2024-1 Winter Cycling | Scottish Gravel | Surly Ice Cream Truck 

Hi, good to hear from you and thank you so much for the lovely comments. You are absolutely right about the planning and logistics for these trips, especially those undertaken in winter. Attempting to keep the weight down yet being prepared and kitted out for all eventualities is a real challenge. Deciding the route (with variations built in) can also take up a huge amount of planning time. I was trying to balance two conflicting (natural) elements; snow and water. As long as the temperatures remained low and the precipitation over the high ground fell as snow, I knew I'd be able to cross the rivers. But, I ran the risk of getting trapped in snow drifts on the high passes. Conversely, mild conditions with associate snowmelt and rain would make the rivers impassable, but, of course, the high passes relatively easy. The long-range forecast predicted modest precipitation (and just one night of gale force winds), so I was fairly confident of my ability to keep going. There was one stage of the route where the potential to get trapped between two rivers existed. I made a conscious decision to cross both rivers on the same afternoon, pedalling hard between them to make sure I didn't get trapped. As it turned out, the water levels were pretty low and my passage relatively easy. Thanks for the tip with molasses sugar. Mo adds some to her porridge in the morning! I will certainly take some on my next trip and try it in my morning coffee for a boost to get me rolling. ATB, Dave

Hi Peter, thanks for viewing and commenting, very much appreciated. Great that you have a fat bike and I hope it brings you lots of fun. Hopefully you get a bit more snow before the winter's over. Keep those chunky tyres rollin'. ATB, Dave

Hi Benny, glad you enjoyed the vid. Thanks for viewing and commenting, very much appreciated. The Disc Trucker is an awesome bike. Surly's are just built for adventure. Keep them wheels rollin'. ATB, Dave

Good morning, David. Glad you enjoyed the video. Yes, this was a quite a tough one at times, especially lugging so much winter gear up the big climbs. All good though and much fun was had exploring the tracks at a quiet time of the year. The new bike also helped to keep a smile on my face. Thanks as ever for viewing and commenting, much appreciated. ATB, Dave

Hi Big Dave, good to hear from you and glad you enjoyed the video. I’d like to have filmed a bit more track-side footage, but with such big distances to cover in the short days of winter, I really had to keep rolling. The new bike served me well and has become my firm favourite machine, certainly for this time of year. Likewise, the new panniers did a sterling job in keeping my winter gear together and safe from the elements. The worst spell of weather was the icy rain in Glen Spean, which I chose not to film. It was thoroughly miserable for a while and I was so glad to climb out of it and back into snow, which eventually gave way to a blink of sunshine. All good fun though and one to look back on when we eventually get to the warm days of summer. I hiked along my local coastline yesterday and it felt springlike at sea-level. ATB, Dave

Good morning, Tom. Thanks for the lovely comments. A RU-vidr meetup sounds like a fun plan. You are totally right about the calories and staying warm. It is interesting when you set out on these multi-day trips, knowing that the only heat and shelter available is that which you generate or provide for yourself. I do find that I warm up as the days progress though, where the memory of a centrally heated house and warm fireside gradually fade, and wrapping up in layer upon layer becomes the norm. The new bike performed admirably and I was pleased with the overall setup. I doubt I'll need to do much tweaking. I opted for super-sized Ortlieb panniers on the rear, just to accommodate the bulkiness of a winter sleep system (and my arctic jacket). I'm reasonably impressed with them, but they are BIG. I currently own three sets of Ortlieb panniers. None of these 'modern' bags, in my estimation, compare with my original set, which I owned and used hard for 20 years or more. The material used in the construction of the new ones seem quite inflexible, especially at low temperatures. I replaced my old rear-roller type bags about 5 years or so ago and managed to put a hole in the new ones on the very first outing. Having said that, I do think they are the 'industry standard' and about the best the market has to offer. I wonder if the cordura versions are worthy of consideration? The bike is running on 4.8's and although this provides a lot of fun and stability, it is perhaps a bit more than required for Scottish trail riding. A Surly Wednesday on 4's would possibly make more sense for Scotland, but I do love the Ice Cream Truck; it has become my all time favourite bike. Interestingly, I felt justified in going full 'fat' because I already own a 29 plus, which I'm running on 2.8's. There were times when I wished I was riding studs, but at around £400 for a pair of studded 4.8's, I'm just not sure they are a worthwhile investment for the odd days we encounter such icy tracks. I did drop the pressure in the front by a fair bit, but eventually added some air again, simply because the trails were rock solid with the cold conditions and the squishy front-end felt very slack on the cornering. I'm looking forward to the release of your next video, to see where your wheels took you and how kind (or otherwise) the weather was during the adventure. ATB, Dave

Good morning, Martin. Mo and I have some plans for adventuring in 2024 and we hope to take the cameras along. I don’t think I’ll film much of my day trips or easier outings this year but do hope to keep the channel supplied with some decent adventure content. Mo has been away, visiting family for Spring Festival and doesn’t know of my tumble yet. The bruising on my shoulder has more or less gone, so I might avoid a proper telling off :) . Looking forward to glimpses of your own adventures. The days are getting longer and it is still a good while until bug season, so Mo and I might try to cram in a wild country trip. I’m guessing you will venturing north two or three times again this year? Whatever your plans, stay safe and take some photos; I love following your exploits. ATB, Dave

@@daveoutdoorsscotland2854 plans in progress

Thank you, Richard. Glad you enjoyed it. Your support and kind comments are very much appreciated. ATB, Dave

Hi Dave. Hope you and Mo are keeping well. Congratulations on getting to 2000 subscribers! Looking forward to the next adventure. ATB

It was a load of fun, and fair amount of hard work too. Just great to get out at this time of year for an extended trip. Won't be long until the lambing. Trust all is well with you. ATB, Dave

Good morning, Graeme, glad you enjoyed the adventure; it was a challenging one. ATB, Dave

Hi, I've done a few 'welly-boot bike trips'. The wellies work well for the bog and river crossings, and for setting up and retrieving the camera when positioning it beyond the track. However, the boots used in this vid are pretty much done (leaking badly through the neoprene uppers), so I'm thinking of a suitable replacement. I have some 'out-of-the-box' thoughts on 'suitable' footwear for similar trips in the future. Regarding the route, I might produce a wee vid detailing the route, gear load-out and review of the bike. Quick summary of the route is: Loch Rannoch to Drumochter via Loch Garry: South to Dalnacardoch then north through Gaik Pass to Tromie Bridge: Tromie to Dalwhinnie on Sustains cycle route: Dalwhinnie to Ericht to Pattack to Earba, to Glen Spean to Ossian and back to Rannoch. ATB, Dave

@@daveoutdoorsscotland2854 brilliant stuff. Thank you Dave.

My face WAS frozen for most of the trip :) Speaking to the camera was surprisingly difficult at times :)

HI Mo. Hope you and Dave are ok. ATB Richard

Thanks, Joan. Glad you enjoyed it. ATB, Dave

Hi Harry, glad you were inspired. I think you'd love some bike adventures. Lots of choice for pro electric bikes these days. I suggest you give Dave from Bothy Bikes a call. He hires out Scott E-Bikes at competitive rates and will point you in the right direction for some good trails in the Cairngorms or Speyside. Trust all is well with you and Helen. ATB, Dave

@@daveoutdoorsscotland2854 Thanks Dave, nice to know of the guys at Avimore hire. Was actually more in fantasy mode of the distant future, if only I had time to take regular weekly adventures into the wilderness, alas thtee days a week work, poor health and domestic life with family and dogs that I can't leave with Helen has trapped my ambitions to the ocassional half day but this year I hope it will be different mow that grandson is out of hospital. Kind Regards to you both. Harry 👍

Hi Michael, yes, no ticks or midges to worry about on this one :). Thanks for viewing and commenting, very much appreciated. ATB, Dave

Hi Karen and Kit, as always, great to hear from you. Thanks for the lovely compliment; I’m certainly not as tough as I once was, but still possess my Scots tenacity. Yes, indeed, John was a welcome sight coming over the ridge. My first thought was ‘well, the track is not blocked with snow’, quickly followed by gratitude that he had made such an effort to pedal the high pass in such treacherous conditions; the mark of a good man and trusted friend. Hope the Canadian winter is being kind to you. Best wishes, always, Dave

Hi Andrew, good to hear from you. Yes, I thoroughly enjoyed this one. I tried to restrict my trackside filming to a few scenes each day, allowing more time for the cycling and navigating etc. So, not too much stress involved in this journey. I hardly saw a single soul the entire trip. Certainly the remote glens were empty and even on the cycleway, I did not encounter anyone. I saw some estate workers (in a truck) on the track near Tromie Bridge and again close the Alder lodge. Oh, and also a couple in a car in Glen Spean, who seemed confused when I told them were driving on a private road!. I didn't chat with anyone in the hills at all, until I met with John. The solitude was bliss. ATB, Dave

Hi Robert, glad you enjoyed the vid. Top tip with the hiking pole, I’ll certainly give it a try. I have one that has a camera Mount on the top of the handle and will try that; a multi-purpose tool. ATB, Dave

Hi Kevin, I didn't record the route. If you are interested in following it, please check out the reply I gave to @boredmanoutdoors and you should be able to plot it quite easily on the OS map. If you have any follow up questions, please don't hesitate to get back to me. You will note on the OS map that the route is discontinuous, requiring some navigational skills and an ability to portage the bike across sections of rough terrain.ATB, Dave

Thanks Dave👍