New to the WRT - this might help.

There's only a couple of weeks left until entries for the 2013 WRT close and the grid reference details are released. The release of the GR is usually the start of a string of emails, each asking various questions so I thought I'd compile a list of my top 10 WRT tips. It's certainly not in depth but it might help a little. If you have got anymore questions or need to know something specific you can email me HERE

• Don't try and use all the grid references when you're planning your route. I'd suggest marking them all on a map to gain an over-view and start planning from there.

• Do take a map or at least a copy of the relevant parts. It'll give you options to chop and change your route that a gps alone won't.

• Look at the contour lines and use them to your advantage ... Remember, a climbs a descent the other way round.

• Don't expect shops to be open just because they would be in England!

• It might rain or it might not - prepare for the worst and hope for the best.

• Don't underestimate the terrain. Uphills will feature no matter what route you devise.

• It's not a race (or anything like) so pace things ... you don't get far by going fast, you get far by going for a long time!

• Bailing early is always an option but it's never a good one. Think about what you'll need to carry and the things you'll need to do, to make yourself comfortable in any conditions.

• Don't load yourself down with litres of water. There's no shortage out there, just use common sense and some kind of filter/tablets/purifier if you're unsure.

• The WRT is unlike anything else. It's an excuse to escape for a few days/nights and leave the 'normal' world behind, so smile and enjoy it ... it beats being at work!

Knowledge Weighs Nothing!

Does your tarp fall over at the slightest hint of a breeze? Do you wonder how other people manage to ride loaded bikes that don't look like every bag attached is about to explode? Have you ever wondered what it's like to sleep in a hammock? Would you like to spend a night out with some like minded souls, have a craic and maybe pick a few bikepacking related tips up?

If you've answered yes to any of the above, then you might want to come along to the Bear Bones Summer Camp on the weekend of July 20th/21st. It's an informal weekend where hopefully people can share their experience and pass on / receive tips and advice on all things bikepacky. Full details aren't finalised just yet but I can say that it'll be held in sunniest mid Wales, will involve a ride/night out, is completely free and is open to everyone no matter how experienced/inexperienced they may be. For anyone who likes the thought of bikepacking but hasn't yet dipped a toe and caught the bug, there'll be a (limited) amount of kit available for you to borrow ... so don't let 'not having the gear' put you off coming.

More details as soon as they're sorted out.

Enlightened Equipment Quilt - Oh it's warm!

If the idea of sleeping under a quilt gets you shivering, then it's unlikely anything you read here will change that perception. On the other hand, if you're a little 'quilt curious' and like saving weight and maximising comfort without the bank managers written permission, then the next 5 minutes may not be the waste of time they might otherwise be.

I've been subsidising sleeping bags with quilts for the last couple of years with good results. The idea behind a quilt is a pretty simple one ... whatever insulation is beneath you will be squashed, rendering it's insulation properties null and void, so why not remove it? With the redundant insulation and corresponding shell material gone, you'll save weight and reduce pack size, all without losing any of that all important 'snuggle factor' we prize so highly.

Snug as a moose in a quilt.

The 'backless' design of a quilt also lends itself well to ventilation and what I can best describe as 'freedom of movement'. If you start to get too hot it's a simple matter of popping a leg/foot/arm out into the cold to cool down. 'Freedom of movement' is just that, quilts feel much less restrictive than mummy shaped sleeping bags. If you're one of those sleepers who continually toss and turn all night and wake up with a hood doing a good job of suffocating you, then you might appreciate the attributes of life under a quilt.

While quilts are gaining in popularity, they still only represent a tiny proportion of the worlds 'sleeping bag' sales, so as you can imagine the selection available is somewhat smaller ... however, that does mean that the quality of quilts tends to be top notch and this one from Enlightened Gear in the US is no exception.

Enlightened produce various quilts, they're available with both down or synthetic insulation and with numerous shell fabrics inc' Cuben. What I really like is the fact that the quilts are custom made, that's right, you're quilt will be made to suit your requirements ... need something as light as possible for summer? Are you 6' 6" so need some extra room? Or do you need something to see you warm and toasty right down into minus double figures? ... which is what this one's built for.

It's a RevelationX model which means the shell fabric used is sold as a cosmetic second. This obviously helps keep the cost down but doesn't impact on quality in any way. I've searched all over the thing and kind find a mark or blemish, so don't be too concerned. The rather large amount of 850fp down is held in place by Karo step baffles. These differ from many baffle designs because firstly, they form squares and secondly, these squares are joined together, which means you can move the down around or reposition it if you feel the need ... personally I've not felt the need, which I think must indicate that the baffles are doing their job as intended.

Cinch cords on the underneath. Pull them tighter to seal out the draughts.

When you're choosing the spec' of your quilt, one of the prime considerations must surely be temperature rating. Enlightened list 4 different ratings which can then be 'boosted' a little with an overstuff option. Remember that Enlightened are a US company so work in Fahrenheit. The listed ratings are 40F, 30F, 20F 10F and 0F which equates roughly to 4.5C, -1C, -6C, -12C and -18C which pretty much sticks 2 fingers up to whatever Jack Frost can muster, while shouting 'come and have a go if your hard enough' all night long!

Shockcord adjustment - 'tis dead easy.

This particular quilt is rated to -18 but also has a 30% overstuff which gives it a theoretical rating of something like -20C. Now, that may seem a little extreme for UK conditions but the ability to easily ventilate means that even in temps of -5 or -6 it can be made comfortable ... something that wouldn't be easy to achieve with a sleeping bag of a similar rating. Now that's all well and good in moderate temps but what do you do when Jack Frost turns up with his mates, intent on giving you a good kicking? Simple you cinch the cords up below your sleeping mat, zip the foot box up, fasten the snap around your neck and put a hat on!

Foot box unzipped - in warm weather turn it into a big down blanket!

Quilts are available direct from Enlightened Equipment. There's various models available and each comes in a choice of temp ratings, sizes and colours. Prices range from $135 to $510 which for something custom made of this quality is a bit of a bargain. If you're not sure what you need then I'm sure Tim will happily answer any seemingly stupid questions.

NOTE: This particular quilt is a 2012 model. 2013 models have had a few adjustments/improvements.

Monkii Cage ... round two.

So, this is the second look at the Monkii cage, it's been used on various bikes and in varying roles. As a 'normal' bottle cage used to transport nothing more than a normal water bottle, it behaves exactly as you'd expect. It happily carried a 750ml bottle, it didn't rattle, shake loose, fall apart or fling my bottle off into the brambles when I wasn't looking - I forgot it was there, which surely has to be a good thing.

I've also used it to carry some less standard items including my entire cooking kit and on another occasion my tarp and groundsheet. Both of these items are still in my possession and both the cages are still intact, so the cages can obviously do more than just carry a water bottle. I think it's fair to say that the size and shape of your kit will have a bearing on whether the Monkii cage will carry it or not. The pre-curved outer wings although flexible, do lend themselves to carrying cylindrical objects. Cylindrical objects with a certain amount of stiffness or strength do well ... think cooking pot. Luckily for all concerned the vast majority of pots seem to fall within the cages happy size range, the pot in the pic below has a diameter of 100mm and is a superb fit. You could properly go up to around 115mm in diameter before the cage stopped coping quite so well. The single strap held the pot (containing stove, windshield, etc) fine. I didn't add a 'back up' strap or a 'just in case' bungee, the cage was used exactly as it comes out of the packet.

Carrying something like a tarp took a little more thought but was still successful. If you just stuff the tarp into a 6 or 8 litre dry bag and then expect to compress the whole thing down to fit into/onto the cage, you'll struggle. Instead, if you take a few minutes to 'pack' the tarp and try to form a nice, tight cylinder, you'll be a happy camper.

Monkii Cage holding Mytimug ... very securely.

The height of your 'object' will also have to be considered. If it's something rigid then and it fits into whatever space confines there are, it'll be fine. If it's something like our slightly floppy tarp or some spare clothes you might want to consider adding a second strap ... but only if the height of the item is 160mm plus, if it's shorter the standard strap works fine. It's not that the supplied strap won't hold the load, it will but a supplementary strap will stop Mr Floppy falling over. It's not a criticism of the cage, it's simply an easy safeguard when you're using it for things the designers probably didn't envisage.

Standard (rather dirty) 750ml bottle

I mentioned the cage fittings in the previous post and the fact the cage is quick release. I also touched on the adaptor that's available that allows you to mount a cage where there aren't any bottle mounts ... The Monkii Clip. This thing is fantastic and easily outshines any other 'bottle cage adaptor' I've ever used. It's a hinged design, made from very tough plastic. The hardware is all stainless and it comes with a set of rubber inserts so you can fit it to a really wide range of diameters ... so far I've fasted it to, downtube, toptube, fork leg, seatpost, handlebars, steering stem and a seat stay. In every position it hasn't twisted or moved and it's held whatever I fastened to it securely.

Monkii Clip - ask for it by name!

Something else I've also been playing with is the Monkii Wedge. It's a bag/tool roll that shares the same fittings as the cage so it can be fitted in all the same places. It's not waterproof but it's very weather resistant and more importantly it's very tough. I wonder if Monkii Tardis might have been a more apt name. You really can get loads in it, alright it's not going to hold your butties and flask but it will happily swallow all your tools, spares, tube and pump without flinching.

Monkii Wedge

Inside there's a zippered mesh bag with enough room for a couple of 29" tubes and tyre levers. Next door there's 2 smaller pockets which are ideally sized for multi-tools, spare links, cable ties, etc. Then there's elastic straps (ideal for pump storage) and another pocket which I've discovered fits 3 packs of mini Haribo in nicely!

Monkii Tardis - tool and sweet storage.

When it's fastened up, it's not as wide as you might imagine. To prove the fact to myself I mounted it to my seatpost but mounted the bag so it faced inwards towards the front of the bike. I set off for a days guiding and when I returned 5 hours later there was nothing to report, the Wedge was still there, the Monkii Clip holding it in place hadn't moved and very importantly my legs hadn't rubbed against it ... oh and all my bit's and bobs were still inside where I'd left them, well all except the Haribo which had been consumed somewhere on the hills.

I think one of the Monkii cages real strong points is the modular nature of the thing. The cage on it's own is really good whether you're wanting to carry a bottle, a pot or 6 pairs of spare socks. If you combine all the different Monkii items together then it soon becomes much greater than the sum of it's parts. As an example, this year I'm going to run 1 Monkii cage on each side of my forks (Salsa Enabler forks so I'll just attach the cage straight to the standard bottle mounts) and carry my cooking kit in one and a shelter in the other. I'll add a 3rd cage to my toptube mounted on a Monkii Clip which I'll use for a water bottle. To finish off I'll keep the Monkii Wedge on my seatpost so my tools and sweets are easily to hand ... sorted.

Monkii Cage £11.75 black, white or green

Monkii Clip £8.75

Monkii Wedge £18.75

Monkii Cleats (spare mounts) £3.75

Monkii Fastner (spare straps) £3.75

Available from CycleMiles

Ultimate Navigation Manual.

I believe that the ability to navigate goes hand in hand with bikepacking. It used to be that navigation and mountainbiking were deeply entwined but that doesn't always appear to be the case these days ... maybe it's something to do with trail centres?

I think it's also fair to say that even those blessed with an inbuilt compass can still find themselves a little off course from time to time ... you can never be too good at navigating.

The Ultimate Navigation Manual is possibly the most comprehensive guide to 'stop getting lost, knowing where you are, where you're going and how to get there' that I've come across. At over 350 pages it's certainly value for money but you might wonder whether the subject of navigation really warrants such an epic. There's an massive amount of information contained within the pages but it's laid out in a way that allows you to dip in and out rather than having to wade through from cover to shiny cover.

There's 5 main sections, each one sub-divided into separate topics or subjects. As you'd imagine, the book starts with what the author terms the essentials, maps, bearings, contours, celestial navigation (yeah that's an essential), etc. 

In section 2 we start to properly explore the techniques employed in 'getting there and back again'. The quality photographs and colour diagrams really help here, it's so much easier when you can see directly what the text is referring to rather than trying to visualise it. Section 3 is given over to 'special enviroments'. I don't know how many of us will ever need to find our way through a jungle or a desert but luckily, night-time, forest, mountain and bad weather feature too ... all pretty common when you ride a bike off road in the UK.

Modern technology hasn't been neglected either. There's a whole big old section on gps / satnav. If you're new to the modern world and are considering going down the gps route then the books probably worth the cover price for this part alone. There's no assumptions made that you've got the faintest idea about gps at the start of the section, in fact just the opposite. Everything from choosing which unit to buy to GNSS and even 'jamming and spoofing' (I've no idea either) is covered in enough detail that after reading it you actually understand it rather than being left with a vague idea ... apart from 'jamming and spoofing' obviously.

The last main section is more general and contains such gems as ground to air emergency signals and common navigation errors ... all handy stuff.

If you think you're ability to navigate, plan a route or pick a good overnight spot from simply looking at the map could all be better, than the Ultimate Navigation Manual isn't just a good starting point, it's an ideal finishing point too.

Monkii cage ... First look.

Attaching stuff to your bike via bottle cages has become something of a trend. The advent of Salsa's Anything cage certainly helped increase it's popularity but the Anything cage has 2 potential drawbacks - it's a 3 bolt mount and they do have a habit of cracking at the worst possible moment ... something I'm sure Salsa will address in their promised MK11 version. You could use a standard bottle cage but in reality if you want to carry something other than a waterbottle you'll struggle. 

Another solution may be the Monkii cage. It's a sort of half way house between an Anything cage and a run of the mill bottle cage. The sides wings of the cage are flexible so objects of different sizes can be held in it. Once in the cage a velcro strap holds your item secure ... trust me, it is secure, it's not falling out.

Monkii cage on Salsa Enabler fork.

The Monkii cage is a standard 2 bolt fitting but the fittings are anything but standard. The cage is a quick release design ... the normal Monkii requiring a pull straight up to release it and the Monkii V version needing a pull up followed by a 90 degree turn, so it's ideal for tight spaces. With the cage removed you're just left with 2 bobbins on your frame, fork, etc.

Cage removed and you're left with this.

The cages certainly aren't as big as Anything cages so won't really carry the same volume but initial playing around would suggest that they'll hold enough to make themselves useful ... the packaging suggests a load of no more than 1.5l which in my book weighs 3.3lb. There's an adaptor available too, so you could fit a cage where you've no mounts, ie seat post, under downtube, suspension forks, etc.

I'll be giving them a good workout over the next few weeks but at the moment I'm feeling confident that they'll stay in one piece and do what's asked of them.

Monkii cages 

WRT Entries Now Open.

Entries for the 2013 Welsh Ride Thing are now open. This year we've also added WRT-lite which follows exactly the same format, except you'll only be out for the one night.

If you like the idea of not really knowing where you're going, where you'll be sleeping or if the pub will be open when you get there ... get yourself entered.