Using a stove to make a brew on longer day rides

[Oldjohnw]

A bus shelter I used a couple of years ago on the Yorkshire Wold Cycleway.

[Sweep]

I often take coffee gear on day rides - am a bit of a caffeine hound and don't like using cafes - a faff, take too much time, coffee can be poor, would rather sit somewhere nice in the air, and as at least one post upthread has said, bus shelters can be handy.

My set-up:

[

Gas cartridge - that type can be had for well under £2, particularly as multi-buys. Power god knows how many espressos.
Adaptor to hold cartridge and ensure that it's the right way up to avoid flares - about £3 from China.
Mini stove - that's a Vango I think - available for £15 to £20.
One of my Bialettis from home

The kit takes no time to set up. I use a mini piezo lighter - no naked flames or matches for lighting.
The coffee comes out with that set-up faster than at home.

I very often have two double espressos in one sitting.

Apart from preferring my environment that would cost a fair bit in a cafe - and take yet more faffing time - I can make the second one while drinking the first.

I usually pop round the back of churches. Can sometimes be seen under a tree in Tatton Park.

Am not aware of any legal restrictions on what I do.
Obviously I wouldn't set up my gear amidst tinder bracken or similar.

[roberts8]

Good subject. Can I use Firedragon gel in my mini trangia as I could pre load the burner for day rides and avoid spillage.
In winter I also take two rashers of bacon for a hot bacon roll.

[Sweep]

In winter I also take two rashers of bacon for a hot bacon roll.

mm - like the idea of this, though slight concern that church folk who can tolerate a slight whiff of coffee may be disturbed by bacon cooking. One for freecamping breakfasts maybe - a nice change from my usual cold Lidl breakfast goods - pan should be no great problem to wipe out/stuff in a bag.

[Benz3ne]

Good subject. Can I use Firedragon gel in my mini trangia as I could pre load the burner for day rides and avoid spillage.
In winter I also take two rashers of bacon for a hot bacon roll.

I'd advise against it. I did try a lot of fiddling to get gels working in Trangia's, but the residues they leave typically clog up the membrane that sits between the two walls and you don't get that capillary effect through it after the first use.
You'd still get the flame in the middle of the burner, but not out of the 'ports', which is a shame.

[roberts8]

Thanks, makes sense regards residue so I will stick with meths in a sigg bottle.

[Carlton green]

Thanks, makes sense regards residue so I will stick with meths in a sigg bottle.

I wonder which is the most environmentally friendly of the fuels, not that for the amounts used it will be significant but it’s more the principle of the choice. Maybe I’m wrong but as Alcohol is a renewable resource I guess that a Spirit Stove is the greenest type. What Meths is commercially made of I’m uncertain and I wonder about the material and energy input into its manufacture.

This morning I was out and about and took a flask with me. My coffee break was at a local beauty spot but it was blowing hard and cold there ... not an ideal place for trying to brew a cuppa and I didn’t want to hang around there long either.

[pedalsheep]

Thanks, makes sense regards residue so I will stick with meths in a sigg bottle.

I did read somewhere that meths should not be kept in an aluminum bottle. I think it corrodes the aluminum. Presumably that is why Trangia fuel bottles are plastic when all other fuel bottles are aluminium. Meths seems quite happy in any old plastic bottle.

[Benz3ne]

Thanks, makes sense regards residue so I will stick with meths in a sigg bottle.

I did read somewhere that meths should not be kept in an aluminum bottle. I think it corrodes the aluminum. Presumably that is why Trangia fuel bottles are plastic when all other fuel bottles are aluminium. Meths seems quite happy in any old plastic bottle.

Quite right. Ethanol and aluminium don’t see eye to eye really.
Meths, interestingly, is now an outdated term. It’s usually “CDA” or completely denatured alcohol now, which is methanol-free (and uses methyl ethyl ketone, isopropanol and denatonium benzoate instead as denaturants).

[LeBikiekat]

Hello

How about this
https://smile.amazon.co.uk/STARESSO-Com ... 63&sr=8-44

or if cold thers

https://smile.amazon.co.uk/Aerobie-Aero ... 09&sr=8-42

[Jdsk]

I did read somewhere that meths should not be kept in an aluminum bottle. I think it corrodes the aluminum.

Ethanol and aluminium don’t see eye to eye really.

I've often heard that but never seen any evidence.

Anyone?

Thanks

Jonathan

[Benz3ne]

I did read somewhere that meths should not be kept in an aluminum bottle. I think it corrodes the aluminum.

Ethanol and aluminium don’t see eye to eye really.

I've often heard that but never seen any evidence.

Anyone?

Thanks

Jonathan

https://www.diva-portal.org/smash/get/d ... TEXT01.pdf
There’s conclusions on page 59 about anhydrous* alcoholate corrosion.
* this is the kicker. In watered-down ones, such as camping fuels, the water content should be high enough to inhibit corrosion.
Note also aluminium drinking vessels (as in coke cans, not so much thermos-type flasks) are plastic lined so that helps too.
I should really have read into it more before commenting first, my apologies.

[Jdsk]

Thanks. Isn't it interesting about the water content?

The subject has suddenly exploded because of increased ethanol in car fuel (in some countries). That seems to be overloading the search engines when what I'm trying to find is a bit different...

Jonathan

[Sid Aluminium]

Naked Flame? Carbon free! With an eye to the future, look into the GoSun Go solar oven.

https://gosun.co/products/go

Hmm. Might work better in South Australia than in Cumbria.

[rmurphy195]

My "old guys rule" flask does very nicely thanks, with the hot drink pre-made in it. No fuss, no bother, no need to find a flat fireproof surface e.g. lump of rock, no risk of starting a fire especially given the times we live in. Not forgetting a sarnie/banana/flapjack of course! Takes up less room than a stove/gas bottle etc.