Tips for riding when it gets remote

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Tips for riding when it gets remote

56 posts & 25 voices | Started 1 year ago by jhw | Latest reply from slowoldgit

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jhw - Member

Loved the shots of Tignes/BC floatplane of late and gave me pause to reflect on how we change our procedure when it gets serious like that.

Any special tips/things you personally do differently when you're riding somewhere more extreme/remote than normal? What I'm driving at is really advice about how to change your procedure when you're remote, navigating, weather systems, those types of things, more than technique, though if you change that, say. Risk judgment and when to draw the line - what is the most exposed trail you've carried your bike up/down/across on the way to something else without feeling you're in undue danger?

1 start early - you can't cover as much as you think in a day

2 You can carry your bike pretty much anywhere on dirt but when there's neve stay away unless there's already a bit of a path carved out for you.

3 if you're solo and in the middle of nowhere, be ready to dismount and walk a lot of obstacles - learn to enjoy it, it's not failing as such

Posted 1 year ago #
jam bo - Member

pack plenty of cake.

Posted 1 year ago #
Milky - Member

+1 for mo cake

Posted 1 year ago #
cinnamon_girl - Member

You have to change your mindset. Remember that you can't always get a mobile phone signal. Be sensible and expect the unexpected in the U.K.

Posted 1 year ago #
Kunstler - Member

Be prepared for a lot of cursing and blaming from your partner dragging themselves along in tears behind you. "You told me it was going to be a gentle, easy ride!"

Posted 1 year ago #
cinnamon_girl - Member

Even better, ride solo! I have been known to argue with myself.

Posted 1 year ago #
coastkid - Member

Avon skin so soft for midge`s

Posted 1 year ago #
AlasdairMc - Member

If you feel too tired to continue during the worst bonk of your life, and want to curl up into a ball and have a cry, don't. MTFU and get on with it, you'll learn how far you can push yourself, and then some.

Also, ride slower to enjoy the scenery, and don't be afraid to amend your plans if you've been too ambitious.

Finally, Leathermans are worth their weight in gold when your hub seizes up.

Posted 1 year ago #
SpokesCycles - Member

Stop being a jessie and get on with it.

Climb fast so you can relish the good bits and have time should there be any disasters. But not so fast you blow up.

Keep fuelled, eat lots.

Keep breaks short.

Rag the absolute bobbins out of the descents. This isn't a trail centre, get on and enjoy it. Techy wilderness trails are a real treat to get the most out of.

Don't ride alone.

Pack a space blanket.

Have different mobile networks, just in case.

Let people know where you're going.

Pack a lot of layers and food.

Take first aid stuff. Know how to use it.

Take spare bike bits (not cranks or owt, but 2 tubes, patch kit, mech hangers etc.)

Start early.

Enjoy it. It's good.

Posted 1 year ago #
jhw - Member

Some excellent tips there and I'd never otherwise have thought about a space blanket etc. thanks

Are flats/SPDs inherently better for this type of thing (I use SPDs)

When have you ever decided it's too dangerous to carry on and turned back and why

Posted 1 year ago #
djglover - Member

There is the opportunity for a danger ****

Posted 1 year ago #
SpokesCycles - Member

I turned back on this ride. At the bottom it was rainy and windy, but up the top the winds were up to 70mph. We were only 100m down from the summit but it was just foolish to continue.

Be sensible.

Also, get very familiar with this. It's crucial to anything of reasonable height.

http://www.mwis.org.uk/

Space blankets can be tiny (I think mine is 7cmx9cm, if that, and only 1cm deep) and could well save your life.

I also wear my knee pads. They're a help.

And a soft option I've decided started to take is spare socks. It all fits in a 15l rucksack nicely.

As for SPDs vs flats- depends on the ride. If it's going to be a big push up all the way and the sort of riding where flats are warranted then yeah, but I use SPDs most of the time. If it's really cold/wet I'll wear flats because the shoes are warmer.

Posted 1 year ago #
kennyp - Member

Wear shoes you can walk for considerable distances in. My Five-Tens are very comfy for both riding and walking.

And all the other stuff too.

Posted 1 year ago #
kennyp - Member

Wear shoes you can walk for considerable distances in. My Five-Tens are very comfy for both riding and walking.

And all the other stuff too.

Posted 1 year ago #
BadlyWiredDog - Member

Space blankets can be tiny (I think mine is 7cmx9cm, if that, and only 1cm deep) and could well save your life.

Space blankets are next to useless in a mountain situation. You want a small, tough survival bag - Adventure Medical Kits do a tiny one. Blizzard ones are fantastic but bulky. But if you're part of a group and really want something that'll work, consider a group survival shelter that'll accommodate everyone. Bulkier but very effective and doubles as a lunch shelter in harsh conditions.

But anyway, bag rather than blanket.

Posted 1 year ago #
epicyclo - Member

SpokesCycles - Member
...Don't ride alone...

Riding alone is the best part.

Basically it comes down to carrying sufficient to fix minor problems with the bike and carry enough to survive a night out if it goes pear shaped. Spare delectables is always good because you can eat it at the end of the ride

Posted 1 year ago #
Pieface - Member

Take it easy on the downhills - if remote and solo

Posted 1 year ago #
SpokesCycles - Member

Yeah, if you're doing serious wilderness, a big orange bag is better. We've had to use the space blankets once this autumn though and they do help for hanging around waiting for Mountain Rescue. They're very warm.

Posted 1 year ago #
SpokesCycles - Member

Posted 1 year ago #
BadlyWiredDog - Member

Yeah, if you're doing serious wilderness, a big orange bag is better. We've had to use the space blankets once this autumn though and they do help for hanging around waiting for Mountain Rescue. They're very warm.

You can get a bag which is as light and compact as a space blanket, but more effective in really windy, rough conditions, see my link in my first post.

If you're going to carry a whopping great orange bivvy bag, you might as well use a Blizzard bag which is about the same size as a poly bag, but uses an elasticated construction to provide insulation as well as weather protection. They also do hooded emergency jackets made of the same stuff.

I've done a bit of quite remote mountain trekking and you reach a point where you kind of accept responsibility for your own safety because there is no mountain rescue and make judgments as you go on that basis. The more experienced you get, I think, the better you get at making a realistic assessment of what you're doing, but that's just me.

Posted 1 year ago #
Alpha1653 - Member

The problem with taking big bulky bits of kit that might be awesome is that when faced with having to carry it all day, most people will be tempted to chin it and leave it behind. Therefore, space blankets are good.

Incidentally, if you have a head torch that has a strobe mode with a red filter then if you place the torch in the middle of the blanket then it all becomes one MASSIVE reflected strobe which increases the chance of being found if you're in real trouble.

Posted 1 year ago #
cinnamon_girl - Member

Riding alone is the best part.

Agreed! I have no mechanical skills (apart from dealing with punctures) but sometimes one has to walk back to the car for a good few miles. Extra layers, together with sufficient food and drink, are essential.

Knee pads are a good idea but I have no hesitation in getting off if I feel uncomfortable. Judgment calls have to be made and I do wear my 'sensible hat'.

This year in Northumberland nobody knew where I was riding each day and, of course, it's debatable whether that's foolish.

I do find, however, that at the end of each day I feel quite shattered from the concentration of navigating/observing features.

Posted 1 year ago #
epicyclo - Member

Another thing if you ride alone is to consider what effect an injury may have on you.

I was riding on deep rutted tracks earlier in the year a long way from anywhere and fell off and put my shoulder out. Temps were well below. OK, no worries thought I, just put on my belay jacket to stop hypothermia.

Now there was a problem, I had an arm that wasn't working real well and couldn't put the jacket on or get the Camelbak back on.

Ended up walking out through calf deep snow pushing bike with working arm - took ages, and felt real sorry for myself. Learned a lesson.

Posted 1 year ago #
TandemJeremy - Member

Be prepared! thats the cardinal rule. Have the knowledge and the skills and the kit you need to survive.

If you break a leg what is going to happen? Could you survive a night?

Ride within your limits. Its not a trail centre.

Posted 1 year ago #
AlasdairMc - Member

Carrying too much kit can seriously slow you down. Be tactical with your layer choices, a Primaloft gilet (or a belay jacket in the winter) is better than several separate layers that you won't be wearing when you're riding. My belay jacket combined with a survival bag would easily see me through an overnight if I had to.

If you're in the wilds, rivers are fine to drink from (up here especially) so perhaps ditch the Camelbak and go with bottles instead. Less faff to refill.

If crossing rivers, take off your socks and wear just your shoes.

Edit: And what TJ said

Posted 1 year ago #
jhw - Member

I am reassured that people agree riding this stuff solo is not only OK but the whole point because I feel the same way. I like the mental challenge of having to rein in your riding style, too.

Another question for when it gets "serious" - what do you think about wearing a full face helmet, but just clipping it to your bag for the ascents (properly, so it doesn't move around)- instead of an open face helmet which you wear all the time.

Posted 1 year ago #
AlasdairMc - Member

I would never consider a full facer when out solo - the extra protection would make me ride beyond a sensible limit.

And yeah, riding solo is the whole point. It's great to spend a day or so out where you don't see a soul

Posted 1 year ago #
BadlyWiredDog - Member

The problem with taking big bulky bits of kit that might be awesome is that when faced with having to carry it all day, most people will be tempted to chin it and leave it behind. Therefore, space blankets are good.

I linked to a very, very small survival bag above, this one - because it's no bigger than a space blanket but offers significantly better protection. That seems like a sensible option to me, in some situations it might make sense to carry something heavier, in some it won't. You need to make a judgment call and consider whether an extra 200g is worth carrying in. I generally carry a light Primaloft jacket in winter conditions, because faffing about over a simple mechanical in sub-zero conditions just wearing riding kit gets you very cold, very fast, also a hat. But there aren't any rules, just what you think will work in particular circumstances.

Anyway, they're all options. If I were solo biking in, say, Scotland, in a remote area, in cold conditions, I might think the extra weight and bulk of a Blizzard Bag made sense because it could save my life. In the Peak I probably wouldn't bother. But I'd never carry a space blanket because there's another option that does a better job without a weight penalty. Not that it really matters.

Posted 1 year ago #
jhw - Member

Cheers - I am going to invest in that - like the "enormous strobe" idea too!

Posted 1 year ago #
TandemJeremy - Member

I wouldn't even take a helmet!

Be afraid and cautious and that way you don't crash and hurt yourself. Its not the head injury that you should be scared of - its the broken leg that means you are stranded until someone finds you or the broken chest that means you drown in your own blood.

Any serious accident in a truly remote area could be fatal. ride not to crash

Posted 1 year ago #
Alpha1653 - Member

Good find on the survival bag front, haven't seen that one before. I totally agree on the belay jacket and hat. Oh yeah, dry bag your kit so it doesn't get wet. And if I was going out for anything more than a few hours and it was cold, I'd take my jack flask which will keep a brew hot for about 8 hours.

One last one: if you're going off the beaten track, even if you know the route, take an OS map so that if you do have to call for help you can give a grid of your location. Goes without saying that you need to be able to map read before...

Posted 1 year ago #
Alpha1653 - Member

Cheers - I am going to invest in that - like the "enormous strobe" idea too!

Yep, works a treat too apparently. Got a presentation on survival tips at work the other day...very interesting.

Posted 1 year ago #
Surfr - Member

After putting my mech into my rear wheel resulting in a couple extra hours to get home in dying light this summer, I sat the RSGB Foundation exam for amateur radio and now carry a small 2M/70cm rugged handheld if I'm going to remote locations. It's small enough to fit in a jersey pocket and will work when mobile signal is not available. Still not perfect as those frequencies require line of sight really but it's another option to have. Not much bigger than a pack of cards and it's also a multiband scanner which I use to listen to the RAF entering low level around Wales.

Posted 1 year ago #
Alpha1653 - Member

Are you allowed to listen in to military nets?!

Posted 1 year ago #
jhw - Member

Cool, I see it's £230...if I'm on some Alp and just radio a message "bonjour je suis coughing up blood" or whatever, will someone get that, or does it take a little training?

Posted 1 year ago #