Highland Trail 2015

[AlasdairMc]

Good to know it's the subscription and not the unit. I've asked my wife for one for Christmas so will put my name down for a referral too once I get mine.

[kbrembo]

If anyone requires a Spot gen3 to purchase new...drop me a line.
I sell them at my work and have supplied a few other HT550 people.

I was speaking to Iona last week and her spirits were good....Get well soon Iona....

[whitestone]

If anyone requires a Spot gen3 to purchase new...drop me a line.
I sell them at my work and have supplied a few other HT550 people.

I was speaking to Iona last week and her spirits were good....Get well soon Iona....

What's the cost and what's the subscription fee?

Get well soon Iona.

[boxelder]

If anyone requires a Spot gen3 to purchase new...drop me a line.
I sell them at my work and have supplied a few other HT550 people.

Mine arrived today Keith. Spot on, Ta.
Now to learn how to use the durn gizmo

[FLV]

Quick trawl for an opinion. I might have gone into this before.

Whats the opinion on rigid versus suspension?

I currently ride rigid forks with a 3" tyre. It works pretty well and is a good option for the winter I think. However, at the back of my mind I keep thinking of suspension forks for the HT550. The last forks I owned have proven a bit unreliable, RS sids. and although its never anything major I dont 100% trust them.

I know a few people rode rigid in '14 because I saw them. Should I stop fretting and ride what I've got, or sort some forks?

I want to decide soon as I want to do all / most of my riding on the bike and set up of choice this year.

[Karl]

I'm glad you asked the question Dave as I'm been wondering for a few weeks. I ride rigid on my bikes (except by full sus) but Alan recommended a front fork. I rode rigid on the BB200 and it seemed to work well but multiday event is probably a completely different situation. Be nice to know other peoples opinions.

[AlanG]

I don't think many finishers have ridden a rigid fork but I know that last year Keith B used one with a 3 inch tyre like in FLV's setup described above. Keith is as hard as nails though! I'll be going with suspension.
Quite a few riders have finished the route with numb fingers/nerve damage even with suspension forks. I recall one rider from 2013 eventually had surgery to fix the problem. I think it's important not to have too much weight on your hands, so a more upright position may be a good idea and also the option of a variety of hand positions could help avoid problems.

[Richpips]

I rode rigid forks with a 2.2 tyre and had no problems with my hands.

I have very little of my weight on the bars though.

There's no right or wrong answer, it depends on your setup. I used to race 24s on a different rigid bike, and I would lose feeling in my hands for 2-3 weeks after.

[FLV]

I think I know the answer to my own question. I Just seem to be avoiding it...

It might be getting towards time to stop doing so...

[AlasdairMc]

I would lose feeling in my hands for 2-3 weeks after.

I'd forgotten about that on the HTR actually, and that was with Rebas and a 2.2. I think I'll still stick with that combo though as the fast descents made me thankful for it.

[kbrembo]

Rigid last year and rigid this year.

Knard upfront worked well for me!

[Ian]

Tom Rowntree was on a fully rigid Shand (and singlespeed). I rode with him for a bit and he can certainly handle a bike.

[Giacomo]

Hi all,

Quick question for all those that have already experienced the HT550...

There seems to be approx 17 hours of daylight in May (for Inverness). I'm just wondering how often you used your lights for riding?

Basically just trying to figure out if I need to invest in some lights with a longer battery life than my current ones or some sort of dynamo...

Any advice much appreciated. Thanks

Giacomo

[FLV]

on a 5 day 2013 HT430 I used my lights for about 6 hours total, maybe 7.

[AlasdairMc]

I didn't take a light with me on the HTR last year, just a head torch. I rode in an hour of darkness at most each night and that was on a 7 day ride.

[slarge]

Lights are useful if it gets dark in a place you really don't want to stop ( like a few miles short of a bothy etc). I used a helmet mounted Joystick last year, and ran it on medium so it would last a few days. This year I am going with a dynamo and Revo, and probably a joystick for the slow pushing sections. A Diablo type light would probably be a good call if you don't want to carry 2 lights.

I would say that you don't need big powerful lights, but having enough battery life in reserve is important.

[FLV]

I will taking a diablo this year.

I had more in 2013

[AlasdairMc]

I'm thinking of the Dynamo route this year, if only to give me device charging options. I didn't ride enough into the night last year for me to regret not having a light but I do want to change that this year.

[Giacomo]

Thanks for the replies. I certainly don't want to have to end my riding day early due to lack of light. That would suck. Especially if feeling good to carry on mentally and physically.

I currently have one of those cheap Chinese cree lights. It's been going for a couple of years now and never let me down. It's plenty bright enough but the battery life on low is approx 4 hours, might just borrow a spare battery off a friend and use that as well.

If it fails then I guess I'll just have to stop when it gets dark/start when it gets light. All part of the adventure...

In reply to the earlier bike related query, I'm riding with suspension up front and gears (did bearbones 200 on a singlespeed which was great. Super reliable. Just found myself getting a bit frustrated - wanting to go faster or slower on certain (mainly road) sections... For a multi day trip like this, I don't want that frustration).

Of course, all this might change after the Tuscany Trail, which I'm using as a leg, head and gear testing ride for HT550.

Giacomo

[Richpips]

I didn't take a light with me on the HTR last year, just a head torch.

Same here.

[ZeroDarkBivi]

I will definitely be running 100mm suspension, probably with a 2.2 tyre. As for lights, I did not miss not having any last year (other than a red tailight for on-road), and I expect you could easily ride off-road for 18+ hrs per day. I am toying with taking the Diablo this time, as there is the odd occasion it would be useful for a short push to a better overnight location, but I find it more effective to rest in the dark and make better progress in daylight, feeling refreshed.

Not a winning strategy, but I am weak!

[Ian]

In 2013, I rode the 440 route using just a Diablo. On a low setting it made it through the race with a fair amount of night time use. For 2014, I took the same light but with a piggy back battery, but never saw the end of the race, so can't tell you how much I got in total burn time.

At which point you need your light will depend on the weather and how overcast it is. On a clear night in open country, you might be ok to 11pm, but an overcast day in forest out of Fort Augustus, for example, would be much earlier.

[Giacomo]

Thanks for all the replies and yeah good point Ian. I am convinced...

[KamelTrek]

If anyone requires a Spot gen3 to purchase new...drop me a line.
I sell them at my work and have supplied a few other HT550 people.

I was speaking to Iona last week and her spirits were good....Get well soon Iona....

Hi, I need a spot, and would be great to contribute to Iona.

[KamelTrek]

Lights are useful if it gets dark in a place you really don't want to stop ( like a few miles short of a bothy etc). I used a helmet mounted Joystick last year, and ran it on medium so it would last a few days. This year I am going with a dynamo and Revo, and probably a joystick for the slow pushing sections. A Diablo type light would probably be a good call if you don't want to carry 2 lights.

I would say that you don't need big powerful lights, but having enough battery life in reserve is important.

I'm also going with a similar set up as I need to keep my Garmin 800 and phone charged.