Going to try some Merrell Moab Polar WTPF boots tomorrow.

Got my Lake MX303 in size 48 wide ... roomy :)

I've been shopping around for some warm boots and (after a suggestion from geoffsharper) ended up getting some Columbia 'Bugaboot's.

http://www.columbiasportswear.co.uk/BM3 ... ot&start=2

I tried 'em on in the store before ordering cheaper online and they're light, comfy and rated down to -32°c

If anyone has picked up some footwear yet I have a pair of these spare, brand new and I am willing to donate them as this race is expensive enough with the rest of the kit ..

http://www.hi-tec.com/uk/snow-peak-200- ... -gold.html

200g of insulation sized at a UK11 according to Hi Tec sizing ... admittedly not as fancy as the merrel or columbia counterparts but construction is good and they contain plenty insulation. I have managed to get a deal on some Lake boots otherwise I would of been using them.

Also anyone passing Cheshire Oaks retail park there is a Columbia store there that sells discount product including Sorel boots ... they are always well priced ... clothing is good too :)

paul78 wrote:If anyone has picked up some footwear yet I have a pair of these spare, brand new and I am willing to donate them as this race is expensive enough with the rest of the kit ..

http://www.hi-tec.com/uk/snow-peak-200- ... -gold.html

200g of insulation sized at a UK11 according to Hi Tec sizing ... admittedly not as fancy as the merrel or columbia counterparts but construction is good and they contain plenty insulation. I have managed to get a deal on some Lake boots otherwise I would of been using them.

Also anyone passing Cheshire Oaks retail park there is a Columbia store there that sells discount product including Sorel boots ... they are always well priced ... clothing is good too :)

I'm afraid the store has now closed down, but if you're in that area, pop over to Cheshire Oaks Cycles and say hello to me

Think I've got all my kit sorted now, just got to get a GPS and I'm finished. Temperature has now dropped to 21 below Not sure how -21 feels but I'm sure we'll find out

Closed down !!! Boo

If I'm passing I'll drop in :)

Route is marked so not too worried about GPS ... Batteries will sub standard out quickly in those temperatures anyway :)

We want the colder the better it'll be easier to dress for those temperatures and ride will be faster

The organisers said it was marked out and I was happy with that, but the more I think about it, the more I think a GPS would be handy especially if the weather closes in. Hmmm

Thinning of using gorilla cages to mount flasks to the outside of the bike (wasn't too avoid using a pack-so no camelback), is this a sensible/bad/indifferent idea?

My thinking currently with water (and this is subject to change) is that I will use a camelback vest thing on top if my first base layer but under the rest of my layers.. as per Arrowhead will keep the hose and mouth piece in my clothes to stop them freezing up carefully remembering to blow the water back in to the bladder out the hose after every drink.

I was going to mount a bottle on each fork leg but now think that they will freeze too quickly so current thinking is having 2 Alpkit Stem cells made every deep to accommodate a 750ml insulated water bottle or flask each side ... thinking being that there should be at least a little ambient heat generated in that area from body and pogies (wishful thinking probably).

paul78 wrote:My thinking currently with water (and this is subject to change) is that I will use a camelback vest thing on top if my first base layer but under the rest of my layers.. as per Arrowhead will keep the hose and mouth piece in my clothes to stop them freezing up carefully remembering to blow the water back in to the bladder out the hose after every drink.

I'd do it the same.

I convinced there's not much warmth outside your clothing. I have my watch (Sunnto) strapped to the bars on cold occasions and the temperature will be the true outdoor temperature. If it's -10 or colder you have to layer up, minimizing any warmth leaving your skin. This will prevent your surrounding to get heated up (albeit a very small amount) by your body temperature.
I guess the movement you get in the water bottles if they're strapped to the bike will have a bigger effect of preventing freezing.
But then the water get's really cold (it's wrong to assume water can't be cooled beneath 0°C without freezing) and if you're tired, drinking only a pint of super cooled water can finish you off (I mean it'll leave you desperately cold), yet in theory it's not that much energy your body has to come up with.

Cheers Paul and Alpinum, something to consider. I was trying to avoid any form of back system to make my coat as breathable as possible. Also I should have been clearer, when I said flask, I meant a thermos to store water in. The only problem I can with this if any splashes of water go on the outside of the drinking par and freezes the lid to the bottle (if that makes sense?!)

You can get insulated covers for bladder tubes which would probably stop small droplets of water freezing inside the tube?

Ben98 wrote:You can get insulated covers for bladder tubes which would probably stop small droplets of water freezing inside the tube?

I use one of these (a neoprene cover with a rubber end cover) and whilst it'll keep the tube unfrozen throughout many standard UK winter rides it doesn't do much to stop prolonged cold exposure.

I also always add rehydration powder for cold winter rides as the added salt lowers the freezing temperature a little.

I believe that Aidan had two nalgene bottles for Iditabike that he filled with boiling water. The trick was to drink them before they froze. Apparently he had to punch through ice that had formed at the top of the bottle to get to the water below if left for too long

Go the whole hog and get an Artic Innovations Hydroheater http://www.arcticinnovations.com/index. ... eater.html for the tube.
How about a sleeve of pot cosy material with a hand warmer chemical pad in the sleeve for the main bladder - it'll be more pleasant drinking slightly warmer (not ice cold) water and should weight very little. As long as you blow the water in the tube shouldn't freeze too bad.... or add some vodka - that should lower the freezing point too (not a performance enhancing substance!).

I believe that Aidan had two nalgene bottles for Iditabike that he filled with boiling water. The trick was to drink them before they froze. Apparently he had to punch through ice that had formed at the top of the bottle to get to the water below if left for too long

Be better filling the bottles with water at room temperature as under most circumstances boiling water will freeze faster.

Ian wrote:I believe that Aidan had two nalgene bottles for Iditabike that he filled with boiling water. The trick was to drink them before they froze. Apparently he had to punch through ice that had formed at the top of the bottle to get to the water below if left for too long

Also, store them upside down, then at least the mouth piece doesn't freeze

Might not be dehydration that finishes us off...

http://instagram.com/p/xZjCvtxfgg/

Is that a pirate!? (Peg leg)

s8tannorm wrote: Be better filling the bottles with water at room temperature as under most circumstances boiling water will freeze faster.

This sounds counter intuitive, for the un-initiated (I.e. me) can you explain why

johnnystorm wrote:Might not be dehydration that finishes us off...

http://instagram.com/p/xZjCvtxfgg/

judging by the way the back paw prints fit where the fronts were, got to be some sort of cat, maybe Lynx?

Mart wrote:

s8tannorm wrote: Be better filling the bottles with water at room temperature as under most circumstances boiling water will freeze faster.

This sounds counter intuitive, for the un-initiated (I.e. me) can you explain why

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mpemba_effect

s8tannorm wrote:

I believe that Aidan had two nalgene bottles for Iditabike that he filled with boiling water. The trick was to drink them before they froze. Apparently he had to punch through ice that had formed at the top of the bottle to get to the water below if left for too long

Be better filling the bottles with water at room temperature as under most circumstances boiling water will freeze faster.

As Zippy's link reveals, there is a lack of consensus on how, or under what conditions this happens, if at all.

Ian wrote:

s8tannorm wrote:

I believe that Aidan had two nalgene bottles for Iditabike that he filled with boiling water. The trick was to drink them before they froze. Apparently he had to punch through ice that had formed at the top of the bottle to get to the water below if left for too long

Be better filling the bottles with water at room temperature as under most circumstances boiling water will freeze faster.

As Zippy's link reveals, there is a lack of consensus on how, or under what conditions this happens, if at all.

If I had any space in my freezer I'd give it a whirl. One thing to note is that Mpemba was mixing a bowl of Ice Cream, probably not at boiling point. The recent YouTube craze of boiling water into instant snow is looking at water mist. The reason given then was that boiling water was close to changing from liquid to gas/vapour and that being on the cusp of that change made it more susceptible to a change into its other forms, eg ice. Whether hot Ribena/High 5/etc in a flask will chill faster is another thing perhaps!

My boss once came up with that. I didn't believe him, or any body else on that instance, so we tested it in our research lab. Fact is, the cooler the water, the faster it freezes, or reaches the nucleation point as we'd put it. It was tested in a -20 freezer with various water temps. and measured with thermo couples and beakers. Aidan did the right thing.
BUT, the trick of throwing boiling water into very cold air and have it come down as 'snow' works better with boiling water 'cause of the higher steam pressure over water. The cooler the water, the lower is this pressure.
So if you have a very thin layer of water and a large surface, the trick will work.