New saddle, new mudguard

The title probably says it all. As mentioned earlier in this blog, I've been disappointed by the Spa Cycles Aire Titanium leather saddle I'd put on my touring bike after reading so many positive accounts of leather saddles in general and in particular for touring. Despite lots of loving leather care and hundreds and hundreds of miles sitting on the thing, it's just not for me. Not for my bottom anyway! And after the last bikepacking trip I decided enough was enough and that I needed to change it.

So I did yet more research and have gone for what might be regarded as the polar opposite of a leather saddle. No more olde worlde saddle design for me. Instead, uber-modern and radical. Oh yes. So what did I get?

I bought an ISM PR 2.0 which is classified as a Performance Recreation saddle meaning you can use it for pretty much any type of cycling whereas other saddles in the ISM range are designed for more specific purposes such as triathlons. 

ISM PR 2.0 with short, split nose for less squishing

What's special about the ISM saddles is that they're very much designed for men who wish to put their intimate squishy bits under considerably less load, what with their intimacy, squishiness and a rather important nerve down there which after a lengthy period of being squished under load can result in numbness. Temporary in most cases but not nice nevertheless. You can read all about the issues here.

The PR 2.0 came with clear instructions and was easy to fit. In most ways, fitting this saddle is no different to fitting any other. But it has no "nose" i.e. the narrow part at the front that sticks forwards between your legs, so you have to make sure you don't fit it too far forwards. It also results in you sitting about 5mm higher so the recommendation is to lower your seat post by 5mm to compensate. 

The ISM PR 2.0 is also 100g lighter than the Spa leather saddle it replaced. Score!

I have mine fitted but not yet tested out. I'll report back when I've decided whether I like it or not!

It was suggested to me that I add a front mudguard too and given how light plastic ones are and the likelihood of spending many hours in the pouring rain at some point (in fact I've already had that experience on a previous trip) it seemed like a no-brainer. So I bought a Crud Front XL Fender which was a doddle to fit, seems to weigh nothing and will hopefully do the job.

Bikepacking - Knepp Estate

 It's September. We're having possibly the last warm spell of the year. So it's time for one last bikepacking trip of 2021.

Once again, I headed down to Knepp Estate, destination for my first bikepacking trip almost exactly a year ago. This time I wasn't alone though. My daughter's partner Ross accompanied me and got his first taste of the joys of bikepacking.

We took a scenic 65 mile route to Knepp, winding through the Surrey and Sussex countryside. We stopped a couple of times, the first for horribly over-priced coffee at the Lickfold Inn where despite sitting outside at a table in their empty garden, we were asked if we had a reservation! From the "friendly" welcome and the prices, one has to assume the Lickfold Inn was not concerned about having no customers during the Covid pandemic!

Further along the route though, we stopped at the Lodsworth Larder and had completely the opposite experience. A lovely store with friendly, welcoming staff, delicious cakes and pastries, very reasonable prices and even a sign welcoming cyclists specifically. That's more like it :-)

Our last stop before Knepp Estate was to drop into Sainsbury's in Pulborough for provisions for the evening and the next day. Naturally we bought far more than we needed but cycling does that to you!

On arrival at Knepp Estate we checked in and then cycled into the camping field. We chose a spot, set up the tents and collected the firewood I'd paid for in advance. With a fire grate already in place, we prepared and then lit our fire at about 6pm. It was beginning to get a bit chillier so the fire was more than just decorative and kept us warm whilst we chatted and ate. And ate. And ate. Ross even grilled some venison burgers over the fire! 

We hit the hay at about 10pm, pretty tired. It was not a warm and toasty night in my tent it has to be said despite thermal underwear and hat. I'm not sure what the temperature dropped to at night but summer has most definitely departed.

Here are the stats for the outbound journey.

In the morning, we had breakfast and then headed home via a more direct 32 mile route but one that includes a hill with a 12.5% gradient. Pretty tough on Ross' high-geared road bike and on my low-geared but very heavily loaded MTB. But we made it!

Another very enjoyable bikepacking trip. Here are some photos:

At the top of Box Hill

A slightly unplanned detour took us off-road. Not fun on a road bike!

Entering West Sussex

Ross getting the coffees

The excellent Lodsworth Larder

Cycling friendly!

Ross putting his tent up

Camp established!

Fire going, time to eat and eat.....

It's early still but we have our fire

Master-chef Ross

The morning of our departure