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Hannah is back this week and she's back on the sofa with Benji to talk about her latest multi-day adventure in the Pennines. Benji mulls over a story we published this week that went a bit stratospheric.
Our sponsor this week is Join.cc the training app like having a personal trainer in your pocket. Get 30 days free access by visiting https://join.cc/singletrack
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0:00
Hello, welcome to this week's Singletrap World podcast. I'm Hannah Dobson, Managing Editor
0:28
and here we have Benjamin Howarth, technical editor, par excellence. I always look forward
0:35
to your introductions. I never know what they're going to be. So in this week's podcast we're going
0:43
to talk about a video that's been very popular on our site and we're going to talk about a little
0:51
trip that I did or events related to a trip that I did on
0:56
this Cotic Cascade with all the old lead bags that you can see behind
1:00
us if you're watching on the video. And probably some other random wandering as well
1:05
I imagine lots of randoms. But before we do all that, let's go over to our sponsors Join
1:16
So the sponsor of this episode is join.cc. Yes, I've heard of them
1:20
Yeah, you've heard of them. They're a training app specifically designed for cyclists
1:27
Join is an app that takes whatever level of fitness you're at and whatever goal you want to achieve to work out a training plan to get there
1:34
You tell it how much time you can spare and it will do the rest
1:38
Well, it won't actually do the work. That's on you. But it's like having a personal trainer in your pocket
1:43
It takes everything into account, like your age, your fitness levels, what kind of riding you prefer to do
1:48
and for me it even incorporates off-bike training. There's a bunch of material available in the app
1:53
and I read a great article on weight training for those of us at a certain age range
1:58
I had no idea that as you get older you benefit more from weight training to maintain fitness
2:03
So that's now part of my training. Okay. Did you know that
2:08
No. We should be picking stuff up and putting it down again apparently at our age. I do like quite a lot but it's only small items
2:14
such as remote controls. so join also connects to all your other apps yeah so it joins to strava it joins to garmin
2:21
it joins to all the sort of built-in stuff if you've got an apple watch it's got the fitness
2:26
stuff pulls all that data in so it takes all your normal riding data and it uses that to help guide
2:32
you towards your goal join is free to download and sign up and the best features are part of
2:39
their subscription and you can try it for free for 30 days by heading to join.cc forward slash
2:45
single track okay so let's talk about that video that was very popular set the servers on fire
2:56
you're being lied so what it's called that's not what we called it i can't remember yeah you're
3:00
being lied to about mountain biking shocking yeah it is a clickbait uh youtube headline
3:09
It's a compelling headline. Compelling. Okay, it's not clip-back. Well, okay, but what happens in the video
3:18
What gets talked about and by whom? Can you remember? This is a quiz
3:22
Oh, I want to say, is it Matty Johnson? It is. Who is Matty Johnson
3:28
He's the lead singer and the guy behind The The, the 80s indie band, isn't he
3:32
That's why I always hesitate to say his name. But it is, isn't it? It used to be a... Benji
3:38
S&M guy. No, baseball. Miming, whipping. No, baseball that was. Yes, he used to play for the Red Sox
3:46
which I think must mean that he was actually quite good because I don't know anything about baseball
3:50
but I have heard of the Red Sox. Boston. So, yeah, well done
3:56
So I actually did interview Matty a few weeks back, so that is also on the site
4:03
He doesn't do rubbish cricket anymore, does he? He does... He's cricket and sales
4:11
I grow rounders. I grounders? He does mountain biking stuff, doesn't he
4:18
Yeah, mountain biking, cycling generally. Yeah, he does. Yeah, he's one of those people that got into bikes during COVID, basically
4:26
Like, riding around. And the lie... It's not really a lie. Well, is it a lie or is it a misconception
4:32
Or the public face of mountain biking is perhaps erroneous. Because it's all booters
4:41
Big booters, berms, big ats, big pants. Big booters and ats. Nobody outside Lancashire's going to understand this
4:50
Fizzy drink sponsors, caffeine, stuff like that. All the rad radness. Yeah, as opposed to green laning
4:59
Or just single tracking. That's why that isn't in there. Not us. but the concept of a narrow pre-existing track is very absent from mountain bike media, isn't it
5:11
It's all built stuff, which is fine. But it's not what I don't speak for everyone, it's not what I do, it's not what a lot of people do
5:20
Yeah, so he was saying that he got into riding around and sort of saw the progression
5:29
and doing bigger jumps and getting a full suspension bike and all that
5:34
that was like where he thought he should be going with mountain biking
5:40
because that's what he saw everyone doing in the media. And it was actually a trail in Moab that he did that's really exposed
5:52
And he said it was fun, but by the end of it, he was like, why am I doing this
5:56
Why am I frightening myself? to this level um maybe there's maybe there's another way um and so then he wants people just
6:08
to think that well i could do that because riding along on something you might also go for a walk on
6:15
it's kind of anybody could do that whereas throwing yourself off a giant jump is something that
6:23
not everybody can or wants to do. And he thinks that being outside in the countryside next to the soil and all of that is so beneficial that we should be encouraging everybody to do it on whatever bike Yeah I just chided well with the internet
6:46
Yeah, go and watch it if you don't watch it, or obviously just look at it and then comment
6:52
Go and watch it. Start watching it and then chime in with your 2p if you want to
6:59
Go and ride you. Bike. What else? What else has been going down part of me eating chocolate
7:06
I've never eaten any chocolate. Oh, well, I did. Yeah? Did you have a little Easter egg hunt
7:13
No. Kids are too old for that. We're too lazy. Your kids are younger than my kids, and my kids still do an Easter egg hunt
7:21
They had to grow up, didn't they? No, we didn't have time or the inclination, you know
7:26
No, it's fine. They were asked. It's fine. We made them go up a massive hill instead
7:34
Get up that. Which I went up, you're with that. Formerly known as Snowdon
7:43
Was it sunny? The lower two thirds were all right. The usual top third is like it always is
7:51
I've only been up there once and it was blistering sunshine the whole way
7:55
So there's no point in me ever going again. No, that's how I did scaffold first and only time
7:59
It was beaming. So I'm not doing that again. But when I did it, the kids were really small
8:07
and we walked them up to the top under the promise of getting the train down
8:12
and then we realised that you can't do that. Like they charge you a fortune
8:15
Oh, yes. They basically treat it like some sort of mountain rescue. They do. So then we had to buy them an overpriced pie
8:21
and march them back down all the way again. Well, we weren't going to do the train
8:25
but it was 25 quid to get a kid back down. That's the going rate for children these days
8:30
It was a lot of money, I remember that. It was like even more than the pies at the top
8:35
Yeah. I didn't realise it. I had a proper place at the top. I've not been for ages
8:40
Age. Actually, I'm going next week before it shuts. Oh, are you
8:44
Yeah, Sunday. What bike are you going to have for that? I'm going to use a bike that I've overthought
8:50
and should have left alone. I've done loads too. Just do it like you do before you go on an adventure
8:54
I'm a little ill-advised. So I'm doing it on e-bikes because that's the reason
8:58
We should see how long and how much more enjoyable it is going on an assisted version
9:05
Because it's pretty up and down. It's pretty hard work on a normal bike
9:10
It's a bit of an ordeal. So up the Hlamberis, is that what it's called
9:15
The main thing. And down Ranger Path. And then up somewhere else
9:21
Until it actually runs out. Yeah, that's the thing you think about. I think I'll be fine
9:25
But, yeah, I've made a perfectly good bike. Airsprung 29 and things
9:30
I've made it into a coil sprung mullet bike. And just, I just want to get a go wrong
9:36
Okay. Yeah. Well, I did some pootling last week on this. Pennine Power pootling
9:45
Pennine Power pootling. Oh, that's a good. It wasn't any power. No, just sheer legs
9:52
Yes. On that? On this Cotic Cascade here. Yes. That looks like it's the bronze SRAM Apex build
10:01
I think 200 and what was it? 2,200 and a little bit for this one
10:07
You get a Shimano one for less, can't you? Yeah. 1,800 and a little bit
10:11
What does it have on it? A bit late now. This one? No, the Shimano one
10:16
Oh, let's have a quick look. Consult the internet. It's a Shimano Dior 1x12
10:21
Dior, right. How did I do the shifting then? Is that like a flat bar one
10:26
There's a drop bar one. Flat bar, drop bar Dior? I think so
10:33
Fine. Anywho, so it's about two grand give or take, isn't it
10:37
Oh no, you must be right. Because that says Kotick lock on grips
10:42
Must be a flat bar one. There you go. So the flat bar one is cheap
10:48
Do you think you should have gone on the flat bar one? Well, I would have liked some different brakes, I think
10:59
I think possibly this bike has been around the houses a little bit because it's a test bike
11:04
Yeah. And I think that there is something up with the internals of the front brake because I can't do reach adjust
11:14
How heavy would your bike fall later? Without the bike stopping doing any braking
11:19
which was a little bit alarming as I approached the c outside the office one day
11:25
Yeah, so I think there's something actually old and broken in there. How much did it weigh
11:30
Fully laid. With all my gubbins on it, it was 23 kilos, which isn't..
11:35
That's all right. I didn't take cooking stuff. Right. But I took all my sleeping stuff
11:41
I have no idea. Right. No idea. But flat bar versus drop bar
11:46
Were you ever on the drops apart from when you did the brake? Well, the brakes on the hoods mostly
11:51
It's just nice to have a variety of hand positions. But do you ever go on the drops
11:54
Not really. There are a lot of drop bars. They're rubbish. Not particularly
12:00
On some of the really steep descents that is. Don't do drop bar bikepacking
12:05
Imagine how nice it would be like that. Put bar ends on. That's what your hoods are
12:10
You could do bar ends. And the other advantage of that would be that that Ortley bag that's on the front
12:16
holds a lot more than what I was able to carry in it
12:21
because I had to fit it inside my drop bars. But actually, I could probably have fitted all of my gubbins
12:30
in that one bar if I had a flat bar. It's that voluminous
12:35
I always do these things I've not done for a long time and then go back home and then even use it
12:39
It's not when you go on holiday. I didn't even wear that. I didn't even wear that. I just wore the same thing for the whole holiday
12:44
Why do I take all that? Because you never know what's going to happen, do you, really? You take a load that you never use
12:48
So I took some things anticipating it might rain. Because obviously if I got wet through, I would want a dry change of clothes
12:58
And it didn't rain. Well, I left before it rained. So I didn't get soaked through
13:03
So that was okay. So there was like one warm wear that I could have left at home that I didn need Because that was my change of clothes and a pair of socks that I didn need because that was my change of socks um but I didn want
13:17
to be a mountain rescue case by not having them and then the only thing that I definitely wouldn't
13:23
take next time is I took some leggings because I thought well I can sleep in them and or I could
13:32
like wear them in the pub or in a cafe or something if i got really wet i was again if i wanted to
13:37
change into something but um as it happened i ate my food in the pub and then rode on to my bivvy spot
13:43
um which was very hard to find i could not have chosen a worse spot yeah so i'd looked on the map
13:52
and i was like oh that's a nice little cluster of trees that looks like a good spot and uh so
13:58
You'll notice that I've got the light mounted on the fork. Oh, yeah
14:03
Because there is like a set of attachments that works without all the bag
14:08
that means you've got like antennae that poke over the top of your handlebar bag. One of those
14:12
But I went for a periscope. Fork mounted instead. Right. But that meant that the light is very low to the ground and I didn't have a head torch
14:19
If anyone wants to send me a head mounted light, that would be great
14:24
because then I was like sweeping the ground but really low down trying to find a spot
14:31
and the trees that I had identified on the map were growing out of like a giant cairn
14:41
made of giant boulders like like watermelon size yeah probably just a big pile of boulders so
14:51
So there was not much by way of actual flat, not lumpy ground
14:58
And it was very hard to find it with a fork mounted light. But anyway, I found a little bit underneath the tree
15:02
Have you not got an exposure joystick? No, I haven't. But on your head, use it at a torch, go to the bog, find stuff
15:10
Why has nobody sent me one? With my name engraved in it, please
15:15
Then no one can ever steal it. Yeah. So I found a little spot that was like, it was like a body site
15:22
It probably was a burial site, right? It was that sort of like just the size of your body
15:27
Right. And there were a few sticks in it. So I removed the sort of, well, they were quite large sticks
15:32
Okay. Because it was underneath a tree, which in hindsight was probably foolish to sleep where a tree is regularly dropping its boughs
15:42
Oh, right. But anyway, that's what I did. Did you get any sleep
15:45
Oh, I did. Well, I don't sleep that well anyway. No, you're tired though, aren't you
15:51
I would assume. I had a little bit of the old cramp in the sleeping bag, going, oh, shit, can't stretch it out
15:57
But it went away. Woke up in the middle of the night in a menopausal sweat
16:01
took all the clothes off the top. Don't tell everyone the tale because it's in the next magazine
16:07
These bits have been extracted from the next. These aren't redacted even
16:10
Right, off-cooked. But then in the morning, oh, so I didn't wear the leggings. That's how we got onto this
16:15
I didn't wear the leggings because after a day in the saddle I was like last thing I want to do is put on
16:20
more synthetic leggings so I got into my bivvy naked from the waist down and then I woke up in
16:28
the morning I thought oh I need to do the little sleeping shots you know the aerial bird's eye view
16:34
with flying camera thing so I got it and I sent it up in the air between two branches
16:41
and then there was a little gust of wind that blew it right under one of the branches
16:48
and it didn't sense that it had hit a branch. So it just stuck there against this branch going
16:55
like having a meltdown. And I was like, shit, come back, come back
17:00
But I thought, I can't get out of my bivvy to do anything about it
17:04
because it's filming and I'm half naked. so i pressed various buttons trying to get it to come back down and it wouldn't so in the end i
17:15
waited for the battery to run low and then it went low battery and returned to earth and caught it
17:21
then i got dressed the lesson is wear something in bed even if you need to yeah always when filming
17:29
don't film naked yeah there you go so yes none of that is in right is in the story that's in the
17:37
magazine because enough other stuff happened yeah i can imagine so well you'll find out when's it
17:41
when's it out that's june's that's june's magazine it'll soon be here june right yeah
17:47
so i had a right good time just pootling along without anybody else to keep up with and doing
17:53
it again chase whatever uh i might do bits of that again definitely like there's a good long
18:00
day out i can highly highly recommend on your own again what would you if i was going to go and do
18:05
the sleeping bit yes i'd do it on my own i don't want anybody else to ruin my vibe um but so like
18:15
just for a day out i'd go with other people yeah the bit on the penn i'm bridal way which was what
18:20
i was doing from wykeler outside burnley yep uh up to settle is like perfect gravel bike terrain
18:28
this was the perfect tool for the job i know this has got 2.4 inch tires and it's like
18:33
the monster end of gravel bikes but yeah it really was perfect gravel bike terrain over there
18:38
beyond settle and stainforth right bit more mountain biking yeah it's still very scenic
18:46
and so you can get the train back from settle to leeds or carlisle or wherever you happen to live
18:51
it's not in settle by the way no that none of those train lines are in where they say they are
18:58
It's very much not in Dent. It's very much not in Dent. Don't do that. That's what I went to on the top of the bloody hill
19:03
Yeah? Yeah. Hmm. Yeah. What is it over there? They just don't like to put them near where they say they are
19:10
Yeah. Even the one at Kirby Stephen is nowhere near Kirby Stephen
19:14
Right, good. What else should we bang on about? Ooh, I don't know
19:19
We can check my parking time. What are you wearing? Me? Yeah
19:24
What are you wearing? I am dressed. For those listening, I am fully clothed for podcasts
19:32
I've got a long sleeve on as well. It's charcoal. Oh, God, I don't remember the proper name for it
19:37
That's performance, isn't it? Performance long sleeve? Yep. 42 pounds Does that mean you going to dance in it Come on Performance No I going to go on ride after this I think I going to go up an hill for a bit and come back down Okay
19:51
Because, yeah, different colours. Can't remember what they are. Red. Oh, red
19:59
Oh, for God's sake. French navy. That was a good one. I like that. That's the best one, I think
20:04
Something else. You're wearing that because earlier on we were both wearing matching
20:09
That, yeah. Like his and hers T-shirts. This, though, I think it was a team issue
20:15
I've got a Helly Hansen undie as well. So don't come near me, because she'll be shocked
20:23
Oh, you're very electrifying. Whatever it must be, yeah. Helly Hansen. An experiment
20:28
It might be right on a bicycle. Oh, so if a bachelor runs out, you must just..
20:32
There you go. Yeah. Okey-doke. Well, the weather is going to be nice, isn't it
20:41
I believe so, yeah. The weather's been pretty good. I'm not going to mention it. It's good. Yeah
20:46
So get out there and make the most of it, people. Yeah
20:49
What else is coming up? I don't know. Bespoke is this weekend. Oh, yes, that was it, yeah
20:53
We're going to Bespoke to go and try not to lick the bicycles
20:58
I might go, might not. So I'll leave you with that. I'm definitely going. Total noncommittal
21:03
Yeah. Yeah. I'm thinking I might go on as a normal person with some kids in tow or something
21:09
You're having a transplant before you go. What is bespoke? What is bespoke
21:14
It's assuming everyone knows what it is. It's a handmade bicycle show and handmade components and accessories, bags, things made by humans
21:29
Now, you're going to say that everything is made by hand, aren't you
21:32
It's like it's made by some human somewhere. But it's kind of small scale, not giant
21:37
I'm not going to say anything at all. But it's nice stuff
21:42
Where is Bespoke? And they have two editions of it. And the one that we're talking about is this weekend in Manchester in the Victoria Baths
21:52
Yes, that was it. Which is a totally amazing venue. Or you should go just for the venue
21:57
It's like proper Victorian bathhouse. and the bits in swimming pools, like the main shows are in these swimming pool bits
22:05
And then the like videos and talks and things are in the rooms that were changing rooms
22:10
or saunas or steam rooms. And then there's all kinds of like little nooks and crannies that you can go and explore
22:17
and they have weird displays in them. There was like a techno shower last year that I couldn't look at
22:22
because it made me feel like I was going to have a fit or something because it had so much flashing lights
22:26
Oh, right. Okay. Yeah. Why does it like that? Just cos. Make it interesting and weird
22:31
Oh, right, OK. It's the apocalypse. Not generally. Well, it is. But it's the apocalypse theme
22:38
Oh, they've got an apocalypse build. Yeah. It's called bespoke. It's like each one's kind of individual, isn't it
22:42
And they're like the non-replicated bikes. They're all one-offs-ish. It used to be
22:47
Sort of. Sort of. Some of them are. Some of them aren't. You know, some of them are batch produced or whatever
22:53
It doesn't mean anything, this name, anymore. What does it mean? just means they're made of steel
22:59
not all of them no I don't mind but basically you can meet the person that's making them
23:06
chat to them that's the point of it and then they have another one in Dresden
23:10
in October if you want to go and like go full techno
23:15
German techno and stuff more gearboxes in that one I imagine I don't know
23:21
it's very fashionable over there who are you looking forward to seeing
23:25
Do you know anything about any of them yet? Oh, well, I'm looking forward to seeing Berth from BTR
23:33
because I don't think he's slept for about two weeks while he's building all his bits for this one
23:40
And one of our forumites has got his birthday bike. Oh, right, okay
23:46
A BTR gasser is going to be there on display, which he bought having seen Berth's BTR this last year
23:53
The big red thing. well I think it's purple Tom's one so I'm looking forward to seeing that
24:01
but yeah Burbs is red Stooge, will they be there? no because they're not made in the UK
24:07
are they? I didn't even know that Handmade someone's like I don't really know anything
24:15
Cotic is going to be there because lots of cotic are made in the UK now
24:19
so yeah Well, we'll do some kind of report, won't we, or some kind of digger dag
24:26
and you'll probably be press-ganging to do some mini-interviews so we don't have to do a podcast next week
24:31
Oh, I don't know. It'll be too noisy. Oh, right, yeah. Too noisy. Bad acoustics in the swimming pool
24:35
Right, yeah. Take your radar thing, microphone. Do you want to get that
24:41
I have no idea what you're talking about. Oh, Gene Hackman and things. In the conversation, pointing microphones at people, like really specific
24:49
Oh. Take that. You find it doable. Yeah, OK. I totally have one of those
24:53
We'll get one. Right. Okay, then. We're done. We're done. After that spy
25:02
Yeah, it'd be special. That'd be good. Good look outside. It's good for poring over interesting bikes
25:08
Even if you never think they're going to have one or be interested, it's just nice to see what people are up to, isn't it
25:12
Yeah, and it's nice to talk to people that put their heart and soul and love
25:17
into making beautiful bike-related things and supporting bicycle culture and yeah, doing nice things
25:24
So it's just nice to show them that we appreciate what they do, even if we can't always buy all the things
25:31
So, yeah. Anyway, the latest issue of Single Track World, issue 160, is out now
25:38
Head to our website to grab your copy. It is brilliant. I think it might be my favourite one ever
25:45
And if you subscribe today, you'll get it free. And then we'll send you the next one as well
25:50
which is also going to be brilliant obviously yep better probably it's got more words by Benji in it
25:56
so probably yeah it's funnier anyway right see you all next week bye
26:01
bye for now Thank you
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