After being out and about on the bike last weekend I spotted a track about 3 miles away on a hillside and thought “I’ve gotta give that a try”. There’s a track in the distance going between them two hills So 7 days later I headed out to southern Snowdonia in Wales for a bit […]
We all love making plans of future bikepacking trips, don’t we? Back in October 2019, I set off with a plan of heading up to the Assynt which is in the far north of Scotland for a few days bikepacking. However, after 5 hours of driving, an engine warning light decided to throw those plans […]
Last winter I made a great winter bivvy spot at an old slate mine in one of my favorite spots here in Snowdonia, North Wales. By rigging a tarp over the remnants of an old slate workers’ hut, I had managed to have a great retreat during the colder nights. It helped having a fireplace/chimney […]
A few weeks back I had my first bout of sciatica which had me bail my bikepacking ride. I posted about it here: https://fat-bike.com/2021/08/bad-back-bikepacking/ I honestly thought I’d be out of action for quite some time as the days following were very painful. However, after getting some meds from the Drs, I was soon moving […]
We all love making plans and love it even more when they work out for the good. However sometimes things don’t go as planned and that’s a real bummer! Last weekend saw me have a couple of spare days to go out bikepacking in some fine weather here in Snowdonia. I had a route in […]
On Saturday the 26th of June I found myself at the start line of the challenging #JENNRIDE two day Bike Packing event starting in Staveley in the Lake District, England. The #Jennride is a 100 mile off road bike packing charity event in memory of Jenn Hill organised by a well-known Lake District mountain biker […]
The Salsa Bucksaw made an appearance for this local bikepacking trip under the gaze of Wales’s highest mountain, Snowdon.
I’ve had a busy few weeks getting some fine riding in and a few bivvies to make up for what I’ve missed doing the past few months. One of those bivvies was in my favourite place of Cwm Eigiau. Back in late March I posted a video https://fat-bike.com/2021/03/85-days/ of me checking out future over night […]
Revelate Nano Pannier Bikepacking has evolved over recent years from using panniers to strapping bags to various places on your bike. Panniers are still used but it’s mostly for touring as you can get away with filling them up and not worry too much about the weight. With that, there was a gap, a pannier […]
Balmy sunny days in the UK With parts of the US experiencing some cold times of late, the UK saw some near record temperatures at the end of March. So with ‘warm’ weather coupled with the start of 2 weeks off work, this was the perfect time to get one of my bivvies in again […]
We all know it’s been one hell of a 12 months, there are many sad stories of loved ones lost. We have had restrictions put in place which has affected our mental health as well as our (my) weight! So when the Welsh Government lifted the restrictions on the Stay at Home so that meant […]
After a belly full of beer from the night before I somehow got up early and left the house just after 5am. Just over an hour later I was waiting on a hillside for the sun to rise and start the last Sunday of March. I waited for around 45 minutes and soon got cold. […]
Due to local lock down restrictions here in Wales, all exercise has to be done starting and finishing from home. Luckily for me, the coast isn’t too far away and to get there is pretty scenic too. Check it out… Would you share your Plus or Fat Pixels? Give us your tired, your poor, Your huddled pixels, […]
GFBD UK Covid Edition The C word has put a downer on many things this year and sadly has caused pain and heartache to many. So this years Global Fat Bike Day ride was going to be a little different for many. You could say it went back to how it was in the early […]
Ride along with Summittoppler for a cruise along fabulous Newborough Beach on the Isle of Anglesey in North Wales
A couple of months ago Salsa announced they were releasing an updated version of the EXP Series Anything Cradle and Anything Cage systems. Luckily for me the Anything Cradle system found its way to Wales for some use in the Autumnal Welsh mountains. Black is good The Anything Cradle is now compatible for both 35mm […]
For the past few weeks I’ve been using these Super Sparrow water bottles after they dropped into Wales. Super Sparrow was founded in 2015 with the aim of providing people with the ability to easily enjoy both hot and cold drinks and always stay hydrated on-the-go. The bottles I chose to test were a 500ml Sports […]
A few weeks back I set off to do this bikepacking trip but bailed as I wasn’t in the ‘zone’. I was pretty gutted as the weather was perfect, no wind, no cloud and the chance of a great sunrise. Fast forward 4 weeks and I wasn’t going to let it go as I again […]
3 weeks after filming my SLATE video I made a return to the area as a friend of mine, Allen, really wanted to see the slate sights. So we quickly picked our date and was joined by John Climber. The 3 of us set off on a very humid Sunday afternoon which had plenty of […]
With restrictions being lifted here its great to be able to get out and do what I’ve missed doing for the past few months. So I’ve got some catching up to do! For this bikepacking overnighter I went to a local area that rich in slate history, the Cwmorthin & Rhosydd slate mines. The mines […]
Cwm Dulyn translates to the Black Lake and is one of my favorite valleys here in Snowdonia, Wales. This is a route that not many take, especially on a bike due to the terrain. Its usually very hard going due to the long grasses and sodden ground. Perfect for the Salsa Mukluk then! Would you […]
Luckily in the last few weeks of testing the new Hydro Flask Down Shift Hydration Pack here in Wales, the weather has been kind by throwing up some unusually warm weather. So with warm temperatures, a cool drink has been a welcome treat. Hydro Flask was founded in 2009 in Bend, Oregon. They have been […]
John ‘Climber’, one of Fat-bike,com’s friends decided it would be a great idea to get people who are packraft curious together in North Wales, UK. Luckily for me the venue was just a 1 hour drive away which was on the shores of Bala lake. However the attraction of trying out packrafts attracted people from […]
We’ve all got that idea in our minds prior to going on an overnight camp whether it’s your first time or if you’re a seasoned veteran camper. You know when you want the perfect weather window, no wind, dry not too wrm/cold, great views and basically an overnight trip that will stay in your memory […]
Let’s kick it up a few notches… Summer, this time of year is when I start thinking of shorter days and colder temps and with that brings Global Fat Bike Day. This year the date falls on December 7th for peeps from all around our universe to get out on their own or with a […]
3 years ago I walked this area with one of my sons as a reccy for a fat bike ride. It soon become clear that this was no place to try to ride a bike as it would have involved a fair bit of pushing. Fast forward a couple of years and in May of […]
June 21st and the summer solstice luckily fell on a Friday, and luckily for me I finish work early on a Friday! YEAH!! The sun was shining, the forecast was good so a quick plan hatched to bivvy out for the night. I’ve had my eye on this sheltered spot facing east for some time […]
When I was informed by Fat-Bike HQ that I’ll be reviewing a pair of bib shorts I was a little confused. Personally, I thought fat bikes and bib shorts didn’t go together as well as bullets and guns! However the new GORE Wear Vent C7 Bib Shorts soon put that thought out of my head. […]
This year’s bivvy a month campaign hasn’t really got going as much as I had planned. In January I managed to get a couple of days riding in the heart of mid Wales on my gravel bike. February saw me ride to a mountain cottage in the local snowy hills which was great on the […]
Jeff Price sent us a compilation video that covers all twelve of his Bivvy a Month trips from 2018. If this doesn’t get you stoked to take up the quest to complete the Bivvy a Month Challenge for 2019, nothing will! I got out a few times in 2018 in what some might say was […]
Bivvy a Month Challenge Global Fat Bike Day 2018 We all know December 1st 2018 was ‘our’ special day as it was this year’s Global Fat Bike Day. However it was made even more special for me this year as I bagged my final Bivvy a Month for the year. I’ve organised the last […]
Fat Bike Snowdon #BAMfatbike2018 I must admit, I’ve not been ‘feeling it’ the last few months when it came to getting out and that probably showed by the last 3 BAM’s being on the last weekend of the month. I needed that to change, so I picked an area that ‘ticks’ my boxes and […]
Fat Bike to the Bothy #BAMfatbike2018 Despite trying to get more organised with my bivvy a month rides October took place on the last night of the month, Halloween night!! I initially had plans to spend a couple of days on one of the islands on the west coast of Scotland but the impending forecast […]
So bivvy a month number 9 came by way to quick, so once again I got out on the last weekend of the month! Luckily the weather was on my side for this again. Once again I stayed fairly local to me with just a short 25 minute car journey to the start of the […]
Bivvy a Month #8 – Take Two!! Well, when I set out to do the Bivvy a Month Challenge I knew they’d be challenges. Despite a so far successful year with my rides and the weather, my luck seemed to run out towards the end of August. I had my route planned so I […]
With the UK still in the midst of a heatwave it made planning this month’s bivvy trip a little easier than normal. Its great to know that you’ve got a good dry spell ahead of you as you don’t need to take much in the way of kit. So for this one as it was […]
A Quick Getaway June’s bivvy a month is the halfway mark in this year of adventures. The month of the summer solstice is the main night for spending a night under the stars but as I was too busy for that one I had to squeeze a bivvy in at the end of the month. […]
Fat Bike Jura I had a few days spare at the end of May for my 5/12 of #BAMfatbike2018. I must admit I wasn’t feeling like using them up as I wasn’t in the zone for a trip away. However as the weather forecast was looking hot here in the UK it would have been […]
ISSI Stomp XL Pedal Review The iSSi Stomp XL pedal landed here in Wales from their HQ in Minneapolis. The Stomp XL is their first attempt at a platform pedal and first impressions are they look and feel great. They are available in four different colours from black, plum, lime and blue. The platform is […]
Slate The summer made a brief appearance over the UK with a couple for days of nice warm weather so it was initiate #BAMfatbike2018 making this 4/4/ The area I picked is steeped in history as it was once the largest open slate quarry in the world. Slate put Wales on the map was shipped […]
Apidura Backcountry Bags With virtually the full set of Apidura’s Backcountry series of bikepacking bags landing on my doorstep you could say I was a little excited to try them out, and with my Bivvy a Month #2 just around the corner you could say it was great timing! As stated on the Apidura website […]
Fat Bike Snowdonia #BAMfatbike2018 With the first two camps done and dusted these following months should get a bit easier as the temperatures rising. However the UK saw winter bounce back with some chilling temps which made me bag my March camp near the end of the month. Despite all the planned locations I had […]
Fat Bike Galloway #BAMfatbike2018 After committing myself to the Bivvy a Month Challenge its got me thinking about where to have these mini adventures. With February usually a bit on the chilly side (by UK standards) I had my thoughts on staying in a bothy. A bothy? Let me explain, a bothy is an unlocked […]
The Lookout… The moon and stars aligned for my first bivvy of 12 for 2018 to take place over here in North Wales, UK. The forecast was looking OK for this January bivvy, cold but dry. However, as I don’t have the warmest of kit the thought of being out in the fresh air was […]
