Things I learned: Take less. I took far too much stuff - tarp and food, mostly. Don't skimp on clothes. I was much colder than I was expecting to be. I wore four layers at night and was still shivering uncontrollably at the end of those long descents. I was very glad of the dry socks and thermal lon...

BB200 provided my Oct bivvy, having failed to get out in Aug and Sept, so 8/10 for me. I stopped with larsmars at some point in the early hours and climbed a stile into a very lush field full of cow pats. I actually had a really good sleep, despite being very cold when I got in the bag, and woke to ...

Nicely put, Mattie. Was it you I visited the Trawsfynnyd pub with?

This was my first BB200 and the first time I've done anything like it. I was expecting a proper challenge and some serious hike a bike and I wasn't disappointed. TBH the difficulty of the terrain did take me by surprise but, in my view, that's a positive. I came for an adventure and you don't get th...

I wore long Sealskins which kept my feet more or less dry till that giant puddle/lake just before the second tussock tussle. I put fresh walking socks on to bivy and kept them on in the morning. I wasn't aware of having especially cold feet on the ride (just really cold all over after the road desce...

The outer three toes on both feet are still numb but I don't think it has anything to do with the stream water I drank.

I was on a rigid, geared Swift, carrying too much food and gear in my MYOG seatpack and bar harness. No pics because my arms are still too tired to lift a camera.

Stu, if you're looking for a sponsor for next year's event ...

Hi Lars - I was your bivvy buddy! Great to share some tussock hatred with you through the night. And thanks for your navigation when my eyes could no longer focus on the Garmin.

Nice pics! We were a bit lucky with the weather

Come to think of it, you're right

Any chance of a pic of the route with some 'here there be tussocks' warnings? It was properly beautiful out there and I'd like to ride it again someday at a leisurely pace but missing out the worst horrors. Even now I can't remember which bit was which.

Thanks Stu and Dee. That was moderately hard but the veggie fry-up made it worthwhile.

Route Description: Singletrack and dirt roads

Hahahahahahahahahahahaaaaaa

Can't work out what's excitement and what's just fear. Bring it on!

I've run a Knard on a Crest and it's OK as a try-out but I wouldn't want to run less than 15psi and it's not a long-term solution IMO.

+1

Viewranger says 219km and 6397m ascent. More than plenty for me. Oh lordy!

Far too low-tech to catch on. Built-in air con and electronic humidity-profile modification is the future.

Thanks FLV for the info. I'll be using a 29+ tyre or possibly something narrower in the slop.

Ian, there's a massive thread on STW and others on MTBR re those Light Bicycle rims. My summary: they're fine.

I *think* Brick Lane Bikes are the importers but they don't seem to have any stock. Can't decide whether to go Blunt or Dually on the front of my Stooge.

Got all my kit together and did a trial pack today. Also booked the campsite for Friday night. Feeling nervous.

Very nice. That back end is waaaaay short.

Look at it this way, all the rain's going to fill up those big dips in the graph, so I reckon there'll only be half the amount of climbing to do. Result!

I'm putting my faith in a big batch of peanut butter and bramble jelly wraps - very calorie dense and a good balance of sweet and savoury. I'll pop one of these every hour or so and mix them up with the odd Snickers, flapjack or Percy Pig. I often get a headache when out for long rides so I'll be tr...