Today we collected our long-awaited Stoater Plus bicycles from Shand Cycles in Livingston. We had the chance to meet Steven Shand and Russell Stout who designed and built the bikes at their workshop. They are the only bike builders presently operating in Scotland and are making top quality bikes. Our Stoaters are to be used as lightweight steel touring bikes with Rohloff hubs and Gates belt drive. They were built to our dimensions, colour and specifications and we are very pleased with the results. We would like to thank Steven and Russell for an excellent job and would strongly recommend them to anyone who wants a British-built bike. (No frame from Taiwan, but hand built in the UK).
This afternoon we drove a very scenic route around the Trossachs to reach Oban, a delightful small harbour town, which is the port for ferries going to the islands of the Hebrides. We spent time assembling racks and testing saddlebags and now look forward to the journey to Barra tomorrow, the start of our tour.
The Grey Stoater
Wee Blue Stoater
