This part is a bit techie and is for those who may want to or do ride off road and to remind me what to do and not do next time; what worked and what did not. I don’t have any connection with the products/companies I mention.
The final stats
Total mileage: 143.7 at an average of 7.1mph. Climb: 11,490 ft. Fords crossed: 20.
Gearchanges: 5,567. OK I made that up.
The Route; the Cairngorms Loop or Carousel
Excellent route IMV which is suitable for any reasonably fit and experienced cyclist – you do not need to be a mountain/gravel biker. You can do the route in one or two days if you are mad or sad enough and I met one person doing it in two. I physically couldn’t and wouldn’t want to as I want to enjoy my cycling !
It would be tough in the winter and I would not attempt it then without being quite confident in a favourable weather forecast and being prepared for extreme conditions.
I used the Trailmaps pack of 4 maps :
https://www.trailmaps.biz/index.asp?pageid=606102
They are highly recommended; ideal scale at 1:75,000, have all the info you need and are a guide as well as a map. They are waterproof – essential – and fit into a pocket. An elevation scale would be useful but you can get that by plotting with Plotaroute etc.
Mechanical bits and the bike
Luggage – I had 2 panniers, which I prefer. However with the bashing the rack would get and having read about them collapsing after off road use I used 2 of those water bottle type containers on the front forks, which I crammed all my tools etc into to keep the weight off the rear. This worked well and importantly it all stayed dry (unlike the panniers). Here is everything (I didn’t take the toolkit !) :
Tyres – Schwalbe Marathon 2.1″ mtb rear and Smart Sam 2.25″ front, latter at 30psi. For me, on this non-technical route, this gave enough suspension combined with steel forks so a hard tail mtb was not necessary. No punctures nor tyre damage. Some say you should take a spare tyre on these routes; the weight put me off so I took some darning needles and thought I would sew up any gashes with tooth floss. Fortunately I did not need to find out if this would work.
Tools/spares – 2 inner tubes, 2 gear cables, 2 puncture repair kits, cable ties, multi tool, a random spanner (no idea why, it does not fit anything), chain tool, spare links, master links and a toothbrush, none of which I am pleased to say I had to use.
What I did use was:
I had a couple of mechanical issues. After a panic attack as I thought the bottom bracket had gone in the middle of nowhere I realised the lh crank had loosened – my fault as I installed it. I do not think my multitool would have tightned up the bolts enough so this was essential. Worth the £3 I paid many times over. The second issue was the front derailleur came loose and again this did the trick.
And:
The heavy cloying mud got everywhere and the toothbrush I carried to clean the gears etc was as useful as a chocolate teapot. So for the bargain price of 89p I purchased this and cleaned the bike properly every day.
The third and final thing I did use was lube which was vital.
I did worry about the hydraulic disc brakes failing as I did not carry any spare pads, oil, bleed kit etc. I rationalised it to myself that these are fitted to cars etc all the time and rarely fail. Same here and I love braking with just a couple of fingers. I also found I could modulate the force easily so am now a complete convert to disc brakes.
Clothing
Basically I carried 4 layers on the basis that in May it should suffice if I had to stay out for a night. Of course I didn’t use most of it but that was hoped for. We had had quite deep albeit not long lasting snow a few days before I left and I was prepared for more of that. As all who spend time outdoors in Scotland know you really can have 4 seasons in one day. However I did not get to use my suncream – I should have gone this week.
Navigation
With my next off road trip Glasgow – Cape Wrath in mind I tried different approaches. I have the OS paper maps but they are too bulky to carry.
First my Garmin Edge Touring 820 – good in towns/villages but the base map is no good in the hills as insufficient detail; I had to ensure I could take an alternative valley so contours, rivers and tracks were essential.
I tried a Cyclo Mio which was great – like a car sat nav for a bike – but it wouldn’t happily talk to my Chromebook so that was discarded.
Then OS maps app on my iPhone – the best detail, tracks as well but eats battery far too fast and needs a strong waterproof case.
Finally I used Viewranger. I plotted the routes on Open Cycle Map and downloaded the map tiles for off line use to a Blackvue 5500 rugged smartphone which is heavy but shock, dust and waterproof. Also it has amazing battery life – after 8 hours tracking/navigation I had only used 25% battery. The GPS is very accurate too.
Open Cycle Map has enough detail as to contours, tracks, rivers etc but nothing like as much as OS Maps which I guess reduces battery drain and takes up less memory. I’ll use this on my next trip. Apart from the camera which is rubbish for the price (about £80) this ‘phone is great value.
So that’s it. Glasgow – Cape Wrath next, and I hope soon, once the bike has been serviced by ace mechanic Tim at http://www.bellevuebicycleworkshop.com
John 3rd June 2021
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