Bike Packing...

For non cycling readers you may wonder what `Bike Packing` is,
Well it is a type of off road touring where soft luggage is used mounted close to the bicycles centre of gravity with the heaviest items like stove and food usually in a central frame bag, while a sleeping bag is often bar mounted in a compression strap bar mounted carrier, and a choice for sleeping - a tent, bivvy, tarp, or hammock is usually stored in an under seat bag which is designed to compress around the luggage
and hold it stable.
The whole set up allows for a reasonable ride able bike off road...
This film by UK based outdoor company Alpkit is a good example of bike packing...





Add a pack raft and in the right country a real adventure can be had...




And this 2 years ago...



My choice for my next wee trip backpacking  is my Mk1 Pugsley 29+ KramPug with it`s higher top tube giving a bigger bag.
The Pugsley fits me like a glove , it all combines to a bike i can ride for hours and not get sore or stiff,

Sorting my Surly KramPug 29+  last night this week for a future solo coast to coast ride soon...

I am riding the 29+ KramPug for the sheer reason of so much fun to ride off road,
fun to ride indeed, and as it is real comfortable. It rolls like mad and does not stall and stutter on rough hardcore tracks,
While the 29+  set up of 3" tyres on 50mm rims will provide a happy medium of `float` on peat moors and comfort on the rough tracks my C2C route follows...
Frame bag is the 6 year old frame bag manufactured by Eric Parson, of  the original frame bag by `Epic Designs`  which was -renamed `Revelate` after a threatened law sue by Specialised.. You want to know why many cycling folks don`t like the big `S` name in cycling? this is one of mine...

The frame bag has been well used for local day rides carrying a jacket food and food. It was used to good effect back in 2010 when i cycled the Kyntyre Way which had then recently opened. I was the first to publish cycling the route on line on Here on a blog post.  Then i used a home made handlebar harness and seat bag for the ride, but it worked as in the blog post you can watch this film...



Seat bag and bar bag are by UK based Alpkit

Got to swap out the flat pedals for SPD TIME and fit the orange leather Brooks B17  and it is near as ready to go...

Tinkering in the kitchen tonight as the rain bounced off the window i listened to favourite music, and cannot believe this album is now 10 years old , loved the video back then, so i looked it up on youtube along with 2 other tracks from the first album by Kasabian. Used these on bike films a  while back..

Club Foot;





Reason Is Treason;





Processed beats;

Surly Cross-Check fixie 35 miler Midweek Cycle

East Lothian`s countryside is lush green this now with a lot of blossom on the trees and roadsides.
I rode a 35 mile loop on the Fixie tonight, not enough gravel and dirt  roads for my liking but still did a half dozen old lanes and to be honest i was just enjoying unwinding after a busy day at work mowing grass that is growing under our feet with the recent muggy temperatures... makes it nice for cycling though- the warm summer evenings have arrived!, i was out to 9.30pm with out lights, home just as Sea Haar offshore all day drifted inland and ate the sunset...
Bike is great to ride, just gotta remember and keep pedalling!, hilarious going down hills, wild high rpm spinning! unless i feather the brakes. One speed, one cadence on the flat. so not fast with tail winds and  down hill, and hard work climbing out the saddle on climbs, but very enjoyable to ride in it`s own way, as all bikes are... roll some pics shot from the saddle after a stop at Dunbar, some gates, and then at Lawhead Monument for the sunset...

More cows!...

Hawthorn has a lot of blossom this year...

Reminder of the Cold War...

`There Is No New Black`...

:)

 Here comes the Haar...

15 years ago the Drovers in East Linton was the cyclists pub to stop at, often bikes out side....
closed for a while now...

Sun being swallowed by the Haar, but nearly home...

ENDE...

It`s good to just cycle...

And enjoy the views around your own back door...
The easterly wind continues and after a very wet Saturday evening, Sunday was a warm if breezy day with a weird sky of high fluffy clouds of sea haar forming and drifting by inland from the onshore breeze as the cold onshore air met warmer air inland,
It made for a spectacular light in the sky as the sun would burn through the clouds as they drifted past...

Muddy after all the rain. i rode from the John Muir Way all off road to the coast...

Look at all the Gannets in this picture, fantastic!...

Ground steaming in the sunshine...

If your new to the blog then here is what went on in these buildings over 70 years ago during WW2...




Along to North Berwick and as expected on a Sunday afternoon it was mobbed with day visitors...

So i headed inland, and stopped by Francis`s house for coffee and food...

Then took Mowgli for a quick run alongside the bike...

Mowgli loves to swim!...

Dropping Mowgli off and it was along the John Muir Way and again that bridge...

Back to East Fortune and the motorcycle racing was on...

Those are scooters racing!, they have a Mod class! :)...

Guess this is my idea of road cycling today, or gravel grinding?, i just call it cycling :) ...

Good to ride the usual local 30 mile loop on the Genesis again, yesterday i rode about 10 miles  of some of this local loop on the newly built Surly Cross-Check fixie, both bikes are fun to ride in their own way and a nicely matched pair to hang in the kitchen...