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Update May 2022 - Another amazing adventure! But it hasn't quite made it onto here yet... Please continue to check back regularly as I'm updating the blog as quickly as time allows. If you're looking for more family orientated adventure, then please take a look at our recent Red Squirrel Trail Adventure on the Isle of Wight. Somehow that trip has made it onto the blog ahead of this one... Apologies if you've come here looking for a wonderfully descriptive, inspiring read all about Cycling UK's new route, The West Kernow Way. If you check back in late May 2022 after I've ridden all 150 miles, then you'll probably find exactly that, but for the time being I thought I share a few thoughts on the route and my preparation. "The West Kernow Way takes in many of the highlights of the western half of the Cornish peninsula, including the Botallack tin mines, the Bronze Age monument Mên-an-Tol, Land’s End, St Michael’s Mount and Lizard Point. Expect spectacular coastal scenery, hedgerows bursting with wildflowers and ancient tracks across isolated moorland. There’s no denying it will be a challenge, with over 4,200m of climbing – but all that exertion provides a worthy excuse to sample the excellent Cornish cuisine. Designed to be ridden over three to four days, the route links together bridleways, byways, lost ways and quiet lanes to escape the tourist hotspots and discover hidden treasures which reveal the history and culture of the region." CyclingUK As ever, the route is meticulously planned and brilliantly described in a full colour guide book, available as a download or traditional book. The guide not only details the route, but the history, culture and hint & tips for creating an epic trip! https://www.cyclinguk.org/west-kernow-way Itinerary I'm planning to ride with my brother again and we've chosen to complete the route over three days of approximately 50 miles each. We start at Penzance train station and spend two nights out on route before returning to Penzance, via St. Michael's Mount at the end of the third day. Rather than camp this year we've elected for a B&B and a hotel allowing us to keep the kit to a minimum and the weight of the bikes low. Day 1 - Penzance to St. Erth - 45 miles (72km), 950m ascent. 6 x cat. 5 climbs Day 2 - St. Erth to Gweek (Helston) - 48 miles (77km), 1150m ascent. 5 x cat 5 climbs Day 3 - Helston to St. Michaels Mount (Penzance) - 56 miles (90km), 1200m ascent. 1 x cat 3 & 1 x cat 5 ascent There's stacks of camping sites all around the route, so we'd be spoiled if we were taking a tent. Unfortunately none of Cornwall's amazing YHA's coincide for a three day split and B&B's and hotels are a little more thin on the ground than you'd expect for a popular holiday destination. Perhaps a four day split would work out better? We're staying in the Star Inn in St. Erth on the first night and a solidly reliable Premier Inn in Helston (a 3 mile detour off route) on the second night. Route Finding a simple, accurate, GPS route always seams to elude me. That's why, in the main, I tend to make my own from scratch. I also find that many GPX files don't work on my GPS (a Garmin Oregon 600) and the versions on Cycling UK are always a bit hit and miss. I've created the route here on Map My Ride, by painstakingly cross referencing the version on Cycling UK, with Ordnance Survey Maps, Google Maps and Google Street View, so hopefully it should be a pretty accurate representation. Map my Ride link: https://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/4834943530 Or you can down load the GPX file here: Or view the route on Google Earth via the .kml file here: If however you still want to just go with the official GPX file, here's a couple of links. The first to Cycling UK's website and the second to Ride with GPS. Cycling UK: https://www.cyclinguk.org/route/west-kernow-way-gpx-and-map Ride with GPS: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/37378549 Bike I rode my full suspension bike for last years King Alfred's Way adventure and it was a perfect choice. Although our trip was in early August, it was wet, muddy, slippery and in parts quite rough. The bike carried the load whilst floating over the rough stuff providing armchair comfort for all 230 miles. Looking at the terrain for The West Kernow Way, there appears to be a greater quantity of road and rough trail and hopefully less slop. I'm planning to take the Adventure bike this time, its first long distance journey since its complete rebuild at the back end of 2021. The Mk2 "Adventure bike" I always try and select a suitable tyre to match the terrain, and for this trip the choice is easy enough. It'll be the (hugely underrated, imo) Schwalbe Land Cruiser 700c x 45. It's a cracking tyre both on an off-road and just enough robustness to repel trail damage without being too heavy. Bags As we're not carrying camping gear this time, I won't need a huge amount of kit. Most of the equipment will be stowed in my home made rear 2 x 8ltr dry-bag system and my home made frame bag (3 ltr). Camera gear and day-to-day bits and pieces will then go in my Topeak 5 ltr bar bag, which I first used on my 5 day ride along NCN #2. Tools will go in a small under seat pouch and snacks in a top tube bag. Home made rear rack and dry-bag system (2 x 8ltr), tools in the Specialized underseat bag Home made frame bag (3ltr) Topeak bar bag (5ltr) - for camera and day-to-day bits Equipment List Specialized CrossTrail Elite Custom "Adventure bike" c/w drop bars, mullet 1 x11 40T 11-46t gearing and Schwalbe Land Cruiser 700c x 45 tyres Bikepacking bags: Self-made rear rack and bag system (2 x 8ltr), Topeak bar bag (5ltr), Self made frame bag (3ltr), Specialized seat pack (0.5ltr), Topeak top tube bag (0.5ltr), Evoc Hip Pack Pro (3ltr) Cycling clothes: Helmet, gloves, glasses, cycling shoes, padded cycling shorts, shorts, wool t-shirt, gilet, arm warmers, neck buff, windproof smock. Spare clothes: Wool t-shirt, light weight fleece, leggings, socks, underwear, waterproof jacket and spare shoes. Wash kit, towel and first aid items Leatherman multitool, bike tools, innertube, pump, lights Mobile phone, GPS, GoPro, Drone, battery(s), charger, cables Check back here in June of this year to see how we got on. And if you're interested in how to go about planning a trip like this or want to read any of my other adventures, then click the links in the toolbar. Happy adventuring! Cycling UK's - West Kernow Way

In 2019, just before I embarked on my NCN route #2 adventure, I built an "Adventure bike". The name was really just to inspire me to get out and explore more of the UK, but the bike itself had to be a "do-it-all" machine allowing me to enjoy the best of our beautiful scenery in what I feel cycling in the UK is all about. And it's built around a Hybrid bike. The Mk 1 Adventure bike Why a Hybrid? Well, in my experience, riding in the UK means crossing every type of terrain and encountering all four seasons, including an obligatory dose of mud, all in the space of a few hours. Much of our "off-road" is access via journeys "on-road" so for me the beauty is combining both terrains into day (or longer) adventures. And if you look past the "Hybrid" title, then you start to uncover some interesting aspects that, in my opinion, make them the perfect platform for a do-it-all, go anywhere, all terrain bike for the UK. I also think this is where the current UK Gravel bike trend is heading and I think they'll eventually become the best all terrain bikes for UK riding, although they still have a degree of evolution to go. Some of the hidden gems overlooked on Hybrid bikes: Built around a 50mm to 65mm suspension fork and a 700c (29'er) wheel size Can run 700c or 27.5" (650b) wheels Clearance for a circa 50mm tyre Long wheel base which is good for trail stability Long and sloping top tube which increases stand-over height, cockpit manoeuvrability and great for avoiding toe strike. Classic 73° seat angle and 69°-70° head angle - a sweet spot for riding both on and off-road Circa 450mm seat stays - great for stability but still short enough for efficient climbing I've recently re-built my original flat bar Adventure bike, and in order to fund the build I sold my road bike. Although I was sad to see my old Planet X Pro Carbon go, riding on 25mm wide tyres, with no suspension and rim brakes (and being an MTB'er at heart) just wasn't doing it for me anymore. However, as my plan was to build the Mk2 Adventure bike with drop bars, I'd still have a bike with my preferred hand position for long days on the road. Ergo the new Adventure bike would take the place of both the old road bike and the original flat bar Adventure bike. And this is it... Like it's predecessor, it's based around a Specialized CrossTrail Hybrid frame. Real world aspects like 'budget' and 'parts availability' featured heavily in the build. Other than the frame, all the components have come from the Mk1 Adventure bike, been purchased new or found by rummaging around the parts bin. Spec: Frame: 2018 Specialized CrossTrail Elite Carbon Fork: Rockshox Paragon Gold RL with (Oneloc) lock-out activated from the left GRX brake / shift lever, incorporating a 2:1 ratio cable pulley hack. Wheels: DT Swiss RR521 rims on Shimano XT 11sp hubs Groupset (Shimano): XT 11 sp rear derailleur, XT 11-46t cassette, GRX810 40T crankset, GRX600 levers, Ultegra 68mm BB. And the magic part - a Wolf Tooth Tanpan which handles the GRX to XT shifting ratio conversion. Brakes: GRX600 levers, GRX 400 160mm rear and Deore 5100 180mm front Bars: PNW Coast 52cm Stem: Specialzed 45mm (was a Felt 90mm) Seat post: PNW Coast suspension dropper with bar mounted lever Seat: Ergon SR Comp Pedals: Shimano XT T8000 trekking Tyres: Schwalbe Landcruiser 700 x 45 (running tubes at present) How does it ride: Smooth and fast like a 29'er on steroids! The tyre width just soaks up the awful UK road bumps and cracks and the suspension seat post and fork do a fantastic job of smoothing out the off-road trail lumps. It's not quite an XC MTB but it's not far short. The frame is just how I like it, fast accelerating and it loves to climb. Cable pull ratio's between brands make mullet hacks really tricky but I'm impressed with the Wolf Tooth Tanpan which effortlessly converts the GRX road shift ratio to XT MTB shift ratios. And the left hand shifter actuating the lock out on my fork via a 2:1 ratio pulley wheel is perfect for flitting between road and trail. The 1 x 11sp 40T x 11-46t range gives me around 25 to 103 gear inches, which although not quite the spread I would like, is good enough for now. I've been running 1x set-up's since 2004, primarily due to the amount of mud a front derailleur attracts in the UK. My my previous 2 x 11 set-up on the mk1 Adventure bike was perhaps a bit optimistic so it's back to a 1x this time around. Wide bars give me more control and Pacific North West's (PNW) Coast bar at 52cm does exactly that. I've gone from a 42cm road drop bar to this new wider size and honestly it feels so much more natural, particularly as I'm used to 660mm+ flat bars. The dropper post was a must. The hybrid geometry does a superb job of shifting the riders weight backwards into a less aggressive / less front heavy position, but the dropper just adds that extra weight shift capability when the terrain starts getting steep. Plus it has built in suspension, something I've been running on all my hard tails (road bike included) since the early 2000's. What I also love about this frame is it still has a decent amount of lugs and fitment points, allowing me to attach my bespoke rear rack and multi position water bottles to head off for a bikepacking adventure whenever I feel the urge. And its flexibility doesn't stop there - all I need to do is swap the suspension fork for a rigid carbon version and stick a set of 28mm or 32mm slick tyres on and I've got my road bike back again, albeit better suited for touring on UK roads. Bikepacking with rigid Niner forks and 35mm Schwalbe Marathon Mondial's... ...and for fast road touring with 32mm Continental GP5000's What’s more, I still have a set of flat bars, shifters and levers that would allow me to swap the drop bars out for a flat bar set-up if I felt the journey necessitated. So is it perfect? It’s certainly getting there, and that's the fun of pioneering something new and experimenting with bikes not readily made for the mainstream. If I had an unlimited budget then a non mullet hack, 1 x 12 speed, 10-50 ish setup with thru axle hubs and carbon rims would be on the list... which would then necessitate a frame change.... which I’d then spec with more luggage fitment points… and so on… I’ve recently swapped the 90mm stem for a 45mm version which has tightened the steering up immensely when using the suspension fork. At 90mm (the only one I had in the parts bin) it felt a little front biased, I think also due to the weight of the fork compared to the frame. I've also found a 70mm long stem works well with the rigid Niner fork. I've also been running a set of Soma Cazadero 700c x 50 tyres this winter which have been amazing. I’m now more convinced that narrower, rather than wider tyres, are better for UK winters as they don’t get so bogged down in all the slop. So is this the future of the Gravel bike? I believe the Gravel bike will continue to evolve into the perfect go anywhere, adventure / bikepacking bike for the UK, fitting neatly between a road bike and an XC MTB. They will become the final incarnation of the Hybrid. They will evolve to be longer and slacker, but more importantly with less aggressive geometry, shifting rider weight up and back. 700c wheels with 45-50mm wide "all-terrain" tyres, 60mm front suspension (with lock-out capability), either flat or wide drop bars, suspension / dropper seat posts, MTB gearing and brakes. Geometry Less aggressive and more upright. Longer top tube, shorter stems, longer wheel base, longer chain stays, sloping top tubes etc. Pretty much as the 2018 Specialized CrossTrail! Details from Specialized concept store - CrossTrail Elite Carbon Front suspension In 2016 I toured the Isle of Wight with a bunch of mates, wild camping and mixing the route between off-road trails and road sections. I'd re-built my old Cannondale CAAD3 for the retro trip and it served me well enough. I'd put my old rigid "Pepperoni" forks back on and ran 26" x 1 1/4" Schwalbe Marathon tyres. Although it was primarily an on-road adventure, there were a number of off-road trails. It was perhaps the first time I'd ridden off-road in around 15 years without front suspension... never again. It was too jarring and too slow! From that point on I made a pact with myself that any bike I owned, that even vaguely ventured off road, would have front suspension. So, if 100mm travel is still XC MTB territory, I think the sweet spot for Gravel will be around 60mm with lock-out capability. Wheels 700c / 29'er is the place to be. 650 is only really there, in my opinion, because of the need for more tyre volume to dampen the ride due to a lack of suspension and a 700 x 50mm + doesn't always fit in the frame due to current Gravel bike geometry. In terms of rim width, I reckon anything around 20 - 23mm inner width depending on the tyre and the type of tyre profile you're comfortable to run. (see below) Tyres Dual purpose tyres are never going to be good at the extremes of road and off-road. I run anywhere from 23mm to 2.6" rubber across a number of my bikes and 45 - 50mm feels about the right balance. As the terrain and speeds get more challenging there needs to be a shift towards slightly heavier MTB style rubber with better all-round damage protection. Unfortunately this will forego some of the 'supple' feel, but when you're running suspension it's not so noticeable. I think tyre treads for a UK "all terrain" application need to become more 'all-round' with a raised solid central section for tarmac, intermediate knobbles and larger outer lugs for bite when the terrain gets loose or muddy. The rubber compound needs to match the various knobble profiles. Firmer to the middle, softer towards the outer. Some good examples are the Soma Cazadero, Schwalbe's old school Landcruiser, the Continental Ride Tour and perhaps the Teravail Washburn. In terms of tyre pressure - 40psi feels about the right balance between road and trail. I currently still run tubes (with added sealant) in my road / gravel biased bikes and am probably not likely to change for the time being. Gearing Forget the current road gearing, which in my opinion is completely over geared for anyone less than a professional UCI cyclist anyway. Real world ratios with an added dose of off-road hill climbing squeezed in. Ideally 20 to 110 gear inches with as smaller gaps / jumps as possible. 2x set-ups work really well with the lower range for off-road and the higher range for on-road. I prefer 1x set-ups and with the right range they also suit a gravel bike. Perhaps something like 12sp 1 x 40T x 10-50 ish? Brakes A firm shift towards XC MTB brakes with 180mm front and 160mm rear rotors and perhaps twin pot brakes on the front. The hand-on-the-hood position isn't great for braking but bigger discs or more powerful brakes will compensate for this. Bars Options for either drop bars or flat bars depending on your adventure or riding style. Drops: 50cm+ wide with 40mm - 50mm long stems Flats: mid-range flat bars, say 660mm to 720mm wide with 50mm - 70mm stems Seatposts As riders push the terrain limits of current Gravel bikes, I believe we'll see more suspension and / or suspension dropper posts, anything to dampen the terrain and also help shift weight back when going down hill. So what next? Firstly, I have a huge amount of respect for forward thinking companies like Wolf Tooth Components and PNW Components who make the kind of stuff that allows people like me to build bikes like this. https://www.wolftoothcomponents.com/ https://www.pnwcomponents.com/ I believe in a just a few years time, if you're looking for the perfect do-it-all bike for UK riding, it will possibly look something like this and the only real choice will be whether you opt for flat or drop bars. "Gravel" will become the new word for "Hybrid" and Roadies and MTB'ers will sit happily together swapping tales of baggy shorts & leg shaving, drinking beer & expresso's! (Ok, maybe not the last part!) #gravelisthenewhybrid

The King Alfred's Way cycle route. 220 miles in aid of Motor Neurone Disease Association. Update: WE DID IT! What an amazing ride and a great sense of achievement. We got drenched, cooked, stung, scratched, bumped. Sore hands, sore back, sore... well... entire lower half! But we're grateful and very fortunate to be able to do these activities. Anyone living with Motor Neurone Disease doesn't have this choice. Thank you to everyone for your extremely generous donations and support, this certainly kept us going when the riding was tough! It's not too late to make a donation - now you know we have done it! Thank you. https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/kaw2021 The King Alfred's Way cycle route. 220 miles in aid of Motor Neurone Disease Association. This July my brother (Tim) and I have decided to tackle The King Alfred's Way cycle route. And as the 220 mile journey was going to be the longest distance Tim had ever ridden we want to make the journey worthwhile by fundraising for a charity close to his heart; the Motor Neurone Disease Association. King Alfred's Way is a 220 mile (350km) circular off-road adventure route through 10,000 years of history, connecting some of England’s most iconic sites. The route starts and finishes in Winchester and encompasses parts of The Ridgeway, The Thames Path, and the South Downs Way. https://www.cyclinguk.org/king-alfreds-way We’re aiming to complete the route in 4 days, giving us the opportunity to view some of the sites and document our adventure. We'll be overnighting in bivvy bags - with one 'luxury' stop at a hotel in Reading. Our ride takes place from the 24th to the 27th July 2021. We'll be posting updates as we go on my Instagram account: https://www.instagram.com/nick_adventuring/ Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving - they'll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they'll send your money directly to the charity. So it's the most efficient way to donate - saving time and cutting costs for the charity. https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/kaw2021 Thank you for supporting us!