Looks like the boardwalk is now greatly improved! Tried riding it once, cost me a bruised hip & broken saddle.

I’ve been using YBN links from Merlin with no issues.

Ah yes, wellies on Helvellyn…. I once met a family of 3 just topping out at the Gough Memorial having traversed Striding Edge in winter conditions. Father had boots on, mother Hunter willies (“their designed for things like this”!!!), daughter wore what I can only describe as platform soles trainers. They weren’t impressed that descending Swirral Edge as they planned was not a good idea.

Don’t need anything bringing up – but I’ll wave as you sail past our home on the ferry.

Worth pointing out that you shouldn’t rely on MRT – not only as you may not have the means to call them, but also as they are all volunteers who give up their own time, and often income to rescue people. Better to call them out as a result of a proper accident, rather than something preventable with a little knowledge and pre-planning.

3 years ago we were on our way to visit my mother in law on a wet afternoon. Rounded a bend to see 2 cars pulled in to side with hazards on, as we passed my wife saw a car in the trees, which was why the others had stopped. We pulled over and ran back (both first aid trained). To cut a long story short, driver died in my wife’s hands whilst I tried to distract her daughter who was on the back seat.

My message is – if you see something on the road that you are not sure about, pull over safely and go back to have a look. It’s worth 5 minutes of your time.

Whatever did or didn’t happen to this group, the great thing is that it has started a discussion raising awareness of what’s needed when riding in the wilds. Got to be good!

Ah, the “Edges” never seen a bike on those, an ironing board once, but no bikes!

Finding your location using an OS map and compass – the idea is that you keep track of where you are at all times, so hopefully this does not occur….. In reality it does happen, especially on a bike when it can be difficult to judge distance travelled. This is where GPS CAN be really useful (with decent mapping). If it fails, you do have a picture of where you are, and navigate on wards the old fashioned way. Otherwise the skills you need are beyond what can be taught on here.

To all those on here who think it’s OK to rely on a technology to make up for lake of equipment or skill, it’s time to wake up!

GPS’s are great tools, but they can and do fail. I’ve had batteries fail well before they should, supposedly waterproof GPS fill up with water (quite comical at the time, on a night time search – fortunately I knew the area well, & had map & compass), also a broken screen. A light of some sort is also kind of handy. I once went on a rescue for a mountain biker who was stuck on the high fells after dark after a mechanical issue. Said he didn’t need to carry a torch as he could move much faster than a walker…… Best to remember that if your bike lets you down you really are just a walker. Oh, if you get injured you really need the same kit that a walker would be expected to carry.

Mountain bikes are great in wild places, but take responsibility for yourself and your actions. Rant over!!

http://www.lakedistrictweatherline.co.uk/

Gold standard info!

Got quite a few Lumilife LED bulbs, of all kinds. All working fine, and a big improvement on the CFL’s we were running previously.

I have a Spectral 7.9, size L. I’m 6′, 34″ inside leg. Reach is fine, and the bars are not too high – I run 20mm spacers below them so you should have no problem with the bar height.

Great bike by the way!

Re waterproof over trousers. I don’t wear them if I’m riding. But I sure as hell do if I’m walking (or even running sometimes) in proper weather. Guess what you will be doing if something major fails on your bike? This is a broken record, but there are far too many mountain rescue call outs for un(der) equipped people on the hills. Don’t be one of them!

I made the switch last year, and have not regretted it. As well as improving comfort they are also are less skittish. I regularly descend (& climb back up – no circuits around here!) a 12% hill with a slight kink on the way down. I reckon the change to 25c tyres is worth about 2mph on my max speed, which is generally 45 – 50 depending on conditions.

It will take longer than you think.
It will cost more than you think.
It will be harder than you think.
You will build bigger than you need.
It will be worth it in the end.
That’s my summary five years on.

Canyon Spectral 29. Ordered in November, shipped yesterday. Tracking says it has passed through Brussels, should arrive next Wednesday. Hope the weather holds – got some big rides planned.

Spare lengths of gear cable outer. Can’t bring myself to throw away anything longer than a couple of inches!

Dry with some sunshine here in Wester Ross.

I once walked the last km or two to Tulloch station from the south, having checked the timetable to be safe. Halfway across a viaduct, I heard a freight train coming. Cue sprint in winter mountain boots followed by vault over fence!

Strath Carron / Torridon circuit on road bike. Final 10 miles along Glen Torridon into a stiff headwind left the legs feeling suitably weary.

Scotroutes – good wasn’t it? Traversed Beinn Alligin yesterday and got slightly sunburnt! Far too cold for midges yet.

Cycled Bayonne to Perpignan last year. Used the bike bus both ways – to make the schedule work we travelled by train from Perpignan to Toulouse on the way back to meet the bus (Atlantic route). This schedule gave us time to meander around a little, and ride over most of the big cols – except the Tourmalet, which was closed.

Running wise – try Cauterets. It’s unusual for the Pyrenees as it is close to the high peaks, at a junction of valleys, so there is a good choice of hills. There is a bus from the town up to a car park at the bottom of the Marcadau Valley. From here there is enough running to keep you occupied for a week or two!

That’s great news. Until a couple of years ago I worked for an outdoor equipment / clothing brand, and know that with your business model the costs should be capable of stacking up correctly. I’m thinking clean, simple design and small batch size to increase responsiveness to market, allow rapid development and minimise investment in stock volume.

Good luck, and enjoy!

Showing well in Wester Ross.

Jenn Hopkins. Writes like a human being, for human beings!

My wife wants a full suss, specifically a Giant Anthem 29er. I happen to have one which is a touch too small for me, but fits her perfectly. I now have an order placed for a Canyon Spectral 29er. Everyone wins!

£27pm electricity (should drop, PV panels installed in December). Approx. £150 per year wood (for log burning boiler and stove, bought by lorry load with a neighbour). Approx £60 per year wood pellets (boiler converted to pellets in summer to work with solar hot water). So the bills look tiny in comparison to most others – until you consider the capital investment, and that we live in a modern well insulated house (SAP rating of 94.).

Another vote for the Hitachi. Had one for 9 months now, done a fair bit of work with it, some of which was quite heavy. Done everything I have asked of it.

I had the same problem with my Anthem 29. Found that not attaching the cable to the rocker link solved it. The original routing had created a U bend, and water getting in could not get out again, quickly corroding the cable. That was 18 months ago, and only a few quick cleans required since.

Raleigh Record c1983. Served me well for many years, why did I bin it 13 years ago??? Because it was geared for the Fens not the hills. I do a post round in the Highlands now, and see the exact same model left out in the rain and neglected. One day it may end up in the back of the van, to become the next renovation project.

Born Knebworth, Hertfordshire
Grew up Flatlands of St. Neots, Cambridgeshire
Escaped to the hills (Lakes) for 17 years
Emigrated to bigger, emptier hills of Wester Ross 6 years ago

glupton1976 – you can’thave much experience of the wilds of the Highlands… There are many BIG rivers that have no bridge. Walk a short distance upstream? Frequently over 1,000ft of ascent, through crags etc…..

keli1 – go and learn to read a map, read up on the kit you need to look after yourself on an epic. Look at what people carry when walking in the hills. There’s a tendency to refer to them as “bobble hats” or other such terms, but whose laughing when you trash your bike 10 miles from the car and become a walker, just like them – but not as well equipped to cope.

Visible in Wester Ross at about 3:30am. Not a particularly spectacular display here, but it’s there.

Use a Joe Blow Sport to top up tyres on our camper van. They run at 65psi, more than I acn get out of any foot pump, and compressor cable is not long enough to reach the rear wheels.

That’s Eurostar just lost 2 customers. A real shame, as from the Highlands sleeper > London, Eurostar / TGV was a great way to get to the south of France. Anyone want to buy a couple of bike bags?

Eurostar bike bag size limits are sensible – they are the maximum size that can be fitted into the luggage rack. The last time my wife & I travelled on the Eurostar with bikes the train was very busy. We were asked (very politely) if we would mind leaving them in the bar, this suited us! A good tip is therefore to book seat close to the bar, in case the luggage rack are full.