Highland trail 550!!

[Bearbonesnorm]

I also really liked everyone I met on the Bear Bones, everyone seemed like a genuine person - thankyou all for that

Good job I stayed out of your way

[Ian]

Thought I'd resurrect this thread

How are people's prep going for this?
Any thoughts on gear choice, food and anything else?

[zigrat]

My prep's been rubbish - hardly ridden at all this year !
BUT (and it might be a big one) just got tested in the lab last week and have been dabbling in a LFHC diet and things might not be too bleak...was out for 4 hrs loaded on Monday and things felt pretty good.

In terms of kit am planning on running a bit heavier this year in terms of warmer sleeeping bag, warmer sleep mat (neoair vs klymit), tent (easton kilo) vs bivvy bag (black diamond) and taking a stove but I'll be on a hardtail and not full suss so i might still be lighter overall. I liked the way James O completed the TD and am planning on sleeping out every night and just stopping when I've had enough rather than forcing on to a bothy or B&B (which i have particular fondness for !!). I've also got a new frame on the way from a certain UK frame builder and need new wheels as my crests have now done > 5000 miles. Can't decided whether to plop for a SP dynamo hub and revo light as part of the build so any thoughts appreciated on that...

Bryan

[Bearbonesnorm]

Can't decided whether to plop for a SP dynamo hub and revo light as part of the build so any thoughts appreciated on that...

I figure that at the present, if you're having a front wheel built then you might as well go for a dynamo hub. I was a little put off by non-diy bearings but on reflection I don't think it's really an issue. I'm struggling to find a valid reason not to ... I must just add that I don't own one and have only fiddled about with other peoples, so I could be talking rubbish.

Any clues as to your new frame Bryan? ... I like new frames me.

[zigrat]

Hmm - 853 steel - some oversize some not, fillet brazed, ericksen sweetpost for comfort - being built by a man not a million miles away from me..

[Bearbonesnorm]

being built by a man not a million miles away from me..

Look forward to seeing it.

ericksen sweetpost

Well that's the King of cool right there

[FLV]

Physically I'm under prepared. Still a bit overweight and not enough miles in my legs yet. I have gotten a meters of up in them though.

Mentally, hopefully all ok. Its just riding a bike in a nice place.

Kit wise.
Bike and gearing decided; 1x10 this year. 30t front 11-36 rear unless I submit to one of those range extenders in a panic before then.
Needs a full strip and service about 3 weeks before, gives time to be sure it all works.
Sleep system, under review as mentioned before. Undecided on a tarp or just a waterproof bag. I already own it all so it just needs back to back usage to see how it effects any packing and quality of rest, particularly when its raining. It'll likely be a TN discovery lite. Or a Borah tarp and bivi. Both with a silly small short mat.
Switching to a single 600ml bottle for water rather than a camelbak.

Still undecided on footwear / pedal combo's

Total bike / kit is likely to be 8lb lighter than last years set up in total. But, this might change a bit if the forecast is grim

Bought my own spot tracker this year too. Last year my rental unit was less than reliable. Just need to figure out mounting it.

[zigrat]

If you're overweight have you checked out my post on LCHF diets - I'm currently leaner than I've ever been and it's certainly helping offset my current lack of winter miles..

[Bearbonesnorm]

If you're overweight have you checked out my post on LCHF diets - I'm currently leaner than I've ever been and it's certainly helping offset my current lack of winter miles..

If you need to shift some weight (fat) then a LCHF diet will do it and pretty quickly too. My own experiments did produce some other side effects, not all of which I thought were positive. If you're thinking of giving it a try I'd suggest you start as early as possible, as the 'adaption period' can take quite a while for some and might not be very enjoyable

[Ian]

I've not done the volume of riding I expected to so far this year, but what riding I have done seems to have developed my fitness. In particular, the steep singlespeed mashing I've been doing on the Puffin is paying off. Romped up the Beacons from Brecon side last night on a loaded bike and made it up a steep climb last weekend I've never managed to clear before, so definite improvement on the strength front. My pushing has also improved with increased leg strength - in most circumstances, you might thing this isn't relevant, but for HTR the ability to push your bike quickly uphill should not be underestimated...

My body seems to respond quite well to big blocks of training in one go, rather than doing shorter high intensity stuff more regularly - this is an observation from several years of riding. WIth that in mind, the Wales Coast to Coast next month should be good for that, and I'll see if I can get up to the Cairngorm Loop in May too.

On the gear side, I think I'm going for the lighter bivvy bag approach this year. Looking at my kit list, I should have saved about 600g off last years kit, which is about 15%. I'll be going with two bottles this year instead of one, to limit the number of times I need to stop for water.

Now I've sold my DT forks, the way is open for a Revo which will hopefully make the night sections easier.

[slarge]

Got my new bike sorted, got the gear almost sorted (just need to test the borah bivvy and tarp options, and decide whether to use a seat pack as well as a frame bag and bar bag.) will use a camelbak, as I am used to this, and I find I don't drink enough otherwise. I am ready mentally , in fact I can't wait, and physically I have lots of base miles, just need some big rides - planned in for April. The only real worries I have are the food stops and the weather, neither of which I can change. Looking forward to it! (With some trepidation).

[ScotRoutes]

Meh.

I've just been going out trying to ride my bike occasionally. Methinks you are all taking it much too seriously.

[Ian]

Methinks you are all taking it much too seriously.

It'd be fascinating to see 60 people rock up at Tyndrum at the start of the hardest bikepacking race in the UK thinking "this is going to be a piece of piss"

[ianfitz]

Prep and training were going well until the last month or so. The two people above me at work have been off long term for three months now, without being replaced. This has led to a truly ridiculous amount of work heading my way.

This has not left me with an abundance of energy, either mental or physical, I've been a bit more chipper this week due to a number of factors - not least the weather! Will see how the rest of this month pans out, and have some plans for april...

Pretty sure I'll be using a borah cuben bivy (122g) and mld tarp (255g Inc lines and pegs) as I've used the tarp year round and know it will keep me out the weather no matter how grim. While it takes a few more minutes to put up I will need to rest and sleep!

This recent situation has taken the, self inflicted, pressure off me to do well (relatively speaking) so the chances are ill be able to go and enjoy it

[ScotRoutes]

Methinks you are all taking it much too seriously.

It'd be fascinating to see 60 people rock up at Tyndrum at the start of the hardest bikepacking race in the UK thinking "this is going to be a piece of piss"

* puts fingers in ears and goes "LA, LA, LA - I'm not listening" *

[Blackhound]

I used my new-to-me-Revo for the first time the last couple of nights and a little unsure what to make of it. Going up hill it noticeably powers down a bit as you are going slower. I climbed up a over a ridge on the way to Lantern Pike last night and by the top it was a bit dull, The start of the descent was a little steep and rocky and I could not see where I was going very well. Once the terrain got easier and I went faster then I was ok. Leaving Hayfield I fitted a joystick and after climbing to South Head this was helpful on the initial descent. So unsure how good it would be on the rockier/slower sections of HTR. In future I will still be taking another light and perhaps a piggy back battery.

[FLV]

What you describe there is one of the factors why I've never gone for one. If I need two lights, its not good enough in my opinion

[Ian]

The way I see it is the Revo is brighter than my Diablo at most speeds, probably enabling me to go faster in most circumstances. I still need a helmet light to sort out stuff on the bike as I go along - food, GPS etc. If the Revo can't emit enough light because I'm going slowly, the helmet light will assist, but because I'm not solely reliant on the latter and a greater proportion of the time it will be on low, I have enough battery for the race without a piggy back.

[ScotRoutes]

The way I see it is the Revo is brighter than my Diablo at most speeds, probably enabling me to go faster in most circumstances. I still need a helmet light to sort out stuff on the bike as I go along - food, GPS etc. If the Revo can't emit enough light because I'm going slowly, the helmet light will assist, but because I'm not solely reliant on the latter and a greater proportion of the time it will be on low, I have enough battery for the race without a piggy back.

That's roughly my thoughts - plus I'm planning to use the Revo for some longer night rides on the roads where speeds will be generally higher.

I'd also like to get the GPS working off the Revo during daylight to save on batteries.

[composite]

The way I see it is the Revo is brighter than my Diablo at most speeds, probably enabling me to go faster in most circumstances. I still need a helmet light to sort out stuff on the bike as I go along - food, GPS etc. If the Revo can't emit enough light because I'm going slowly, the helmet light will assist, but because I'm not solely reliant on the latter and a greater proportion of the time it will be on low, I have enough battery for the race without a piggy back.

This is exactly my experience of it and I was using it with a joystick which is less powerful than the Diablo. I find that when I'm going slower I need less light anyway. Also I have got used to riding with not so much light though as I had to start using the magic shines on low when the rides got longer. At There n Back I even turned my lights off for while and rode by moon light. :)

The other thing is that you are using a Revo you have a dynamo so you charge the helmet light in the day time so no piggy back needed anyway.

[ianfitz]

Can also charge the Diablo/joystick off the revo during daytime.

[Ian]

Didn't someone say you couldn't charge a joystick/Diablo direct from the Revo due to fluctuations in current?

[composite]

Yeah that's a big no no. You need to charge a battery that you in turn charge the light with. There are several that can charge and give charge at the same time.
The only thing that can plug into the Revo is the rear light that exposure do.

[slarge]

I ordered a couple of 8400mAh battery packs off eBay ( they are USB output things for charging phones etc) - only £16 each but weigh about 200g each. I don't have a dynamo or revo, but plan to use these to keep the garmin and possibly a light charged. From my calculations I will have enough power for 5.5 days of gps only power or 4.5 days of gps and a half charge of the Maxx D. Hope it works, although the paper maps might come in handy if it doesn't!

[Mart]

Yeah that's a big no no. You need to charge a battery that you in turn charge the light with. There are several that can charge and give charge at the same time.
The only thing that can plug into the Revo is the rear light that exposure do.

Or alternatively run a Pliug2 or Lightcharge which will take the AC from the Dyno and convert it straight to USB 5v (or something similar like a kemo)
Plug 2 from memory charges at double the amps that the Lightcharge does (500mA v 250mA)
then no supplementary batteries needed