Can I ask the veterans about money for the cafes/shops. Do they take cards or is cash king in the highlands? I've been saving up my waterproof £5 and £10s ready but no idea how much to take, which obviously depends on how long it takes me to get round and how much I eat :smile: I assume there are ca...

When I had the issue with the hydration pack I just put some electrolyte tablets in the they masked the taste of plastic. They cost about £7 a tube though. The supermarkets now seem to do a one-a-day vitamin c effervescent tablets which are £1 for a tube of 20, in orange or blackcurrant. I use these...

Cheers :smile: I think the hydration pack I had that produced the same taste was made of a similar soft plastic as the hose. At least this time I've had the sense to try it out at home. With the hydration pack I filled it from new and headed out on a 20 mile ride in the sun. Once I discovered the wa...

I've got a Trailshot and I thought I'd give it a test at home before use in anger. I filtered some tap water from a jug into a glass, I ran the first half a litre to waste to flush it being new and then filled a half pint glass, very impressed with the speed and ease of use. But, when I tasted the w...

I've no experience of XD drivers I'm afraid, but the Hope freehub does just push onto the hub so it will just pull off if that's easier than pulling the cassette from the freehub. I've had the same with a normal shimano cassette in the past, I just tapped it out of the inside but that might not be a...

Mines an eTrex 30, so the 'x' is just an updated version. I've had no issues with mine, either functional or the mount. It stays on the mount as long as it's clipped on properly. I still use a lanyard though just in case.

^^^^ This every time imo. Hubs and rims are all pretty good these days, even the cheaper end of the market. What makes a good reliable strong wheel is correctly and evenly tensioned spokes which a good builder you trust will provide. If the wheel does go out of true you can also take it back for sor...

I had some On-One merino arm warmers, they were ok as long as you kept your arms level or pointing up, otherwise they slipped down, I had assumed my biceps just weren't big enough to keep them up :lol: Cheers for all the advice everyone. The next issue is that I seem to have developed a slight disco...

I always thought they were meant to go under the shorts? :oops: They definitely go under the shorts, it's the rules. On a different note, I used to put kinesis tape on my shoulders when I raced land-rovers, otherwise the friction from the harness used to rub the skin off my shoulders and that was t...

thanks to all who have volunteered so far. :-bd sean_iow, I checked with the client, just in case, and in their view the IoW is SE. Sorry! That's ok. I think this is why the Island struggles economically as we're part of the 'prosperous' SE but taken on our own wages are lower than the national ave...

Mine also goes in the pot (mug) and I can't think where I would carry it that didn't result in it getting squashed/damaged if it didn't.

I've had mine some years and it didn't come with straps. The double ended dry bags I have did come with a pair of straps. I think the make of buckles has changed over the years as well? so not all straps will fit onto the closure of all bags,

I'm never quite sure where the SE finishes and the SW starts? Can you clarify the cut off as I may just be in the right region?

Edit, sorry, I've just googled it an wikipedia says the Isle of Wight is SE so I'm out

Mine are under the shorts, it's tricky to see in the picture. I would never knowingly break the rules, #1 my shorts are also #14 compliant but I think my socks may just fall foul of #27? As it's winter I've let slip on #33 but my long knee warmers cover most of this indiscretion up

You have extremely long knees. :lol: They don't fill the whole inside of the warmer :grin: I do like the length of these, they are more like 3/4 length leg warmers. The leg warmers of the same style are so long that I have enough to tuck into my winter boots and still have Nora Batty* style wrinkle...

You should be fine in the PD400 on the Downmat. I was under a 150 quilt on a Klymit Xlite 3/4 mat. It would be ok probably down to 5 degrees, the hail landing on my tarp suggested it was colder than that :lol: Back to your original question, I use the same system as Ian, I put all my sleeping kit in...

There's some good advice on the bb blog, although I'm a bit concerned about this little gem "Go touring in the Scottish Highlands, it's not as hilly as you think.....at least it doesn't have to be. Alan Goldsmith" mmm, we'll see about that :grin: On a serious note, for you're first trips m...

The silicone grippers on my old Lusso knee warmers rubbed a hole in my leg on a very wet audax once, but I'm not sure that's the kind of injury you mean. The Specialized ones I bought to replace them are OK. Not good enough for me to recommend them but not bad enough for me to get rid of them. :| I...

That's ok Stu, it's a good question. I have heard the opposite can occur, that without them the joints being cold can be easier to damage? Mine aren't that tight as to restrict movement and certainly not to force the knee about. In response to the slight hijack here's a picture of my knee warmer :lo...

My favourite knee warmers are dhb Regulate Light Knee Warmers which are a thin lycra and just enough for a cold morning but light enough to leave on when it warms up and give some protection from the sun. They are also quite long for knee warmers and come quite a bit below the knee. These are now sh...

I did wonder if it would be tricky to take on and off. I've currently got my pump/tube/tools in a small saddle bag. The rucksack I use is only 7L and is quite a bit lighter on the way home as you'll of seen from the pictures, most of the contents is food :smile: I leave all my work clothes in the of...

Groovin' on the mesh bag fella. Flip side of the mesh is sheep sh!t will make it onto your nice stuff. Consider a DCF insert for that bad boy with a drain hole in the bottom. Greetz S. Good point, I didn't think of that. I've got some mesh pouches from Raidlight, usually have one each side and put ...

The problem with suspension forks on a bike at your budget price point is they won't be much good anyway. I used to have sus forks on my bike but I've gone fully rigid and don't miss them. The orher thing with sus forks especially better one's, is they need servicing. When I sent my fox's off the in...

I'm self taught on the machine. The first thing I can remember making was a sleeping bag for a Playmobile cowboy when I was about 8 maybe. It was uninsulated so maybe it was technically a bivi bag. There was also a bit of string to hold it rolled up and to the back of the saddle on his horse, so per...

Nice work Sean - would a single ended dry bag not be lighter? It would, but ironing on the seam tape on a closed end bag is harder to do. Plus being double ended I can roll in both ends to keep the tabs central in the harness. After my recent Ridgeway trip (if you walk it go in summer or wear welli...