Just popped out for a Coffee

Sat thinking, I might nip to the Forest of Dean for a coffee and get some training in.
Loaded up the Raven Bikepacking bike and headed out.

Things mentioned in the video
Thermarest Polar Ranger Sleeping bag – https://www.thermarest.com/ie/sleeping-bags-and-quilts/fast-and-light/polar-ranger–20f-30c-sleeping-bag/polar-ranger-20.html
Raveman Front Light – https://www.ravemen.com/PR/PR1200.html
Exposure rear light – https://www.exposure-use.com/Brands/Exposure-Lights/Products/2024-Bike-Range/Rear-2/TraceR-DayBright-mk3
Pedalaway cycle Centre – https://pedalabikeaway.co.uk/home-pedals/
Smokestone Raven Bikepacking Bike – https://www.smokestonebikes.co.uk/the-raven

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Many thanks. G.
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About me.
35 plus years as a bicycle mechanic and wheel builder, frame designer, rider, shop owner, owner of Smokestone bikes, event organiser and trail builder. And it would appear now I’m also a youtuber.
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So yesterday I thought to myself what can I do it’s afternoon got a bit of time I know I’ll go and have a cup of Coffee so nice to get out so doing my first sort of proper training for next year is well I know I’m training in general really got all my stuff on the bike my kit on there so it’s just getting used to miles with a loaded bike and uh when it comes to cold

Weather riding which is what it is at the moment it’s about 3° 2° plus not minus uh it’s going to get colder later but what you got to try and do and what I’m teaching myself to do is to go slow enough so you don’t sweat so I’m my

Borderline getting hot so I’ve just slowed up hence I’m talking on here so I thought I just slow up a bit and uh do a bit to camera right I’m just going to turn off now to flax me gets away from the main road gets through the lanes I know it’s

Tac but to be honest with you this path that I ride down I come down this path which comes all the way from Gloucester and it’s borderline Offroad really because it’s so rough a lot of it’s not it’s just gravel so I suppos you call it gravel

But any it doesn’t really matter it’s uh quite easy going to get you to the forest but it’s not on the road so I go down this Lane zigzag around takt me up the top of the hill and then over into the Forest of Dean then I’m going to do a loop

Just check the mileage um I’ve got no specific idea of what I’m doing or where I’m going I’m just planning to ride to Forest do a loop and ride home so we’ll just see what I didn’t start till what’s the time now it’s 1:00 now so I didn’t start till

12: so we’ll uh just see how the day takes us it’s a Sunday by the way so it’s quite busy out anyway let’s crack on yeah just turned off to flax Le stop for a minute just have a bit of a a bit of a breather

Sor I just watched the red kite go across the top of the hill disappeared be that tree now but they’re everywhere now you just see a little bit of the river 7 down there floods have gone down now um I came through Gloucester and uh

Out by the river 7 I just come out of the other side of glester and you can see where all the floods have got up to the tide Mark course pretty uh mind it always does I mean going by back when in the 1970s I remember it flooding all all

Around the same area really so it is known to flood right I’ve got the rigid Forks on at the moment and I’m not sure I’m going to leave them on to be honest I get a lot of trouble with neck pain so and I get jolting through the fork so I’m

Trying to just ride loose not hold the bars too tight so I can see me putting the um suspension forks back on Just for long just for Comfort I don’t see any point yes there is a weight there is a weight penalty but and obviously you’ve

Got the brackets but um you can buy bracket snow to go on suspension forks so I may well do that I don’t normally run stuff on the forks but I’ve got a bit of a winter setup obviously I’ve got this big sleeping bag in there which you can’t

Put anything else in there I’ve got a jacket rain jacket I’ve got um can’t remember what’s in there actually clothes various clothes um in this one I’ve got a t up and in that one I’ve got uh all white I got sleeping mat and bed liner stuff like that tent Foods in there

Tools tools water no I didn’t bring the mechan I was supposed to bring my canister under here with hot water in it to have a cup of tea but I have got my stove so I’m probably going to make myself cup of tea although I forgot the

Milk so we’ll see and if I can get to the cafe at pedway in The Forest of Dean before they shut um which I should do it’s not that far now I’ll probably get myself cover of tea right I better get on with all that so um let’s crack on to the forest

Not sure I want to actually R to that at the moment that’s very Mucky sh beautiful look at it nothing like It I just love the seasons uh January in the UK is lovely crisp dry fresh leaves are down lots of you can see through the woods now all the cover has gone on no stingers and brambles lovely just a different uh you riding the same place but it’s just

Seems so different just freshens it all that each you it changes Trails change terrain changes just keeps everything fresh that’s why I like off-road riding just never know what’s coming around the corner really road to find to get your places but not very entertaining right nearly at the top

Got to say it’s just one hell of a beautiful day uh really good for the old brain box works wonders I haven’t done an awful lot today it’s going to be it’s not a very this is not an exciting video I’ve just stopped for coffee at pedway and

Forgot to film that bit but it doesn’t really matter had a check with someone haven’t seen for a long long time 75 year old we 75 now K still doing jumpy stuff time for a snack can’t beat a bit of homemade Flap Jack I love this stuff it’s full of nuts and seeds

Oats butter and a little bit of sugar only a tin your amount minimum amount just a try and stop it falling apart yeah it is it is good the nuts and the seeds and the and the bit of butter sort of give you the fat to keep you going my

Body’s got quite good at burning fat now so I don’t eat any this is about as as sugary as anything gets for me I don’t eat any um sugar stuff gels and all that rubbish absolutely rubbish if you want to do endurance you just get a high and

A low and that’s it your wi tape anyway great day nice to be in the forest of De I love the place done a nice Loop of the fun cycle Trail calling in at uh pedler bike away for a coffee and then I’m in the woods I’m still on the cycle I’m

Just off the um what they call the Family Cycle Trail now it’s a good loop it’s a nice 9 M grally Loop to to um add in a ride and then I’m going to dive off in the woods in a bit do a bit more um off-road stuff and then back to

Cinderford and then home back the way I came that’s the plan that’s the day I should get about 50 miles in I think today which is good considering I’ve got a good load on it’s quite heavy the bike’s about 28 kilos I haven’t got the

Water on the bottom which is 2 kilos so it’s about 28 it’s normally about 30 um I’ve got a bigger sleeping bag which I don’t think there’s much difference in the weight prob be a bit but not much and I’ve got all my cooker and my

Food and tent oh actually I’ve got extra weight cuz I’ve got a tarp in there I’m going to try and get and do a bit of put the tarp up cuz this tent is a three season so if I want to go out in the winter I need something to make sure I

Don’t collapse the tent with snow or anything like that so I’ve got a tarp in there which I’m going to string up in the trees and then put the tent under it I’m really looking forward to doing that I need to do that in the next week or so

Or two weeks get out and camp with a tarp on the tent and um put some lights up and make a a nice evening on it of it right I’m going to finish eating this and then make my way back catch in a bit oh just noce the sun

If you can see it through the trees it’s just disappearing Over the Horizon I just went you can just about see a glimmer of sun cuz it’s uh 3 it’s qu to 4: so in another hour it’s going to be pitch black I’ve been ring for 2 hours

49 28 miles so far so definitely going to be a dark ride home it’s got a bit cloudier as well so I don’t know if we’re going to get any snow definitely looks snowish actually I’ve got the wrong yeah there a bit of suage in the air so you never

Know might get a spot on the way home that’d be nice right I just mentioned snow and it’s just stting to rain which is a bit of a bummer but um hopefully we don’t get too much I got a coat but anyway just getting down towards Cinder for now

Definitely been Motor Cross Bikes up down here cheering it up oh great now it’s raining anyway some on the way on keep moving I might just put my hood up oh that’s coming down quite well now lot people put their um foood over the top of their helmet but I find it better

Underneath um doesn’t flap about it’s nice and snug right let’s go you can just about see it’s getting dark now so not going to get much more footage on a GoPro just making my way back uh about 37 miles done so 10 15 miles to go something like that maybe that’s it we’re

Back great roid loved it let’s turn this L off you can’t have too many lights in my book and these little things are brilliant exposure lights and old raave man yeah it’s one of the few lights I know that you can you can actually dip so it’s got a cut

Off so you can’t really see it but as you can see over there it’s loting the freezer not above it anyway yeah great Light