Rode the SDW with a few friends over two and a half days in August 2021 and loved it (despite horrendous cramp in both legs after the first day).
The views are tremendous and there are some cracking sections of trail on the route. Yes, some of the climbs are horrible but they are worth it.
We camped at Cocking on the first night. We had been relying on the pub being open to get food but due to COVID restrictions nothing was open so we ended up with just a couple of energy bars and half a bag of Jelly Babies for dinner.

Breakfast at Cadence Cycle Hub at Upwaltham the next morning was very good and very welcome.

The second night we stayed at the YHA at Truleigh Hill. We had booked a shared room for the 5 of us and it was spot on. Secure bike storage, decent showers, good food and beer.

Then it was on to Eastbourne for the finish and fish & chips.

For info, I used my Sonder Broken Road. 100mm travel forks, 2.4″ xc tyres (WTB Ranger), 1×11 gears with a 32T chainring and an 11-42 cassette. It’s now been upgraded to 12-speed, 10-51 and this will make some of the hills easier to ride next time.

I missed this thread originally, @Poopscoop but have really enjoyed reading it today and it has made me want to ride the South Downs Way again. Let’s see what this summer brings…

Sonder Frontier fits the bill and Sonder will customise the build to your requirements.

I have a Sonder Frontier rigid I’m selling, Joe.
Size large, Deore brakes and chainset, SLX gears.

How long do you spend in the shower that you need a speaker in there?

What size do you need, @ton?
I’ve got a barely used pair of Schwalbe G-One (Speed TLE) 27.5 x 2.35 tyres in my garage looking for a new home.

Ordered on Sunday afternoon. Delivered yesterday afternoon. Thanks, @Poopscoop for the PSA.

Last time I rode The Gap with a mate the council were ‘pruning’ the hedgerows along the roads back towards the canal. The roads were littered with off cuts. When we finished the ride we checked our tyres and had about 20 thorns in them between us but hadn’t lost any air. We then sat outside the café in Talybont and pulled all the thorns out, expecting a few failures but every hole sealed straight away.
Tubeless is great! :-)

Coil it up inside the lid when not in use.

It is Salvador Dali.

Done!!! :-)

Thanks for the hints, everyone.

Argh!
77/80.
Still can’t get the apple, the smoke/lightning and USA.

Stuck on the Crow and Seagull combo – what type of creatures are they?
Heart shaped rock on the floor? – do you mean the rock?
Second phone one – I have the post-it note bit – name rings a bell.
The French horn – a brightly coloured instrument.

The crow – add an ‘e’
Sale label – what’s another word for the cost of something?
Glass of milk – part of the horseshoe and bridle clue.
Wasps – what do wasps do?
Robin with a bluebeard – No idea.
Harpo on the blackboard looks like it should be one – It is, but it’s backwards.

61/80 and struggling.

Something Blue
French Horn
Little Bird
X on the column
Seagull
Blue slippers
Wooden Duck
are amongst the ones annoying me.

If you want to do it, you will.
I gave up booze for a year a couple of years ago and found it quite easy. I just decided I’d give it a go and stuck to it. The hardest part is when you are socialising and people offer to buy you a drink but I found that once I explained to people why I would like a soft drink most of them accepted it.
I started drinking alcohol again after the year but not nearly as much as I used to as I realised I was mainly drinking because it was ‘expected’ and not because I want or need alcohol.

That was for two.

No. That’s for one!

https://www.freewheel.co.uk/maxxis-shorty-gen-2-tyre-varshortyv2

Should look like this when fitted (zoom in):

I wanted to get some of the weight off the handlebars (Usually my MSR Hubba, Neoair Uberlite and worn out down bag in a Restrap pack there). So, I just bought a Tailfin Aeropack with 2×10 litre pannier/drybags 🙂
It looks ace. Really nicely made. Can’t comment much further as I haven’t used it yet. My plan is that I can use this setup across a few different bikes.

That’s pretty much the set up I settled on over the summer, except I have 2 of the 5l Cage Packs. Works really well and is steady as a rock.

I opted for the cage packs rather than the mini panniers as it gives me the option of attaching them to the Tailfin or the forks.

Just use a 12-speed chainset. It will work fine with an 11-speed chain.
I ran a 12-speed SLX M7100 chainset on my hardtail with 11-speed chain, cassette and derailleur for 18 months without any trouble at all. Changed the DM chainring to an Absolute Black Oval 12s and that works fine as well.

Lezyne Zecto Drive.

@Cougar – where are you based?
Airbus in Newport are looking for a Cyber Security Consultant. Remote working with occasional site visits.

Buy a Brand X 125mm dropper and sell the Fox. You’ll make money and have a bike that fits.
Win-win.

Had a loft conversion about 6 years ago and didn’t need fire doors as long as we had mains-fed smoke alarms fitted in every room (except bathrooms & toilet) and an escape window fitted on the first floor.
This is in Wales so rules may be different where you are and may have changed since we had ours done.

If you have the money for a new bike and want Pinion drive then have a look at the Sonder Broken Road Pinion.
One of those with a SON front hub for charging and lights would be a good set up I reckon.

Beaten to it by @fossy.
Zecto Drive lights are great as the different settings and flash patterns let you balance brightness and battery life.

I’m 6’ (183cm) tall and ride a Large. Photos shows saddle height.

My Montblanc Slimline.
This was given to me by a friend for being his best man when he got married in 1983.

Phew!

I have been trying to convince myself that buying Hope flat pedals isn’t stupidly extravagant. The price of these Wolftooth pedals has made me realise that the Hope pedals are a bargain!
Now, where’s my wallet?

Same for me. Wear XL Briskers but the XL Hydros I bought last week are flippin’ tiny. I can barely get them on and once on I can’t bend my fingers.
Have 100% got a random size sticker machine?

Can’t help with trousers but agree that 100% glove sizing is bonkers.
I normally wear size L gloves but when I bought some Briskers I had to get XL, and they are only just big enough.
Bought some XL Hydros last week and they are tiny. I can just about get them on but then can’t bend my fingers. I reckon in any ‘normal’ sizing they’d barely be a M.

Nice PSA, thanks.
Dropper post ordered. :-)

Not bolt-on, but I have a MuckyNutz MugGuard on my hardtail and it is very good. Ample clearance with 2.4″ tyres and doesn’t move about.
Mine is the short version but they also do a longer one.

Although it’s no longer a legal requirement my own opinion is if you suspect you have Covid do an LFT and if +ive isolate until you test -ve.
It doesn’t matter how you feel. If you are +ive you can infect others and they may not fare as well as you.

Due in stock at SJS Cycles in a few weeks.

A little appetiser before next week’s main course: https://www.housebeautiful.com/uk/lifestyle/property/a36343040/grand-designs-lighthouse-for-sale-croyde-north-devon/

Giant Reign 29.

The tapering gap on your gravel boards however…
😉

That’s one of the joys of living on a hill: the neighbours’ garden is always trying to push the barge boards over so it can roll and slide in to our garden. 😑

Sonder Dial or Frontier.
There isn’t much between them.
Frontier is 1degree slacker but has a longer head tube, longer chain stays and wheelbase but shorter reach and stack. It also has more mounting points.

Have you considered a roller shutter door? They take up less space and allow a taller opening. They also fit fully flush with no gaps so keep the garage warmer and drier.
I had two fitted by Garolla for £1,800.