Thing is, given the fact that all the other ‘industry standards’ have changed in the last couple of years…why haven’t they changed the BB standard? Enlarged BB shells so you can run well-sealed, protected bearings inside them rather than sticky-outy where they get blasted with crap? This is a ‘standard’ that, unlike the others, perhaps actually needs changing….

I took in two cats when I lived in China. I inherited the first, XiaoP (‘Little Pete’), who’d gone half feral after being locked in a basement for months. The second was a kitten wandering round the area where we lived (Bobo, a contraction roughly meaning ‘Little Persian’). I really miss my two little guys, but they’re well looked after and a lot luckier than most Chinese cats.

I was swapping over to my old Middleburn cranks and square taper BB this morning when, while screwing in the BB, I suddenly realised I had bigger problems…

When cleaning your bike with a jetwash, really get in there round the bushings, hubs, BB etc to make sure you flush all the debris out.

Interesting question, one I’ve pondered myself (but more from the viewpoint of whether guidebook writers/publishers contribute a share of their profits towards mitigating against the sometimes vastly increased footfall/wheel traffic they generate).

Yes it’s a bit warm in summer, but so what.

Bit rough if you’ve just parachuted in and not acclimatised.

Chuck your bike on an internal flight and head west. Summer in Xinjiang…

Out of interest what are your extreme ratios?

Outwith what I’d get with 2/1x setups.

I can see how they’d work fine for some types of riding, but I’m happy enough sticking with 3×9 while my shifters, mechs etc are working well.

Heat & humidity is awful at that time of year.

Flying Ball Bikes in HK have a good rep if you’re shopping, but I doubt prices are massively cheaper than UK these days.

I ride to and from the hills (or to the train station that’ll take me there). 3x just makes more sense in that context. I don’t want to be twiddling along any slower than I have to. It might be different if I was only loading the bike in and out of a car at a trail centre. The point of the bike is to expand my options, not limit them.

I’ve been running Hope hubs and headsets for years and am inclined that way – but cheaper stainless option. Tempted to do it on the ‘cheap’ with XTR (I know) as cash it tight right now, hence question.

Not convinced about overtightening – really, with a hand tool, not an allen key?

Yes, does me fine. Next time I do a major strip down and clean-up, I might transfer the bits to a 2005 Trek 8500 frame that’s been sitting in the attic for a few years. Bomber 26″ wheels, rigid forks – what’s to change?

Sorry, misread that – but SJS do have a variety of bar end shifters in stock, too.

SJS thumbies[/url]

I have a Forge MTB right hand mount you could put a bar end shifter of your choice on – make me an offer if interested.

can we ride over there? No
can we ride there? no
well where can we ride?

Some years ago I dared to question the religious orthodoxy that NZ is MTB Nirvana, and was nearly burned at the STW stake for my heresy…

in both Oz and NZ there are no bridleways, no right to roam, nothing. you ride in parks.

NZ is largely fenced off by mega-farms.

Controversial…

Something tells me you won’t like Pat Condell’s output.

Sorry for the digression, but…

What’s the rear mudguard in that picture? Happy with it?

What else is there round the FOD area apart from the stuff mentioned above? There don’t seem to be many bridleways marked on the map. What’s the attitude towards poking off down forestry roads trying to link stuff up?

That is excellent, monty is that you?

In the picture?! No, that’s Richard and Nick Crane. I posted the book up because it’s my favourite cycling book – a true adventure, read it if you haven’t already. I remembered it yesterday because I was thinking how the Cranes’ ‘Running the Himalayas’ was everything that the current Levison Wood TV series isn’t.

Adventure bikes…

There is one, here, which is the only one you ever see referenced.

That’s the thing, y’see. I quite like the concept of the Great Divide Tour but suspect the reality is probably one of just being part of a huge ceaseless convoy of riders all doing the same thing. It’s the antithesis of ‘adventure.’

the extra brazeons on your inbred?

Bottle mounts under the downtube and on the seat-tube; Crudcatcher mounts under the downtube; seatstay bosses for the Sherpa rack:

The frame’s looking tatty since its respray in 2008/9. If I got another respray I’d consider adding bosses inside the triangle for a frame bag, but given the obsolete standards (wheels, headset, maybe even axle widths soon) it might be better just buying a new bike (Marin Pine Mountain?).

offroad LEJOG this summer
Is there a published route or are you making one up?

Last summer, I should have said. I made my own route up, and I’m not publishing it. Making up the route is part of the adventure…

Important thing is to clear detergent out of your machine first. Last time I just went to a laundrette with top loader machines and chucked it all in together. Activating afterwards by tumble drying makes a big difference, too.

I watched that Ray Mears River Wye thing on ITV last night. The elements were the same as the Adventure Show programme – plinky plonky background music and some bloke wandering along speaking to knowledgable people he just happened to meet en route. Somehow it was interesting, rather than dull, to the point it actually has me thinking of a Wye source-to-sea bike trip – which should be the aim of programmes like this, to inspire rather than bore. McNeish’s effort was a taxpayer funded vanity project, at least ITV pay for their output through advertising.

I don’t, tbh. I’m wary of using terms like ‘adventure,’ Over-use of words like ‘epic’ cheapens them and deprives them of meaning. What is ‘adventure?’ It’s not a relative term. To me, an adventure must involve significant time, commitment and risk, with no bail-out options possible. Something should go wrong which you then have to solve. If you’re able to maintain a blog while doing it, for instance, it’s probably not an adventure…

I’ve had some interesting trips on my bike over the last 7-8 years, although I’m not sure they qualify as adventures. It started as an Inbred frame, bought to ride through Scandinavia and Eastern Europe to Istanbul.

Following a respray and extra braze-ons, I eschewed full pannier loads for subsequent trips (this is 3000m up in NW China):

Ditching shredded panniers, these days I’m pursuing a lighter approach, enabling trips such as an offroad LEJOG this summer.

I like CM’s opinion pieces[/url], even if I don’t agree with him – but that TV show was unwatchably dull. Bland, sub-Countryfile fodder.

I don’t want to drop my post. I don’t want to spend hundreds of pounds on a heavier seatpost that introduces more chance of mechanical failure. That’s kinda the point.

There’s always someone better than you. You might just not’ve met them yet.

I’ve had more success with the Grangers 2-in-1 stuff.

I’ll post it up here if it works. In fact, I’ll post it up it doesn’t, too.

It’s more about gradient than technicality (I wouldn’t consider the Devil’s Staircase a benchmark in either respect). It’s clear you can ride with these bags sticking up behind your arse, I just think there might be better solutions that haven’t evolved out of a US tradition of slogging along low-angle fire road plods. Just saying, like.

When I’m bikepacking I want to be able to ride pretty much everything I could ride on an unloaded bike – that’s the point for me, freeing me from the limits imposed by pannier set-ups and the like. Up until now that’s meant a small drybag strapped to a rear rack or no rear luggage, but I intend playing around with some alternative options in the next few weeks.

I don’t see how people are moving their weight round the bike properly when they’ve got a huge lump sticking out above/in back of the saddle. Stability aside, I suspect there might be better ways of doing this, especially if you run a hardtail with a lot of seatpost.

I’d also be interested in opinions on the relative merits of the restrap saddle bag.

I’ve been doing this with no issues for 18 months, but I use a Mary bar so the bag perhaps sits differently to more conventional set-ups (i.e. behind and under the cables).

Not been myself but crazyguyonabike would be one place to check for stuff like that:

https://www.crazyguyonabike.com/search/?locales=bali&main_type=journals

Touches on something I’ve been wanting to ask. Last time I rode a Trail Centre was 10 years ago (CyB, 7Stanes, etc). I stopped for a number of reasons, but mainly because the riding bored me. Easy climbs, descents that were decent enough, but designed to be ridden on a bike. They weren’t a challenge.

How does the current crop of Trail Centre tracks and grading compare to a decade ago? How hard does it really get? I read threads titled along the lines of ‘BPW on a hardtail – will I die?’ and wonder. I’ve recently been riding the gnadgery stuff into Cockercombe in the Quantocks – is it like that? Harder? In what way?

Just askin,’ like.