John O'Groats-Land's End-Camping-Carbon forks-Bar bags

freddywest

Hi there,

My boyfriend and I are planning on doing John O' Groats to Land's End in September, taking 3-4 weeks to do it.

We're hoping to camp but are wondering whether it'll be too cold/miserable in September. Does anyone have any experience? Also wondering whether going JOG - LE rather than the other way round will be too miserable at that time of year, given prevailing winds?

Also, if camping I'm wondering what kit list I need and whether anyone has suggestions for lightweight tents/equipment? (If people think camping's a rubbish idea, I'm happy to be convinced out of it!)

Finally, I'm debating between buying a bike with or without carbon forks. If carrying camping equipment, would it be stupid to buy a bike with carbon forks (b/c if camping, I assume need all the space I can get, but with these carbon forks I can't attach front panniers)? Does anyone know how carbon forks hold up under the weight of bar bags? (I'm looking at buying the Trek 7.5 FX WSD or the Trek 7.3 FX WSD).

Any wisdom would be HUGELY appreciated! Thanks in advance for anyone's help...

Cheers,

Freddy

priory

http://www.pbase.com/canyonlands/fullyloaded

http://www.users.waitrose.com/~ianclare/links.htm

No-one seems willing, so I shall add my little bit

http://www.pbase.com/canyonlands/fullyloaded

http://www.users.waitrose.com/~ianclare/links.htm

Are two fairly crucial sites.On one you can peruse lots of photos of loaded tourers that must work. On the other more lejog diaries than you should read . If you try to get all possible information assimilated it all becomes too complicated. Ultimately you have say ' this is what we will do', set off and accept that it will be different from everyone previous.

The bikes you indicate are light al frames.If you are smaller than me you may find a small frame is rigid enough, but I loaded my large giant scr2 with tent, bag etc the other week and it was too flexible to feel good . It was ok for a very light bandb tour but I made a change of plan for the camping trip and took my claude butler hybrid rigid fork tourer instead. Heavier but much more stable with all the weight on, and I didn't go for a full load.The wheelbase is longer at the back. A few pounds extra on the frame is a small thing when looked at with all the rest including yourself.Suppose the frame weighs a whole 1kg more. In my case that would be about 0.8percent.So I go up the hills at 9.9mph instead of 10mph.But I come down a lot quicker , feeling safer.

Your next consideration is whether your trek would take the carrier and mudguards without bodging. This is particularly the case with the small frame. A friend had exactly this problem recently with a small frame giant scr2. Heel and toe clearance on a short frame also needs consideration.
With a purpose built tourer most of these concerns are already sorted.
http://www.edinburghbicycle.com/ebwPNLq ... 155c002912
http://www.edinburghbicycle.com/ebwPNLq ... 155c002912
http://www.trekbikes.com/us/en/bikes/2008/road/520/520/

getting advice from a good salesman may be very helpful . Where would you go?

TerryJ

andymiller

You never can tell with the British weather. The fact that it's rainy now doesn't mean that it won't be sunny in September.

If you carry a tent and sleeping bag you still have the option of using B&Bs and YHAs - it's probably best to do a mixture.

You don't need front panniers unless you are carrying lots of food and water. Between two of you a pair of 40 litres panniers (each) should be plenty (OK maybe you might want to also have a barbag or daypack). I look at the pictures of the fully-loaded tourers and I just wonder why they need to carry so much stuff.

Tents? Terra Nova, Vaude, MSR, Big Agnes are all reputable makes.

www.alpkit.com do very good kit at excellent prices - as do Decathlon if you have one near you.

Oher useful places to check out lightweight gear are:

http://www.hike-lite.co.uk/

http://www.fastandlight.co.uk/

http://www.winwood-outdoor.co.uk

freddywest

Thank you all for the wisdom - it"s hugely appreciated.

I"ll let you know how we get on...

All the best,

Freddz

alfablue

My girlfriend has a Trek 1.2, probably a similar fram to the FX, and it has carbon forks. She used an Ortlieb bar bag, and a Tortec Ultralight rear rack with Ortlieb Roller Classic panniers, and carried our two sleeping bags on the top. The bike coped fine with SKS mudguards and 700x25 Schwalbe Marathon tyres. I would expect the FX would have clearance for larger tyres. I tried her bike when it was loaded up and I was really impressed with how stable it felt, more-so than my converted mtb-tourer. It was a dream to ride, accepting tht she had a slightly lighter load than I did. I see no problem with the carbon forks and bar bag at all. The bike had all the necessary mudguard and rack mounts.

As for tents, we use a Coleman Avior X3, it is cheap (about £95) but is a superb design and very quick to erect. It weighs just under 3kg and packs up very small. It is not the lightest, but for the price it is excellent.

I don't think September will be any worse than it is right now for camping (it couldn't be wetter surely, and temperatures won't be much worse). Just be prepared to wear socks and maybe underwear / tights in the sleeping bag.

Comfort and warmth is greatly improved with a Thermarest (or cheaper equivalent). We take two 3/4 length thermarests and two Thermarest Trekker chairs, so the mats convert to really comfy chairs when not sleeping, and essential as far as I'm concerned (okay, call me soft!).

mercsport

I quit LEJOG on Monday ( yes , call me a quitter ! ) . The weather was atrocious and couldn 't have been any worse ( O.K., it could've been colder ) . I got to just short of Shap from LE in four and a half days , which I was pleased with ( 62 yrs old ) .
I carried two panniers which seemed to be pretty full for some reason ( I'm getting soft ? ) .
My kit was ; the lightest down bag ; 3/4 Thermarest ; a Henessy Hammock ( something to consider in lieu of a tent maybe ) ; a waterproof jacket ( hah ! well , it said it was waterproof ); a fleece for evenings ; spare socks ; toolkit ; and junk - food , fizzy drinks etc.. Oh , and a lack of moral fibre .
It was cold enough not to disrobe of an evening in the hammock , and that was that , pretty much . My notion of a pleasant and sunny LEJOG was shattered at the off and it never recovered . Maybe September will be the scrag end of summer we all crave . I sincerely hope you score on that .
Oh , BTW , ' THE ONE GOOD THING ' , was that I had a really good tail wind up my backside most of the way . That really helps the morale and is why most do it S to N I expect .
Good luck .

Incidentally , carbon forks will take your kit easily , but will likely shatter if you do a shunt .

ronstrutt

Lots of good advice here.

As far as the wind is concerned, on my four End to End rides (so far) the wind has always been against me no matter what direction I've been going in! The only difference is that the wind from the south tends to be warmer than that from the north.

As for forks, you will be riding around 1000 miles. In that distance you are quite likely to hit a sizeable pot-hole or other obstacle that has the potential to smash carbon forks. That is likely to ruin your trip because of the time you'll lose getting to a suitable bike shop - a rare beast in the Highlands - and having them replaced.

meagain

An aside. That "fully loaded" link very interesting as I (tentatively!) plan to do Route 72 next March/April. I rather assume that I won't need to carry much for 3-5 days B&B! Pretty crucial IF I do it (as I'm hoping) on a fixed. Perhaps a little optimistic for my first ever "tour"...

priory

for 3 to 5 days band b I would have a single pannier or rack top bag ( probably a £3 little holdall) with a toothbrush, money and cards, spare cycle shorts, light trousers and shirt, 1 pair spare socks, 1 pr swimming trunks, tiny radio/music player, tiny book, phone,maps and tools. Not much else. I like to have a larger bag than I need because then all clothes shed or shopping are easily accommodated.Finding cafes pubs and restaurants is part of the fun.If it looks likely you will not find anywhere to eat you can find something at a shop or petrol station. I usually feel safer with a pack of instant noodles and hip flask in the bag.
When you take off the cycle clothes put on the civvies , wash and squeeze and hang up (I usually do not trust the bandb ladies with my woolly pully and expensive shorts). Perhaps the spare shorts is overkill.My last trip I used only one pair for most of it.If they are still damp in the morning they will soon dry out on you.
A sock will do for a towel if one is not provided, or offer to pay to borrow one . YHA charge a pound.
I usually have a whistle, maglite or strong pump and 100%deetspray handy also.You never know who you'll meet( see the rome reference elsewhere).

mercsport

" Priory " : above , neglected to mention hairspray . :shock:

priory

Is this a reference to the supposition that Fred is a lady or that blokes with boyfriends wear hairspray?
I you intend to use it as a flamethrower then you'll need a lighter too. And tell me before you do it, I want to watch.