sean_iow wrote: ↑Thu Nov 24, 2022 7:32 pm...the tide comes into them twice a day so not ideal

Could be a good challenge with a suitably accurate tide chart.

sean_iow wrote: ↑Fri Nov 25, 2022 10:54 am I can strip and prep the best bike ahead of the SWWB

Oh gawd I knew this was going to happen. All I've done is spray GT85 in the approximate direction of my wreck, and scraped the mould off my porridge bowl.

It's a good job we're starting in a pub because I might just fester there all weekend instead and when you get back I'll buy the pints and you lot can impress me with the stories and tales of derring-do .

I'm just banking on the fact that your singlespeed will slow you down on the BrynOer tramway just enough that we'll still be able to see you in the distance and therefore keep up somehow .

RIP wrote: ↑Fri Nov 25, 2022 2:56 pm

sean_iow wrote: ↑Fri Nov 25, 2022 10:54 am I can strip and prep the best bike ahead of the SWWB

Oh gawd I knew this was going to happen. All I've done is spray GT85 in the approximate direction of my wreck, and scraped the mould off my porridge bowl.

It's a good job we're starting in a pub because I might just fester there all weekend instead and when you get back I'll buy the pints and you lot can impress me with the stories and tales of derring-do .

I'm just banking on the fact that your singlespeed will slow you down on the BrynOer tramway just enough that we'll still be able to see you in the distance and therefore keep up somehow .

I think you might have the wrong idea about my (current) approach to rides By strip and prep I mean fix (the front brake doesn't do much) change the ratio and clean it so that I don't end up covered in filth before I start just by putting it in the van. The BB also seems a bit graunchy.

Don't worry about speed, your biggest issue will be trying to coax me out of my warm bag in the mornings, I do my BAMs on a work day so that I have to get up to go to work, otherwise I'd lay in most of the day

What’s the SWWB

For the uninitiated….

Ah, sorry, it's probably an abbreviation for all sorts of rude things but in this case it's the South Wales Winter Bivvy, as per the "Winter Bivi '22" thread .

Not to be confused with the, er, far superior WWB or SWB....

November done and it was soggy...
Slashing rain just as it got dark wasn't particularly conducive to going out but it was now or never. Anyway by the time I left it had dried up and stars were showing. It didn't last of course and an incessant drizzle cut in after a half hour of damp roads and trails. Nothing fancy, location wise, as my back is giving me gyp thanks to an ill-advised log lift a couple of weeks ago... I headed for a spot in Glendevon woods I'd scoped a few weeks ago. Of course in the dark it all looked different but I managed to find a good spot next to a little used trail. The rain went off for the pitch so I was in and snug soon enough.

As it happens I was close to my February spot and also had the Deschutes and soto blast furnace. I'd nearly reduced the deschutes to a melted crisp packet that time so was a might more careful this time. In view of the 'what do you eat' thread I made a bit more effort tea wise - boil in the bag lentil stew, rice and smoked sausage (as usual) garnished with cheese. Haute cuisine? you can stuff it. For desert I drank beer whilst the wind blew a constant spray of water at me from the trees. This persisted all night but didn't prevent a sound sleep.



It's daylight, honest...

And raining. I sploshed my way through a few trails but in view of the weather, my back, and a need to do stuff at home I made a reasonable bee-line for home.

December left, hopefully in the company of the SWB crew

I’d made my mind up to get November’s BAM done during this past week but time constraints meant I couldn’t stray too far from home. In the end I decided to head to a bivvy site I’ve used twice previously. I’m usually reluctant to revisit the same spot but on this occasion it suited my circumstances. So… it was off to Dalmeny Estate, just west of Edinburgh, to the site of former wartime coastal defence gun emplacements. It provides solid overhead cover and thick walls to provide some respite if the Forth Estuary’s frequent strong winds come calling.

I left home after dark and eventually reached the estate where, as expected, I didn’t see a single soul. On arrival I had a quick inspection of the site's two gun positions and finally chose the least damp/dirty one to set up camp. As on the two previous occasions, before I could do this I had to sweep away a mixture of fallen leaves, damp earth and some beer cans and bottles, etc. It’s obvious that this place is regarded by some as Party Central, at least in the warmer months.

Untitled by Jimmy G, on Flickr

Not much else to report really. I had a quiet, undisturbed night (even the owls appeared to have taken a vow of silence that night) and I had a good sleep.

Untitled by Jimmy G, on Flickr

I awoke in the morning to discover it was raining quite heavily. I was in no particular hurry to get home, though, and by the time I’d dallied over breakfast and packed, it had stopped.

Untitled by Jimmy G, on Flickr

Untitled by Jimmy G, on Flickr

Untitled by Jimmy G, on Flickr

On the way back I stuck my head through the entrance of a little wartime air raid shelter that I’d loosely earmarked as a potential unusual bivvy spot. Fearing that the used and discarded toilet paper at the entrance might be serving as a warning (like a minefield warning sign, if you know what I mean ), I didn't venture in too far. However, judging by the trash discarded all over the floor, it was clear to see that this place has obviously had many inconsiderate visitors since my last visit when it was completely litter-free. Oh, and the dead pigeon in the middle of the debris finally made my mind up for me - I think I’ll give the place a miss after all.

Untitled by Jimmy G, on Flickr

That’s 11/12 for this year and 59 consecutive BAMs.

All looks nicely dystopian. Sadly there are far fewer old industrial sites than there used to be - steelworks, factories, missile silos etc - to bivvy in these days.

JimmyG. If you've not tried Cramond Island a bit further down the coastline I recommend giving it a go. It's tidal so you need to take that into account. I usually get there around 7pm. Several gun fortifications to choose from but I find the smaller ones on the NE of the island the best. I reckon I've been about ten times and only had company twice. Once a group of older scouts and the other time about five students. The island is big enough to keep away from others.

RIP wrote: ↑Sun Nov 27, 2022 5:41 pm All looks nicely dystopian.

Well put, Reg!

Ray Young wrote: ↑Sun Nov 27, 2022 6:19 pm JimmyG. If you've not tried Cramond Island a bit further down the coastline I recommend giving it a go. It's tidal so you need to take that into account. I usually get there around 7pm. Several gun fortifications to choose from but I find the smaller ones on the NE of the island the best. I reckon I've been about ten times and only had company twice. Once a group of older scouts and the other time about five students.

Believe it or not Ray, after I'd ridden along the shore to Cramond from my home in Leith, I actually stopped to check the tidal times on the notice board at the Cramond Island causeway. I noted that the last time to get back to the mainland was about 9.30 a.m, giving plenty of time to get up, packed and away next day. I was sorely tempted but in the end decided to stick with known territory in Dalmeny. I haven't been out to Cramond for many years but now you've piqued my interest again and I'll definitely get there sometime next year.

I'd love to bivi in a derelict building, we're sadly lacking them here. There are a few left over from the war but they are very close to roads and usually in dog walking areas. Just about all the old barns etc. have been turned into expensive second homes.

As I rode in today I realised I'd forgotten the most important detail if my last BAM*

When I built the bike I wanted to keep the cost to a minimum and reuse old parts wherever possible. I have a set of Look Xtrack Race pedals and the clip in mechanism is still really good with no play but the bearings/bush have a lot of play. Stripping revealed that it is the bushing that is the main issue. By chance I'd read elsewhere that they are a standard engineering part. Dismantled and measured up. Couldn't get the exact size, diameters were right but it was slightly longer, but wold still work and at only just over a £1 each worth a try.

The axle is quite scored but I polished it up as best I could.



The bush (I think officially it might be a Glacier Bush) needs to be pressed in the pedal a set amount and it's only 1mm thick, so I turned down (badly) a bit of old bar in the lathe.



To end up with a tool for the job. The bush sits in the end section and the step at the base means it's set in the pedal the correct depth.





To strip the pedal you have to take the end cap off, this can be done using the points of needle-nose pliers but it's a fiddle, so I made a 3 prong tool for the job.



* In case you're wondering why this is the most important detail of the BAM, and why this isn't in MYOG, it's because this will be this months entry into Phil's 'BAM Machining Award'

sean_iow wrote: ↑Mon Nov 28, 2022 9:52 am * In case you're wondering why this is the most important detail of the BAM, and why this isn't in MYOG, it's because this will be this months entry into Phil's 'BAM Machining Award'

Good effort Sean, and your under crown race lower bag mount.

November bivvy in progress. A slow and damp ride out to Burton Dassett hills where I set up in a hollow on the ridge. It's a good spot out of sight of the road and car parks and one I've used before.
The only military stuff round here is the Kineton army base where they keep missiles under ground and its quite off limits believe it or not. And Gaydon airfield which was a backup airfield for cold War bombers, but that's a test track now and also off limits. Can't compete with JimmyG up there.....

My trusty tarp gives me the shelter I need and cumulus bag is hopefully going to keep me warm.

I bagged my November bivvy on Friday night

Combination of work and other stuff on means I haven't ridden much for the last few weeks. I'd planned to do a club ride and then bivvy out afterwards but I didn't have time to sort myself out to leave at the right time so changed plans. Stayed home to watch the England match then went out. Cycled up to my local country park and bivvied in a little wooden shelter, it's not watertight but it's out the wind. Left late and woke up reasonably early. A walker went by at 5:30am, only woke because of the noise they were making walking through the leaves. No dog and no light, was a bit odd, but they either didn't spot me or weren't fussed.

While riding home I checked out a couple of bits I'd planned to reccy at some point. Sadly not particularly interesting, found some huge barns but they're right too close to the farm house building to be able to use them. I did manage to avoid the rain which was a bonus, Got home and had a bacon and egg sarnie, lovely

11/11 so far

Got out last night, my last chance. The beginning of the month started off badly and two weeks ago today I woke up with a sore throat which I expected to disappear quickly. I was still suffering on Monday and Tuesday was my first good day. Decided to stay in and go last night and ended up in the same nature reserve as last month. I didn't bother setting my device before I set off and this morning didn't hit the button correctly (thick gloves) and only spotted it when I came to stop it at the second McD's I came to (in three miles). Being local it was dark when I arrived and when I left camp this morning.

A couple of poor pics on this manual Strava upload:

https://www.strava.com/activities/8193813524

11/11

sean_iow wrote: ↑Mon Nov 28, 2022 9:52 am To strip the pedal you have to take the end cap off, this can be done using the points of needle-nose pliers but it's a fiddle, so I made a 3 prong tool for the job.

Try as I might, I can't get the end cap off one of my pedals and I need to replace the bearings, as they're totally FUBAR. In all seriousness, are you making some more of these to sell...? I'll take one off your hands if you are...

Afraid not it was the only bit of bar stock I had about the right size.

I used to use the ends of needle nose pliers, held vertically, in two of the recesses. Are your pedals Look Xtrack like mine? The end cap should undo relatively easily, it's only plastic. I think both sides are normal right-hand thread. Once inside one of the nuts, can't remember which side, is left-hand threaded.

10/11

After a couple of failed attempts over the last couple of nights, managed to head out late last night to a local spot. Expected it to be cold, but was actually fine in the woods..

https://i.imgur.com/aDRSkbM.jpeg

I am out after just squeezing in October. Life events have put a end to for me in November but will hope to get out in December.

Sarah

It was chilly, but quite nice when I set up camp...

Apart from all the getting covered in snow, it was a nice night out. I was headed to the Cotic CC social ride, and couldn't be arsed pedalling up and over the big hill first thing in the morning. Instead I headed out the night before, and pitched up on top of a big hill. Some local friends hiked out to meet me for al fresco coffee. Once they'd headed back to the valley, I packed up and gently made my way along the freshly snow-covered lanes to Calver, where I was greeted by friendly faces, a warming fire, and a gert big tea urn.

2022 BAM 12/12
2022 total bivvies 13
Current streak (months) 49

JimmyG wrote: ↑Sun Nov 27, 2022 6:37 pm

Ray Young wrote: ↑Sun Nov 27, 2022 6:19 pm JimmyG. If you've not tried Cramond Island a bit further down the coastline I recommend giving it a go. It's tidal so you need to take that into account. I usually get there around 7pm. Several gun fortifications to choose from but I find the smaller ones on the NE of the island the best. I reckon I've been about ten times and only had company twice. Once a group of older scouts and the other time about five students.

Believe it or not Ray, after I'd ridden along the shore to Cramond from my home in Leith, I actually stopped to check the tidal times on the notice board at the Cramond Island causeway. I noted that the last time to get back to the mainland was about 9.30 a.m, giving plenty of time to get up, packed and away next day. I was sorely tempted but in the end decided to stick with known territory in Dalmeny. I haven't been out to Cramond for many years but now you've piqued my interest again and I'll definitely get there sometime next year.

Jimmy, I'd be up for a trip to the island too. Looked at it a few times but never been out.

Yay, December bivvy done last night. I headed out 23 miles into Leicestershire to a bird hide I have stayed at before. Closing in on Ashby i realised my Revo dynamo light was not too bright. I pulled up and realised that somehow one of the wires had broken and it was slowly fading. I had bought a spare light fortuntely.
It was not going well. On Friday I had charged some AA batteries for my Garmin and they showed full when I put them in. 20km down the road they were dead! I did have a spare set and dropped these in. The batteries are beside me now recharging so I will test them again, maybe they are faulty?

I knew it was going to be a cold night but the forecast was for no improvement over the next week. I am away next weekend and did not want to leave it until the last minute again. Also the football game might reduce the number of people out and about.
Overnight I was cold. My Thermarest, an original 22 year old self inflating mat was cold under me. I was warm on top, it is a decent bag. I will have to find time to investigate R factors.

Today, I needed to be home by 11 to take herself somewhere so I was up at first light (!) and straight to McD's for another breakfast and facilities and then home along NCN6 in light snow flurries.

Great to have achieved BAM 10 years after first doing it in 2012.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CmCEn49MF63/

#bam 12/12 (13 nights)

Blackhound wrote: ↑Sun Dec 11, 2022 6:07 pm Great to have achieved BAM 10 years after first doing it in 2012.

You certainly started something special there Kevin, copied but not bettered

Blackhound wrote: ↑Sun Dec 11, 2022 6:07 pm first doing it in 2012.