2022-34 | Welly-boot Biking | A chat about the route and bikes.

In this video, I outline the route taken during the welly-boot bike adventure. I also introduce my new bike and chat about how I plan to use it on a different style of adventure.

[@smoggiewalks578]

Thanks for sharing the route Dave ATB Martin

[@daveoutdoorsscotland2854]

You’re welcome, Martin. Glad you enjoyed the wee series. It was a new format for me, and seems to have been quite well received. ATB, Dave

[@RHJ-29-6]

Cannae wait. That’s my kind of cycling too.

[@daveoutdoorsscotland2854]

Looking forward to getting out on the new bike to explore some longer routes. Need to get some luggage together first though. ATB, Dave

[@garyb8528]

Thanks Dave. I look forward to more treks on your new bike. Looks awesome. As always, be well, stay safe and keep the blue side up. Thank Mo for the steady camera work!

[@daveoutdoorsscotland2854]

Hi Gary, I’m looking forward to kitting the bike out with some luggage, then taking it out for a spin. Keep the blue side up. Dave

[@mo9981]

My arms were shaking and my legs were numb!😂😂😂

[@hazetheherd2214]

Thank you for showing the route , was a brilliant journey and I enjoyed all the videos , new bike looks great

[@daveoutdoorsscotland2854]

Glad you enjoyed the vids. I’ll get the new bike kitted out and on the trails soon enough. Might try to give this bike an easier life though, at least for the first few months. ATB, Dave

[@colinwellman9480]

Hi Dave; that explanation with the map made the trip much clearer. When you came to that raging stream I felt for you. I experienced the power of water on a bike a couple of years ago when we were staying in the Mayenne . I'd found a nice round trip of about 40 miles from where we were staying. It followed the route of the river Ernée. It's not that wide but fast flowing. we crossed over banks several times on small wooden bridges but eventually came to a wider crossing without one. What it did have was a line of flat boulders to cross on. I think the French call these 'Pont Japonaise'. Getting two bikes over was a struggle as the gaps were wide and a bike on the shoulder made it very difficult. I'd gone over with my bike then took my wife's bike across. This time I stayed on the rocks and wheeled the bike through the water. The pressure was immense and I had to pull the bike out of the water before it got carried away. I'm not a Luddite but I don't like A head stems. I prefer the adjustment you get with a quill. On my bike I've had to use a stem extender, doesn't look pretty but works well enough. Thanks to your camera woman😀. Looking forward to your next adventure.

[@daveoutdoorsscotland2854]

Hi Colin, I enjoyed reading of your bike adventures. River crossings can be such a challenge, especially when heavily lace with gear. Mo and I are in Spain just now, doing some gentle hiking. We’ve crossed several rivers over the past few days, but have yet to see a single drop of water. Everywhere is tinder dry here at the moment. I too like the simplicity of quill stems, and most other mechanical features of older style bikes. They are much easier to repair and generally require less tools. I’ve decided to do more of the build of my new bike by myself, to force me to get to know the machine better. ATB, Dave

[@voicezful]

Very much appreciate the additional information and detail from the map Dave. That stretch looking down Loch Garry from A9 at Dalnaspidal always looks very dreich, eerie and gloomy! Some old place to camp. BTW the track you mention coming over from Loch Ossian to Rannoch, walked it about 15 years ago, maybe, and it was just a quagmire up to and past the lodge - seems quite a network of decent walking/cycling routes developing all across the Central Highlands, which is good of course, but very bleak country all the same. Cheers again!

[@daveoutdoorsscotland2854]

Hi Andrew, yes, the pass through the hills, by Loch Gary, is often moody. It seems to catch the weather and hold on to it. The Ossian track was improved during the time of the Corrour lodge renovation. It’s interesting how it is beginning to deteriorate again. It was surfaced with a gravel/sand layer, but much of that has been eroded by the rains and snow, exposing the foundation boulders. It is still a huge improvement on the old track though, which, as you mention, was a wet, boggy channel. Glad you found the vid useful. ATB, Dave

[@murchiesmountains2820]

Fantastic Dave 😁👍..Great map explanation mate..It puts the whole route into to perspective 👌🏻..What a brilliant tour as my German friend the Stripey Hat Guys calls them .😁👍…Showing it on a map is Old Skool compared to all the fancy 3D video routes..I think it’s miles better showing it by map 😁👍..Top video mate. Cheers Robert

[@daveoutdoorsscotland2854]

Hi Robert, glad you liked it. I definitely prefer paper maps. I’ve got so many marks and annotations on my OS maps, they now seem like old friends. It’s interesting how the scribbles and highlights help me remember routes and topography. ATB, Dave

[@murchiesmountains2820]

@@daveoutdoorsscotland2854 Nice one Dave 😍👌🏻

[@GOBBYBOY333]

That's the way to do it Dave, This video was great as you showed us the route which adds another dimension to watching your video's. I intend getting the map and marking the route on next week. As for your garage, I'm impressed with your tool wall; ever since my days in the ATC as a teenager, which involved visiting lots of RAF maintenance hangers and the way they had tool walls like yours but with the outlines of the tools in dayglow paint. I see what you mean about all the cycles, that is an impressive amount, I did think for a moment that you had a Brompton folding bike, but on double checking I was wrong. I'm considering getting a second hand one for longer trip where public transport could be involved, we will see. Your new bike is the dogs....... are the jones bars that much better than standard straight bars, I'm assuming they give very good control. I hope you and Mo are enjoying your trip to southern Span. D

[@daveoutdoorsscotland2854]

Hola David, hah, I’m part way through remodelling the garage/gear room. It was really overdue a tidy up. The rule for my tools is, ‘they are either in my hand, or on the wall’. The rule does get broken now and again though. I’m going to clear a space for a bike rack (or bike hanger) and will probably just shelve one side of the garage. Once finished, I’ll pan the camera around and post a short vid. Spain has been fun, with some decent hiking and lots of eating. Home tomorrow. Hope to get out again with the cameras soon. You won’t regret a Brompton. My folding bike is a micro-bike, which is a tad flimsy but proved useful for getting to meetings whilst I was in Beijing. ATB, Dave and Mo

[@tkaald]

Thanks for another fine video. Regarding cutting fork stem to lower handlebar, can you not move some of the spacers above handlebar bracket. That is a reversible height adjustment.

[@daveoutdoorsscotland2854]

Hi Torstein, yes, that’s exactly what I’ve done. I’ve lowered the bars by 2cm (4 half spacers). I’ll run with that for a while to see how it rides. I suspect I might drop another 1 or 1.5cm. I don’t actually mind the stem protruding above the bars so will leave it for the time being. It certainly looks ok just now, but might look a little odd with a 3.5cm protrusion. I want to take my time setting up this bike. I’m trying to emulate the set up I had with the bike I toured in China. ATB, Dave

[@hikebikescotland9121]

Loved the series Dave - These multi-day rides are the best!! - love the new bike as well. As you know we love the fatbikes for bikepacking but they are a compromise especially on roads/hardpack surfaces where narrower tires would help speed things along somewhat.. Looking forward to seeing you out on it next spring!! - ATB Tom

[@daveoutdoorsscotland2854]

Hi Tom, glad you enjoyed the series. I’m looking forward to putting a trip together for the new bike. I’m sure it won’t replace the Fattie for the ‘hike and bike’ trails though. I’m doing some research on luggage for the Surly and have a few ideas that I’ll probably share in the channel. ATB, Dave

[@vr_gamers8116]

I like the new bike Dave, if you're looking to keep it a lightweight packing bike the tailfin carbon racks are worth a look, expensive yes, worth it ? yeah IMHO they are. 👌

[@daveoutdoorsscotland2854]

Thanks for the info' on the racks, much appreciated. I was wondering about not racking the bike and using bike packing luggage instead. That would be a big change for me. I am thinking about some longer tours, over easier surfaces, where I could travel further and faster, especially if I keep the weight down. I'm going to check out those racks now though. ATB, Dave

[@Flintynicknacks]

I recommend Tailfin too. You can go down the cargo bag route if you don’t want panniers. They make cargo racks- super light.

[@daveoutdoorsscotland2854]

@@Flintynicknacks Thanks

[@davidsam3918]

Hi Dave that was a great trip you had ,an impressive loop that covered plenty of miles .Brilliant work setting up the camera shots and pushing on through the tricky terrain. Great job.Have you ever fished Loch Ossian? Had a couple of nice trout out it a few years ago not far from your camp spot. I think I lost a pike which snapped my flies off so I stopped fishing after that,better with a wire trace when there around. Look forward to your next adventure,cheers.

[@daveoutdoorsscotland2854]

Hi David, glad you enjoyed the video. I've never fished Loch Ossian. It looks like it could be productive though and I've certainly seen fish jumping. I will mention it to one of my pals, who is a much better fisherman than me. I winter camped by the loch, back when I was a teenager, and was kept awake at night by the creaking and cracking of ice. The entire loch was frozen, side to side and end to to end. It was a marvellous sight. Despite my best efforts, I couldn't break through the ice, so to this day, I don't know how thick it was. I did wonder about ice fishing for pike but had no gear with me, and no knowledge of the regs' for such activity, if indeed there were any back in the early 70's. .I really miss those cold, hard winters. ATB, Dave

[@davidsam3918]

@@daveoutdoorsscotland2854 That sounds like a great winter camp. I wonder if the likes of Loch Ossian will fully freeze like that again,must have a been a cold one for sure. Thanks for the reply.

[@mofmanp8874]

Really enjoyed the welly boot adventure and love the new surly bike😎 what are the brakes you have called? I want to put mechanical ones on my bike

[@daveoutdoorsscotland2854]

Hi, so glad you enjoyed the mini series. I hope to get out with the cameras again soon. The mechanical disc brakes I've put on the Surly are, Avid Ball Bearing 5 MTB Front and Rear Disc Brakes. They are quite simple to install and look fairly easy to tinker with at the side of the track, if anything were to go wrong. I've tried them out on my local lanes and am quite impressed, although I should point out that the terrain is fairly flat and the bike was unladen. I'll give them a more thorough test in the coming weeks. ATB, Dave