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my mate (not a cyclist, zero off-road experience) managed fine on a Decathlon Triban with pretty much slick 38c tyres. There's a couple of sections to take care on but for the most part it's as fredtc said, not that rocky. I'm just a wuss and need to HTFU if I'm being honest.

100%. I would much rather have had something with a bit of travel as opposed to a rigid 26er, you'll have a blast on that.

Very strong showing today, so I'll lower the tone right down...

Ta, the Hunts' are standard on the builds I'm looking at with the Hopes being a £100 upgrade, which as you say is a bit of a no brainer to match headset and seat clamp!

I know nothing about wheels, would the Hope 20Five-Rs4 be a sensible upgrade on the Hunt 4 Seasons or is it much of a muchness?

I kind of was. I think the Secan is a whole load more flexible, being able to throw on some fairly chunky 650s on opens up tracks and byways that you probably wouldn't want to/couldn't tackle on a Strael. Having given it some thought what I'm really after is something that will allow me to eat up miles on shitty UK lanes in relative comfort and the Secan seems a bit overkill for that, so likely going to go for the Strael... haven't pulled the trigger yet though!

Best colour Vigorelli! New to you?

On another note, did anyone hear Webber's reaction to Hamilton locking up? Absolute gold

Echoes of Gary Neville's goalgasm, which never gets old!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AXUdemBWEB8

Ta, what I thought but always helpful to have it confirmed. Guess popping my tubeless cherry will have to wait a bit...

Picked up a pair of 38c G-One Speed MicroSkins, probably old stock as I think they're discontinued. Noticed when mounting them that the sidewall on one has a bit of a tear... Is this cosmetic or should I ask for refund/replacement?

Not entirely. I saw the video and thought the same :)

MTB gets my vote. Comfier and you can have more fun on the rutted descents.

Too many clothes, not enough snacks! First time doing a multi-day adventure, quickly realised I didn't need half the crap I packed. Still, made for pretty quick descents!

Few from weekend just gone along King Alfred's Way.

Any recommendations for travel insurance providers that cover for covid-related eventualities? Heading to Portugal at the end of next week.

Woah, that is a bit special.

Market Lavington, The Green Dragon - Comfy rooms, lady that runs it is unfortunately retiring in a couple of weeks but she was grand. Nice garden at the back, great pub food and breakfast was superb as well... baked duck eggs with mushrooms and spinach! Highly recommend. Great descent off the route to get there, if you don't fancy the climb back to the route you can follow the B3098 towards Chirton and you'll be back on route in no time.

Letcombe Regis, The Greyhound Inn - Cosy rooms, best food of the trip but on the pricier end, definitely more at the restaurant end of things but couldn't fault the quality. Breakfast as I mentioned was great, perfect for fuelling up ahead of a long day. Word of caution, you have to come off the Ridgeway and there's no dodging the climb back up... We came down Gramps Hill and then back up Court Hill Road which seemed marginally easier.

Frensham, Frensham Pond Hotel - Room fine but a bit shit, really. Wouldn't recommend. My mate called it 'a bit Groupon' and I think that nails the description. Breakfast was a bit wank as well. Couple of good things close by though, The Barley Mow in Tilford is next to a wonderful green and has a pizza oven, there's also the CraftBrews taproom nearby which I highly recommend making a stop at.

South Harting, The White Hart - Nice rooms, great food but also on the pricier side of things. Lovely beer garden which catches the setting sun. Continental breakfast included was pretty decent as well.

We'd booked most of this about 7-8 weeks ago, I haven't looked but I imagine as restrictions have eased prices may have increased a fair bit. Any other questions just shout/drop me a PM.

Yep, I'd never done a multi-day bike trip and my mate had never ridden more than 50kms (on the road) in a single day before so we tried to make it as easy as possible for ourselves! Best breakfast award goes to The Greyhound Inn in Letcombe Regis, just outside Wantage.

More pics...

Pics in no particular order...

Did it leisurely over 5 days Thursday to Monday just gone, coming off-route a little at end of day for accommodation (Inns/B&Bs), could not have been luckier with the weather!

Day 1: Winchester > Market Lavington, 80k
Day 2: Market Lavington to Wantage, 75k
Day 3: Wantage to Frensham, 110k
Day 4: Frensham to South Harting, 50k
Day 5: South Harting to Winchester, 50k

Very little in the way of mud apart from a few tree-lined byways that didn't get a chance to dry out, notably around Reading. The route is fantastic, the Ridgeway section from Ogbourne St George down to Streatley a particular highlight along with the sections on the Shipwrights Way. Some of the sandy sections either side of Farnham are a proper slog though.

The bike isn't seeing much action these days actually

Such a shame, beautiful bike. But makes sense given work from home and all that I guess? Hope you get a reason to get out on it again soon.

Ringing endorsement from me! I've obviously massively lucked out with the weather but yeah the route is great. I can imagine parts of it would be a bit of a slog in the wet though. In terms of bike, I'd edge towards hardtail over gravel type bike, my mate is on a Triban on 38c tyres with not much bite and he's managed fine, but would have a lot more fun on a hardtail as just able to attack the rutted sections and steeper descents.

We're doing it quite leisurely over 5 days/4 nights, staying in nice pubs overnight. Drop me a PM if you want more details/recommendations. I'll probably post a bit of a ride report on the KAW thread at some point.

So the drinks can shim has worked an absolute treat, despite the botch job it hasn't budged at all, thanks @si_mon628

Few other accessories/additions to the bike:

Oury single lock-on grips
Crane E-Ne bell
Tool roll by @mjef
Bar bag by @user71349
Soma Deluxe Porteur rack that I picked up from @supersonik-zlad
Restrap fast straps and rack straps

Been doing King Alfred's Way since Thursday and the bike has been absolutely brilliant. Yes, it weighs a metric tonne, I packed way too much shit and all the weight is over the front wheel but with ~50kms left to do tomorrow, I really can't fault it. Coped with the varied terrain of the Ridgeway admirably, the Kenda Small Block 8s are superb; roll really nicely on tarmac but just about grippy enough on loose stuff, not fit for proper mud but have encountered very little of that thankfully.

Hey, no worries! I was actually staying in Alnmouth, managed to get to Kielder one day and hired a fancy full-suspension Lapierre from the shop.

I too am a noob but managed not to kill myself and had a lot of fun. Bit technical in places and some nasty climbs but well worth it. It's incredible just what a quality, modern MTB let's you get away with these days! 10 mins after I took that picture near the top of one of the climbs I got snowed on...