Point taken.
Thanks Adrian
The trip went well without any issues - lovely views, despite the wet weather.
The Kylerhea to Glenelg ferry wasn’t running, so we had to cycle round adding an extra 20 miles - no issue, save that I think the NC500 has increased traffic unfortunately - one or two close passes, but on the whole drivers were sensible.
Anyway - wet weather, and fast-seeking midges meant I didn’t want to stop for any length of time, therefore no attempt at QSOs.
Zero phone signal for a good few hours, heading east out of the valley north of Sgurr nan Eugallt - well worth having something else for backup.
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That’s a shame. Isn’t it the UK’s last remaining turntable ferry?
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I believe so.
It was closed on Saturday for planned maintenance… but they realised it was going to need/take a bit more time, so it wasn’t running on Sunday.
Also, we were lucky to catch the ferry from Mallaig - the ones after we left were cancelled. One chap from NZ was kindly given a lift by car - so I guess CalMac tried to do their bit.
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The ferry is a quick crossing to the mainland, but still have the twisty roads to enjoy. We used on the 18th July from Skye.
We did try for the other ferry into Mallaig, but we had 90min wait so we decided to head back for the turntable ferry.
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Any pictures of your bike(s)? I’m fascinated by cycle touring and like to see other people’s set ups. I’m getting ready for a very gentle cycle camping trip, my bike is just about ready I think, I did a bit of servicing yesterday.
73, Colin
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I used my Rose Pro Cross Gravel - don’t be fooled by the ‘gravel’ name, it’s built off a cyclocross frame so the wheelbase is a bit shorter than a typical gravel bike. Also, being an XS, it’s built around 650b wheels. About 9kg without the touring kit.
Ideally, I’d have a longer wheelbase for carrying luggage (less twitchy)… but the fork is compatible with a rack, which is good for adding camping kit.
I’ve toured the Alps (with camping kit) on 28mm tyres with no problem, but I was advised to use something wider for the Prague-Vienna greenways route. Proper big gaps between cobblestones in those parts, so glad to have 40mm tyres on there, plus it meant I could ride some of the gravel sections.
50/34 chainset and 11-32 cassette. Fine for the Alps, but it was a bit tough on some of the 1 in 5 hills that I encountered on this trip. I’d like a sub-compact chainset but I use this bike for most of my miles (road riding without a rack or mudguards).
Tortec Velocity rack on the rear is nice and narrow - keeps the panniers closer to the centre and out of the wind a bit better… but I’d like something a bit lower for a better COG.
Mudguards - I usually don’t use any, but for Scotland I wasn’t taking any chances. 
Panniers are small (deliberately - that way I don’t carry too much). Waterproof, and they stay put.
Quad Lock for mounting the phone up on the bars, and I think that’s about it.
How about yours? I see it’s a cube, but can’t figure out the geeky bits from your pic.
PS I have hair band on the bars (one on each side) - that way I can lock the wheels when parked on a hill. Don’t ask why I decided to do that. 
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Thanks for the information and reply, that’s a very nice looking bike!
I’m not a serious cyclist by any means. I have a Raleigh road bike, which I bought around 1996 as a teenager. I really like riding my Raleigh on roads but, on anything else, it’s a bone shaker! I wanted a ‘grown up’ bike, something that rolled easily on the road but could cope with some mild off road stuff. I wanted an upright riding position and options for carrying gear.
I found the Cube Nature Allroad online and it came with a dynamo hub and lights, and also a kick stand, pannier rack and mudguards. Basically it came with everything that I’d want to add and it was the lazy option! I’ve added luggage from Alpkit and Cube (Acid) and a USB charger connected to the hub dynamo (either lights or charger can be used, but not both). I was a bit worried about the 50mm tyres (50-622, 28"), but in practice they’re fine.
I have too much capacity in terms of bike luggage probably. I took the bike to Iona last year and managed fine with smaller pannier bags. My new pannier bags are more rigid and hopefully won’t catch in the wheel like the roll up Altura bags. Unfortunately I didn’t have much choice in terms of replacement pannier bags as a lot of shops are sold out and are awaiting 2026 stock.
Isle of Iona
My little Alpkit 1 man tent
73, Colin
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It looks smart and purposeful. A small travel fork is a nice touch - I expect that helps on gravel paths.
I like the idea of a hub dynamo - wonder at what speeds it’s happy to power the lights?
Spotted a pole in your pic - I assume that’s for an antenna?
Also, triple chainset - a must for touring with luggage. 
With the general move away from triples (sometimes doubles), gearing leaves more to be desired on many bikes. Not sure what the logic is - I’m sure marketing departments can convince us all that it’s for the best (until we need to pedal our touring bikes uphill!).
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The front light flickers slightly when grinding up steep hills in the granny ring, but other than that it doesn’t take much speed to come on fully. The rear light has a ‘standlight’ function, once it’s charged, it stays on steadily regardless of speed. The lighting works really well in practice. The USB charger is better than nothing but you can’t get many amps out of it, I’m still experimenting. It seems like the USB charger can trickle charge my phone, keeping it topped up, so still at 100% when I get off the bike. I noted that a newer version of my charger was released about a week after I’d bought mine!
https://fahrradlader.de/fahrradlader-v4-0/
The newer version puts out more current I think. The limitation is the bike dynamo- they all tend to be 3W/6V.
The USB charger, designed and sold by a young man in Germany.
Yes, the pole is for my EFHW antenna. This time I have a carbon pole, it will actually fit in the frame bag. Instead of my FT817, I will have a QMX.
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How many radios do you need? One more than you have. 
So it’s the same with bikes. You need one more than you have each tailored for specific needs. This is the 1st world way of extra consumption.
I believe the move to 1x11 and 1x12 chainsets was to remove the weight of a front derailleur and increase reliability for MTBs. And for marketing! Also a 3x8 etc. had a slightly bendy chain but still you couldn’t really use all 8 rear cogs with all 3 front cogs, some combos put a lot of strain on the chain. 1x11 etc has super flexy and thinner chain so it can work on all the cogs. But will probably wear out quicker.
My MTB has a 1x11 and as I get older, I think the front cog could do with being a little smaller. The downside is it makes the top speed of the bike lower and it’s not a speed rocket as is. But it’s an MTB not a Tour de France racer.
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Agree - the comment was somewhat cynical. For MTB use, a single chainring allows a narrow-wide profile that holds onto the chain quite well… but the resulting 1x cassettes are now the size of dinner plates.
Currently running an 11-51t with a 30t - seems to do the job on the MTB. Never dropped a chain.
For road riding (not road racing), I think there’s still a place for triples if you use one bike for everything. I did that for years, until I decided that cantilever brakes were no longer adequate on wet alpine descents… hence the bike change.
There are gravel specific rear derailleurs with the capacity to accommodate dinner plate cassettes too. But an extra cog on the chainset would have been better IMO.
Anyway - I like the fact that I have the same equipment as TDF riders… makes me feel cool. 
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I’m thinking of a QMX too - sold the G106 in order to get something smaller/lighter… I just need to decide whether I’m sticking to QRP SSB, or whether I want a little extra.
I like the idea of the rear light holding a charge - I’d be keener to see a battery pack that accommodates both lights. That would make a nice project. 
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