Taking back nature, one step at a time.

I ventured out on my mountain bike yesterday in the vague hope of finding some wilderness. I struck gold.

I’m used to following my nose on the road but when it comes to off road riding there’s always that nagging doubt that says, “don’t do it – you could die.” Ok maybe, I’m being a bit extreme with the death part, especially living in Surrey but I’m sure you get the theme of what I’m trying to get at here, for a city dweller, I put myself outside of my comfort zone.

Fortunately, I had a route planned on my Garmin Etrex so I wasn’t truly alone out there but for the first time in a long time, I felt like I really was away from it all. I set off from home and headed out onto the North Downs – while I think of it, why are they called Downs? I did a fair bit of climbing. Optimistic mapmaker perhaps? You wouldn’t like to see their 2am girl after a few beers. “Yeah, she’s really good looking……..”

Anyway, so I’m in the wilderness and it’s fun. It’s really fun and I’m asking myself why don’t I do this more often? 4 hours riding around, slipping in mud and crashing through undergrowth is a great way to relieve the stress of normal life. All within 15 miles of Croydon, in the “busy” south east.

Whilst on my mini adventure (which some would call a “bike ride”) I found a beautiful bivvying spot on top of the North Downs (Ups) ridge. Great views, soft comfy ground and close to a pub which holds regular topless modelling competitions – ok I made that last bit up but as I didn’t actually go into the pub, I can’t say for definite that they don’t. My punishment for finding this spot was a puncture but I still think it was worth it.

So when am I bivvying you ask? Soon. I’m practically there with my kit list. I managed to convince my lovely other half to buy me an Alpkit Filo jacket (in Ice Blue if you’re asking) which looks amazing value and should be extremely warm over winter. I considered the “Lego Blue” but I remember my brother getting a Lego man’s head stuck up his nose and that’s a risk I’m not willing to take. I’ve also got an Exped pillow coming from Santa Claus and some nice warm insulated mountain bike shoes. The only thing that’s really stopping me is the weather. I’m scared I’ll freeze to death at night. My sleeping bag is a 2-3 season bag and I know that by having my down jacket, I “could” be ok but for my first bivvy experience, I want it to be warm. I don’t want to have a freezing cold experience that will put me off what will be a good adventure. So, I’m going to wait until I can afford a down sleeping bag. I figure that if I’m going to buy one, I’ll get the best out there and wait until I can afford an Alpkit Pipedream 800 (or 600 in combination with my Filo if needed) which should mean I can theoretically sleep out in snowy conditions and it will be light and not too bulky. I was hoping to do the Mach and Back mountain bike ride in January but that looks like it won’t happen now. I also need to get a tarp to give me some options if the weather turns sour but I might just opt for a micro tarp which would cover just my torso.

One other thing left to buy is a hip flask. I’m determined to get a taste for single malt because a) it is cool and b) I want others to perceive me as being cool. My only concern is that this could turn into an issue in itself. Cold winter night out on the moors – acceptable to have a wee dram? Yes. Nippy morning out on the bike with friends? Nothing wrong with a little convenient drop from a hip flask, especially if you share the wealth. Cold morning outside? A shot to warm the cockles – sounds good to me! Snow outside and a slow morning at work…….. this could lead to a P45 but on the upside, I’d have more time to ride which is always a good thing.

Wacky races...

It's becoming a bit of a tradition that at this time of year, my friend and I ride along some of the route amongst the cars of the London to Brighton Veteran Car Rally.
It's a pleasant morning out and this year we were blessed with mild weather which meant our loop was longer than that of previous years.
Although the route is relatively flat, it's far from easy as our egos dictate the need to sprint against the old cars whenever possible and try to outdrag them on the hills, the result of which left me pretty ruined by the end of the 45 miles.
Still, 30 year old legs are still more than a match for 100 year old cars. Should I be proud of that though? Perhaps not...

Old school...

Have been getting a bit bored with the road bikes of late so decided to head out on the mountain bike today.
Pretty wet and sloppy out on the trails. Discovered some new bridleways though. Was good riding without the pressure of average speeds for a change. Didn't enjoy cleaning the bike after though.....

Bivvy Hunt

Bit of a wet day today so decided to take out the mountain bike to the local woods to find some potential bivvying spots.
Bit sloppy under foot (tyres!) but I did manage to find a nice location near a ridge. Not particularly the biggest adventure in the history of mankind but it means I can be close to home for a trial run before heading further afield...

Playing with fire......

As a man I think there are those among us who act more like children than we like to admit. Personally, I’m a big kid. If I see something I want, I have to have it now. I’m impulsive and a dreamer.

Whilst we were in the Lakes, we got to visit (along with the interesting pencil museum!) a great number of outdoor shops. I love camping almost as much as I love cycling and I’ve been dreaming for some time, the possibility of combining the two. We’re used to car camping, which brings with it an element of comfort that you just can’t realistically achieve on the bike. We have huge tents that are bigger than caravans, 10cm thick sleeping mattresses which are more comfortable than some hotel beds I’ve slept in, electric hook up so that we can watch dvds or power an electric coolbox. These camping luxuries just aren’t possible when you have to carry them in a pannier set or on your back in a rucksack.

Bikepacking is a term that’s been banded about more and more recently in the press and after reading several articles, I think it’s something that I would enjoy. I’d sooner do multi-day pannier laden trips but when you have a young family and leave is precious, compromising is the key.

Multi-day trips aren’t really an option but chucking some lightweight kit into a rucksack and heading out for an overnight break is something I can do with relative ease and after the initial kit outlay, doesn’t need to break the bank, especially if you wild camp.

So, what do you need? Essentially, some shelter, a mattress, a sleeping bag, a head torch and if you wish to eat/drink hot things – a stove and pan set. Lightweight is the key so I’ve opted for a Rab Storm Bivvy Bag which is essentially a waterproof sleeping bag cover with a zippable hood, an Alpkit Base 120 mattress, lightweight sleeping bag, Alpkit Gamma Headtorch, Blacks Solo cookset and an alcohol stove that I picked up off Ebay. Total cost – around £150 and weighs in at an impressive 3kg to be self supportive for a night.

I now spend most of my time scoping out potential wild camping places to spend the night. One word of advice though, if you do get an alcohol stove – buy meths to fuel it with and not white spirit like I did. We were lucky there wasn’t an explosion at the weekend…….

Lakeland Break

Half term has just passed and after the shock of returning to work after the summer holiday, I was ready for a break. We took some time off work and headed up to the in-laws in the Peak District with the kids.

We spent a nice few days with them before leaving the grandparents to babysit and drive up to the Lake District for a couple of days. Bar a couple of overnight trips for weddings etc, It’s the first time we’ve ever had a break as a couple without the kids so it was a welcome to have time alone and please ourselves for a couple of days.

I’ve never been to the Lake District before but was really happy when we arrived in Keswick. We’d booked a nice hotel in the middle of town and took a couple of days to eat loads and relax.

Seeing as it was to be a relaxing break, we took the hybrid bikes so we could pootle about town. It’s the first time I’ve really ridden this bike since the summer and it became immediately apparent just how heavy it is after riding the Nanolight over the past few weeks!

The Sirrus is a nice bike within it’s own right but is a jack of all trades, master of none! It was good to be out and about on two wheels though, especially in the breathtaking scenery. I think I’m always at my happiest when I’m surrounded by hills, mountains and lakes…..

Carbon Dream

I’m getting pretty lazy at this whole blogging lark. Sometimes, life just gets in the way though…..


Back in September, I finally got around to retiring my Allez from Summer duties and bought myself a Planet X Nanolight. After much deliberation over what to get and whether to create my own carbon masterpiece, I went for the safe option and ordered from an established company. Planet X are known for producing good frames and bike builds at a very competitive price.

I saw that they had an offer of a Nanolight with part SRAM Red groupset and decided that was the bike for me. I added a couple of extra items, like the Nanolight carbon Ergo bars and I have to say I’m very pleased with the end result. The bike came with the Planet X Model B wheelset, which are a great set of wheels but I swapped them over for my Fulcrum Racing 3s. The final bike weighs in around 7.5kg and rides like an absolute dream.

There’s still room for some improvement when funds allow – like a carbon stem and seatpost, along with completing the SRAM Red groupset by buying a crankset and brakes but I’m overjoyed with the bike as it is. Since buying it, I’ve put a good 400 miles on it (in dry, sunny weather only!) and the ride is a revelation.

Having only ridden aluminium bikes before, the lightweight, stiff carbon frame handles precisely and is a pleasure to ride up hills. The gearing shifts precisely and I think that after riding Shimano for so long, I actually think that SRAM is an improvement.

So, the Allez has been relegated to winter use, which is a shame because we’ve been through so much. I guess things move on now and it gives me the option to ride more over winter without the hassle of constantly cleaning the Allez to put it on the turbo. I think this winter will all be about spending more time outdoors, which is never a bad thing…….