I'm a house husband (no kids), bag builder (SpoK Werks) and freelance business English teacher.

Europe, yes....Spain, no. I'm close to Zurich, Switzerland.

I'm a huge fan of Geax and have used them practically since they first came into production many, many years ago. So it's possible that perspective is somewhat skewed. Also, I'm not a fan of Mr. S products so that's also something to consider. I do, however, use FRM and WTB rims with my Geax tires. Having said all that, I've had team mates that had issues in the past with Geax tires and Stans rims but from what I remember it was mostly UST models and I believe that whole issue has gotten better the last 3-4 years as tubeless technology has gotten better. The reason I mention FRM is that they have a very similar profile to Stans and there are various reports of Geax tires and FRM rims having 'issues'. I have never had a problem though. My experience has been that Contis are way more difficult to mount than Geax.

I would really like to spend some time riding in Morocco. Looks like a great trip.

I have the Go Lite Selkirk and love it! It's replaced my beloved Mountain Hardwear synthetic fill jacket. It compresses down to a little bigger than a baseball. It a definite for my HT550 this summer and an Alpencross or more.

The only one I wouldn't stay in again would be in Sparwood, only due to the crazy high cost. An occasional shower and good nights sleep can really help you mentally. As far as slower or faster, it depends on when you come and go. I always paid up front and found out where to leave the key. Also, I went to the store, if possible, and bought food for breakfast and the following day. Then, go to bed early and leave as soon as you can.

When I slept outside it was always at least 1.5 hours from waking up to leaving and occasionally, no food. Just things to keep in mind. Honestly, if I ever do it again, I'd ride it alone (in spite of the friends I made along the way) as I found that I ended up waiting for them at the end of every day we rode together.

I posted this in the other dynamo thread-- didn't know there was a dedicated one to this topic!

What options are out there for rigid carbon forks that can be used with The Plug II? I am building up a cheap carbon bike from xmiplay and was going to use their fork as well: http://xmiplay.en.alibaba.com/product/1445165663-214087827/2014_Newest_15mm_thru_axle_29er_carbon_fork_carbon_29er_rigid_fork_carbon_29er_mtb_fork.html

Can I just use a drill and put a hole in it for the wiring? What forks are people using with the Plug? Did they need to be modified? Anyone using a rigid carbon fork with a Plug II?

I used the Supernova Plug II last summer on the Grenzstein Trophy. My dyno at that time was a Shimano and fork the White Bros. Rock Solid. No drilling needed. I just used double-sided Velcro wire organizers to attach the cables to the leg and one wire ran through the steerer tube to the Plug II.

At the time I tried to charge everything (iPhone, iPod, etc.) directly from the Plug. That didn't work as well as I'd hoped. Since then, I've learned to charge power cells which you then use to charge your devices while you're running the light. I've also switched to a Supernova dyno hub. The new way works far better by the way. It's how I'm planning to run during the Highland 550 this coming summer.

I don't know if I knew what time the previous start was... earlier the better in my world but 9:00 is typical work start in Germany... used to it.

First, cotton....never! It's the worst material for sport as it retains moisture, holds bacteria and as you've noticed, doesn't keep you warm.

My favorite, wool almost anything but best of all Sock Wool socks. Another option if you'll be getting wet is the Seal Skin Merino socks.

It all depends on you. I tried a B17 but it was too wide and short for me. I switched to a Ti Swift and would have one on every bike if I could afford it or find it.

It is a great mag.

Coincidentally, I heard yesterday that XXC has shut the doors. RIP!

I also live in Germany. As it happens, I did the Grenzstein this past summer. On it, I used my beloved Osprey hydration pack. It worked great but it's basically there for water.

Within three days of finishing that I did an Alpencross with a group of people. They, all German, used the typical Deuter 30 liter pack. I decided to use my SpoK Werks Tramp Stamp seat bag and forego any pack as we were staying in hotels and didn't need to carry much. To me, they all overpacked. Looking back at it, I would say that they all suffered by carrying the weight on their backs whereas I felt quite free. Granted, I was probably in better shape and ride probably 2-3X or more than they. When I do my next Alpencross next summer I'll do it the same way.

You probably need to find out what works for you. Weight on the bike, done properly can lower your center of gravity, badly can be downright dangerous.

great! and thanks for the hard work alan! better watch there arent too many hip flasks this year... :-)~

Is there any such thing as "too many" hip flasks?

Wow.... that list is growing fast. I even know a couple of the others on the list. I didn't know that either of them were even considering it. Cool!

FYI - I'm in Germany but I'll ship anywhere if you're willing to pay for it.





(1) Dyno front wheel
Shimano dyno hub laced to a DT Swiss X470 29'er (naturally) rim. Built Jelle of singlespeed.nl and in 99% perfect condition. Works great! Also included is the Shimano Centerlock adaptor.

125 Euros plus shipping

Feel free to ask if you have any questions.

More photos can be found here. http://www.flickr.com/photos/wunnspeed/sets/72157637190264155/

Great info alpinum. Thanks for sharing. I'd be coming from either Munich or Zurich (if life develops in one of the current possibilities) so it'd be quite similar for me. A distillery trip is mandatory! We hit Aberlour when we were up there a few years ago. Man, I love their Scotch!

Good to know about the train as I obviously don't want to ride up that far and renting a car only to leave it for the length of the race is also not prudent. Thanks for the info. I'll also be looking for a place to stash my bike case either close to the airport or close to the start/finish.

I don't understand the fascination of clipless, if bikepackers keep running into problems with clipless why don't they give them up?

Flat pedals + hiking shoes (or Five Tens) = Heaven.

It's my preference and has been since about 6 months after I started riding again 20 years ago. Some of it has to do with the fact that I primarily ride singlespeed and like & want the connection to the bike. Along with that, I don't want to wear boots to ride my bike. I have clip less on my commuter if that tells you anything. Flats just aren't for me.

I'm running a Supernova E3 Triple with a Shimano dyno hub (for sale if anyone is interested....message me) which is soon to be replaced by a Supernova dyno hub. It's really a relief not having to worry about batteries, etc.

I hired a guy named Mike who lives in Silver City to come and pick me up. He brought (unasked, so even more cool) a bike box and then drove me to El Paso. It cost something like $100 and I gave him a tip. He shouldn't be hard to find as his normal job is running to and from Silver City to various cities in the area.