Another Bonty Jones ACX TR + XM819 setup here, using Stan’s sealant.

Faultless in use and very easy to get up and running.

When?

Yup.

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Pretty light, UST works a treat, no maintenance so far (20 months of riding – standard XC, not much in the way of drops or jumps). Rims still true, hubs still smooth running and quiet. Rear hub is nice with a quick pickup.

Graphics are a bit naff, but that’s my only criticism.

Recommended.

Have a look in this thread – lots of ideas!

Hmmmm.

I found that the rim strip only just fitted under the bead hook with just one layer of yellow tape and that was after a lot of massaging to iron out the bulges.

It’s working a treat now, though.

Too much rim tape?

I did a 717 rim with Stan’s kit and only used one layer of yellow rim tape then the Stan’s rim strip. There was a bit of faffing to get the rim strip properly seated under the bead hook, but after that was done it all went without a hitch using a track pump, Stan’s sealant and a Bonty Jones tyre.

Could it be that all the rim tape is not allowing the rim strip to sit under the bead hook?

Perhaps a bit out of your way, unless you head up the A9 to Dalwhinnie (which puts you in a good position for a day at Laggan), but if you stop in Pitlochry I’d recommend this ride.

It’s from the STW “trail guide”. It’s a good circuit as it stands, but is much better if you head up to Ben Vrackie for the final grin-inducing descent to the finish rather than just plodding back along the river. This descent is the dotted line that leads to Moulin on the map.

Distance 40km. Let me know if you want a Garmin file.

SC

People who are gullable enough to buy a Trek..

That’s not how you spell it…

The one on my way home from work from Kirkcaldy up through Auchtertool to Mossmorran into the ever-present westerly wind.

Hors categorie

Very useful for planning bike rides; you can see if that dotted line on the OS map might actually be rideable.

Yup – excellent event.

Very enjoyable course and a great atmosphere. I’m glad I made the 5 minute drive up the road…

Well done to Grant and co for the organisation.

The code looks like this:

**[/img ][/url ]

Where * is the URL of the page you want to click through to (the photo page with the “all sizes” etc. buttons at the top)
and ** is the URL of the photo itself (from option 2 on the “all sizes” page)

Remove all spaces, send post!

Spiti Valley, India

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Riverside singletrack, Perthshire (from last weekend)

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Hi Martin,

The Bachnagairn-Capel Mounth route is 24km and around 1000m of climbing. This is the Sunday ride, though there’s no reason why we couldn’t have two different rides each day.

The basic Prosen-Kilbo circuit, which heads up the road from Glenprosen village to Kilbo is around 33km with 1400m climbing. If you add on the optional bit over the Cateran Path to Glen Markie I’d guess it’s around 45-50km and nearer 2000m of climbing. North Scotland Memory Map runs out here, annoyingly, and I’m too stingy to pay for South Scotland, so this is an estimate.

It’s based on your weight and heart-rate data, but I’ve no idea how accurate it is.

Great shots; the kind I aspire to but never manage to produce :?

Thanks Tom.

If you decide to go, let me know by email. I’m in Dunfermline and there are a few others who are Fife-based too so we can get lifts sorted out nearer the time.

I emailed the Clova Hotel to enquire about the bunkhouse. Here’s the exchange

Can you tell me if the bunkhouse will be available on
the weekend of 2nd/3rd May? Group size TBC at the moment, but possibly
10-12 people.

Can you also tell me if it is possible to camp anywhere nearby?

Many thanks.

Stuart.

Yes at the moment we have plenty of availability for that weekend

Regards

June

I’m going to leave it to individuals to sort out their own accommodation arrangements. If you are definitely coming, get your place booked up soon as it’s likely to fill up quickly. I’ll reply to June to tell her this arrangement and that people can use my name as a reference. I’ll also ask the question about the camping again since she seems to have neglected to answer it… :?

I know a few people expressed a preference for camping, but I’ve got a feeling that it’s not as straightforward as just turning up and pitching your tent beside the hotel (it used to be so, but it has changed hands in recent years and they’ve tarted it all up).

You might want to book yourself into the hotel itself, if you’re feeling flush (I quite fancy this myself, despite being chronically skint)

Anyway – there are your options. I’ll try to clarify the camping situation, unless anyone here knows the beta

Clova Hotel website is here.

Can you let me know when you’ve made your mind up and keep me updated on your travel/accom. plans just so I know who’s actually coming (got 5 emails so far)

Cheers guys!

On t’ bike:

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Participating in the Great Mackerel Cull, 2008:

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Yup – Bergamo lovely. Well worth spending a day just wandering around. There’s a great wee cafe right at the top of the funicular which takes you to Citta Alta with great views over the city and the Lombardy plains beyond.

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Milan is a big, busy city with lots of traffic and bustle. Worth visiting to see the cathedral and Mussolini’s railway station. You could also hunt down the roundabout which now marks the spot where Il Duce was strung up by his heels.

Milan gets VERY hot and humid in the height of summer.

How much time have you got?

If you have 4 hours to spare, I’d recommend the drive to Pitlochry to do this route.

It’s got some very good downhills on it, particularly if you add on the Ben Vrackie option…

The STW route data[/url] is wrong – it overestimates the distance but underestimates the height gain.

I’ve ridden a circuit around Buachaille Etive Beag, starting at Altnafeadh through the Lairig Gartain (very boggy in places) to the col. The descent to the junction with the Lairig Eilde path is nice in places but a lot of it is narrow and worn into a bit of a trench which makes it difficult to keep any momentum on. The path over the Lairig Eilde is much better and makes a superb descent back to Glencoe.

If you’re coming the other way, I’d come over the Devil’s Staircase (superb), pick up the track which parallels the road (to the N) as far as the new car park where the big cairn is and then head south through the Lairig Eilde. It will involve some pushing but you’ll get a cracking downhill into Glen Etive – very steep in places. I’ve pushed up this from Dalness and wished I was going the other way!

Stunning bit of the country!

Apologies – wrong email address above. It should be:

stuart_campbell40 AT tiscali DOT co DOT uk (it’s correct in the profile)

Up in the hills (windy):

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And down by the river:

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And then back up in the hills:

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Will do Greg.

My email address should be in my profile (the blog thing is in the “website” field)

If anyone else is having the same problem it is:

stuart DOT campbell40 AT tiscali DOT co DOT uk

Lordy!

This has grown arms and legs… Great response so far.

I’ll get some info. on camping and bunkhouse and then leave everyone to sort out their own accommodation.

I’ll also work out some stats for the routes (distance/height gain etc.) and stick them on here too.

Shortbread,

Saturday route is mostly rideable as far as Kilbo then it’s a push/carry most of the way to the Dreish/Mayar col. If it’s dry and you are fit you could ride some of it but I’d be impressed if anyone could do the whole thing without resorting to feet. Having said that, it’s not too bad. I seem to recall it being about 45 minutes of steady plodding and it becomes rideable near the top.

The way I did it last time was the westmost dotted line over The High Tree which involved a bit of a bog and a short, sharp carry. The descent to Glen Prosen was a bit sketchy and I’m just speculating that the solid line is a better route (I seem to remember seeing a path coming down the hillside, but I’d need to do a bit of a recce.)

Did I see you say in a recent post that you’re in Fife? Whereabouts? I live in Dunfermline.

OK – I say we go for the 2nd/3rd May weekend, as it seems to suit more people.

Apologies if this rules it out for anyone, but if it’s a success there’s no reason why we can’t do another one later in the year.

Get those email to me if you are definitely interested.

SC

Some maps.

Saturday ride:

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and the southern bit showing options:

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Smee,

you’re not going to argue with everyone all weekend on the Glen Clova trip, are you?

Are you?

I must be another unsafe/incompetent ML holder as well – I regularly cook inside the tent porch, as did my ML trainer and assessor.

Judgement/risk management is what we’re talking about – just about everything we do carries a theoretical risk, we use our judgement and we put measures in place to minimise these risks. Matt’s argument about the benefits of a decent meal outweighing the small risk of a stove flaring/exploding is a pretty sound one IMO.

TNF Tadpole 23

Highly recommended – easy to pitch, light, roomy enough for 2 and lots of storage space (massive bell-end…). Also rock solid when it’s pegged out.

Good response so far… Cheers.

Looks like the May weekend is the more popular. Once you’ve decided can you get details to me by email so I can start planning.

SC

Here’s some photos to whet the appetite:

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I feel guilty for laughing now Paul… however it is a very funny video!

Poor Sid – sounds like a hardy bugger though.

OK – date is arbitrary. How about the following weekend, 2nd/3rd May?

I’m easy on when we do this, but late April/early May tends to be the most reliable weather-wise.

Easily changed – post preferences and we’ll go with the majority (I’d forgotten about SXC dates despite having sworn to do at least 4 this year..)

My son, when he was about 5

8O

I’m glad I read on….

Good show chaps!

Druidh, it can be very flexible and I’m very much open to suggestions. We can have different groups on different rides on each day (my basic thinking was hard day on Sat, “easier” day on Sun). Nothing will be set in stone just now. If lots of people respond, we can have big groups split into 2s or 3s for safety – lots of possibilities.

It would also be good to have someone like yourself who knows his way around the hills. You could even persuade some mlehers (I’m too scared :-)).

Got to be the Motolite.

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Usually around 600 cals on my commute to work – 13 hilly miles which takes an hour, not hanging around.

Coming home uses more as it’s mostly uphill.

i think kennyp, stuartiec and druidh should get their heads together and organise a stw scotish week or long weekend in september.

Great idea Tony. Being a teacher I can’t do September, but April, October or long weekends in May/June are all possibilities.

Get in touch, anyone who is interested (email in profile)

Same for Spring ride in Glen Clova (both probably worth their own threads soon).

Stick with it macmclaren…

The first few episodes are really just scene-setting, character development etc.