re Grangers Wash & Repel: spooky as I bought some on Monday from our proper “all things outdoors” shop (Great Western Camping in Dorchester). They recommended it for doing all my jackets. It hasn’t rained since, typical, so I haven’t been able to test the results yet. Very easy to use though.

Re the magazine: I do like the smell of it since you started using the new printers. Not the same but its like opening a pack of coffee, luv the smell of singletrack in the morning when the postman has been. My wife is somewhat less enthusiastic though, apparently I shouldn’t be reading it at bedtime as it makes the bedroom smelly she says.

Went in there a few weeks back, my mate needed a new water bottle as the top of his had flown off (don’t ask me how!) somewhere on the long (and very fast in places!) road descent from top of the valley above Dylife to Mach. We were bike packing the Trans Cambrian and Traws Eryri routes,

After years of entering STW competitions, Mega Draws and raffles I finally win something and ………….  its the bog brush!

Is God trying to tell me something :-)

I’d go down the second hand route, plenty of M780’s on e-bay at around £30. We should be using old parts, if they are perfectly serviceable, rather than buying new all the time. The last one I bought had nearly new jockey wheels on it, so well worth the money.

Into the Silence (The Great War, Mallory and the Conquest of Everest) by Wade Davis is well worth a read.

Strictly speaking its more about the Everest expeditions of the early 1920’s, culminating in the “did they (Mallory & Irvine) or didn’t they reach the summit”. However the many members of the various expeditions were all involved in the Great War which had a great impact on them and how they regarded the rest of the world. There are many sections of the book telling their stories and experiences during the war. A great read on many levels.

This website might be useful ………….

The best mountain-biking spots | Tourism in the Ardennes (visitardenne.com)

Haven’t ridden there for many years, but there were some very good forest trails.

If you haven’t seen the movie or heard of the Battle of the Bulge … Malmedy was the scene of the massacre by the Waffen SS of 80 American prisoners as well as many civilians.

Thanks all for the advice and info.

We are going north to south and although the initial track looks ok (!) from the aerial view the concern was having to hike-a-bike thru bogs for the last 3-4km with fully loaded bikes (camping gear etc ….). I think we will take the route suggestion from @Jameso and go south east around Foel Frech to  Bwlch Blaen-y-Cwm and then head south to Bala on what looks like very minor back roads until we hit the B4501.

Thanks again

Been a while since we were last there, but the Grainstore Brewery & Tap was a great place to drink and eat, sometimes with live music.

A bit off of the lakeside trail, but there is a cycle route marked on the OS map into Oakham where the pub is located.

Thanks for the info all, much appreciated.

Isn’t it because each leg of the fork is different, e.g. oil one side and air/spring on the other, so without a pair it doesn’t work.

Just had this from Orbea ….

Come to Ard Rock and try our bikes. Come and find us in Ard Rock Festival from July 26 to 28 to test our latest range of electric and non-electric mountain bikes all weekend. Available to test is our new Rise lightweight eMTB, in its SL and LT versions, as well as our gravity and enduro focused Wild. We will also have our non-electric Occam trail bike available to try. Festival entry tickets are still available.
May not suit you as I guess you would have to buy a ticket for the event, but it isn’t too far from the southern lakes area.

I would also agree with some of the other posts, i.e. more range = a bigger battery = a beefed up frame, all of which = more weight

Is it 27.5 or 29ner? Which will make a difference to the ride height.

Best size guide is to go see the bike and stand over it/sit on it, if it doesn’t feel comfortable walk away.

I am 5′ 11″ and ride a 2016 Carbon Stumpy large size, but with 27.5 wheels. A mate who is 6′ 1″ also rides a large frame stumpy, but with 29inch wheels and we are both happy with the size.

A very hilly Wiltshire ride yesterday with a stop for pics at Longleat House.

Recommend the cream teas at the cafe on Shearwater Lake if you are in the area.

That Scalpel (for all the right reasons, possibly?) “Ow Much at Amazon!?”

Bet its a typo?

@darlobiker Yep absolutely sure, at 99.9% anyway. :-)

Definitely background music on the FGF video, you need to turn it up loud to hear it properly.

P.S. Perhaps I should have mentioned i the first post that the music was in the video of Benji & Hannah? ;-)

What’s with the weird hotel lift music in the background?

Good luck in your new job Amanda, hope you can still contribute the odd story to STW, really enjoyed your Spanish bike packing series.

Will also miss your video double act with Hannah on FGF’s and the Megasack at Xmas.

Au Revoir

May have been mentioned elsewhere in the thread …  a Power Pack to charge up your phone and any other devices, lights, watch, etc. My “old” Samsung S8 won’t go a day without charging. A power pack can be a lot of extra weight for it’s size, but could be a godsend if you need your phone in an emergency or using it mapping/route finding. Putting your phone in flight mode (or even powered off if not needed) can save a lot of power for when it is needed.

The one I have is 26800mAh, cost was £32, is about the size of a large smartphone, but heavier. I have used it on multiday biking and fishing trips and been able to fully charge the phone 5+ times before the pack itself needs recharging.

Thanks @lewisdeacon – Confusing having two names! :-) I was viewing the post on my PC, but obviously want the app on my phone, should have used the link from there instead. Cheers

@stwbenji – What is that weather app actually called? Cannot find anything called Hyperlocal Weather on the app store.

Hand guards! Get some decent gloves and man/woman up!

Got enough stuff on my handle bars already, gears, brakes, bell, dropper post lever, light fitting (when required). Those handguards look like they were built by a bloke in a shed who is into post-modernist industrial design, ugly!

Useful resource for planning camp sites, hotels, pubs and eateries:

Rough Rider Guide: I didn’t find out about this until after we did the KAW in 2021, but it is a great resource and well worth a look as is the Rough Ride Guides website.
https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/viewer?mid=1oWVjQK_wRcOmlrOGriD9Xa8mZZaJW965&ll=51.09136649186714%2C-1.0244713759399648&z=9&fbclid=IwAR11YPFyZxgoL7MK4Jo9xSwnBv8D37pXyCcwgbQaxLEaH0n3EFv3TgWoMjE

We did the KAW over 5 days, roughly 50 miles per day, at the end of September 2021. It may seem obvious, but unless you are lucky (we were mostly) as you can get all kinds of weather at that time of year so you need to be prepared for sun, rain, wind, hot, cold, etc.

Lots of blogs and websites out there dedicated to the KAW, here’s mine if you fancy a read –

King Alfred’s Way – Dorset MTB (home.blog)

Good luck it’s a great ride and a great (fairly safe) way to get into bike packing.

When is the current heavy discounting of (some) bikes, especially e-bikes, likely to end?

Some amazing amounts (£1-2k) off of some very good e-bikes at present, but I don’t need a new bike this year. In my 70th year next year and an e-bike will almost certainly be my next bike, will there still be these heavily discounted deals around if I wait until 2025?

Thanks all for the You Tube links.

Anyone know Zoe’s e-mail address (re 502 t-shirt size)?

Update – I have used the Subscriptions address, hope that is ok unless someone knows different.

Completed! Good one.

I didn’t find this resource until after we had completed the ride in 2021, perfect for what you want I think.

Rough Rider Guide:
https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/viewer?mid=1oWVjQK_wRcOmlrOGriD9Xa8mZZaJW965&ll=51.09136649186714%2C-1.0244713759399648&z=9&fbclid=IwAR11YPFyZxgoL7MK4Jo9xSwnBv8D37pXyCcwgbQaxLEaH0n3EFv3TgWoMjE

You might also be interested in the blog I wrote after our ride which has a few hints and tips.

King Alfred’s Way – Dorset MTB (home.blog)

Great ride, really enjoyed it over the 5 days.

Did the survey and saved it, but then got a Microsoft pop up asking me to sign in, so not sure if it was submitted or not?

A word of caution STW ………. if it’s not clear if the survey was submitted (it wasn’t) and I get pop up windows asking me to sign in elsewhere I won’t bother with any future surveys!

-7c near Dorchester (Dorset) this morning (Friday). Dropped the car off in town for MOT/Service then cycled home off road on the local tracks which were great frozen solid, a bit different to a couple of weeks ago when it was a slog thru many inches of gloopy mud. Got some nice pics of frosty landscapes.

Top secret flat pedals, REALLY!

They are pedals, they are flat and they go on a bike! Not much of a secret really.

Unless of course they are E-Bike specific (at which point I really would LMAO) or maybe they are magnetic to grip on to your iron clad cycling boots.

Thanks Amanda, a great series of articles and looking forward to the next series.

I did an 18 day trek in Nepal a few years ago and the day to day rhythm of of the walk was something I loved, the lack of choices (especially of clothes) made choosing easy. We didn’t see a bath/shower for over two weeks and Merino options definitely made us a lot less smelly, amazing how much you can wash with a pack of baby wipes!

I have also done a couple of short bike packing trips (King Alfred’s Way and from home (west Dorset) to the Isle of Wight) and although much shorter than the trek, the routine of get up, eat, break camp, cycle, make camp, eat, sleep, repeat is something I enjoy. I think that this is also because I am away from all the decision making that I have to do when at home, with far too many choices.

A true pioneer and inspiration to many women, up there (in every sense) with John Peel

RIP Annie

A poncho on an MTB, seriously!

@tthew – yes, very wrong!

Bike packing on the Isle of Wight, August 2023

For £11k+ Pivot could have at least done a decent paint job on that bike! Ugli!

For £11k+ Pivot could have at least done a decent paint job on that bike. Ugli!

I turned up the volume on my very good PC speakers and still got it wrong (maybe), I thought Hannah said “Course”! Of course the H word fitted better, but I thought it might have been a deliberate mistake. Anyway I don’t need a new set of wheels.

@BadlyWiredDog, we find our Ring doorbell very useful, however if you are out and want to talk to the delivery man/woman its another matter. By the time it’s connected to the router sent a message into the ether, found your phone service and it’s called your mobile and you do the reverse to see the live feed, the delivery person is (most of the time) long gone. 

@amandawishart – Like the look of the Stash Bag, but they are out of stock at CRC/Wiggle and no else seems to sell them.

Why do companies keep selling water bottles without a proper cover for the nozzle? At £17 I would expect one. On an MTB they always get covered in crap (literally!) and mud, sheep shit, cow pats, etc, just don’t taste nice.

@jobro – I volunteer at RSPB Arne one day a week and was with the reserve manager on Tuesday, no mention at all of the BBC being on site. The BBC are back at Arne for Winter Watch and Spring Watch 2024 though.