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I do believe that is a hat-trick 😀

I switched from my Ardents to my Race Kings the other day. Huge difference in rolling resistance, and most likely grip, but I’m sure they’ll be fine.

congratulations to you page/post hunters 😉

With a heavy heart I 1×9’d my slot-dropout Inbred the other night, in anticipation of some loaded welsh climbs.

28lb without luggage. 😥

I am sure Stu will be along to say it’s character building 😆

I haven’t weighed my 456 but I know it’s got to do 😉

Sorted out a rough plan for a route at the weekend, now to spend this week doing a bit more investigation and ‘google earthing’ to fine tune it. Not being local, we had a couple of questions that hopefully someone can answer for us please!
– are there any free water taps anywhere in Machynlleth or Dolgellau where we can fill up?
– we’re assuming that the forest tracks going directly west from the start are fair game. Is that right?

I’m sure Stu will let you fill up with water before you leave the start, plus plenty of streams etc to get all you need 😉

Forest tracks directly west of the start are fair game but keep to the north of the valley bottom as they’re felling at present on the south side … Forest Freeride soon to be Deforested Freeride 😉

Like Pete says, you shouldn’t have trouble finding water wherever you are. Be sensible about where you collect it and you won’t die*

*I take no responsibility for any deaths.

Forest Freeride soon to be Deforested Freeride

😆 No comment…

😯

To be fair, it does look a bit better than that!

Yes, it’s a tidy job and in the long run it’ll give me more things to ride 😀

phew that’s good to hear.

Perhaps some North shore sections over the stumps Stu?

Plenty of Shore type stuff in the fields already Pete 😉

may have a play before/after WRT then 😉

I’ve a nice gap jump with your name on 😯

Loaded or unloaded?

Is it re-enforced with girders?

Can I have a go? 😉

All welcome but come up short and it’ll happily remove your teeth 😀

Good to hear that the tracks to the west are fair game – I was going to ask the same question!
Sorry to hear of your loss of tree cover Stu – is the sunlight a bit frightening 😕

Thanks for the replies – looking forward to this weekend, particularly having only walked around parts of this area before. We seem to have plotted a route with around 5600m of climbing, which could be, hmm, interesting.

You’ll climb nearly that just to get out of the forest 😉

Excellent – so after that it’ll all be flat then. 😉

Having lost my routes due to a software glitch, the new route is 114km with 4700m up.

If weather is good the gear is weighing in circa 4kg complete with tent & food 😀 The Lomo bags recommended on here, the 12l can easily hold a tent, sleeping bag and mat.

Is the campsite at Cringoed any good, need somewhere to sleep on Friday night and potentially Monday night?

Campsite at Cringoed is fine, although they only have limited camping pitches.

I’ve just ordered some mosquito net so I can [get Beth to] retro-fit something to my Hunka to give me some protection from midges once under the shelter of my tarp.

What are other people doing about avoid the winged teeth, particularly the tarpists?

Still to be decieded on what i’m taking due to the weather but my bivi bag has built in bug net.
But you knew that already.

Built in net is the ideal solution, yes. I did have a good look at one of those bivi bags in Cotswold the other day, but price puts me off a bit.

I’ve just ordered 2 metres of net for about £10 and was thinking of trying to make something like a Gossamer Gear midge net. Pics to follow, of course.

I shall just have my lifeventure head net. The bonus being if it’s bad during the day I can put it on under my helmet and ride in it. (I’ve never tried this, although May last year on the west coast of Scotland I was anticipating needing to but the midgies never appeared.)

You shouldn’t find the midges too bad during the day … 8pm seems to be their time at the moment.

My Rab bag with net is great but there is a pretty big weight penalty but that’s perhaps more to do with the eVent fabric rather than the netting 😉

My Bearpaw mesh tent is also great for under a tarp, nice and light at around 200g.

Remember the midges are attracted to dark colours, so 90’s euro lycra could be the thing to be seen in 😯

Midges arent going to be a problem for me as Ive still not sorted my route yet, or tested my stuff or done any training!!!!! note to self:- sort your act out 😯

You’re probably still ok for the first two…what’s training?

It’s what your missus doesn’t let you do, Dyffers. Well, one of the things anyway. 😀

My Bearpaw mesh tent is also great for under a tarp, nice and light at around 200g.

Is that all it weighs? Impressive…

@Ian, no I’m afraid 200g was a lie. I’ve just weighed it and it’s 230g inc stuff sack but mine has got a 12″ extension of the groundsheet on 3 sides which will make it slightly heavier than a standard one.

@Bigface … well done sir, you’re taking the meaning of adventure to new heights 😀

What are other people doing about avoid the winged teeth, particularly the tarpists?

I think I’m just going to……. MTFU!

I don’t put netting over my head during the day and I can’t see any reason to put some over my head at night.

Eat loads of Marmite the week before and cover your head in DEET

Just how bad are the Welsh midges? I might have to pray for two nights of wind & rain and kip out on the tops of mountains then.

If the weather stays like this sod the tarp also.

Eat loads of Marmite the week before

Does that actually work? I’ve heard it before but not seen any hard evidence.

If it does I shan’t need the net; I’ve got 20 years of Marmite addiction behind me already.

While the Welsh midges perhaps aren’t as bad as their Scotish cousins … it has to be said that over the last few years they’ve got plenty of practice in 😉

I did the Microsoft Challenge a couple of years ago, first evening we did a night time biking stage in the forest east of Devils Bridge, while setting up bikes the bastard midges were biting my eyelids, was ok once moving but stand still for 10 seconds and they were up your nose, in your hair, had bites in my crotch, hell. 🙁