Things I learned on the WRT

[WaitForPete]

Don't go into bogs (SN856576)
Favour your map over the GPS trail you made in your living room (SN765640)
Don't go into bogs (SN777593)
How far apart contour lines have to be before I can ride up them. (SN969642)
When the OS marks a bridleway on the map they don't always mean it.
When the OS puts a contour line on a map they really really mean it.
Take lots of water, or at least sufficient.
8km/h is a generous moving average for estimation purposes.

[Mr Arbuckle]

hahaha you had fun too then pete! I only managed 13.2 kph average and only covered 127km climbed 11,148ft though and came home on Sunday night.

[Bearbonesnorm]

Don't go into bogs (SN856576)
Favour your map over the GPS trail you made in your living room (SN765640)
Don't go into bogs (SN777593)
How far apart contour lines have to be before I can ride up them. (SN969642)
When the OS marks a bridleway on the map they don't always mean it.
When the OS puts a contour line on a map they really really mean it.
Take lots of water, or at least sufficient.
8km/h is a generous moving average for estimation purposes.

It's funny in't it. I spend ages before the WRT saying things like, 'keep an eye on the contour lines', 'don't believe that there's a track just because the map says so' and '10km/h would be a good average' ... then people sound completley surprised when it's really steep, trackless and slow. However, I can't understand why you'd need to carry lots of water, you'd have to be very unlucky not to find sufficient out there.

[Asposium]

...... then people sound completley surprised when it's really steep, trackless and slow. .

Sounds like BB200

[Richard G]

Main thing I learned is that unless I'm touring (I don't tour) then there's no point in carrying a stove / meals. I wont stop for long enough to use them, and on the whole if you go fast enough then you're always within a few hours of a shop / town or some sort.

Will always carry lots of water / a filter though.

[BigdummySteve]

1: Stuart and dee are top people
2: The scales don't lie, 62lbs is heavy
3: wales is vaguely exciting, you could go out for a week and not ride the same trail twice
4: Fully loaded bike packing rigs can still get rowdy at trail centres
5: visiting two pubs a day during the WRT is perfectly acceptable
6: most of the time I should be ignored, especially if I say something along the lines if 'let's just get it over with' when faced with a nearly vertical valley
7: I need less equipment NOT more
8: The WRT is best fun I've had on a bike ( except a parked V4 Honda )

[Asposium]

1.) At 50lbs my bicycle isn't that much heavier than average
2.) Bikepackers are top people, very friendly
3.) I need a dynamo hub
4.) I don't need a new bike, the 26inch mountain bike is just fine, no matter what the bike industry might want me to think
5.) An 850g tent is perfectly acceptable
6.) Don't ride in a group
7.) Take more snacks
8.) Take a change of clothes for the end .....thankful there was a t-shirt
9.) It is possible to eat too much tea and cake after a weekend of freeze dried food
10.) Wales roads are pain-in-the-arse to overtake the *many* slow drivers
11.) SPD hiking boots might be a good purchase
I could likely go on

[BigdummySteve]

1.)
2.) Bikepackers are top people, very friendly
6.) Don't ride in a group

Unless that group is comprised of top people who are very friendly and 'led' by a man with a panda on his head

[Bearbonesnorm]

For anyone concerned about the welfare of said Panda, you'll be relieved to know he's now living a contended life hanging from an Inbred frame in my workshop. I have plans to 'motorise' him for next years WRT.

[ZeroDarkBivi]

1. Check all the bolts have been torqued properly after a rebuild. especially the handlebar attachment.
2. Plus tyres are fun, but if run at low enough pressure to get the 'benefits', they are slow, especially on the road bits.
3. The OS Cartographers did Wales after an all day session. Or perhaps they where just taking the piss...
4. Have an idea of how long your 'planned' route is and where you might end up biving.
5. Garmin Etrex & Garmin UK 1:50k OS mapping card do not play well together. I already suspected this, and it was further confirmed this weekend. Sticking to OSM in future.
6. There is a limit to the robustness of ultra-light bivis. Discovering this limit at 0200 when it's a bit breezy is sub-optimal.
7. Don't lose your debit card, they are handy things to have for resupply.
8. There are no flat bits in mid-Wales. Anywhere.
9. The best bivi is in the back of my van. #StopBeingSoft
10. I can't wait to come back for the BB200.

[jameso]

When the OS marks a bridleway on the map they don't always mean it.

Ha .. true. Sort of 'you can go here but no-one really does, why would you?' routes.

Main one for me - mid Wales is stunning. Lots of wide open empty space. Will be back asap to explore more.
Plus
'Old-school XC' is as good as it always was, some HAB and bog-trotting is part of going places without a fixed plan.

[RIP]

Yes Steve it was a privilege for me to be out with a lovely group of LHC-ers - some fascinating stories and lives, and superlative quality Bolloxspeak on tap from us all.

Ahh glad to hear panda has been integrated into life at BBT. I was quite stunned how clean and presentable he managed to keep himself over the three days.

Talking of which, one thing I learned was that according to Mrs Perrin I smelled nicer AFTER the trip than before I left! Like Stu I can only offer a ringing endorsement of bamboo togs, although whether he'd go to the lengths of wearing exactly the same clothes for 5 days I'm not sure. I swear by carbon impregnated boot insoles as well.

As Steve also mentioned, it was entertaining to baffle the NyA trail 'warriors' with our ramshackle velocipedes - we seemed to leave them quaking in our luggage-flying wake, and even more baffled that the trail, while a lot of fun, was just a good way to link other bits of our route together.

Also re panda's integration into a new environment, as usual I'm having terrible trouble getting back from the real world to the unreal one...maybe Stu could start running some rehabilitation classes....

[Wilkyboy]

1. Bikepackers are an odd crowd — quirky and very friendly. Same seems to go for other fringe cycling groups. Some part of me wishes the rest of the world was like this, but then you'd no longer notice how special certain groups of people are
2. Over-thinking the grid references doesn't help. Neither does over-planning the route.
3. Thinking in road-speed terms doesn't help — I usually plan a full day on overall average of 20kph, including all the tea stops; for WRT my overall average was down around 8kph! Moving average for the weekend was somewhere around 12kph compared to 24kph when on the road.
4. Thinking you can ride up any hill at all doesn't help.
5. At 67lbs my bike was bastard heavy. It didn't help — except down hills and into that bastard headwind.
6. Just because the bike is 21 years old, doesn't mean I need to replace it, at least not until I break something irreplaceable. It was great!
7. The suspension was set up for my weight only, so the extra weight of camping gear meant it was as plush as a sofa over the bumps — I've never ridden it so nice!
8. 26-inch wheels are fine. I'm sure 29-inches are technically better, but not better-enough to justify the battle with Mrs W.
9. Riding with people is fun; riding on your own is fun. I think it's a Wales thing
10. TLS. Definitely.

[WaitForPete]

I never said they were NEW things...

[Zippy]

1. Stuart and Dee always put on a top notch event.
2. Don't choose the windy road with no cars on it just after ordering a coffee and breakfast for the road - stick to the main road and some traffic queues so you can consume without spilling.
3. Wet fields on a slope are fine in a BMW (because Dee gave me premium "you're in a useless car for a wet field" space).
4. Don't forget your bibshorts
5. BearBones people are so friendly they help you out and point 4 becomes a narrow escape.
6. The number of miles you've done don't matter at the WRT.
7. The number of checkpoints don't matter at the WRT.
8. There's no such thing as too much tea.
9. It doesn't feel like a proper WRT without getting wet feet and doing some hike a bike at some point.
10. Bank holiday drivers are dozy.

[Richard G]

Funnily enough, on 9 I specifically decided to cycle through a few rivers again rather than using the bridges.

[mh24]

Sounds like a great event - Well done to all who took part. Seemed to have gained some more top tips for a Bike Packing / BB200 Novice. What am I letting myself in for!!! I guess I still have a few months to get some long rides in!

[Asposium]

....
8. There's no such thing as too much tea.
....

You originally from Yorkshire?

[Lawmanmx]

1. i don't do well without sleep
2. lots of BB'ers deal in European KMS and not UK MILES for some strange reason ....mmmmmh i wonder what That could be?????
3. riding bikes with 'Weirdo's' like myself is bluddy Ace
4. Wales is Still my favorite place
5. it was nice to put faces to some of the said Weirdo's

[Dave Barter]

1. Stuart and Dee always put on a top notch event.
2. Don't choose the windy road with no cars on it just after ordering a coffee and breakfast for the road - stick to the main road and some traffic queues so you can consume without spilling.
3. Wet fields on a slope are fine in a BMW (because Dee gave me premium "you're in a useless car for a wet field" space).
4. Don't forget your bibshorts
5. BearBones people are so friendly they help you out and point 4 becomes a narrow escape.
6. The number of miles you've done don't matter at the WRT.
7. The number of checkpoints don't matter at the WRT.
8. There's no such thing as too much tea.
9. It doesn't feel like a proper WRT without getting wet feet and doing some hike a bike at some point.
10. Bank holiday drivers are dozy.

11. get to the cafe before it shuts

[Richard G]

2. lots of BB'ers deal in European KMS and not UK MILES for some strange reason ....mmmmmh i wonder what That could be?????

Makes them feel like they're doing bigger numbers I reckon.

Century my arse. Do it properly!

[jaminb]

At 45 years old I am embarrassed to say I still can't read a map properly and the addition of a Garmin has not improved my navigation skills!

Anyone know of a guide who could teach me how to solve my embarrassing problem or am I beyond help and I should just accept being in a permanent state of lost.

[ianfitz]

At 45 years old I am embarrassed to say I still can't read a map properly and the addition of a Garmin has not improved my navigation skills!

Anyone know of a guide who could teach me how to solve my embarrassing problem or am I beyond help and I should just accept being in a permanent state of lost.

I could recommend a few people but have a read of this http://everythingoutdoors.co.uk/how_to/navigation-tips/

[Bearbonesnorm]

Anyone know of a guide who could teach me how to solve my embarrassing problem or am I beyond help and I should just accept being in a permanent state of lost.

I used to run mountainbike navigation courses but the take-up was always woefully low ... which given the nature of mountainbiking either seems odd or simply proves that 90% of mountainbikers never actually venture within 25 miles of a mountain (or 25yds from a trail sign).

[Asposium]

At 45 years old I am embarrassed to say I still can't read a map properly and the addition of a Garmin has not improved my navigation skills!

Anyone know of a guide who could teach me how to solve my embarrassing problem or am I beyond help and I should just accept being in a permanent state of lost.

Mountain training have a course called mountain skills, my tutor was Jonathan chamberlain.
Highly recommended