How long are you travelling for and what passport? There is a visa-waiver scheme for UK travellers for visits up to 15 days…

I caught the coed y brenin episode at the weekend, thought it was better than I expected given the bashing on here!

Agree slightly with some of the comments above but I think that the format is very watchable. A balance of travel, skills, biking and not too many skidz for the camera!

Will try and catch a few more episodes.

Rich_s – Member
An interesting question to ask yourself about mega discount places is, where do the discount tickets get stuck on… i.e., where is labour cheapest?

Good point! I worked in a NZ/AUS outdoor retailer well known for their mega-sales. Outside of sale time you had to peel off the 50% discount stickers when unpacking new stock!

It can be a bit of a faff. I always keep the commuter in last, obviously.

I tend to make sure that when I put the commuter away on friday night I think which bikes I might need next. Better to rearrange them when you are putting them away rather than when you are getting them out if that makes sense! I see it could be a hassle if two people were wanting bikes in/out at different times!

29er version here. 4 MTBs no problem and room for a toolbox etc. I use a few locks but dont really think they are necessary. I did a lot of searching to see if I could find any cases of theft from them and seems pretty rare.

Also, confirmed with my insurer that bikes covered in that type of shed even if no further security in place.

Happy overall.

LowePro Photosport, I have the old 200AW, but the new ones look good.

I find that they fit better on the bike with the aluminium frame rod removed! Allow it to curve and fit your back better.

As the crown protrudes forward of the headtube I think its a Dropoff.

Galibier Barrier as good as anything twice the price.
http://galibier.cc/product/barrier-ii-winter-glove/

sbob – Member
Yeah, what do South Americans know about coffee anyway?

Surprisingly little! I spent 3 years living in Bolivia and Peru (great high-altitude coffee territory) and for most locals Nescafe is the status symbol they aspire to!

How off-road are you after? Sandstone Way is worth a look, proper MTB but non-technical and can be done in two (fairly big) days. Train connections from Newcastle for start/finish.

Snake vs iguana…. Awesome!

http://www.startfitness.co.uk/bbb-coldzone-winter-cycling-gloves-bwg-16.html?gclid=CJH7zoypjNACFUoW0wodwXIFhQ

I have some of these for ‘autumn’ conditions.

Jon Taylor – Member
My F-i-L actually spends time looking after the Haughtongreen Bothy. He’s ridden in from the road-end on his brompton but had to push a bit where it was muddy. He’s said it would be ok but uninteresting on MTB. HTH

Yeah, each of them individually seem easy enough to get to, but linking them together *might* be more of an adventure!

Any tips for lights to attach to a rucksack? I run a good cateye under the seat but could do with a light higher up on my back. Fibre Flare any good?

OS Locate gives your location as a GR quickly. Combined with OS Mapfinder should do the job! Free too!

Everything imported, especially anything involving USD will be going up, if it hasn’t done already. Simple exchange rate economics :(

Lezyne Flow is super-solid, almost verging on too firm!

Double post

FunkyDunc – Member
Just stared using a Thule front seat with my daughter… she loves it
Oh they must be newish, only Weeride did front seats 5 years ago!

Does it allow you to pedal normally as the Weeride required a slight knees out sideways approach.

I looked at a few…. weeride, thule, ibert and Yepp and Bobike. The Thule was available in UK and fitted the limited space I had on the steerer tube on the MTB. Weeride was good, but most of the others I listed sit further forward closer to the stem and the turn with the handlebars. Lots of options now available all around £60-100. The Thule is nice though ;)

The pedalling is still a little knees-out, but fine for 1-2 hrs at a time.

Just stared using a Thule front seat with my daughter… she loves it. Front mounted seat means you can use any old rucksack or panniers, plus she enjoys the view more and its easier to chat and point at the sheep etc!!!

Coming from a part of the world where very few houses older than the 90’s have central heating (NZ), every house has a stock of electric heaters. Oil filled for ‘background’ heating, convection for faster but less even heat. They are cheap and efficient and handy to be able to move around if needed. Don’t really see the point of a wall mounted one other than kids tipping it over I guess!

Nice one, thanks for the tips. Keep ’em coming!

In good weather its a great couple of days journey by bike. Some long sections without passing through towns or much ‘civilisation’ so take some supplies!
There is a decent amount of riding on tarmac, but its broken up so you are never on-road for long periods of time.
Definitely worth it for someone local. Light XC bike is perfect.

If you are serious then get your hands on these two books.
http://www.kennett.co.nz/product/classic-nz-mtb-rides-north-and-south/
Best place to start. Most of the classic spots have been covered already but I would get your hands on a decent size station wagon and just Road trip. Use the books to get a bit off the beaten track. There are loads of very good quality hostels and lodges in every town for cost effective accommodation.

I’ve done it 6 times now! Once solo and 5 times guiding groups!

Always Nth to Sth. The wind is occasionally against you but the trails flow better.

Not sure of best diy transfers, maybe the train might work.

2 days is a fairly solid challenge of around 100km/day. 3 days is a good comfortable trip for reasonably fit riders.

I enjoy the route, in an old-fashioned mtb-touring sort of way. Remote areas, great views and hardly a soul along most the route. A few fun singletrack sections as well.

alexxx – Member
Next step is finding a suitable van on tradme to buy for the 6 weeks then sell!
Does anyone have any van buying / selling experiences?

Not exactly what you asked for but some friends run this…
https://www.shareacamper.co.nz/en-nz/
It’s like AirBnB for campervans…

http://www.decathlon.co.uk/doodad-straps-bike-pump-accessory-id_1277440.html

Been with Robin Hood for a year or so… happy so far. Supposedly not-for-profit.

Our service to you

Howies Dagon gilet from the sale. Very fetching!

For inspiration… http://www.notbroken.co.uk/

Went to Bolivia for an 8 month season, went home 2.5 years later!

http://www.ewetsuits.com/acatalog/messenger-dry-bag.html

£30 – look good, but maybe too big?

£20 from Argos? http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Product/partNumber/3279450.htm

PMR is the range of frequencies that are available for any joe blogs to transmit on without a permit/license. Power output is limited to 0.5W. Almost all ‘cheap’ (under £100 or so) two-way radios are factory set to these 8 channels.

Specialized Lodown – the palm leather wraps over the end of the fingertips… means mine last twice as long as anything else!

Thank cranberry but I think if spending that much I’ll probably go new.

Tell me this, if (for example) a Motorola T41 (Up to 4 km) and T61 (Up to 8 km) are both 500 mW, what gives the difference in range…. better antenna??

http://www.maplin.co.uk/p/motorola-t41-pmr-twin-pack-yellow-a97tk
http://www.maplin.co.uk/p/motorola-t61-pmr-twin-pack-a69tl

cranberry – Member
Smashit

when do you need them for ? I have a set of radios, earpieces at home that have never been used and are taking up space in the cupboard.

No hurry, what do you want for them?

Lezyne Micro Floor Drive is an awesome bit of kit. Been using mine guiding for several years now. Gauge is more of a ‘guideline’ than real accuracy but more than enough for quick top ups.
Lezyne also does a ‘travel floor drive’ if you have more space. A smaller but still proper track pump.

If you google Topeak Ninja they do a range of stuff similar to the SWAT tools.

Shimano genuine pads last 12 mths or so of fairly regular use in my slxs!