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what is that seatpost you're running? it looks beautiful, titanium, I reckon?

Oh wow how come 172.5 mm cranks? Im a shorter rider than you at 6'2 and all Ive ever been told is that Im too tall for anything other than 175mm... Have I been living a lie? 😅

Ooh, totally need to take my fattie across that, still lovin your vids

SRAM or Shimano over one hundred year old technology. Pinion??? With a belt surely is the future. NO maintenance.

Im fail to understand why your channel doesn't have at least 10 times the subscribers. The route documentary was amazing and your commentary is wonderful.

Forget about South Wales, if you want a real challenge, well i ti fynd i Gogledd Cymru!

Life lesson, when ever a product doesn't meet you're standards or it's not what you expected or damaged upon arrival never rely on the courtesy of company to do right by you, as you found out. Always use you're 30 day returns policy and just send it back for a full refund. All you have to say is it's not right for me they can't argue anything.

Hey Josh how does this compare with the Dales 300

With the saddle height, I’m not sure it makes any difference if the bars are flat or drop. Wow

So its basically not a Sonder 😂

Which of the easier 5 was the furthest north 😂 I really want to have a go at bike backing but will be going in my own and don't really want to drive all the way down south for my first one

Ass bar ends and you at least get a few more hand positions

New cap? Question. What top tube bag do you have? Couldn't find it on your list. Thanks.😊

Nice video; I'd love a titanium frame at some point but maybe not in the cards atm. Looking at your Blackburn frame bag, it looks like you have the same size as mine, medium. Just by eyeballing frame, if you went up to the large, probably a better fit for your triangle.

Hi Josh, Hope your injury is recovering well?

The crazy amount of issues I had with shimano levers : 😂

I use Ergon GS3 grips and SQlab Innerbarends 411, providing comfort, many hand positions and more aero. Love it. Could not ride with your straight grips for a long ride or trip. It's a huge difference

The simplicity of flat bars is compelling. Bar ends provide another hand position, Brakes and gears can be maintained independently. And your grip on the bars is so much more secure.

I think one day I‘ll go the same way. I just prefer flat bars to drop bars.

flat bar gang lets go!!!!! Gonna try alt bars next

4 years ago while building my first bike build i replaced my sram xxx1 with xt the main reason was easier to find parts around the world and cheaper ..switched out my mtb handle bars with jones bars and front carbon fork with wrensports inverted for now switch my will out from 26x4 to 29x3 game changer

I can't imagine the geo working that well with flats? You're pretty much riding a hybrid, now... I get what you're saying, I run SRAM Force and Rival shifters, and the quality and price are shit! MTB brakes feel so much better, more progressive and powerful! One thing I have learned, wash all the grease out the shifters with GT85. Let them dry out for a few days, then liberally spray them with a dry lube, something like Finish line, or a cheaper industrial type. This really does limit the amount of shit the shifters suck in, and stick like shit to a blanket! I recently put a pair of On One Geoff bars on my Titus Roadrunner, it wasn't good! Soon put my Ritchey Beacon back on! ✌️

Гарний велосипед, собі такий би схожий зібрати. How many kilograms this bike weight?

sweet build Josh, looks like a fast rigid 90s XC MTB now ;) flat bars defo for the win, I run carbon flat bar with a gentle rise, 740mm wide though as I am on a rigid XC MTB :) flat bar gravel bikes are the way forward IMO, enjoy the rides!

When I bought my 2nd carbon & Force 1 equipped bike , I was going to sell my original alloy Apex 1 equipped bike. Then I saw how much replacement drop shifter/hydro levers were. The original bike is still hung up in my workshop, 3 years later.

For more hand positions i use a set of carbon we ergonomic bar ends inside of the grips as it is more aero and you can still use the brakes from them 👍👍

It’s a shame bar ends have fallen out of favour. They transform the front end when running flat bars.

Nice! Have you considered horned bar ends (eg Ergon GP4) for more hand positions and a bit of comfort on longer rides?

Top end sram brakes are great, but even the cheapest shimano hydros are amazing.

Are you tyres set up tubeless - or do you prefer/choose tubes instead. I'm sorry if I missed the video where you might've talked about it. Your adventures are fascinating - winter, mud, all weather conditions camping, exploring Britain's off road - it truly takes some bravery. The logistics of mapping routes and your patience, filming yourself with the tripod going back and forth. I find that amazing.😊 As always, great editing and soundtracks, too. Congratulations

biek looks great. you must be very tall

Narrow riser bars with bar ends positioned between the grips and the shifters is the winner for me. Gives you all of the perks of flat bars that you've mentioned but with the added benefit of a second hand position to aid with wrist fatigue. You can still access the shifters and brakes and it also gives you an option to stretch out/tuck in for speedier sections. It's the sweet spot for me.

The smiles per pound factor (and smiles per miles) of that bike during your ownership must be truly epic! Great bike, great video 👍

I had the same issue with drop bar brifters, rattly after time and easily damaged by crashes, mud and dirt. I switched to old school Microshift bar end shifters, simple, cheap and easily serviceable.

That's a hell of a drop between the saddle and handlebar. It looks uncomfortable.

I’ve just built a new gravel bike around a Sonder Camino Al frame and I’ve gone for flat bags too. It was a birthday treat for myself so I splashed the cash on Hopetech brakes and Shimano XT/GRX drive train.

Good vid Josh. I wish I'd have set my Camino up with flat bars, for the same reason as you: far cheaper to run and replace parts. Luckily I'm on Shimano though so the long term reliability is higher

Check out the Surly Corner Bar. I really love mine. Drops with the ability to run mountain bike levers. I got the lighter and cheaper aluminum knock off on Ama###

Cheers for fun adventures Josh! Most enjoyable. For the full 90s experience, add bar ends? For bikepacking I find mine as comfy a 2nd hand position (with some nice bar tape around them) as they are unfashionable. Indispensable recently on the GB Divide. Particularly nice for climbing out of the saddle. Also, you sure you don’t want to go full hardtail with a front shock (ok, different frame) once you’ve spent some happy time in the 90s? I’d not give up the extra kilo to lose the ability to joyously handle the wilder terrain. More of the maintenance you want to avoid though, I would accept.

She still looks fast though…

I understand the choices, but with such a position you are always in the same position while seated and I used to get painfull hands always having the hands pushing against the bars instead of resting them on top of the hoods. In terms of maintenance this might be less time consuming but I guess with the likes of LTwoo, Sensah etc, there are cheaper options out there.

Nice mate. That's what I'm riding now, a flatbar gravel bike with 650b wheels and 660 mm bars. It's a lot of fun. Trouble is... I keep looking at fixed/singlespeed gear bikes now. Love the whole fixed gear bike scene.

600mm! It'll be like the 1990's!

if you find the flat bars are making your hands hurt because your weight is too far forward, cheap narrow riser mtb bars will fix the issue, looking forward to your next adventure and hope you are all fixed up after your accident, i did notice the other day the giro manifest helmet has dropped in price from £250 to £100, it's a very well ventilated and very safe helmet and for that price, a bargain

One day I will get a gravel bike or build one. Trouble is once you say “Gravel” the price quadruples. Once they fall out of favour I will buy one. I might even be able to afford a Sonder. Keep the vids coming Josh , you are an inspiration.

Looks very tidy with the new bars 👌! I'm about a 30 second ride away from the Slades velodrome. I should really take advantage of living that close, but it is hard work with my chunky gravel tyres..!

Your right wild camping is near impossible.

Josh . Outstandingly put in to words ! Brilliant! And the scenery … awesome epic thank you 🤘🏻

That was soo beautiful 👏👏

Great stuff, I identify with your sentiments, I love the idea of the journey, the planning, the preparation, the start without knowing how it will go, the new sights and sounds, the places and people you meet along the way, the changing weather, the deviations taken by being curious, the things you have to overcome, the feeling at the end as you relive the journey before repeating the process. Those memories are what makes life worth living, of course family is important and you can have great experiences but it’s not the same as leaving home familiarity and embarking on a challenging adventure, there is something primitive and compelling about it.