Unfortunately none does anything for the greater good hence why these projects only happen when monetary incentive is provided.

Especially true of the politicians involved

Scoop's pretty average length I'd say? I have the Scoop Flat on a couple of bikes, it's great, a very flexible base. Std Scoop is more like the Bel Air / Volt shape.

Arione's a great saddle on a road bike. It's quite flat from the side profile Vs the Volt/Bel Air/Spoon s-curve profile. 280~285mm seems to be the average length for a saddle that's not a short-nose design. The On-One Big Nose was a version of the Chromag shape and I expect that was from Velo or DDK...

Of course everything is relative but the society in which we all live is in no way green and it's certainly not sustainable If 50-70 years ago we knew what we know now I think we could have built a sustainable society. What we wouldn't have in that society is people who have personal wealth equival...

read a criticism of cycling once, saying it wasn't green because we all eat more food so we have more impact FFS we all exhale CO2 so no animal is neutral BUT a bike is clearly way better than a car ( even at just a single production cost analysis never mind per mile used once made In case it wasn'...

..cyclists need to reduce their carbon footprint If you keep dividing something by half at what point is it not that effective to keep going? : ) I suppose a cyclist who flies to 5 overseas races and drives to many more has something they could address, as do the brands who support and promote it. ...

There's nothing sustainable in cycling 15hrs/week and wearing out components, traveling via car/plane/boat to an event in a different continent, eating pre-packaged food, pushing consumerism and sales of goods. I read a criticism of cycling once, saying it wasn't green because we all eat more food ...

Getting entrants to commit to reducing their driving miles throughout the year in some way would be much better and they might keep it up which is a long term benefit. It'd be good, and we could do a bit of both. Flying is 150-250g per km per person Vs driving at about 100-150g. So if I fly to the ...

I don't think that's too much, no. I think the bar height and the bag's distance from the steering axis is more important than the difference between for ex. 1.5 and 2.5kg bag weight. Some bike layouts handle weight here better than others. Bar harnesses like the Salsa Cradle punts the bag further o...

Another vote for the found shelter option. If bikepacking is about lightweight minimalism (a big if, but for the sake of the point) then a bivi bag only approach and hoping to find shelter when you need cover is the lightest and most minimal. Also I like the wing-it attitude, it guarantees the eleme...

Is it that there was a group of people who 'endured' tarps for the weight saving and now that tents have closed the gap they have switched? Raises hand... ....though the triangular tarp tent layout gets on my wick for low fabric at the edges and that darn pole in the middle being in the way (I have...

I now have 1x11 LWB Plus
Spaceframe with Truss fork.

Nice! Enjoy. I got a demo ride on a LWB a while back and loved it. An itch I'll need to scratch at some point.

Thanks James! I'm really liking the plastic especially compared to the fabric of my previous saddlebag, which was impossible to clean after a muddy ride. Not attracting much mud is a plus I hadn't thought about esp given the location of the bag. I did make a polypropylene saddle roll for my road bi...

Great work, it looks really good.. I made a similar but more basic superlight saddle holster with rubberised tarp fabric (Ortlieb type) and webbing a few years ago, it worked ok but I did think at the time that plastic would be better/easier to use than the tarpaulin. And I like the seat post attach...

The hubs's not the problem on the 135 mm version. It's them snappy, bendy, wiggle-loosy M5 QR skewers.

Ha... Just a matter of time eh.

Not now, but for later tonight I have a bit of Compass Box Peat Monster left from many years ago and the whisky thread reminded me. Apparently it can oxidise if a few drams are left in the bottle for too long so it's the right thing to do.. Especially with a Laphroaig 10 yo to compare it to.

I thought they mixed the barrels from different years to get a consistent taste, age being the minimum age? That's how I understood it for something like Jonnie Walker Black which is a blend with the minimum age being 12 years old. Some of the content may be older but not up to scratch for e.g. a 1...

I have a masters degree in whisky distillation and maturation. Feel free to ask anything you like Why was this option not mentioned to me by careers guidance? : ) Chemically, almost all of the maturation flavouring happens in the first 18 months. What is it that makes a 15 year old often taste smoo...

^ avoiding a night in Nice saves a few hundred £ ...
There's a good, spacious bivi spot not far past the Col Braus that's useful for this, it's only a few hours into Nice from there.

The SON 150 mm hub, suitable for Jones' Truss has a wider flange than the 135 mm option. No funky spacing needed for the rotor, unless the Truss is even more funky. Mine's the older 135 spec truss so the SON is a spaced standard body (not sure whether it's F or R disc spacing). It'd work but I'm fu...

Ah ok, yes! Hope you're well Phil! I seem to remember sitting around in Nice having a beer in the heat before the ride to the airport, if so maybe that was something to do with the hoik it and go approach : )

I think my Jones (2012, original 29er geometry) is a great all-round bikepacker. These days I want a bit more from it when unloaded on trickier trails but for loaded mixed-terrain riding it's one version of perfect. I have one built as a SS and one with gears for loaded trips and summer long distanc...

I do wonder if the cleat ( attached to a rather large heat sink) is the root cause. I believe so. Nothing I add to the top of my feet/shoes or increasing sock layers or insoles makes that much difference. Eventally my feet freeze and the heat loss feels like it's at the ball of my feet. Battery pow...

I've used the Nice airport boxes 4 times now, backed up with plenty of tape plus taping loose items to the bike I've no issues apart from the odd hole. They're flimsy but if the contents is all one item they work ok. Still.. it's a worry and not part of the journey I look forward to (to continue my ...

I had a bottle of Penderyn and just couldn't get on with it ... not sure why .... the only bottle of whisky I've ever given away

I remember trying some in a bar in Wales many years ago and not liking it. There's more options now, the Madeira edition is one I've enjoyed.