Always wanted to call ours Catwun and Cattoo but was sadly overruled.

Cheers for replies on Sol Escape bivvy.  I do have one of the Naturehike CloudUps for actual camping/bikepacking so this really would be just emergency use and as light as poss to throw in with the 1st aid basics.

not that we get things too extreme down here on the south coast but even so with an extended mechanical / unfortunate tumble in high wind chill frosty evenings, people can get very cold very rapidly and there’s not always a handy pub 5 mins walk away.

@mick_r

Thanks for the feedback. Good to know.

Oh yes – take all your Buffs! perfect for keeping drafts out of your neck, pulling up over your mouth and nose in a blizzard, wiping goggles, etc, etc.  and a spare to use as a makeshift beanie when sitting out in a mountain restaurant/cafe after taking your helmet off.

Are your goggles the double-glazed variety?  that’s the norm for skiing/snowboarding to stop fogging up.  I’d take both those and the glasses though so you have both the choice depending on weather and a backup if you lose/break them.

Socks – ski and snowboard boots are generally fairly warm in themself so no need to go mad – a good pair of calf height walking socks is fine – several pairs actually as hire boots will make them get whiffy pretty quickly!

Gloves / Mitts – same as for wintery mountain biking is what I use and if poss some silk liners you can take in and out as you see fit / get too sweaty / etc.   ideally with wrist loops to avoid the danger of dropping them when you need to dig things out of pockets / take pictures on a lift / etc. My son was just using a pair of PlanetX / Carnac lobsters last time.  but i do tend to take a spare set of buffalo mitts in my rucsac just in case one of the family lose theirs or they get soaked from throwing snow balls / carrying wet skis/boards.

Back to the idea of things to bring and hopefully not use, I was considering chucking one of those SOL Escape Bivvy bags in my camelbak on the sub-zero night rides ‘just in case’.   If it doubled up as a v.lightweight bivvy for single night bikepacking under a hedge so much the better.

Any real world experience?

e.g. https://valleyandpeak.co.uk/products/sol-escape-bivvy

@mick_r

Do those Decathlon trigger-finger mitts have a glove type inner which separates the fingers or is the 3-finger section more like a mitt?  Every similar mitt i’ve seen including my otherwise very nice Reusch ones have a glove inner which means it’s difficult to put all 4 fingers in the 3-finger section when it’s really cold and your solo index finger is starting to freeze up.

Equally the very warm Aldi lobsters also have the fingers separated which in turn increases the difficulty of getting damp/sweaty fingers in and out and not pulling out the inner with you.

instead of wanting cuddles or playtime they get home from school and immediately start asking when dinner will be ready, whats for dinner, can I have a lift, can I have a fiver, ……

Had to laugh! ‘What’s for Dinner?’ That is the first thing that comes out, well before any hello’s, thanks for picking me up, etc, etc. The bonus is that quite often he’ll actually offer to cook dinner if it’s something he likes.

I’ve put on a pair of Panaracer Gravelkings in 32mm for the winter on the endurance/sportive bike and have been pleasantly surprised with how they help on slippery grass, gravelly bridleways and the like. The SK version clogs up easily in mud though so you might want to look at the EXT or AC version if you’re expecting that – they are a bit more cyclocross oriented in 33mm.

One of our larger kitchen metal spoons became known as The Poo Spoon. It had a nice thin edge which made it a great scraping tool.

I’ve just used some fairly cheap tape from Paragon Tapes off ebay for areas where luggage and so on might rub. Seems fairly effective but perhaps a double wrap for the chainstay if you can get it on neatly. And some along the cranks to keep them unscuffed.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/str/paragontapes/Bike-Frame-Protection-Tape/_i.html?store_cat=12515760015

Got a very nice (new) Stans Crest Mk4 built with Novatec’s own-brand D772 hub, sapim spokes, brass nipples, etc by Mark at Spokesman Wheels for only £249 and that was a rear wheel so I imagine a pair could well fit your budget. Light and quite a quiet hub.

https://www.spokesmanwheels.co.uk/about-us/

p.s. go direct rather than via the ebay shop for a better price

I’d second the heavyish comment and raise it to feeling like it’s made of cast iron. Haven’t got one myself but a friend does and I wouldn’t be in the slightest bit tempted. Weighs a ton.

Take your old washing up gloves and a headtorch for fitting chains or socks. It can be a messy business.

SingletrackWorld subscription?

Failing that Gliding Club membership if one locally or maybe some pre-16th birthday driving lessons (on private land) so he can get used to clutch, brakes and err… doing donuts?

https://wearetribe.co/ seem to be a similar outfit and also have a National Parks tie-in so wonder if related? I quite like their ‘triple decker’ bars so tend to get a few in when they have one of their frequent offers on and I can’t be arsed making another batch of flapjacks.

Chapeau have a sale on their winter kit and the gilets have pockets. Not sure if the grey or blue will fit your light colour criteria but at least they aren’t black.

https://chapeau.cc/men/jackets-gilets.html

Love the Crocs in the first pic.

I’d be a bit nervous about putting those on a carbon hardtail with skinny seat-stays.

Is that really going to be ok? I’d have thought the weight/flex pattern is not what the stays are designed for.

Don’t forget to get her to watch a bit of Ogmios to calm any nerves.

Ogmios School of Zen Motoring

There’s a Fibrax kit as well that has all the bits you need for a fully sealed run.

e.g. https://www.velozone.co.uk/products/fibrax-pro-sealed-derailleur-kit-black?variant=42028195807401&utm_source=bing&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=shopping

https://www.reusch.com/int/en/shop/?shop_category=search&input_search=lobster

Reusch lobster / trigger finger glove mitts – lovely but don’t look at the prices!

Some have a zippy bit on the back to slide in a heating pad.

I find the lobster gloves with the separate inner fingers to be colder than the lobster gloves without that inner separation. Don’t actually understand why they have that?

Yep agree with you on that. My skiing mitts which have the separate trigger finger are similar, whereas if they simply had no inner separation in the 3-finger section I could actually get all 4 fingers in there on v.chilly days. As it is the trigger finger tends to, not surprisingly, get cold quite quickly.

I’d definitely recommend using something like a foam roller on calves and shins before and after your run to keep them supple. Complements the stretching routine well.

And leave a couple of nights sleep between the runs whatever the distance you’re doing. Give those legs time to repair a bit and if they’re feeling particularly tight on that second morning, more foam rolling / stretching (while warm) and give it another nights recovery, perhaps go for a ride / swim / weights instead that day.

Planetx Carnac lobsters for the toasty budget option.

https://www.planetx.co.uk/products/carnac-waterproof-crab-hand-winter-gloves.

Sometimes carry a pair of XL Buffalo mitts and/or Goretex shell mitts for emergencies in sub-zero or potentially heavy rain conditions. Dexterity is a bit rubbish but by that stage I just want to keep dry and warm.

e.g. https://ultralightoutdoorgear.co.uk/tuff-bags-gore-tex-paclite-overmitts/ for a shell mitt which pack down very small being only a thin layer of goretex paclite.
The Buffalo mitts also pack down smaller than you might think despite the fibre pile insulation which as a bonus helps to dry out whatever glove you’re wearing underneath.

Everyone seems to think they’ve got “wide” feet these days

Think that’s an age thing reflecting your average Singletrack member as much as anything. Feet get wider as you get older, there’s no way I can fit some of my old running shoes now.

Also another voice on not having had to size up my Shimano MW7s. Pre-warming them on the radiator before a ride keeps the heat in for longer as well!

Humble-braggers with their garages and not-filled-up-with-crap sheds!

I was considering a cheap popup gazebo / event shelter type thing kept by the back door so outside but sheltered from rain. Not sure how motivated I’d be to actually faff around getting it and the bike/trainer out there every time though.

FWIW, our ‘Russell Hobbs 20460 Quiet Boil Kettle, Brushed Stainless Steel’ is quiet, metal and pretty quick to boil (at least compared to it’s predecessor) so may tick your wife’s boxes.

Worth looking out for a local roastery you can actually ride over to.

I found one set up by a couple two streets away from me. By post it’d be over £40 a kilo for their lovely South American chocolatey blend but well under that once they’ve taken off the postage and I’ve turned up with my own container as well.

https://www.google.com/maps/search/coffee+roasters+near+me

mrsheen

https://www.frenchpolishingcourse.com ?

Decathlon have a range of no-zip saddlebags – just velcro loops and rolltop closures. The 2.5 litre is just big enough to stuff a Montane Prism in for the really chilly days where I like to carry an emergency warm top. smaller versions there as well if you look for their ‘Riverside’ brand.

https://www.decathlon.co.uk/p/2-5-cycling-watertight-saddle-bag-black/_/R-p-342837?mc=8767564&c=black

My post about UCI streaming seems to have disappeared but here’s the link:

https://www.youtube.com/@ucichannel/videos?view=2&sort=dd&live_view=502&shelf_id=0

Remains to be seen what it’s like and which countries are ‘geo-blocked’.

There is some streaming on the UCI Youtube channel including CX and XC going by the following link:

https://www.youtube.com/@ucichannel/videos?view=2&sort=dd&live_view=502&shelf_id=0

There is a warning though that it’s subject to geo-blocking so I’ll have to see this weekend if I can watch the CX in Troyes.

If it’s with marmite, butter’s the only option.

Peanut butter though, at least the ‘pure’ variations, can work well with a bit of olive oil drizzled on toast.

Also home-baked bread / sourdough, etc – just some olive oil, maybe a bit of the chunkier sea salt sprinkled on. Yum

There is a chance the hardware ID of the machine is registered for Windows Autopilot in which case you wouldn’t be able to reset it and just use it as a personal PC, however that tends to only be used by larger corporates.

In any case you could find out by triggering a full reset:

Select the Start button, then select Settings > Update & Security > Recovery

If after a full reset it then prompts you to login with your work account, it Could be locked to your company and you’d be best handing it back. If not, well just go ahead with using it as a personal PC until they ask!

Your reasons are why I like the Dissent133 system – separate inner gloves and an outer waterproof shell. no liner to pull out, you can change the inner glove according to temp/sweatiness and take off the outer when the rain stops and/or you’ve warmed up enough,

It works for me other than finding the thumbs a little tight if using all 3 layers, but I know others are sceptical about the expense & slight faff factor taking layers on and off but YMMV.

https://www.dissent133.com/

We’ve had a couple from iOutlet which were absolutely fine.

There’s also Apple’s own refurb outlet and although more expensive they do include a brand new battery and shell so no chance of getting your new-to-you phone and finding the battery is already at 80% max capacity.

The Quadlock stuff is on 30% off for Black Friday at the moment. I’ve been happy with mine and of course you get the option to use with their bike/car/desk/etc mounts. They meet the non-fluffing/easy-to-slide into a pocket criteria as well.

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I can get in and out of mine by grabbing the hood and pulling it over my head.

This is the way with smocks.