Cycling UK Forum

I use Thompson's Water Seal. It's about £15 for 5 litres. It's cheaper by far than any proprietry tent proofer and more effective. It really is superb stuff. OK, so it's meant for use on bricks etc (where it is, of course, woefully inadequate), but it works a treat on all kinds of things. I use it ...

Give your choice of bivvi bag some thought. Some are little more than glorified sleeping bag covers. Great under shelter but not much cop in bad weather. The Alpkit Hunka springs to mind here. t. Can you say more about the alpkit hunka? I always had the idea that it was very highly regarded. I curr...

I've never found it easy to buy maps while touring in the UK, and more so on the continent: actual bookshops are a very rare breed, petrol stations with a shop big enough to stock maps are few and far between (especially if you're avoiding major roads), and small newsagents rarely have maps unless ...

Sorry to hear that.

As for "changing maps" not an issue for the ones I know about. mainly etrexes. Just use one of many flavours of OSM out there. No need to bother with garmin maps at all.
These are always going to be available I think - and updated regularly

But, on a lot of the main cycling routes there can be large, outdoor maps along the way. Yes. I met a bloke who'd ridden from Stockholm to Rome in ten days, without smartphone, GPS or maps. He made notes from outdoor maps at petrol stations and such. He asked people for directions. IIRC he used a c...

Mrs Mick F was getting her new glasses from Vision Express the other day, and the lady in the shop said how good my glasses were. She was a little crest-fallen when I told her they only cost a quid! :lol: :) My readers are from the house of wilkinsons. Was in my local spoons a while ago using them ...

Continental Grand Sport Extra in 28mm is another option. I've used mine on gravel worse than that before and they've been fine Are these anything like Conti Top Touring which I always liked in 28mm but got discontinued. In an effort to understand their now confusing branding (they seem to have ambi...

Thanks again for all your replies. My queries about charging related to camping - wild and 'civilised! I think I will go with Power packs and dynamo hub. I had to laugh at - 'learn how to read a paper map (as available in shops along the route).' I'm 64 and most of my mountaineering, cycling, hikin...

I too use Optilabs. On my 3rd pair and I’m happy with them. I’ve enquired about Oakleys and could afford them, but I can’t justify the cost to myself. I don’t even bother with Varifocals. My last pair were single vision Photochramtics, but I’ve noticed that tinted prescription sunglasses are even c...

Steve wrote:

rareposter wrote:There are NO facilities once you leave Lancaster until you get to Dunsop Bridge

Slightly off-route, but I believe there are self-service honesty box brews at Christ Church, Abbeystead. Maybe not on a Sunday morning though.

Top tip.

Thanks.

I'm an atheist but a great fan of church kitchens etc.

Personally, from central Birmingham, I'd actually start by cycling south along the Worcester & Birmingham Canal to Kings Norton. Then turn east along the Stratford Canal, which is prettier and has a tolerable towpath (assuming you're not on a skinny-tyred road bike), Yes, this also misses out o...

thanks for the reply Hobbes.

Maybe I'll try a breadcrumb ride, though I can see one being a problem at night with my garmin (apologies for not picking up on the GPS you use).

Osmand has been my backup for years. Free or cheap, works offline for routing. Can be used offline to plan and save a gpx track, then with the correct cabling can connect to your unit for a 100% internet free navigator (so long as the maps are downloaded). It is slow *offline for long routes and do...

fullupandslowingdown wrote:what happened to the generally accepted principle of consumer rights that says if something goes splutt before it's sixth brithday party, you can have a repair or replacement from the seller

Never heard of that.

For conventional stands: 1 Lidl or Aldi, as above. (And most of their tools are excellent.) 2 MIne's a Revolution. Works very well and faultless after 20y. That's the brand of Edinburgh Bicycle Cooperative but it doesn't seem to be available any more. Jonathan I have the Edinburgh Bike CoOp revolut...