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8 Safety Tips to Keep in Mind When Camping
October 2, 2018
Being one with nature and sleeping under the stars can sometimes be all that we think about when planning a camping trip. Making sure that everything is packed and everyone is ready is of the upmost priority. Have you thought about what to do if the unexpected were to happen? As a camper, you and your team become exposed to dangers different from everyday life. You become more vulnerable to the weather conditions, more susceptible to animal and insect attracts and have a higher chance of contracting foodborne illnesses.
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Nomadic Dreams Mobile Living Solutions
September 28, 2018
When I was studying at Goldsmiths in London back in 2011, I had just returned from a few years of travelling and I played around with the idea of continuing to be nomadic whilst living in London. Partly because of the rent, but also because I had become quite used to sleeping in a tent in a different place each night whilst cycle touring. I considered if it might be possible to find a place to camp in London.
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Weekend Mountain Biking in Switzerland with an Engineer from Scott Bikes
September 27, 2018
I spent a fantastic weekend in Switzerland near to the city of Bern. Through a mutual friend, I visited an engineer at Scott bikes who has just recently finished work on the new Scott Genius LT full suspension bike. I was able to go for couple of great morning rides with Joe and got to ride last year’s Genius frame which was a carbon, full suspension beauty. We set off early on the Saturday morning pedalling out of the picturesque town of Fribourg, nestled in a deep in a river valley.
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Advice From a Geographer: Put Away the Map
September 20, 2018
Our lives are saturated with maps. We see them in cars, subways, and airplanes. We access them with our phones, computers, and GPS devices. There are maps of deep space and of the topography of the deepest ocean floors. Then there are the maps of us — of our genomes, of the cognitive landscape of our brains, of the web of neural connections that allow us to see and think and act.
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Adventures with bikes and mountains photography part 2
September 19, 2018
Exploring the dry landscape in the Sierra Los Velez national park in Spain Starting my “Bajada” dry watercourse hike in Spain Steep sided gorge in Spain My backpack on “Bajada” hike Morning sun on my camp hiking in Spain Spain Sierra Los Velez national park hills, Spain Sierra Los Velez national park hills, Spain Mountain bike guiding in Georgia north of Tbilisi Walking in Georgia near Gudauri Mountain biking in the mountains around Tbilisi, Georgia
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Adventures with bikes and mountains photography part I
September 19, 2018
Inverness to Fort William off-road tour. Scotland waterfall. Mark on a tricky path in Scotland. Morning after staying in a bothy in the Highlands. Vineyard in the foothills of the Swiss Alps. Camping in the Swiss Alps. Pitching camp in the Swiss Alps. Another pitch in the Swiss Alps. Cycling in Germany in the Black Forest. Village in the mountains of Romania. Reservoir in the mountains in Romania. Cycling through the mountains together with Tom and Maria.
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From the Archive: Making a Stove and Camping on the Black Sea in Turkey
September 18, 2018
A cold dark beach somewhere on Black Sea coastline of Turkey. There was small driftwood everywhere in one area, a guy fiddling with netting. It was flipping cold i remember that much. 1. Find one very rusty barrel and punch holes in it with a stick. 2. Collect kindling and driftwood from the beach and add to the barrel. 3. Attempt to light the kindling whilst shading from the wind.
Tags: WordsReflectionsTurkey
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Producing Absinthe in Georgia
September 16, 2018
When I was staying in Georgia running mountain bike tours in 2015, in between work, a French friend, Vincent, who makes alcohol invited me to collect the plant that is used to make absinthe. We drove out onto the plains of Georgia to pick “Artemisia absinthium”, commonly known as Wormwood. Wormwood herb contains bitter substances and a volatile compound called thujone. In popular culture the spirit, Absinthe, made using the plant (and other ingredients - anise and fennel) has some notoriety for making drinkers hallucinate however, a couple of source say this is not likely and more down to alcohol abuse.
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The Best Bikepacking Luggage Straps
September 8, 2018
I was looking for some ways to strap stuff onto my bike. I started searching “bikepacking straps”. This is a thing, but the straps are silly expensive. Cue ebaying and finding alternatives. This is a product of some of my research. The repurposed ski straps Rubber straps with a buckle originally used for strapping skies together when carrying. The ebay leather straps Simple leather straps with a buckle off ebay.
Tags: StrapsBikepackingTouring
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Low Bicycle Theft Is an Advantage for a Cyclist Living in Singapore
September 6, 2018
Singapore is among the safest and best places to call home on earth, thanks to the low crime rate. The city-state is inhabited by various nationals who coexist peacefully with the locals, setting a very good example for non-Singaporeans. Many expatriates have found a second home in the island state and go about their work and life with very little worry, if any, since theft and crime incidents are almost unheard of.
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Bike Maintenance Resources & Videos
July 17, 2018
Bike maintenance is essential knowledge for the adventure cyclist. You don’t need to be Sheldon Brown but you need to know the basics. Truing the wheels Fix a puncture Servicing hubs Servicing headset Removing grips How to service V-brakes Cables Disc Brakes Drivetrain Bottom Bracket Fixing a chain
Tags: Bike maintenanceVideo
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Bikepacking the Gower Peninsula in Wales
July 4, 2018
A couple of weeks ago I came across an article on bikepacking.com for a route round the Gower peninsula in Wales. I had been looking for a trip to do whilst I have some time off in between jobs. A friend had talked about doing Ultramarathons at the Gower and I used to go there on holiday when I was a kid. From the photos that accompanied the route on the website, it looked beautiful and varied with a bit of challenge in there although pretty doable.
Tags: GowerBikepacking