbers seem to go to places where they have routes in mind, hook up with other climbers and get on with it, or go on expeditions with people they don't know as the norm. My first 10-day bikep...

Some great advice there ^. On the bivi / tent question, unless I'm out for a few nights I would just use a tarp, personal preference though. On a longer trip a tarptent or small tent would be better protection, if there's 2 or 3 of you out for a while, carrying 1 light 2 man tent is a good thing. Ta...

It was a good day today at the Bagcave...Mr Postman delivered my Rob English twenty niner! :D http://i149.photobucket.com/albums/s53/kiddcougar/20141459-90fb-45f0-9637-31f7d638a9b2_zps0d76d186.jpg You're kidding... : ) I love the idea of a pack-bike for bike-packing but the Ritchey's aren't quite r...

Tricky to find S/H I expect, but the all-round susser that grabs my attention is the Liteville, there's a version that has pretty much a full frame-triangle's worth of bag space to thanks to a unique shock/rocker system in the top tube.

Apparently these are going for £312 on some sites .. so I'm open to an offer before sticking them on STW )

Local race series, 1990? Had a taste for odd-ball bars even then. Maybe just a time-trialler in denial.. only pic I have, luckily.

Hi Ian, I'd need to use the bar more first, your idea of having sit within the bar is good, I thought it'd need to sit on top to work with a bar roll that's strapped to the stem section of the bar. Width - not much more than a std OS map / folded paper notes sheet would leave plenty of bar space, he...

A custom bag to fit inside the loop is on the cards soon I think 8-) Ian, if you can make a fairly light + slim pocket (snacks, gps / mp3, camera, arm warmers max? ie up to a kg or so packed) that sits on top of a loop bar with a map/route-notes window on top in the next month or 2, I'm buying one....

Gairy, I've had the same issue with Stans rims and conti and maxxis tyres when using a tube - the tube just can't force the bead into place in the lower sidewall design of Stans rims, the corner area doesn't seem to see a pressure high enough. I got the contis to seat using a bit of wax lube - no id...

Potential interest here too. If they came in 60cm sections that were modular, could use 2 front-centre and 1 each side, or 2 each front corner etc? Not sure if that's a good use tho as I'm still learning about tarp pitching.

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8236/8525847534_279ced88a5.jpg 1x6 with an oval ring and no guide - 34 front and 17-32 rear. Worked fine, seemed a good idea in the 'Mountain Mayhem' sticky clag sections. New Wildcat Tiger bag has done a couple of longer trips now, very pleased with it. Totally stable...

Just finished eating a king's banquet after getting in from a late Feb bivi.. late, but quality ) a trip plan that I'd had in mind for a while, the weather looked ok and I had a catch-up bivi to do. I rode the Ridgeway from the Chilterns end (starts about 4 miles from where I live) to the other end ...

BRP, it's lovely bike.. great mix of Rob's trademark tech and your wishlist spec. Bags finish it of nicely! And personally I love all black bikes, just can't go wrong there.

I had the same thing with a tyre, traced it to a bead that had become detached from the casing on one side, so the casing could bunch up in places so the sidewalls were no longer parallel, causing the wobble. Took me ages to figure that one out! :) couldn't get it to go straight and got it replaced ...

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