Alpkit, Camping & Vin Cox
pangolin
Posts: 6,632
So this weekend I went to Alpkit's Big Shakeout. http://www.alpkit.com/bigshakeout
Lots of you know about Alpkit as they make good cheap waterproof commuting backpacks. For the last 3 or so years they've run a sort of activity weekend. You go and camp there, there's a big tent with a bar in it, music, stuff to do during the day etc. This year it was £45 which was 2 nights camping, free porridge for breakfast Saturday and Sunday, and tasty pies for dinner on the Saturday. Another £2 got you an Alpkit mug with free refills of tea and coffee all weekend. I got full value out of that mug.
Anyway, you can sign up to do various stuff you might not have done before like caving, kayaking, climbing, bouldering, MTB'ing etc. I did caving last year and it was a bit sketchy at times to be honest, in the bits when you are crawling along barely fitting through a gap in the rock, but great fun. This year I didn't sign up for anything, I thought we'd just go along and see what was there, go for some walks maybe.
I'd seen online that Vin Cox was going to be there doing some talk in the evening, but hadn't noticed if he was doing anything else. For anyone who doesn't know, he held the world record for going around the world by bicycle until recently. http://www.bikeradar.com/news/article/vin-cox-sets-new-round-the-world-record-27795/
Having a look around on Saturday, and met Vin at a stand he had in the shop.
Vin "Are you coming on my ride this afternoon?"
Me "No I didn't bring my bike"
Vin "Go borrow one from Genesis!"
Genesis bikes had a stand there, and were loaning out bikes for free. Didn't even ask us for an id, deposit, proof I was at the Alpkit event... just handed Mrs Pangolin and I a 2013 Croix de Fer and Day 01 singlespeed! So at 2pm off we went with Vin and about 12 others on a 10 mile ride. Mostly quite pootle like.
Since his around the world trip he has done a 'hunger ride' where he rode from Cornwall to Scotland eating only what he could forage from the land. Plants, roadkill, shellfish etc. http://www.alpkit.com/daring-deeds/vin-cox-hungry-bike-ride
On our ride he was stopping and showing us what we could eat, and collecting a bunch of mushrooms, nettles, berries etc to cook up back at camp. He also had a pheasant that he had found on his drive to the campsite the day before. That evening I tried roadkill for the first time. It was surprisingly tasty!
So we didn't cycle far, but it was great fun. Vin was a really nice guy, great to meet him. Fairly hilly (around Bakewell), but Mrs Pangolin did very well on the singlespeed. Brilliant weekend all in all, bit chilly though. The tent the next morning had ice on it.
This is a bit long isn't it. Sorry. Go to Alpkit's Big Shakeout next October.
Lots of you know about Alpkit as they make good cheap waterproof commuting backpacks. For the last 3 or so years they've run a sort of activity weekend. You go and camp there, there's a big tent with a bar in it, music, stuff to do during the day etc. This year it was £45 which was 2 nights camping, free porridge for breakfast Saturday and Sunday, and tasty pies for dinner on the Saturday. Another £2 got you an Alpkit mug with free refills of tea and coffee all weekend. I got full value out of that mug.
Anyway, you can sign up to do various stuff you might not have done before like caving, kayaking, climbing, bouldering, MTB'ing etc. I did caving last year and it was a bit sketchy at times to be honest, in the bits when you are crawling along barely fitting through a gap in the rock, but great fun. This year I didn't sign up for anything, I thought we'd just go along and see what was there, go for some walks maybe.
I'd seen online that Vin Cox was going to be there doing some talk in the evening, but hadn't noticed if he was doing anything else. For anyone who doesn't know, he held the world record for going around the world by bicycle until recently. http://www.bikeradar.com/news/article/vin-cox-sets-new-round-the-world-record-27795/
Having a look around on Saturday, and met Vin at a stand he had in the shop.
Vin "Are you coming on my ride this afternoon?"
Me "No I didn't bring my bike"
Vin "Go borrow one from Genesis!"
Genesis bikes had a stand there, and were loaning out bikes for free. Didn't even ask us for an id, deposit, proof I was at the Alpkit event... just handed Mrs Pangolin and I a 2013 Croix de Fer and Day 01 singlespeed! So at 2pm off we went with Vin and about 12 others on a 10 mile ride. Mostly quite pootle like.
Since his around the world trip he has done a 'hunger ride' where he rode from Cornwall to Scotland eating only what he could forage from the land. Plants, roadkill, shellfish etc. http://www.alpkit.com/daring-deeds/vin-cox-hungry-bike-ride
On our ride he was stopping and showing us what we could eat, and collecting a bunch of mushrooms, nettles, berries etc to cook up back at camp. He also had a pheasant that he had found on his drive to the campsite the day before. That evening I tried roadkill for the first time. It was surprisingly tasty!
So we didn't cycle far, but it was great fun. Vin was a really nice guy, great to meet him. Fairly hilly (around Bakewell), but Mrs Pangolin did very well on the singlespeed. Brilliant weekend all in all, bit chilly though. The tent the next morning had ice on it.
This is a bit long isn't it. Sorry. Go to Alpkit's Big Shakeout next October.
- Genesis Croix de Fer
- Dolan Tuono
- Dolan Tuono
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Comments
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I like the sound of that - mentally noted for next year.FCN 5 belt driven fixie for city bits
CAADX 105 beastie for bumpy bits
Litespeed L3 for Strava bits
Smoke me a kipper, I'll be back for breakfast.0 -
me too. sounds like something my gf would enjoy as well.
now the serious question is why did you give the missus the single speed?BMC TM01 - FCN 0
Look 695 (Geared) - FCN 1
Bowman Palace:R - FCN 1
Cannondale CAAD 9 - FCN 2
Premier (CX) - FCN 6
Premier (fixed/SS) - FCN30 -
I like Alpkit's customer service, and their products.
What is the Croix de Fer like? I am thinking of getting one, and having it as a backup foul weather commuter as well as a leisure ride.0 -
spasypaddy wrote:me too. sounds like something my gf would enjoy as well.
now the serious question is why did you give the missus the single speed?
Haha, she's quite a lot shorter than me and those were the sizes they had. By the end of the ride she was saying she quite liked not having gears! She'd beaten all the others up the hills.jimmypippa wrote:I like Alpkit's customer service, and their products.
What is the Croix de Fer like? I am thinking of getting one, and having it as a backup foul weather commuter as well as a leisure ride.
The Croix de Fer was very nice. BB7's weren't quite perfect yet but still very good braking. I think the Tiagra chainset is a bit of a shame, I just don't like the look of how much metal there is on the large ring.
The Genesis rep told me it's pretty much exactly the same as the 2012 model, just dark grey instead of white, as it was a lot more practical. So if you don't mind white, try to find a 2012 one in the sales.- Genesis Croix de Fer
- Dolan Tuono0 -
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The Alpkit down jacket is properly brilliant. Wore it in -30C whilst in Austria in Jan, i was warm! Even comes with a hood. AND it compresses to nothing so you can put it in a pocket if you need to.0
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Their sleeping mats are good as well.0
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The Ors wrote:Their sleeping mats are good as well.
Next on my purchasing list!0
