NS Bikes RAG+, if you’re planning on more off-road than on-road, then go 650b…

Some sort of multi-day bikepacking, most likely up and down the Icknield Way and Peddars Way, with a kip on the beach. Or, as the Frontier 300 was cancelled, maybe try and turn any rescheduled Dirty Reiver into more of a multi-day affair.

In classic recommend what you use fashion, I have a Galibier Tempest Pro, it works.

The afore mentioned Galibier Barrier gloves are back in stock…

I really like my Galibier Vu Winter Jacket, it’s not a one piece though…

Wondered why my ELEMNT didn’t upload to Strava this morning! Ended up exporting the .fit file and uploading it manually… 👍

@donkeydave looks like you’re in luck! If you want it, PM me your name and address and I’ll get in the post. You’ll have to sort out your own grub screw I’m afraid, as I don’t have one…

@Lummox I have both wheels, setup ghetto tubeless with Jumbo Jims, that I was saving for when I get my next fatbike. Can’t see that happening anytime soon, rather they went as a pair though.

@13thfloormonk I’m running Conti Terra Trail and I weight ~70kg. I found anything over 45psi to be too hard, so the front is currently tubeless at 40psi, the back has Tannus Armour and a tube at 45psi. I got though a 208km multi-surface ride with full bike packing kit at the weekend with no issues, and I was running over all sorts of shite.

In the two weeks previous to this a ride, when running tubes, I’d had seven front wheel punctures both on and off road…

what did it take to pinch your tyre? Just getting a bit clumsy on a landrover track, or something a bit more extreme?

@13thfloormonk the first one was failing to bunny hop a pothole as I wasn’t paying attention, the rear just clipped the edge. The second was on a submerged pothole, after swerving into a puddle to avoid being mown down by a pick-up truck on a clarty single lane back road. Was running 700c x 40mm tyres on 24mm internal width rims at 40psi on both occasions.

Just to be clear, we’re talking about the black bolt thing that the rear thru-axle screws into…? The circular black thing on the silver hanger in this photo…?

Totally forgot to check this morning as I ended up in a rush, so will look when I get home.

I’ve pinch flatted twice since December, the cuts were too big to seal. I have Tannus Armour in the rear wheel to protect it now. I suppose it depends on where you cycle, what tyres you’re running and which sealant you’re using…

Granted this wasn’t on my gravel bike, but…

I have all the bits that came off my cracked frame, but can’t remember if I saved the axles or not. Let me check the shed in the morning, you can have both if I find them.

So the inevitable email has just landed…

Dirty Reiver ** Postponed **

No word on the new date yet.

Left the house Saturday night for March’s bivvy.

Got back to the house much later than anticipated on Sunday. Everything from ankle deep slop, through thrutchity grass to super fast double track and hardpack gravel.

The last three odd hours were spent slogging into a block headwind and pissing rain.

@ifra at least the photo was worth the effort to upload! 🤣

I used @scotroutes porridge recipe on my last bivvy, just remember to add some spices. 👍

I’ve now had six punctures (three on road, four off-road) on my front tyre since last Tuesday evening. If you’re having issues, I’d stay away from Conti Terra Trail’s…

A couple of quid over budget…

Are they aluminium?

Yes.

I’ve got Tannus Armour in the rear wheel. It works, but doesn’t half feel funny on the rough stuff.

In addition to bivvy a month, I’ve got a two night trek up and down the Icknield Way and Peddars Way in May. Then the Frontier 300 in June, which I’m planning on riding from the finish to the start over two days. Haven’t given the second half of the year much though yet…

Cancelled…

RCS Sport has agreed with the appropriate authorities, after the meeting at the Prefecture of Siena, to cancel #StradeBianche and Strade Bianche Women Elite (7 March). @rcssport will request the UCI, via the Italian Cycling Federation, to allocate a new date for the two races. pic.twitter.com/2UQyc70GN4

— Strade Bianche (@StradeBianche) March 5, 2020

There’s a couple of absolute crackers in that Guardian gallery. The kids on balance bikes is particularly good. I like this one…

Get some proper slop tyres, with some proper tread…? I’ve got some Conti Terra Trail and they’re shite in the mud. The front wheel wanders where ever it wants, while the rear loose traction in a heart beat. Other than that, find some slop, ride it repeatedly, gain confidence.

Out of my comfort zone today, and went for a ride with other people… 😱 It was the ADVNTR.cc x Phoenix Cycleworks gravel ride and I had a great time. I decided to head in the wrong direction first, cause that’s how all the best rides start, 54km later I was at Phoenix Cycleworks a touch early, blame the wind.

We then rode round some cracking trails, a variety of slop, and hard pack, the worst being Lackford Lane, which was a chuffing nightmare.

There weren’t too many, which was quite nice, so I managed to chat with everyone, which was also nice.

Given the headwind on the last leg, I wasn’t looking forward to riding into it all the way home, so changed my planned route sightly.

Part of it was definitely Type 2 fun, slogging into a headwind while bordering on a bonk and cramps 🤔.

I’m now off the beer for a bit, so have been making up for it with some serious rehydration…

I have the Tannus Armour in my rear tyre, granted it’s a gravel bike, so bot quite the same. It can feel a bit weird at times, which is just something to be aware of. Most road cruising I don’t know it’s there, when it gets a bit tastier, it can either feel fine, or feel like you running with a slow puncture, as you can feel the insert.

I bought it to protect against pinch flats when hitting potholes, as I had two in short order, haven’t hit a pothole since… 🤷‍♂️

Tomorrow I’m going to try something new; Nutella, peanut butter and banana wraps. It’ll either be glorious, or a shit show…

@postierich thanks for the clarification!

@postierich not cycled in the lakes, I’m assuming it’s not a gravel bike friendly route…?

Ride in the morning, rather than the evening…?

Dunfermline, easy access to Edinburgh for work, easy access to the M90 for heading North. Not full of Weegies, or posh tossers…

I really like the idea of a gearbox bike. Will be interesting to see if that Shimano patent actually appears as a product, I would be seriously tempted then…

@Andy I’ve lived round these parts for thirteen years, I can’t remember that bit being anywhere near as bad as it is this year. See also the byway out the back of Weston Green, totally trashed… 😢

@Andy how did you guess… 🤣 Heading East towards the turning up the Balsham. Normally about two and a half minutes of effort, took me twenty two minutes the other weekend to push, drag, clean, drag, and swear my way along it; granted I did have bike packing kit on the bike, but still…

I keep forgetting, as I’m not really a jumps kind of rider, but Phoenix Cycleworks Bike Park that @timmys mentioned is due to re-open shortly after a massive amount of work over the winter.

I’ve been trying to stop there for coffee on my longer rides recently, really nice folks.

Get yourself either a XC bike, or a gravel bike, then you too can ride byways like this:

Alternatively, as has already been mentioned, High Lodge at Thetford Forest, or a longer drive to places that actually have a change of altitude.

P.S. I’m out to the South East of Cambridge, on the way to Haverhill as the crow flies. There’s plenty of bridleways and byways that you can link up, check out RoW Maps for where they are.

Excuse me, alpkit? Is it even possible to spend that much on bikepacking kit from alpkit? 🤔

Along with the full suite of bags, if you include down jackets, down sleeping bags, merino base layers, and enough titanium bits, etc, etc, I’m sure we could spend that if we tried… 😂

Felling axe…?

The Restrap one works for me, haven’t noticed it swaying yet… 🤷‍♂️

The caffeine, what’s the purpose of that in the pre ride regime?

It makes you go faster, further, stronger, longer…
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/23hqLh1TYQqZdql7GkqQZ1L/which-types-of-exercise-benefit-from-caffeine

I’m pretty sure out of date gels wont kill you… Alternatively, just stuff your face with what you like, be it flapjack, Trek bars, Clif bars, trail mix, etc, etc. When I cramp though, it’s more to do with the lack of electrolytes, rather than lack of calories, so drink more of that…?