You may well bump into some Highland Trail group start riders last week in May - look out for knackered / flithy / sleep deprived types!

Blimey it was cheery, I went to the pub! Two pints sat out on a very chilly evening then a wander round the Fife Riviera (Kirkcaldy) more beers at my mates then crashed out (extended household an all that). Large fry up this morning followed by a very wet walk.

Hi Javi, nice to hear from an expert!
OBH is advertising its bunkhouse as being open so hopefully scope for a cop out if the weather is nasty.

I've changed my ratios about 10 times in the last 72 hours :???: . Back at normal - 32/21 with 29+. I had the 30T ring on for a bit but felt so spinny. would have been better for the LLTL though. Then went with the 22 rear and 32 front (which I use in the winter with mahossive duro cruxes); then bac...

I sleep like a log after getting pished! Sorry not helpful. A few things I did (back pain then tinnitus was what was stopping me getting a decent kip): Cut down on cafeine and none after 6pm. Faff with pillows until I found a comfy one Made sure I wasn't too cold or hot Found a few things to think a...

34x19 or 34x20 (on 29" x 2.2"). Probably the latter though. I'm looking forward to a bit of a different challenge. :-bd I think food stops in pubs and cafes may be tricky as they will have limited space. Defo thinking of taking a couple of freeze dried meals and the meths stove with me. G...

Just seen that Liam Glen is running singlespeed. Wonder what ratio he's using?? Judging by his performance on the BB200 (14 hr 32 min) that makes him favourite then? :smile: I think that's a given bearing in mind how fast he went round in 2019 before his bladder started giving him gyp; and the fact...

Just seen that Liam Glen is running singlespeed. Wonder what ratio he's using??

When people are wearing shorts that cost more than my frame, these prices don't surprise me. However, did I not see a mention of 'free bar'? There's a few here who'd easily recoup their entry fee :wink: That was my first thought but I've no doubt K1100T is right. Potential scope for going round aga...

Well yesterday evening. Pulled the rear Hope hub apart and switched a bearing, cleaned out the freewheel (I think some of the water in it was from the River Tilt) re-greased, re-assembled and realised I'd put the pawls in the wrong way round despite actually spending a minute thinking about which wa...

SP hubs are fine and there are a few bargains around. They are re-buildable with a bit of a faff. Shimano ones likewise (and also aren't supposed to be re-buildable, but are) and good value. Exposure lights are fine on tracks or good single track where you can do more than 15km/hr.

Actually one real problem I have rather than the all the silly worries is that my Spot isn’t showing up on trackleaders. I’ve borrowed one off a mate - it’s showing on his personal spot page but doesn’t seem to be pinging TL. Any ideas why? Not used a Spot before. Not sure, drop them a line as they...

A thing I always think about - some very fit people have failed, some (comparatively) unfit people have succeeded. Nous and keeping a level head are more important than fitness. I think with the start format this year there will be no chance of tearing off in the bunch so much easier to go your own ...

ScotRoutes wrote: ↑Wed May 05, 2021 9:41 pm Edit: there's also the EBL USB batteries - the ones you just plug in to recharge. Not sure how long they'd last in the Garmin though.

They look pretty good - 2.2 Ah which is nearly as good as the 'normal' NiMH AA's at 2.8 Ah.

I used 34/20 in 2018 (650B) and 32/18 in 2019 (29er) but bailed at the end of the first day in 2019 and can't really say I'd paid much attention to the suitability of the gear ratio. It is a tricky route to choose the ratio as there's a mix of hilly bits, flat bits and road bits. Obviously a person...

Anyone got a dried milk recommendation? The stuff you get in the supermarket is rubbish and leaves you with lumps in your tea Nah, proper milk (**) is part of the tea ceremony (cf "National Tea Day" :wink: ). As a Professional Tea Drinker I can't believe you're even entertaining the idea ...

Richard, it always seems to be horrible weather when you try to do an ITT ahead of the group start! Glad you survived. I'm thinking it could be a wet and cold one again as this period of unsettled weather seems quite settled. UK only riders and a fair few from up here. I'm wondering on availability ...

Another Paramo fan here - Quito in Spring, Summer and Autumn, velez light in Winter. Heavy but in most cases up here when it starts raining it gets very cold and its really nice to jam it on, feel warm and know it will keep out all know rain. To echo Hamish, you can put it on over wet gear and you w...

Anyone got a dried milk recommendation? The stuff you get in the supermarket is rubbish and leaves you with lumps in your tea

Aye just north of the Howgills is great - Orton and Great Asby Scar are fab places

Nice on Jimmy, wondered where you'd got to for a bit there!
Spreadsheet updated

Used to love walking in the Howgills when I was a sprog and did a fair bit of biking up them latterly - some lovely riding.

They are fine until you try to shove your backside over the back of the seat on a steep descent - you can't....

Not broken much (touch wood). My record for wearing a rim out in the canti / v brake days was 6 months. I did have one rim let go in the middle of nowhere, pushed to a wee shop, bought some parcel tape and wrapped it all up enabling me to ride to the station. Worst was in the lakes on the trail down...

I've done it all but in day rides, including the section up to Corrour Bothy which isn't in the route now. Its a really good route with a real mix of riding but nothing horrible, just good trails. Plenty scope for shortcuts too. Re your route, from the top of Lairig an Laoigh to the Fords of Avon is...