Going off at a bit of a tangent, one other thing is that whilst there are obvious benefits in having compact and lightweight kit, unless you are in a race then going a bit slower can be more rewarding than beasting yourself head down to get to a destination

Sorry, can't help you with gpx. I'm a bit of a luddite, I've joined some dots and done some colouring on paper maps so, armed with them, my memory, and a sense of adventure, I may or may not complete a ride resembling my planned route. Enjoy

Some new Shimano MT91 boots to replace the MT90s that are now beginning to come apart at the seams after several years of regular hard (ab)use. They can stay in the box for a while longer while I eke out the last from the old favourites though

Been following this too Dave. Funnily enough it was your Tommy Godwin articles that inspired my interest

Off to work shortly
Then tonight I shall sleep a usual night and wake up wondering how that equated to a 1 hour lie in?!?
It would appear that on Sunday I shall be erecting some trellis, putting down some path edging and laying a gravel path. I'm so excited...

Forest of Dean. I grew up here and moved back here by choice so, yeah, I like it! The area has become a bit of a mtb "destination" these days but then I can't really complain about that as I've been showing people the local trails myself for the past 15 years or so.

There are miles of good tracks and trails over Llanbedr Hill and the area to the north of there up towards Kington (all just to the north of Llowes and Glasbury).

Interesting. The bits I've ridden are further west than that ride, close to Bwllch, Llangorse and Talgarth. I notice that link refers to the Hereford 3 Rivers Ride, maybe something with a similar name or maybe just part of the total route?

Don't know much about it, it's a long distance pony trekking route so is all legal for bike riding, unless there are any 'no bikes' permissive bits (unlikely). I've ridden bits of it in the Black Mountains as part of other routes and they've been mostly rideable; anyone who's ridden bridleways used ...

They still do flat 'wall mounted' maps BUT... they're under custom maps and cost considerably more money (c £16.99); the plus is that you can specify the area covered (I think they're 20km x 20km in 1:25000). EDIT: just read page 1 of this thread and see that I am repeating that which has already be...

Still using my Phoenix Phreak (infact, used it at the FF) and indeed my Phoenix Phreeloader bivi bag! Sorry, doesn't help with your question. As long as inner and outer can be separated, you don't just have to look at outer first tents. A lot of inner first styles could be used fly only too. Having ...

Maybe not to everyones dietry tolerances but I make up individual measures of recovery powder/drink for each day; just add water in a drinks bottle and shake. Current fave is Chocolate Rego. It re-hydrates, is protein rich and takes the edge off my hunger, so my desire for steak and chips is lessene...

I lost my common sense At Glaslyn just by the mountain road where the sign says Nature Reserve. I think I found that on Carno Windfarm a moment or two after you lost it; just before I decided setting up camp in the valley would make more sense than in the woods up there :o It must have got carried ...

I do love that part of the World (whatever the weather) and your events encourage me to explore trails that I might normally overlook. Thanks once again Stu and Dee for another great event; who else could possibly have come up with the concept of crossing multiple fords in January :cool: My legs ache.

That orange man up there ^ used to be my next door neighbour! (sorry, just thought I'd mention that )

Big respect to anyone who even contemplates riding the Monks Trod after the rain we've had recently

Has anyone tried Extreme Food from Alpkit yet? Reasonable(ish) price, 500kcal per serving freeze dried at just over 100g seems good but no idea how it compares in the taste/consistency stakes.

Good morning! Hope you're rested, dry and about to tuck into a big fry up.
(and don't worry about neighbours' curtains twitching; they'll never understand... )

Is this for use in a race situation or something more leisurely Matt? Like Ianfitz says, getting into a bivi bag in the pouring rain when you're already wet is a miserable experience and a tarp can make all the difference. Having said that, it's maybe surprising how few really-wet-for-several-days p...

That's my understanding too, ChrisE. Solo, pair, group, at your own speed; travel as far as you wish though I believe that, unlike the WRT, there is a specific destination. Now, are we allowed to guess the 'Ford Fiesta'. My guess is that the road below Strata Florida which really is a fiesta of ford...

A lovely looking pair of Morvelo 3/4 bib-knickers arrived today; tried on and fit well, look beautifully made, will give them a ride out at the weekend (unless it gets balmy warm... )

I would have fancied this one too, a chance to meet a few more people but I'll be in Cornwall for the weekend at a wedding. Looking forward to the Ford Fiesta though.

Maybe a drilled out top tube so tent or tarp poles can be carried in the frame. It's not unusual for bike tourers to carry spare spokes in the seat tube, I'm sure a couple of tarp poles would slide in there on some frames :smile: Vegan Graham, I think you've just designed the carrier bag! :grin: (m...

Charlie, I guess you're talking about the self-extracting bolts? I had similar issues in the past so stopped using them and now use a crank puller (as Ian) on my square taper Middleburns, much more reliable. In answer to your question Dave, I too have been a sq taper Middleburn man for more years th...

Apparantly these are going to be available in UK in the new year: https://www.sierradesigns.com/product/b ... 0-3-season.
No idea how effective they may be but it's always good to see new ideas being developed; looks interesting to me.