Cycling UK Forum

nirakaro wrote:Oooh get you!
I read your OP, but found it too open-ended to trigger any ideas or suggestions.
You could try the throw-a-stick method – each time you come to a junction, throw a stick in the air, and follow the direction it points in when it lands. Or the Diceman option – each morning, make a list of six destinations - four sensible ones for example, one seriously challenging and one ridiculous, and roll the dice to choose. Keeps life interesting.
Otherwise, I think you need to give people the germ of an idea to riff on.

Ditto- I was tempted to post - but it would have been a bit waspish - the last time i posted on a thread of this nature on another forum the OP flounced

The solution is to buy a tent with a homongusly robust floor - TN do them - its no biggy - but as it has been repeated ad hominum they weigh more - something like - you cant have your cake and eat it - tent makers accept this - that why they sell footprints - personally I use a cheap lightish tarp that i bought from Homebase - cuts down on wear and tear on the the tent and doubles as a groundsheet if im wild camping and decide its nice enough to camp out under the stars - if im wild camping and the weather isnt nice enough to camp under the stars it makes it possible for me to camp in places that would destroy an old school "robust" tent floor - when it gets tatty and horrible i bin it and buy another for £3 - plus when im camping in bad weather it enables me to keep the tent inner dry for most of the time - for me carrying a "footprint" is a win win

I use a SON and a USB-werk - apart from a wire parting from the USB-werk (probably my fault for not leaving enough slack) - no problem - charges my camera batteries no problem - or a power bank which takes longer - what I really like though is the IQ light that's attached as well - My rule is I do not cycle in the dark - but somehow or other i've never managed to keep to it - the IQ is brilliant in all ways

Edit - tidy cabling - I did tidy cabling and the wire wore through - I ve revised it to a simpler easier to repair layout

A single twin wire up the fork - all the gubbins in the little yellow neoprene bag - simple box connector to take the wires to the light and the USB-werk

Sounds Good - I take it from your description that you are already taking in the Verdon Gorge - if you haven't done the riviera then it is not as uninteresting as people make out - briancon to huez you will get your dose of alps - thunderstorms in the high alps are not pleasant so it is best to be prepared - it will be very hot quite a lot until you get quite high - plus the weather is always unpredictable that high - one mid july i ascended Isere while it was very hot - hot enough that i was wearing the bare minimum - 200m vertically from the top it started to snow - down the other side in full wet gear with a light fleece underneath

The one above is 40mm above handlebar level and protrudes 20mm in front of the face plate of the stem

Have you thought about a kwikfix one mounted on the stem - either a small one or the bigger one with a bit cut off it

I bought this Coleman one today for a tenner from Blacks - now it has got dark enough to assess it - it seems to be perfect for what i want - night mechanicals, map reading, tent erecting and camping chores - nice diffuse wide spread of light - two levels - easy to hand nice big switch - in fact I might go back tomorrow and buy another

edit - like it more and more - sits on the forehead nicely - and because the beam is not focused I dont have to adjust the angle (in fact there is no adjustment) when im doing different things - and because of the shape of the beam I also have no need to move my head to look for things

edit 2 - and ive discovered i can wear it under the peak of a BB cap - my normal on the bike touring head gear

Cyril Haearn wrote:

Cyril Haearn wrote:There are hotels in Koenigswinter, Bad Bresig, Bonn, Remagen etc etc on either side of the river. Plenty of trains too on either side

and ??????

The campsite at Koln is a good un - not far from the centre along the river



Good campsite at Mainz on the Wiesbaden side of the river - need to go over the main river - then go south and look for the foot/cyclebridge over an inllet to get to it



Remagen and Koblenz as mentioned above ditto - you cannot really go wrong with any of the proper campsites along the river - they will be busy - and German prices

Can you actually cycle the Zuiderzee - when I was a kid we often went there camping and picnics - my first outing as an adult going that way I was nonplussed that I couldnt find it on the map

Sorted - I think - the "uninteresting" bit is only 300km - it will be a mainish road 300km - west from Burgas on the 79 till i get to the 7 - south into Turkey along the 7 - camp at Edirne and shower - then south along the Greek border

Sweep wrote: Were the maps you were looking for particularly specialist? Brilliant shop.

The response to my other thread makes me suspect they are not much in demand

Having tried and failed to buy some maps for this part of my "proposed" tour - I thought I'd just give this a bump

Annual trip to Stanfords today - failure - was looking for maps of eastern Bulgaria and North eastern Greece - wasnt a total failure as I could check out the Bike-line guides - not really me - will just do what I normally do and buy maps as and when I can find them

Sweep wrote:
Do you have a link for these or pic? Am moving away from straight bungees. They can overcomplicate things and I am always worried about my eyes - don't always wear glasses while wrangling them.

The original stripey ones were from Halfords - when i needed new ones I went to Halfords on internet and could not find - searched hi and lo on web and could only find the heavier ones for roof bars - found the red ones by accident in my local Halfords - motorcycle stuff I think

I always have a spare one - useful for lashing end of bike handlebars to a tree or a post in lieu of stand - with a reusable zip tie on the rear brake lever it makes the bike very stable when im loading and unloading