Tortec ultra lite works well for me. Easy to fit, robust enough for anything my bike can do off road (with 38mm tyres). Can take panniers and the platform is big enough to put bags on top. They're less than £30, so not a big expenditure to try it out. Would recommend Ortlieb gravel panniers too. The...

Is there an 'optimum' age for a whisky? Is there a point of diminishing return? Chemically, almost all of the maturation flavouring happens in the first 18 months. The 3 year minimum maturation law is arbitrary. Was put in during the 1920s as a semi-prohibition measure to slow down production. Olde...

I have a masters degree in whisky distillation and maturation.
Feel free to ask anything you like.

Thanks for the info, and enjoyed reading about people's trips there.
Have starred a few places in Google Maps to visit.

Hello, a little off-topic but thinking there should be some people on here a little more widely-travelled than I. My pal and I have booked cheap flights to Morocco at the end of the month for a week The general plan is to hire a car, do a bit of a road trip. Sometimes stay in a hostel/hotel and some...

I once had a tankslapper on a GSXR600 at full throttle. Absolutely terrifying!

The Mason bikes have had lots of great feedback

This looks pleasant:
https://www.walkhighlands.co.uk/borders ... -way.shtml

You could cycle down the Tweed from Peebles. Also very pleasant and there is a lot of riding of all kinds there.

In Glencoe last weekend

Still mulling this over.

Saw some OMM Kameilka (sp?) ones on their refurb site which I ordered to try but turns out they were out of stock....

Anyone have experience with the Patagonia Storm ones? https://eu.patagonia.com/gb/en/product/ ... 25030.html

fatbikephil wrote: ↑Fri Jan 12, 2024 10:38 am I'm getting one too - saves huffing and puffing!
I wonder if it will inflate a packraft?

I've got the other one that John has (the white one).
Does my packraft no problem with lots of battery capacity left over.
Does take about 5 minutes though.

There's a known issue with the T5 2ltr TDI 180HP engines around that time, I think it was something to do with high oil use due to a fault with cooler, which often appears after 45,000 miles. We had a deposit on one a few years ago and walked after some research. We ended up with a 2013 140HP versi...

I have a new Honda Monkey 125 which covers those bases for me
Absolutely brilliant motorbike to ride and goes on a rack on the back of my camper.

Here it is in Spain last year:

https://www.instagram.com/p/Cx6Brg6oinm ... RvZDdrZ2tw

I've been looking at getting something cheap/low hassle as well, as my girlfriend is just doing her license. Automatic only. Also need something that go in to ULEZ zones (my van is a little told old) Been looking at Renault Kangoos. Come in a 1.6 petrol, automatics are available. Lots seem to have b...

I spent a lot of time looking at different vans. Was replacing an Leyland Daf 200! Asked the mechanic (with whom I spent a lot of time, being a Leyland Daf owner!) about which ones he sees the least of, and he said go for a French one. They're cheaper than the German ones, are more reliable and rust...

I'm off to Glencoe in the campervan.
Fireside pints, hill walking and sledging down the ski slopes.

Am in a good mood!

I dunno what it is about those Alpkit Cloud Cover quilts, but they are sub standard. You're always cold.
Sell it and put the money towards a better one, or a down sleeping bag

Have just arranged a long weekend of trail centre riding/staying in a cottage in Dumfries and Galloway with a few pals in March.
A good motivation to work on my fitness!

Ordered these by mistake: https://www.sjscycles.co.uk/brake-levers/shimano-ultegra-st6800-bracket-covers-black-y00e98080/ They don't fit my hydraulic disk brake ones - they are for the mechanical shifting, rim brake ones. Tried fitting to the bike so they're not brand new, but obviously didn't fit s...

No real plans. Need to work on fitness, so try to get out more. Having moved to a dull west lothian town my zest for life has dropped off considerably. Thinking of quitting work in April. Took a contracting gig that has been extended and extended - it will be 3 years come April. Get the summer off, ...

Thanks for all the replies.

Sadly, no closer to choosing something!

It's weird as I have a pair of Morvelo bib tights which are totally waterproof and a DHB long sleeved top as well. They're comfy and stretchy.
Not sure why there aren't baggier versions using whatever materials they use

I use a Strava on the bars. I road commute in the dark sometimes and it's good for that.

If trail riding I add a Joystick on my helmet. Works fine for me

Hmm, already have over trousers but was hoping there is something that would do it all. Disappointing about those paramo ones, they seemed like they could be good. A pal has one of their jackets which is very nice and works well in bad conditions. Anyone have experience of the Sprayway All Day Rain ...

I'm trying to find a new pair of trousers. I'd like it if they could handle hillwalking and cycling in heavy rain as well as be something you can just wear as your day to day trousers. I guess that means that they have a soft lining and aren't 'plasticky'. I have a pair of Madison Zenith Men's 4-Sea...

From a certain point of view, it could be said I ate too much cheese.

But that's not a world I want to live in.