2018 favourites

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voodoo_simon
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2018 favourites

Post by voodoo_simon »

The end of the year is nigh and the nights have drawn in, so for a bit of fun, what have been your highlights to the year?

- Favourite route, not necessarily one you have done but perhaps one you thought, hmmm, someday

-Favourite piece of kit, something you bought this year and took a fancy to

-Favourite piece of media, be it a film, photo or write up

-Favourite personality - be nice and try not embarrass anyone :wink:

Right, I’m off to have a think... :grin:
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Bearbonesnorm
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Re: 2018 favourites

Post by Bearbonesnorm »

Sorry if my answers kill this off, they're not meant to :wink:
Favourite route, not necessarily one you have done but perhaps one you thought, hmmm, someday
The RTTS probably sticks in my mind this year. It felt kind of surreal at the time with the contrast of riding through the night then the 30 degree temps the following day as we climbed back over the mountains ... good times.
Favourite piece of kit, something you bought this year and took a fancy to
Not really bought much this year and just really using what I already have.
Favourite piece of media, be it a film, photo or write up
I generally find the glossy write-ups and bigish budget films of trips to far flung places something of a turn off as it often feels that the trip was done for the following publicity rather than simply for itself. Bivvy a month thread is just the opposite, so I'll go for that.
Favourite personality - be nice and try not embarrass anyone
Don't do heroes, don't really look up to anyone and I'm not easily inspired by those people who are proclaimed to be inspirational. The emerging 'bikepacking superstars' are largely a business or advertising medium. I'm going to go with all those people who set off on a crap January night after work with no fanfare ... the folk riding for love and freedom, not likes and shares.
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Scattamah
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Re: 2018 favourites

Post by Scattamah »

Favourite route - TNR. Really glad to have knocked off Cannoni and Via de Sale
Favourite piece of kit - Whiskey riser bars
Favourite piece of media - BBB forum
Favourite personality - Boners...they all have personality

Greetz

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HUX
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Re: 2018 favourites

Post by HUX »

Im with Stu with most of those I'm afraid :sad:
Favourite ride has to be the HT550. 6 and a half days of solitude and amazing weather doing my own thing and half a day racing to the finish with a few of the guys that completed it in 4+(I started on the weds). 1 I will never forget.
Kit wise, upgraded the old Swift to ti and carbon fork but I'm still 3x9. The rest of my kit is pretty much thread bare and Iv entered the world of dynamos.
Media wise, i dont do heroes either,I'll watch the odd film or read an article but mainly for the scenery. I don't really care who's riding what or how fast they can ride it,or how far theyve ridden or metres climbed,how light stuff is or how much it costs. I ride to enjoy it wether it's an hr or all day in the saddle.
I'm not miserable, honest :grin:
middleagedmadness
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Re: 2018 favourites

Post by middleagedmadness »

With Stu and hux on this
Best weekend was the rtts ,good fun ,p@#s taking and characters and electric shocks :wink:
Kit as it's nearly all new trying to find what works best
Personalities ,as above some great characters don't really do media apart from on here
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voodoo_simon
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Re: 2018 favourites

Post by voodoo_simon »

Not at all Stu, I was really hoping for 'more humble' suggestions to counter-act some of the other suggestions that will start appearing on the WWW :lol:

Ok, I'll put my money where my mouth is, so

Route - I've spent a lot of time around the Llanferes/Ruthin area this year, exploring new to me trails, so that area gets my vote. Have watched plenty of stunning sunsets from there this year, so that gets my 'vote' for simply providing peace and solitude after a turbulent 2017 :-bd

Kit - must not say iPhone, must not say iPhone... Phone it is :roll: I know (!) but this little device has provided my maps whilst out, some fantastic memory pictures that I look back on and more recently, a device to make short films.

Media - Gosh, why did I put this! I did enjoy Ben Page's film set on the Frozen Road but I also enjoyed his other films on his journey up through the Americas (sadly now not available, these films had a much different feel). I was also impressed with the Highland Trail video by Stu Taylor, not only a good film but a great insight to an event that is much talked about on this forum.

Personality - Hmmm, Cass Gilbert has gently been pushing the UK as a destination in recent months on social media and it shows that this little island can rival anywhere else for vaguely exciting vistas and routes, so I'll give him the credit on this category.


Edit - as I type, I see another WWW has released their gear of 2018 :lol:
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PaulB2
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Re: 2018 favourites

Post by PaulB2 »

My favourite route is the one I'm about to do for the first time. If you mean published route then the TNR sounds really appealing even though I know I won't have the time (or the legs) to do it for years.

My favourite bit of kit bought this year would be my Arkose - it was bought to replace a 14 year old skinny tyred road bike and apart from being overgeared for my legs when loaded it's been great and has really increased the amount of local wandering I've done. I like reading about new kit but don't tend to buy much until my existing stuff falls apart.

I don't really have a favourite piece of media - they're all pleasant enough but they tend to be just ads for either product or the lifestyle. Everyone and every thing they're using is way too clean and the weather is always too nice.

Personality wise, none to speak of, just a general respect of what people are capable of if they apply themselves and are brave enough to get out there.
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Bearbonesnorm
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Re: 2018 favourites

Post by Bearbonesnorm »

[tangent] Personally, I think the problem with 'personality' is that people begin to believe the hype. Admiring someones skill or prowess is one thing but are they really the inspirational character they're often portrayed to be ? Nah are they f*ck.

The teenage WWII fighter pilots were an inspiration. The bloke losing his sight while trying to diffuse a bomb in order to save others and the kids learning to walk again after contracting polio, they're inspirational ... someone riding a bike is simply someone riding a bike and in most cases it could be argued that they're actually just on holiday while doing it. Hardly inspirational is it? Perhaps those requiring inspiration should be setting their sights somewhat higher? [tangent over, sorry]
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Scud
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Re: 2018 favourites

Post by Scud »

Favourite route of the year - definitely Torino-Nice- absolutely loved it, brilliant route.

Kit - weirdly having bought my very first expensive new bike, a ti Reilly Gradient, my favourite is a singlespeed Singular Peregrine i bought at about 10 years old this year, one of those bikes where as soon as i jumped onto it, i seemed comfy and just right from the off, and i've done everything from bikepacking trips to road sportives on it and keep reaching for that instead of the titanium thoroughbred

Media - This place and One Cog Cycling on FB - great advice and i have learnt a lot - i love some of the routes on sites like bikepacking.com but often feel they are more for Instagram generation, far too much kit strapped to bike, mug dangling of the rear and plaid shirt.

People - to be honest i think it has to be those people that have shown faith in me to travel to Norfolk as a destination whether it be for a bivvy or arranging fat bike meets, i have managed to convince 15-20 people this year that my adopted county can be a destination for mountain biking and you don't need to have webbed hands... plus that chap Ed that unicycled around the world who was great to follow on FB
ScotRoutes
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Re: 2018 favourites

Post by ScotRoutes »

Route: not done many big rides this year but reversing the Affric-Kintail gave me the opportunity for a camp at the west end of Loch Affric that I've often thought of.

Kit: not sure. I've done a few ongoing "upgrades*. The one I'm most pleased with is probably my Cumulus quilt. I was reticent but I'm now a convert.

Media: I don't watch much. Anything by Barry Godin usually scores well. Stu's HT550 video made an impression too.

Personality: easy. Jenny Graham. Not just because "I knew her before she was famous" but for coming across as an ordinary person doing extraordinary things. And she's still as mad as a box of frogs.
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RIP
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Re: 2018 favourites

Post by RIP »

Good game :smile:.

Route: not a follower of pre-set routes personally; so, unhelpfully, I'll just go with "the one that starts where I am; after which lots of fascinating, but many would say mundane, little things happen". Every BaM really...

Kit: BB bamboo T-shirt :smile:

Media: sounds like what people in Shoreditch claim they work "in" :wink:. My favourite? "A blank canvas". If I can't have that I'll take "any 1:25 OS map" please - works of art, source of myriad possibilities, hundreds of square miles laid out before you. "Wonder what that is over there".....

Personality: I'll be a curmudgeon same as others :smile:: not interested in the pomposity of titles/letters-after-names/"respect"/authority/etc. I'll respect skill, justice, courage and compassion if anything. Other than that, every BB rider mad enough to go with me, and the stories they have to tell.

'Reg'
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gairym
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Re: 2018 favourites

Post by gairym »

Favourite route: Tuscany Trail, there's a reason I keep going back. The perfect mix of trails, scenery and amazing/cheap food/wine.

Favourite piece of kit: Each and every one of my bikes. The one I ride for any given trip makes me realise I love that one the most.

Favourite piece of media: BBB forum, it's the perfect mix of tone, wisdom and sarcasm.

Favourite personality: Ed Pratt, the perfect mix of adventure, bottle and stupidity.
lune ranger
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Re: 2018 favourites

Post by lune ranger »

Route: BB200 - A bunch of like minded (lost minded?) souls heading out into the teeth of Storm Callum just for the hell of it.

Kit: Rohbox After 18years of Rohloff use I can now ride drop bars - love it.

Media: Not sure

Personality: See route above
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fatbikephil
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Re: 2018 favourites

Post by fatbikephil »

Route - Road to the Isles between Loch Rannoch and Loch Ossian - must be one of the remotest places in the UK but with an easy trail and amazing views. Bivvied twice upon it, both stunning weather rides.
Kit - Deschutes tarp tent thing, (bought last year but only really used this year) - been dead good and now my go to shelter
Media - I enjoy reading bikepacking.com at lunchtime as the ace pics take me away from work for a bit but BAM thread defo my favourite too.
Person(s) - the BAM nutters, you know who you are.....
slarge
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Re: 2018 favourites

Post by slarge »

Route: enjoyed the Run to the Sun pre-ride I did with Mike, great route and brilliant weather, plus ice cream!

Kit: haven't bought any bikepacking kit this year, so this is maybe a Colnago road bike I bought in the summer - it is a thing of beauty?

Media: don't get magazines any more, and the only forum I go on regularly is this one, so I think it's this site.

Person: not really into following big names, but Jenny Graham really impressed me with her constant smile and round the world ride.
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Laurensdad
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Re: 2018 favourites

Post by Laurensdad »

My fave route/ride this year was from home to meet the family for summer holiday on the English Riviera, not 'Epic' but 106 miles not in a loop with purpose.

Kit: my endura baggies are fab, just fit and forget! My Morvelo F*$k Cancer socks too, for Sue and all the others.

Media: I clicked the 'keep' button on the sky box so I've got 'Inspired to Ride' and Mike Hall on demand - that covers personality too. For sure.
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AlasdairMc
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Re: 2018 favourites

Post by AlasdairMc »

ScotRoutes wrote: Personality: easy. Jenny Graham. Not just because "I knew her before she was famous" but for coming across as an ordinary person doing extraordinary things. And she's still as mad as a box of frogs.
Completely agree. She went out to ride around the world to see if she could ride around the world. None of this cynical monetisation of it, mentioning it in every Instagram post forevermore or anything like that. Just a really sound person.

Route: Either the two days of bike dragging through Knoydart, or the Lairig Ghru. The former took tough to a whole new level, a majority unrideable route but worth it for the scenery and the experience. The Lairig Ghru on the other hand is frequently cited as being a completely inappropriate place to take a bike but I loved the whole thing. There is carrying, but having had my tolerance for this boosted by Knoydart, this felt easy by comparison. Which leads me nicely to...

Kit: Getting another fat bike last December was a great idea, and especially the bike I ended up with. Rides like a Stooge, short rear end but immensely good fun on any surface. It’s made exploring much more enjoyable, and feels like a fat bike I’d be happy to bike pack on.

Media: Nothing jumps out really.
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Loki
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Re: 2018 favourites

Post by Loki »

I had to have a think about this.

Route....the one I have just ridden at the time, although I want to explore Brittany more
Gear.... My Montane Prism jacket, it keeps me warm and snug and when I am warm serves as a good pillow
Media....I do like a good documentary, too often they are just sales platforms, if one stands out, Ride the Divide.
Celebrity....there is a local homeless bloke who bivvies out EVERY night with his bike, legend!
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jameso
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Re: 2018 favourites

Post by jameso »

[tangent] Personally, I think the problem with 'personality' is that people begin to believe the hype. Admiring someones skill or prowess is one thing but are they really the inspirational character they're often portrayed to be ? Nah are they f*ck.

The teenage WWII fighter pilots were an inspiration. The bloke losing his sight while trying to diffuse a bomb in order to save others and the kids learning to walk again after contracting polio, they're inspirational ... someone riding a bike is simply someone riding a bike and in most cases it could be argued that they're actually just on holiday while doing it. Hardly inspirational is it? Perhaps those requiring inspiration should be setting their sights somewhat higher? [tangent over, sorry]
I can't disagree in general, but as a counter point - how about you're living in a dead-end town where few people seem to GAS about life. It's grim, school's pointless as you see so few opportunities and at 13 you think smoking weed with your mates is the only way to have fun. Maybe you have a bike, maybe you're good at wheelies. Before the weed turns to glue or gas and you stop riding a bike, you're exposed to the idea that you can take your bike further than the city and camp out. Someone makes it look possible and fun. Maybe it just seems like a better way of getting out for a cheeky smoke, maybe not, but either way you've been exposed to another side of life. There's a chance that youth workers in all areas can make a difference by inspiring those who are close to having nothing to motivate or inspire them.

So to start with Personality - Lee Cragie as an example of a bikepacking outreach worker. I don't watch many rider films, Adventure Syndicate's included. But this aspect of what they do is great. Bikes and overnight camping is so simple that it's worth sharing. I expect it takes a certain personality to do it well.

Media - Flatland BMX films, I just love them. Mesmerising stuff and more of that on Redbull TV would be good. MTB, anything with Jeff Kendal-Weed's riding gets my time, amazing style.

Kit - my £19.99 Forclaz gilet from Decathlon. Cheap, ethical (within the fast fashion context where it's all unethical to some extent?) and effective, as good as many costing a lot more. Light too. I haven't bought a lot this year so admittedly picking from a small field.

Route - TINAT 600, no doubt - apart from that last 5 (?) miles of A-road hell. Quite a strong experience for me looking back. How to be close to mentally cracking in less than a day and a half, winner :lol: Although it was only the idiot drivers on that A-road that had me about to bail, the rest was just hard in the best way. Great company on the ride also helped make it.

(nice to read of a few enjoying the TNR that much, good stuff, makes it worthwhile :-bd )
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Re: 2018 favourites

Post by jameso »

Media: I don't watch much. Anything by Barry Godin usually scores well.
Yes.. he makes what I think bike trip films should be - simple and positive stuff. Worth a browse - https://vimeo.com/barrygodin
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Bearbonesnorm
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Re: 2018 favourites

Post by Bearbonesnorm »

I can't disagree in general, but as a counter point - how about you're living in a dead-end town where few people seem to GAS about life. It's grim, school's pointless as you see so few opportunities and at 13 you think smoking weed with your mates is the only way to have fun. Maybe you have a bike, maybe you're good at wheelies. Before the weed turns to glue or gas and you stop riding a bike, you're exposed to the idea that you can take your bike further than the city and camp out. Someone makes it look possible and fun. Maybe it just seems like a better way of getting out for a cheeky smoke, maybe not, but either way you've been exposed to another side of life. There's a chance that youth workers in all areas can make a difference by inspiring those who are close to having nothing to motivate or inspire them.
I do see what you're saying there James and generally the Sydicate are a very good example - possibly the prime example. However, they might be the exception that proves the rule as I can't think of any other individual, group or company that actively promotes bikepacking at a younger audience in the hope of keeping them from worshipping Satan or sniffing Bisto ... it's mostly for adulation or profit. :wink:
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jameso
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Re: 2018 favourites

Post by jameso »

^ No, I couldn't think of anyone else taking it a step further than doing what an influencer/inspiration etc does either tbh. It was only reading what you said while nodding that made me think of the AS.
Though the BMX and MTB pros I wanted to emulate as a kid had the right effect on me and they were just pro riders, nothing more, so maybe it's just us lot being older :grin:
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FLV
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Re: 2018 favourites

Post by FLV »

Back to the direct request of the op

- Favourite route, Cairngorm loop. Riden most of it, love most of it, never successfully done an ITT of the 'route' but hopefully 2019

-Favourite piece of kit, hard to pin down, am enjoying flat pedals, am enjoying waterproof shorts (first pair in years), a pair of 12 quid overshoes have made the winter eveing road rides 100% better so far. A van? thats a made a bid difference to my autumn / winter riding habits so far

-Favourite piece of media, be it a film, photo or write up
Dave Barters HT550 footage, Rudedogs Cairngorm loop (pattern?) post, Lyndon poskits races to places on you tube

-Favourite personality (you didnt say famous) - be nice and try not embarrass anyone :wink:
Jenny graham, Michael Broadwith (for his very honest accounts of the LEJOG record), My mate pete for living the life following his dreams and making a non conventional way of life work, the BAM lot too for sticking to what they said, Jameso for his tour divide (I know its ages ago ish, but some of the things he said / wrote at the time still hold for me)
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ZeroDarkBivi
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Re: 2018 favourites

Post by ZeroDarkBivi »

Route - this is the easiest one: Colorado Trail. Having dreamt about this one since doing the Breck Epic in 2012, I finally made it happen this year. Having had a super enjoyable tour I might even go back for the race... runner-up: TNR (again).

Kit - tricky this one, as there are lots of contenders, but I think the game-changer is a software app called Xert, which has completely changed the way I plan my training. Essentially, I don’t plan anymore, as this app knows me better than I do, and plans my training for me. Runner-up: Open UP. Lifetime award: the Internet- a godsend when travelling with minimal planning! And of course, an honerable mention to smart phones for bringing it all together.

Media - spare me from the ethereal crap dominating YouTube under bikepacking. Not my bag, and my old favourite, Neil Beltchenko’s site, has now been retired. So it has to be GCN; not only has it matured into a great regular insight into al manner of cycling stuff, it has embraced bikepacking amongst all the roady articles. Entertaining and educational; BBC take note! Runner-up: XPDTN3

Personality - difficult. I don’t follow anybody on twatter, instatwat, snaptwat, on anything else, so maybe I struggle with the whole idea of celebrities. However, I have also been mightily impressed by Jenny G, so that’ll do. Runner-up: N/A.
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whitestone
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Re: 2018 favourites

Post by whitestone »

Route: Our little ride around the canals of Northern England, absolutely nothing technical but sadly fascinating riding through post industrial dereliction.

Kit: Nothing comes to mind.

Media: Here.

Personality: All those who responded to Dave Barter's call about his mum and sent cards, flowers, etc.
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