BearBones 200 taking place middle of Oct in sunny Wales … It’s certainly xc but possibly more endurance than enduro.
BearBones 200 – Details

Can someone point me in the right direction for buying some Cordura fabric please?

UK SUPPLIER[/url]

You’ll be fine … few pot holes to miss but that’s about it.

Have you got one for this year Paul?

Midge proof bivvy bag – http://bearbonesbikepacking.blogspot.co.uk/2012/08/borah-gear-bivvy-bag.html

Bikepack Repack SL large seatpack (bag & tarp)
15l drybag on bars (bivvy, mat, fleece)

Might be worth trying to split this lot up … wet tarp in the same space as a sleeping bag could spell disaster.

Sleeping bag, mat and fleece might be a better mix 😉

Not 100% on the name but do a search for “Bikamper” these incorporate the bike with the tent and weigh less than 4lb’s. Not tried one yet but I plan to.

I wouldn’t waste your money.

There’s only one legal way up and way down. Some of the track is been repaired at the moment but it’s still rideable.

stayhigh a 2m x 3m should give you decent coverage for solo use but may limit your set-up choices. Something nearer 3m x 3m will open up lots more options. DD are quite popular but being PU nylon are fairly heavy. It’s certainly worth paying a few £ more and getting something in Silnylon … it’ll be around half the weight for a given size.

You can do things like this with a 3m x 3m

Pick your time … plenty of boggy bits 😀

Good luck fellas 😉

Great idea but I think a design tweak or maybe steel is called for … I’ve seen 6 go so far.

If you’re feeling brave and don’t mind travelling to Wales … there’s the Bear Bones 200 in the middle of Oct.
BB 200 details

kevsterjw … it’s a difficult question to answer but this is what happens.

You enter.

At the end of April you’ll get an email containing a number of grid references. You now have a month to work out a route taking in these grid references. *Some years you’re asked to visit at least a certain number, some years you’ll be asked to take a picture at the ones you visited, some years it’s just up to you.

The route you’ve devised should keep you occupied from midday Sat until sometime Mon afternoon.

Set off into the hills with other like minded souls and spend the next 3 days/2 nights out in the forests and mountains of Wales. Anything could happen now, you might find yourself lost in a very dark forest. You may end up being invited to sleep in a kids playhouse. You might spend a night in a fallen wind turbine. It’s a fair guess that you will ‘suffer’ a little and almost certain that you’ll return with stories to tell.

Return to the start on Mon and eat lots of cake and drink buckets of tea. At least once over the weekend you’ll question why you’re doing it but within half an hour of finishing you’ll be planning next year 😉

Try this – http://www.selfsupporteduk.net/

If you were using it with a tarp or could be certain it wasn’t going to rain then it’ll be okay … it’s not that it’s not waterproof, it’s more to do with how well it breaths. Rain on the outside of any bag can limit it’s ability to breath.

Think of it as a ‘sleeping bag cover’ rather than ‘bivvy bag’ and you’ll be fine.

These guys did it and they appear on a 3 part doc on YouTube, but their site does not provide much details as to what the extent of their training consisted of. http://ridethedivide.co.uk/

I rode/trained with Greg and Simon a month or so before thier TD ride. I don’t fully know the in’s and out’s of their training schedules but I do know that they put in at least 12 months HARD graft beforehand. They’re both very strong riders but they also had the right mental attitude required to finish, which as Pedalhead says, is possibly the most important factor. Besides training, they’d also invested in the best gear they could … something which doesn’t come cheap 😉

A definitive list of long range rides? i.e. the SDW

A web site containing exactly this ^ will be along shortly. Can’t say much more about it just yet but I’m sure there’ll be something about it HERE 😉

Doodlebug try this
Bear Bones Link

How about the Bear Bones 200 in Oct?

BB200 Details

You’ve gotta keep your sausage butties safe somehow 😀

It’s amazing what you can pack with a little ‘thought’ 😉

flanagal … you can get to the forum, blog, etc from here – Bear Bones Bikepacking[/url]

Neoprene beach shoes weigh nowt, pack pretty small, aren’t bothered by wet grass, etc and dry quickly, oh and they’re also quite warm.

There’s most certainly one climb that’ll be very unpleasant no matter what gearing you’ve got. I’m sure quite a few of the riders who did the WRT last weekend, would suggest 22 x 36 😉

Go with the present gearing but just prepare yourself to push and/or suffer on a couple of climbs.

If it rains then there’ll be crap bits no matter what tyres you’ve got on 😉 I’d settle on something fairly fast rolling and worry about lack of grip as and when. Possibly the most ‘iffy’ part of the route comes towards the end and the descent off Foel Fadian … if it’s wet no tyre will make that an easy task.

everywhere in the national park is beautiful

Which national park? Wales has a few … mostly designed to keep the riff raff away from the truly stunning / wild bits 😉

@jameso … I recall the lightest set-up at last years WRT belonged to Nick from AlpKit and was about 32lb … that included everything, bike, luggage, kit, food and water.

I’m expecting something sub 30lb this year.

I didn’t, ta

Can I borrow it please when you’re finished?

I’m sometimes surprised by how many people think the Air Ambulances are funded … they’re not (except London). As someone said ^ as mountain bkers they should be pretty close to our hearts.

All the money raised by the, Welsh Ride Thing is donated to the Wales AA as are all the ‘takings’ from the Forest Freeride bunkhouse.

still s8tannorm what is that?

Pop can meths stove (albeit a slightly rough/rushed one)
Instructions – part 1
Instructions – part 2

If you want to stick a rack on Steve, put one one … there’s no rules. I use a Salsa minimal rack sometimes which is ideal for sticking drybags on. Is your Fargo a MKII / 2nd Gen? If it is then Salsa Anything cages might be worth a shot.

I know a few folk that have used the bigger Wingnut packs but they nearly always revert back to the Hyper 2.5 as it doesn’t feel like you’ve got a backpack on.

Bear Bones Link[/url]

Bear Bones Forum

What do you use as a stove? I sometimes use a single person trangia 28 which is around 300g, but also use a ti kettle/karrimor ti stove/lightweight windshield

12g plus whatever fuel. Stove, mug, windshield and fuel for 24 hours = 150g

Aberdyfi … possible best of both worlds.

WRT T shirts arrived this morning (cheers Gil) … very special they are too, even though there’s no LOUD colours this year.

Every year!
I wouldn’t mind, but I only want a couple of Airlok XTras – fairly perennial items.

Alex, it’s getting close to the WRT, it always happens 😉

Hoojum does that big stick fold down and go inside the frame bag? 😉

Here’s a question for you – Do you put your mat in your bivi bag too, or leave it out?

Opinion is pretty divided … much depends on the mat and bag. Some bags have a thicker, more durable base so are suited to the mat inside. A mat on the inside may reduce the bags breathability and might even limit your sleeping bags loft if it’s a squeeze.

Aha – just read your Blog. Walking pole same as me. I’ve been looking to get a replacement pole that’s lighter or better to pack than the walking pole.

Anyone any ideas?
http://bearbonesbikepacking.blogspot.co.uk/

Perhaps one of these – http://bearbonesbikepacking.blogspot.co.uk/2012/04/freeload-rack-review.html either on the front or back.