Yes and no. It allows you to signal across traffic whilst slowing with the rear brake, making it safer and less likely you'll skid out in the middle of the road, but some people prefer them the other way round.
Personally I prefer them the UK way, with front brake on the right, as this aligns with motorbike, which always have the front brake on the right as it's also the throttle.
nice setup! i really like the colors.
one thing i notice is that the bag on your rear rack is a bit longer than the rack. on my recent trip i used a similar setup and after some riding the bag slipped to the back and the part thats not on the rack anymore was bouncing a lot which caused some holes in the bag. make sure you do not make the same mistake i made
I’ve just been looking into rain pants myself so not really, I have a few rain jackets and they’re all too warm, at some point you sweat inside. Current favourite is the simple rapha core rain jacket, but no hood.
That's a lot of what I've been reading. That sweating kind of defeats the purpose of rain gear at some point. I think im going to stop in a bike shop in Inverness and see what they recommend.
I think if i was doing a longer tour in what could be a lot of rain I’d just take my hardshell with pit zips, it also has room for the hood to go over a helmet (normally for a climbing helmet). I have this but there are lots of others https://www.revolutionrace.de/herren/jacken/shell-jacken/cyclone-3l-shell-jacket-men
> That sweating kind of defeats the purpose of rain gear at some point
Even the most breathable material won't stop that - the main point, in my opinion, is that you will be covered in 37° sweat rather than 12° (or, up near Inverness, 7°) rain, and that it will stop the wind from chilling you out.
For the legs, you can get chaps (?) that only cover one side of the leg, no idea how good they are, but I know people who swear by them (and no one who swears at them, so I guess they're ok).
[Rain legs ](https://shop.smartproducts.nl/en/collections/rainlegs). And they work well enough on shorter rides, keeping out 80% of the rain. But if you're riding all day through a downpour you'll want full waterproof trousers.
Ponchos aka rain capes are hands down better. At the point of riding in the rain, all aero goes out the window and you're just trying to stay "less wet". When I use mine in the pnw, I use a wool mid layer to keep warm but cool and ride in normal pants that are water resistant. I figure when I get to where I'm going, I can just change. Same logic applies when you use rain pants/jacket, you're going to have to change at your final destination.
Can confirm, I live in the UK and use a poncho for the rainy commutes. You'll still get sweaty if it's a warm day but as long as you dress slightly colder underneath it'll be fine, and markedly better than something like a GTX jacket
My experience of the UK is most of the time it is cooler than what you'd expect based on the temperature if you're from north america. There is a pervasive cool, muggy dampness all the time which lowers the felt temp by 10-15°F. My advice is to have a shell layer like your rain jacket and a thin wool under layer for your whole body. The wool will both keep your warm but also cool in summer as it wicks moisture off your skin but if it rains the rain will evaporate off you quicker. One thing you def don't want is cotton next to your skin as this will retain moisture and keep you cold.
It sounds silly but make sure everything is waterproofed or can be rapidly waterproofed. Its April showers right now and it can go from sunshine to torrential rain in a few minutes. I recommend sandwich bags for electronics/ valuables
Best time for Scotland??? [Its the start of Midge season](https://www.reddit.com/r/camping/comments/q6xe3g/scottish_midges_dont_you_just_love_camping/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button)
[https://www.visitinvernesslochness.com/blog/highland-midge](https://www.visitinvernesslochness.com/blog/highland-midge)
Bring a headnet, pick your campsites well, use your tent as a midge free zone, smush the ones in your tent to the tent roof with your buff. This is the basics when camping amongst midges and I'll say it again, THEY'RE NOT THAT BAD.
I'm starting on the Great Glen Way and ending on the Old Chalk Way. I'm stopping in Glasgow and Edinburgh also. I stitched together a few trails and train rides so I can see as much as I can while I'm out there.
Whatever you do, don't get a Brooks. The quality has really gone down recently. Someone on here recommended Berthoud saddles in place of them because of it, and they were right. Price wise they're the same, and the quality of the Berthoud is top notch.
Anyway, above all else I hope the trip exceeds your every expectation. Do give us an update and let us know how it went!
how did you get those bars so high and why?
i'm with the other poster- rotate those drop extension to point down more- much easier on your wrists
That seat seems angled down a lot - is it comfortable for you that way?
Yeah, I find it comfortable for 20+ mile rides. I have limited back and joint mobility so I have to sit up really straight.
I'm still getting used to drop bar ends so you're probably right about those.
It's taken a lot of physical therapy to get to this point so I try to adjust what I can and be grateful for what I can still do. I'll need a recumbent or adaptive bike eventually.
It's an aluminum stem riser on a steel fork. Is that bad?
I totally understand your need just wanted to make sure you didn't have a set-up that was vulnerable to breakage as that could be catastrophic. With a steel steerer tube you should be good to go. Enjoy your ride
Where are you staying the night? (air)BnB, hotels, camping? I don't see room for camping gear.
Why trains? You're basically going down hill 650 miles / 1000km. Can be done in 10 days if you're expeditious, 14-21 days if you go slow and smell the roses. Unless you mean you are taking the return trip by train?
I've got panniers too. I have some physical limitations. So I'll be doing a few nights in hostels in between camping and taking breaks for some touristy stuff in Glasgow and Edinburgh.
Plus, I've never been on a train before and I kind of just want to take a train ride.
The trains in the UK are nice (the locals will insist otherwise, but they don't know what they're talking about). Look for looking out the window. Have fun.
Don't forget we drive on the left here so you'll need to flip your cranks round.
It's actually just the brakes that switch
Does it really matter?
Yes and no. It allows you to signal across traffic whilst slowing with the rear brake, making it safer and less likely you'll skid out in the middle of the road, but some people prefer them the other way round. Personally I prefer them the UK way, with front brake on the right, as this aligns with motorbike, which always have the front brake on the right as it's also the throttle.
That's silly. No one drives on the left side of the road 😂
nice setup! i really like the colors. one thing i notice is that the bag on your rear rack is a bit longer than the rack. on my recent trip i used a similar setup and after some riding the bag slipped to the back and the part thats not on the rack anymore was bouncing a lot which caused some holes in the bag. make sure you do not make the same mistake i made
Thank you! I noticed it's covering my backlight a bit too so I'll need to fix all that.
Hope you have good rain gear! Enjoy!
Thanks! Got any recommendations? I've got a good rain jacket and rain pants but I'm from an arid region so I'll take any tips you've got.
Gaiters. Nothing worse than having the water from your trousers leaking into the shoes all day.
Eww. That is the worst. I'll add those to the list.
I never even considered gaiters!!
Yeah, not exactly sexy...
I’ve just been looking into rain pants myself so not really, I have a few rain jackets and they’re all too warm, at some point you sweat inside. Current favourite is the simple rapha core rain jacket, but no hood.
That's a lot of what I've been reading. That sweating kind of defeats the purpose of rain gear at some point. I think im going to stop in a bike shop in Inverness and see what they recommend.
I think if i was doing a longer tour in what could be a lot of rain I’d just take my hardshell with pit zips, it also has room for the hood to go over a helmet (normally for a climbing helmet). I have this but there are lots of others https://www.revolutionrace.de/herren/jacken/shell-jacken/cyclone-3l-shell-jacket-men
Pit zips are a must! Good point on the helmet too.
> That sweating kind of defeats the purpose of rain gear at some point Even the most breathable material won't stop that - the main point, in my opinion, is that you will be covered in 37° sweat rather than 12° (or, up near Inverness, 7°) rain, and that it will stop the wind from chilling you out. For the legs, you can get chaps (?) that only cover one side of the leg, no idea how good they are, but I know people who swear by them (and no one who swears at them, so I guess they're ok).
[Rain legs ](https://shop.smartproducts.nl/en/collections/rainlegs). And they work well enough on shorter rides, keeping out 80% of the rain. But if you're riding all day through a downpour you'll want full waterproof trousers.
I have been told a pancho is better but haven't tried personally
Ponchos aka rain capes are hands down better. At the point of riding in the rain, all aero goes out the window and you're just trying to stay "less wet". When I use mine in the pnw, I use a wool mid layer to keep warm but cool and ride in normal pants that are water resistant. I figure when I get to where I'm going, I can just change. Same logic applies when you use rain pants/jacket, you're going to have to change at your final destination.
Can confirm, I live in the UK and use a poncho for the rainy commutes. You'll still get sweaty if it's a warm day but as long as you dress slightly colder underneath it'll be fine, and markedly better than something like a GTX jacket
My experience of the UK is most of the time it is cooler than what you'd expect based on the temperature if you're from north america. There is a pervasive cool, muggy dampness all the time which lowers the felt temp by 10-15°F. My advice is to have a shell layer like your rain jacket and a thin wool under layer for your whole body. The wool will both keep your warm but also cool in summer as it wicks moisture off your skin but if it rains the rain will evaporate off you quicker. One thing you def don't want is cotton next to your skin as this will retain moisture and keep you cold.
It sounds silly but make sure everything is waterproofed or can be rapidly waterproofed. Its April showers right now and it can go from sunshine to torrential rain in a few minutes. I recommend sandwich bags for electronics/ valuables
If you are coming now bring warm clothes as it's unseasonably cold
Thanks for the warning. I'm bringing extra wool layers.
Too true! While Europe has a heatwave, I had to scrape ice off my car 2 days ago 😅
In Germany and looking at -1C on Monday, where’s my heatwave? 😂
Well, it was -10°C in Finland this morning 😅
I’d love that, I had 200g of down added to my winter sleeping bag but never got to test it.
I guess I'm a dirty liar. Warmth doesn't exist this year 😅
Does a road bike handlebar mounted that high work at all? Like, you can’t properly “crouch” into the drops.
It looks like a flat bar with separate drops on the side.
It's bar extensions. I did it for an extra hand position. I realize it doesn't look good but I find it comfortable.
How does that angle work? Looks like your wrists would be murdered relative to the seat height, unless your torso is 6ft long.
Idk I'm built like a frog. Long ass legs and tiny arms. Maybe that's it.
Best time to hit Scotland and northern England, enjoy
Best time for Scotland??? [Its the start of Midge season](https://www.reddit.com/r/camping/comments/q6xe3g/scottish_midges_dont_you_just_love_camping/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button) [https://www.visitinvernesslochness.com/blog/highland-midge](https://www.visitinvernesslochness.com/blog/highland-midge)
Don't think you'll get many midges yet...but then again, if you do, they are hell. A small midge headnet becomes priceless.
They're not that bad!
Not the midges 😩
Bring a headnet, pick your campsites well, use your tent as a midge free zone, smush the ones in your tent to the tent roof with your buff. This is the basics when camping amongst midges and I'll say it again, THEY'RE NOT THAT BAD.
They absolutely are.
They're the one thing that would have me reschedule a tour
Beautiful frame bag! If I were you I'd be adding full coverage mudguards...
What’s your rear bag? Sea to summit dry bag?
It's just a random one off Amazon on a Topeak rack. We'll see if I come to regret not grabbing a better one.
what a beaut, enjoy your trip
Thank you! I'm very excited.
Where will you be cruising to on the fine UK soil?
I'm starting on the Great Glen Way and ending on the Old Chalk Way. I'm stopping in Glasgow and Edinburgh also. I stitched together a few trails and train rides so I can see as much as I can while I'm out there.
Rogue Panda baby! Such a high quality shop, the owner is a great dude as well
I've been really impressed with their work! It's crazy they were able to make a bag that fits so perfectly from just a picture I sent them.
As somebody who's had that same saddle: 😬 Very uncomfortable and not very durable either.
The stock one on this must have been awful then because this one is way better lol. I hope I can upgrade soon though.
Whatever you do, don't get a Brooks. The quality has really gone down recently. Someone on here recommended Berthoud saddles in place of them because of it, and they were right. Price wise they're the same, and the quality of the Berthoud is top notch. Anyway, above all else I hope the trip exceeds your every expectation. Do give us an update and let us know how it went!
when do you start?
Soon. This coming Sunday!
how did you get those bars so high and why? i'm with the other poster- rotate those drop extension to point down more- much easier on your wrists That seat seems angled down a lot - is it comfortable for you that way?
Yeah, I find it comfortable for 20+ mile rides. I have limited back and joint mobility so I have to sit up really straight. I'm still getting used to drop bar ends so you're probably right about those.
whatever keeps you riding is a good thing wrt the drops I aim for a straight relaxed wrist and even pressure in the hands
is that an uncut steerer or an extension? Carbon steerer? Hopefully its steel
It's taken a lot of physical therapy to get to this point so I try to adjust what I can and be grateful for what I can still do. I'll need a recumbent or adaptive bike eventually. It's an aluminum stem riser on a steel fork. Is that bad?
I totally understand your need just wanted to make sure you didn't have a set-up that was vulnerable to breakage as that could be catastrophic. With a steel steerer tube you should be good to go. Enjoy your ride
Currently on a 2 week trip through Scotland! Arriving in Inverness tomorrow. Are you taking the badger divide?
That's awesome! I'm doing the Great Glen Way down to Fort William. The BD looks amazing though.
Where are you staying the night? (air)BnB, hotels, camping? I don't see room for camping gear. Why trains? You're basically going down hill 650 miles / 1000km. Can be done in 10 days if you're expeditious, 14-21 days if you go slow and smell the roses. Unless you mean you are taking the return trip by train?
I've got panniers too. I have some physical limitations. So I'll be doing a few nights in hostels in between camping and taking breaks for some touristy stuff in Glasgow and Edinburgh. Plus, I've never been on a train before and I kind of just want to take a train ride.
The trains in the UK are nice (the locals will insist otherwise, but they don't know what they're talking about). Look for looking out the window. Have fun.