@epicyclo
Something a little like this?

Do they do a schwalbe moto in that size?

Yes, it’s called the Little Big Ben ;)

I’ve been running 40c Little Big Bens for touring and have been very happy with them. Marathon Supremes are great too if you can find them at the right price.

Check out Minirig speakers. British made and fantastic.

Genesis Vagabond. Not the shortest chainstays, but will run a proper 29er 2.1 tyre and mudguards.

Also look at the Cotic Escapade/Roadrat

Jones Bend bars are still relatively expensive and lack the welded junction that make the H-bar/Loop distinctive.

I had forgotten about the licensed Titec version. Obviously that partnership didn’t work out.

Jones bars might be fantastic but the price puts them out of the reach of most riders. Jeff has had years in which he could have produced a cheaper version for the mass market but he has chosen to keep it a niche product. The extra exposure his design gets from imitations being available at real-world prices can only be a benefit for him and the cycling community.

Another vote for Smart Sams. Good in the mud and roll really well considering.

I use my Roadrat (flat bar Escapade) for everything- road and off-road touring, bridleways and single track. It’s brilliant!
I’m running 29er wheels with Smart Sams off-road (47c front, 40c rear for decent mud clearance) and 40c Big Bens with guards for road/ canal path type stuff.

Our plan is to do the alignment by eye.

And we have no plans to heat treat. I can’t fit a cargo frame in the oven for starters.

I’m in the process of building one with a friend who is expecting a baby in a few weeks. Using frames from the scrap pile and a bit of box section for the main tube. All should be pretty straight forward. Steering is the only slightly tricky bit.

My cumulus 200 bag, miltimat, Alpkit double bivy, tyvek groundsheet, Esbit cookset and merino thermals come to 3.5kg. 1.2kg of that is the Bivy, so 5kg is easily doable.

I think you need to order from the U.S. to get a substantially lighter bivy bag than, say, a Hunka.

Cumulus do a Pertex Endurance bivy that’s under 200g and perfect for use under a tarp, or a Pertex Shield one that’s not a lot heavier and would be fine on it’s own.

The Belgian army bivy bags come in at around 350g with the thick canvas bedroll bit trimmed off and are less than £10. They are only water resistant though so best used under a tarp.

There are lots of other options on European websites and UK postage is normally pretty cheap.

Re. putting away a wet tent. I have a Zephyros 2 XL lite, so basically the same tent. Just give it a good shake to get rid of the big droplets before packing it away. I’ve found there’s not a lot you can do on a multi-day trip. Although the fabric is wet to the touch when it goes up again, it’s not enough water to actually make anything wet and it still keeps the rain out, so I figured it’s not really a problem. Just make sure it gets a good drying out before packing away for longer periods.

If you’re not entirely sure what you want, I’d definitely go the cheap Gelert 1 man route for now. They used to be called the solo, now called the track 1 I think?

For the sub-£30 price tag you can’t beat it without spending a few hundred on a Terra Nova or Hileberg. If you then decide you’d like to try a tarp and biv instead, then you haven’t lost anything.

My best tip for choosing a quality tent is look at the flysheet fabric. For a tough, long lasting tent you want silicon coated nylon rather than polyurethane coated polyester.

I have a full frame bag and take all sorts of unnecessary things along for the ride. I never even notice it’s there. Carrying stuff on the bike definitely makes sense.

Thanks everyone. I’ve gone for a couple of the super tasteful lime green Fly grips from Evans. 700mm of grip for £5.50! Bargain.

beanum I’m tempted by the Cotic Escapade but the rear dropout arrangement puts me off.

I have a geared roadrat with the same dropouts have never felt they are a problem. The technique for removing the wheel is different but I wouldn’t say it’s any harder. On the rear mudguard stays I fitted some sks break-away mounts so it can be popped out to let the wheel out.

The cotic has much less tyre clearance (cotic say 1.75 but it’s 1.4/40c with a bit of mud clearance), which is what draws me to the Genesis.

The Vagabond looks great. Steel, rigid, tons of tyre clearance, braze-ons for useful stuff. It’s like a drop bar version of the first longitude, but without the longness.

Sorry. What I’m saying is the police know who the bike belongs to because they arrested him. You’d presume that when your dad’s colleague reminded them about it, the police would have got in touch with the lad? He probably hasn’t claimed it because he was too drunk to remember where he left it.

Presumably the police asked the lad who was riding it before being arrested, who must have said he didn’t own it, hadn’t nicked it and didn’t know who it belonged to?

The holes don’t line up with any bolts? It’s almost like they are for cable ties or something.

I was just about to say… my Cotic Roadrat. Built it up from second hand parts to a fairly oddball spec and it’s just superb.

I have a 28/40 on the front and 11-34 on the rear (9 speed because I’m cheap). I spend a lot of time climbing in the lowest gear so think I’ll run a 24 granny on my next trip, but I have never felt the top end is lacking.

Considering most bikes come with an own-brand stem, the bike shop isn’t losing anything by swapping it with another own-brand stem.

The cost price is tiny compared to retail on branded stuff, and they are keeping the one they remove to fit on somebody else’s bike.

how do those Buffalo Teclite shirts size up ?

My 38″ shirt fits my 38″ chest. They are quite fitted, but need to be as they should be worn against the skin or with just a base layer.

Yeah Buffalo Teclite shirt. I add a merino base layer for sub-zero windy rides or hiking.

They do a Teclite cycling specific one too, with a vented back and reflective strips if that’s your thing.

I got mine from needlesports.com

I have the Buffalo Teclite (the lightweight ‘high activity’ one) and it’s perfect for cold and wet rides. I chuck on a lightweight waterproof if it’s really really pouring down but otherwise the Buffalo alone is enough. The heavier buffalos (mountain shirt, special 6 etc.) are too hot for active stuff unless its way below zero or a hurricane.

Sealskinz for hands and feets and some trendy RAF surplus goretex trousers complete the ex-serviceman look. Sorted!

Between 3,000 and 15,000, depending on what work I’m doing.
Steps is a pretty useless way of measuring things, unless you spend all your non-walking life sat on your bum.

Is it just me that gets excited at the prospect of a 3×11 with a 10-42 on the back?

Avoid p-clips on the fork legs, but if it’s attaching to the dropout eyelets and the crown then I can’t see there being any problem.

I think frame bags are the best thing to come out of all this bike-packing stuff. Mine never leaves the bike. It’s ~10 litres of almost weightless practicality in an otherwise useless space. Mine has a 1.5 litre bladder (bit of a faff to fill, but it’s enough to last a day) and room for food, tools, lights, a jacket, wallet and phone, keys etc. I’ve never liked riding with a backpack. With a frame bag you forget it’s there.

As for all the other bikepacking stuff- use whatever suits your bike and your ride. Having more choice is always a good thing but there’s no one setup that is right for everything!

Same bike; different adventure:

Sign says ‘Not subject to any rights of way or other public rights other than the ordinary rights of the public for navigation‘

So it’s not a footpath or bridleway (nor are most beaches) but you still have your ‘ordinary’ right to navigate across below the mean high tide mark.

Kobra graffiti spray cans work well, are cheap and the nozzles are decent. Finish with lots of clear coat if you want it to look vaguely smart.

I’ve done arc and mig welding for years and recently started brazing. All great skills to have. I’d say brazing is the most applicable to bikes, if that’s what you intend to do. The kit and consumables can be very cheap. I went for a bullfinch propane torch which avoids the need for hiring an oxygen cylinder.

I’d love a tig welder but they are very expensive, and the skill is the hardest to master.

Lots of good how-to videos on YouTube that will get you going.

Think mine were a medium and they fit my 34 inch waist and are too long for my 28 inch legs, just like every pair of trousers I own. Sizing is typical military- Leg / waist / seat, all measured in cm. So mine are labelled as 80/84/100.

The RAF trousers are brilliant. Never wet, never sweaty, great value for money and look smarter than typical black shiny trousers. They also pack down pretty small if you tuck them into their own back pocket.

Marathon Supremes +1. Had a set on my old tourer, wish I’d taken them off before I sold it. Buy from German sites for a good price (after checking with your LBS who won’t have any).

Electric cars can make use of all fuel types- fossil, nuclear or renewable. And we have a nationwide network for distributing it called the national grid.

Hybrid cars are a folly. In the real world, none achieve better MPG than the best diesels. Tesla is the only company producing desirable and realistically priced electric cars (£50k luxury saloon is much more platable than a £30k Supermini) but others will catch up eventually.

Is it an old Renault 5 Turbo ?? Looks in decent nick.

Yeah, it’s a Renault 5 made to look like a BMW M Coupe.

2 bikes and 2 adults in a Suzuki Jimny with just the front wheels off.